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WorksheetsUS History Midterm Study Guide — Extracted Questions
Total questions: 71
Worksheet time: 36mins
According to the study guide, what did the Homestead Act (1862) give to settlers if they farmed it for 5 years, encouraging westward expansion?
160 acres of free land
A federal wage for farm labor
A railroad voucher
Citizenship for immigrants
What was a major effect of the Transcontinental Railroad (1869) as listed in the guide?
It isolated the East from the West
It connected the East and West coasts, increasing trade and settlement
It eliminated all immigration to the West
It restored Native American autonomy
In the context of assimilation of Native Americans, Indian boarding schools (e.g., Carlisle School) are presented in the guide as an example of what broader policy?
Preservation of tribal culture
Americanization efforts to assimilate Native Americans
Establishment of sovereign reservations
Promotion of bilingual education
The guide states that Native Americans were forced to abandon traditional culture, language, and clothing as part of which process?
Cultural pluralism
Assimilation policies
Westward land allotments only
Religious freedom protections
According to the study guide, converting Native Americans to Christianity and farming lifestyles was part of which broader effort?
Industrialization of the West
Assimilation of Native Americans
Urban reform movements
Isolationism
What was the stated purpose of the Dawes Act (1887) in the guide?
To consolidate tribal lands under federal control
To break tribal lands into individual plots to force American-style farming and weaken tribal unity
To fund Native American-run schools
To guarantee tribal sovereignty and self-governance
According to the guide, the 15th Amendment granted which right?
Citizenship to all persons born in the U.S.
African American men the right to vote
Equal pay regardless of race
Desegregation of public schools
Under Jim Crow and disenfranchisement in the guide, what is defined as a fee charged to vote?
Registration fee
Poll tax
Property assessment
Service levy
According to the study guide, what did the Grandfather Clause permit?
Only those whose grandfathers voted in 1867 could vote
Only veterans could vote
Only landowners could vote
Only taxpayers could vote
What were literacy tests described as in the guide under Jim Crow and disenfranchisement?
Exams to improve public education
Reading tests designed to prevent Black voters
Assessments for naturalization
Tests for civil service jobs
How does the guide define the patronage or spoils system?
Awarding government jobs based on merit exams
Awarding government jobs to supporters rather than qualified individuals
Hiring only nonpartisan experts
Rotating civil servants every five years
What did the Pendleton Act (1883) establish according to the guide?
Expanded the spoils system
Created civil service exams to require qualified government workers
Ended federal income tax
Mandated primary elections in all states
According to the guide, which practical invention is associated with Thomas Edison and is noted for extending working hours and transforming industry?
The phonograph
The practical electric light bulb
The telegraph
Alternating current motor
What did Henry Bessemer invent as noted in the guide, enabling skyscrapers and railroads through cheaper, stronger steel?
Open-hearth furnace
Bessemer steel process
Assembly line
Steam hammer
Which inventor is credited in the guide with transforming communication by inventing the telephone?
Samuel Morse
Guglielmo Marconi
Alexander Graham Bell
Nikola Tesla
Why did people move from rural to urban areas between 1870 and 1910 according to the guide?
Access to homestead land and lower taxes
Factory jobs, higher wages, excitement of city life, and declining farm opportunities
Religious freedom and public land grants
Compulsory urban residency laws
How are tenements characterized in the guide?
Spacious urban housing with modern plumbing
Overcrowded, unsafe urban apartments with poor sanitation where immigrants lived
Suburban cottages for new middle-class families
Government-built model housing with strict health codes
According to the guide, what did Pap Singleton encourage as part of the Exodusters movement?
Migration of farmers to the Northeast
African Americans leaving the South to settle in Kansas to escape Jim Crow
Return of freedpeople to plantations
Emigration to Liberia
What did the Supreme Court rule in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) as summarized in the guide?
Segregation was unconstitutional under any circumstances
Separate but equal was constitutional, legalizing segregation for decades
Only public transportation could be segregated
States could not enforce any segregation laws
In Unit 2 of the guide, what is Social Darwinism described as?
A call for governmental charity to the poor
Belief that the strongest businesses and nations survive, used to justify monopolies and imperialism
A policy limiting corporate mergers
A religious movement for social reform
How does the guide define the Social Gospel?
A political ideology promoting laissez-faire economics
A Christian movement promoting charity and social reform to help the poor
A secular campaign for scientific management
An anti-immigration crusade
According to the guide, what did W.E.B. DuBois advocate?
Gradual accommodation and vocational training only
Immediate civil rights, higher education for African Americans, and co-founding of NAACP
Back-to-Africa emigration exclusively
Isolation from mainstream politics
Booker T. Washington promoted which approach to advancing African Americans’ economic status?
Economic self‑reliance through vocational training
Immediate integration through federal civil rights lawsuits
Exclusively liberal arts higher education
Back‑to‑Africa emigration led by the federal government
At the Tuskegee Institute, students primarily learned what kind of subjects?
Industrial and skilled trades
Classical philosophy and Latin
Military tactics and officer training
Fine arts and music composition
Which best defines the term vocation as used in the notes?
A skilled trade or career
A temporary volunteer role
A religious calling requiring ordination
A leisure activity or hobby
According to the Populist Party platform, which policies were key priorities? Select all that apply.
Silver coinage to expand the money supply
Railroad regulation to curb abuses
A federal income tax
Reducing political power for farmers and workers
What did bimetallism propose for U.S. currency?
Backing money with both gold and silver to increase the money supply
Eliminating precious‑metal backing in favor of paper currency only
Pegging the dollar solely to gold to reduce inflation
Adopting foreign currencies for interstate trade
Which statements accurately describe the Haymarket Affair (1886)? Select all that apply.
A bomb was thrown at a labor rally in Chicago
Labor unions were widely praised by government officials afterward
The incident was blamed on labor unions
Authorities responded with anti‑union actions and arrests
Which statements correctly summarize the Homestead Massacre (1892)? Select all that apply.
It grew out of a Carnegie Steel workers’ strike that turned violent
The state militia was sent to break the strike
It was a conflict over farm foreclosures in the Plains
The strike ended without government involvement
What was the federal response to the Pullman Strike (1894)?
Federal troops were sent to end the strike, and courts issued injunctions
Congress passed a law granting immediate union recognition
The president ordered a nationwide wage increase
State militias negotiated a labor contract
What was the main purpose of the Sherman Antitrust Act?
To outlaw monopolies and promote competition
To impose protective tariffs on imports
To regulate working hours for child labor
To create a central banking system
What did the Pure Food and Drug Act require?
Safe, properly labeled food and medicine, responding to muckraker exposés
Government ownership of meatpacking plants
Tariff protections for agricultural products
Price controls on pharmaceuticals only
What did the Interstate Commerce Act aim to do regarding railroads?
Regulate rates to stop abuses against farmers
Nationalize all railroad lines
Subsidize fares for urban commuters
End all federal oversight of rail shipping
In the context of early U.S. industry, what does textile refer to?
Fabric or cloth, with textile mills as major early factories
Mining of coal used to power steam engines
Machinery for producing steel rails
Small artisan workshops making furniture
What did Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle expose, and what reforms did it spur?
Unsanitary meatpacking conditions, leading to the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act
Unsafe coal mining practices, leading to the Federal Mine Safety Act
Child labor in textile mills, leading to national child‑labor bans
Monopolistic railroad rates, leading to the Hepburn Act
What change did the 17th Amendment make to the U.S. Constitution?
It allowed voters to directly elect U.S. Senators
It abolished slavery nationwide
It granted women the right to vote
It limited presidents to two terms
Which action reflects Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation efforts as president?
Protecting natural resources and expanding national parks
Eliminating all federal forest reserves
Privatizing national monuments
Diverting funds away from land preservation
What did the Newlands Reclamation Act fund?
Irrigation and land development projects in the American West
Construction of urban public housing in Eastern cities
Naval bases across the Pacific
Federal pensions for retired railroad workers
What was a key feature and consequence of the Underwood Tariff (1913)?
It lowered tariffs, reducing government revenue and contributing to the creation of the 16th Amendment
It raised tariffs to protect industry, eliminating the need for an income tax
It eliminated all customs duties on manufactured goods
It created a national sales tax to replace tariffs
What authority did the 16th Amendment grant to the federal government?
To levy an income tax
To directly elect senators
To prohibit alcohol
To establish a national bank
Who was Alice Paul in the Progressive Era?
A leader of the women’s suffrage movement who organized protests and hunger strikes
A novelist who exposed meatpacking abuses
A labor union founder during the Pullman Strike
A Supreme Court justice who limited antitrust enforcement
In these notes, what does suffrage mean?
The right to vote
Taxation without representation
Freedom of speech
The right to a jury trial
Which were causes of American imperialism identified in the notes? Select all that apply.
Desire for new markets and raw materials
Belief in Social Darwinism
A strong navy advocated by Alfred Thayer Mahan
Commitment to strict isolation from world affairs
What principle did the Monroe Doctrine assert to European powers?
They should not colonize or interfere in the Western Hemisphere
They were guaranteed free trade with all U.S. territories
They must adopt republican governments in the Americas
They could jointly govern Caribbean islands with the U.S.
Which reasons are given for why the United States annexed Hawaii? Select all that apply.
Access to sugar plantations
A naval base at Pearl Harbor
Hawaii’s strategic location in the Pacific
Discovery of major gold deposits on Oahu
What did the Scopes Trial (1925) symbolize in the United States?
A clash between science and religion
A victory for prohibition
An end to immigration quotas
A dispute over women’s suffrage
Which was a documented effect of Prohibition in the United States?
Increase in organized crime and illegal alcohol trade
Sharp decline in speakeasies and bootlegging
Expansion of legal alcohol markets
Immediate repeal of the 18th Amendment
In debates over Prohibition, what did the label "Dry" mean?
Anti‑alcohol
Pro‑alcohol
Neutral on alcohol policy
Support for state control of liquor only
In debates over Prohibition, what did the label "Wet" mean?
Pro‑alcohol
Anti‑alcohol
Support for temperance only
Opposition to all taxation
What did the 18th Amendment ban in the United States?
Manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol
Consumption of alcohol in private homes
Importation of all foreign goods
Production of tobacco products
How did installment buying contribute to the Great Depression?
People bought on credit and could not repay debts
It eliminated consumer debt through savings plans
It restricted consumer access to goods
It stabilized prices by reducing demand
Which consequence followed overproduction in the late 1920s?
Prices fell, companies failed, and unemployment rose
Prices rose, profits increased, and wages climbed
Government spending decreased and taxes fell
Exports surged and trade surpluses grew
Which combination describes a major cause of the Dust Bowl?
Severe drought combined with poor farming practices
Heavy rainfall combined with overgrazing
Volcanic eruptions combined with deforestation
Hurricanes combined with coastal erosion
Which region was most directly affected by the Dust Bowl?
Great Plains states such as Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Colorado
New England states such as Maine and Vermont
Pacific Northwest states such as Washington and Oregon
Mid‑Atlantic states such as New York and New Jersey
During the Dust Bowl, where did many migrant workers move seeking farm jobs?
California
Florida
New York
Illinois
What were Hoovervilles during the Great Depression?
Shantytowns where homeless families lived
Government‑built public housing complexes
Luxury suburbs for wealthy industrialists
Military camps for World War I veterans
What did President Hoover’s idea of "Rugged Individualism" emphasize?
People should solve problems themselves rather than rely on government
The federal government should manage all industries
States should defer to federal relief programs
Business profits should be capped by law
What economic policy is described by the term "laissez‑faire"?
Government should not interfere with the economy
Government should control prices and wages
Government should nationalize major industries
Government should set mandatory savings rates
Which New Deal agency built dams and provided electricity, jobs, and flood control in the rural South?
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)
Which criticism of the New Deal came from conservatives?
Too much government involvement and too costly
Not enough help for the poor; wanted more government action
Too much deregulation of banks
Overreliance on labor unions
Which criticism of the New Deal came from radicals?
Not enough help for the poor; wanted more government action
Too much government involvement and too costly
Excessive tax cuts for the wealthy
Too much power given to the Supreme Court
How did Britain and France respond to Hitler’s demand for the Sudetenland?
They followed a policy of appeasement and allowed him to take it
They immediately declared war on Germany
They formed a military alliance with the USSR and invaded
They imposed a total trade embargo that forced withdrawal
What is meant by appeasement as used to describe the Munich Conference?
Giving in to Hitler’s demands to avoid war
Launching a preemptive attack on Germany
Refusing all negotiations with Germany
Seeking arbitration through the League of Nations
Which feature best characterizes communism in the notes?
Government controls property and the economy with no private ownership
Private ownership is protected and promoted by the state
Free markets and minimal regulation
Religious institutions control the economy
According to the notes, how does communism claim to differ from fascism?
It claims to promote equality
It permits private property
It emphasizes nationalism over class
It supports monarchy by tradition
Which description matches fascism in the notes?
Nationalistic, militaristic dictatorship where private property is allowed
Classless society with no private ownership of property
Democratic socialism with worker control of factories
Theocratic rule based on religious law
Which country and leader are identified as fascist in the notes?
Italy under Mussolini
Soviet Union under Stalin
Spain under Franco was communist
Britain under Churchill
The Non‑Aggression Pact of 1939 was signed between which nations?
Germany and the Soviet Union
Germany and Britain
Britain and France
Italy and Japan
What was the result of the Non‑Aggression Pact after the invasion of Poland?
Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland
Germany withdrew from Poland under pressure
Britain occupied Poland to protect it
Poland remained neutral and intact
From which directions did Germany and the USSR invade Poland in 1939?
Germany from the west and the USSR from the east
Germany from the east and the USSR from the west
Both from the north
Both from the south
Why did the invasion of Poland mark the start of World War II in Europe?
Britain and France declared war on Germany
The United States entered the war immediately
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
Italy invaded France the same day
