US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
Choose the best answer for each question and mark the corresponding letter on your scantron. 75 points.
1. The end of World War I in Europe
was followed by several important
developments, including totalitarian
governments, a decreased money
supply, lowered demand for
manufactured goods and
widespread unemployment. Which
of these developments was a result
of the other three?
a. Totalitarianism
b. Decreased money supply
c. Lowered demand for goods
d. Widespread unemployment
2. The Great Depression began with
the crash of the American stock
market in 1929. However, it spread
quickly to other developed
countries. What was the effect of the
Great Depression on Germany, Italy,
Spain, and Japan?
a. The economic crisis inspired
masses of people to reform their
governments
b. Dictators came to power in
countries suffering economic
collapse
c. Disagreements over how to solve
the economic crisis led to
stronger opposition parties in
national legislatures
d. The economic crisis in major
industrial countries actually
helped strengthen the
economies in smaller countries
3. Which was an important difference
between the approaches of Franklin
D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover
towards the Great Depression?
a. Roosevelt was unwilling to
establish federal job programs
b. Roosevelt was unable to win
Congressional support
c. Roosevelt ignored economic
issues during his terms in office
d. Roosevelt was more willing to use
the powers of the federal
government to tackle economic
problems
4. How did the American economy of
the 1920s differ from the economy of
the 1930s?
a. The 1920s saw increased
consumer borrowing and
speculation, while the 1930s saw
a rise in unemployment and
business failures
b. The 1920s saw a decrease in
consumer borrowing, while the
1930s witnessed prosperity and
success in the U.S. economy
c. The 1920s saw a large increase
in unemployment, while the
1930s saw a sharp decline in
unemployment and
homelessness
d. The 1920s saw a marked
increase in the role of
government, while the 1930s saw
a reversal of this trend.
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
5. In the twentieth century, the
American economy experienced
periods of both good and bad times.
What conditions were characteristic
of the economic depression that
Americans faced in the 1930s?
a. High unemployment and bank
failures
b. Inflated stock prices and low
taxes
c. Excess money in circulation and
rising inflation
d. High employment and business
expansion
6. How did the raising of U.S. tariffs
expand the worldwide depression?
a. U.S. imports increased sharply,
leading to further unpaid debt
b. Though demand for U.S. exports
increased, payments fell behind
c. Other nations fell behind
competitively without such tariffs
d. Other nations retaliated and
world trade became even worse
7. Which of these factors helped hide
economic problems in the 1920s?
a. Investors lost confidence in the
market
b. Farmers sold crop surpluses to
pay off their debt
c. Americans purchased many
consumer goods on credit
d. Wages increased at the same
pace as worker productivity
8. Why did so many banks fail at the
onset of the Great Depression?
a. Too many investors tried to open
new accounts
b. Too many depositors tried to
withdraw their money all at once
c. The stock market collapsed too
slowly to collect on debts
d. The Federal Reserve put too
much money into circulation
9. European countries reacted to the
Hawley-Smoot Tariff by
a. Increasing global trade
b. Taxing American imports
c. Importing more American goods
d. Lowering prices on exports
10.
What economic condition did
economist John Maynard Keynes
believe caused the Great
Depression?
a. lack of government intervention
b. strict controls on stock
speculation
c. too much oversight of banking
d. limits on production and
spending
11.
At the onset of the Great
Depression, urban unemployment
a. Decreased slightly
b. Stayed about the same
c. Increased slightly
d. Increased dramatically
12.
Members of the Taxpayers
Protection League resisted evictions
by
a. Building Hoovervilles
b. Staging non-violent protests
c. Moving to cheaper lodgings
d. Pooling resources to pay their
rent
13.
Farmers contributed to the
problems that led to the Dust Bowl
by
a. Putting down new layers of
topsoil
b. Moving off of the plains to find
new farmland
c. Damming western rivers and
using irrigation techniques
d. Using intensive farming practices
that removed protective grasses
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
14.
The unemployment rate
among African Americans was
a. Nearly double the national rate
b. Slightly higher than the national
rate
c. About the same as the national
rate
d. Slightly lower than the national
rate
15.
President Hoover responded
cautiously to the depression
because he
a. Thought that the business cycle
would correct itself
b. Was distracted by the giant dust
storms in the Great Plains
c. Had little experience with
business methods and economic
theory
d. Wanted to take an aggressive
approach to recovery
16.
President Hoover urged
Congress to institute the RFC
because he believed that the
economy suffered
a. A lack of credit
b. Over-employment
c. Too much regulation
d. A concentration of wealth
17.
Some Americans blamed the
Great Depression on
a. Fascism
b. Socialism
c. Capitalism
d. Communism
18.
Why did many Americans
want new leadership in 1932?
a. Prices for farm products were
rising again
b. Congress passed a bill to pay
World War I veterans their
bonuses early
c. President Hoover’s economics
policies had failed
d. President Hoover denied
responsibility for the use of
federal troops against protestors
19.
What were the criticisms of
the New Deal?
a. Reform the government and
decrease spending
b. Create schools and protect
farmers
c. Increase spending on defense
and trade
d. Gave too much power to the
government
20.
Some opponents of the New
Deal believed that it
a. Benefited only the banking
industry
b. Harmed home owners
c. Threatened individual freedom
d. Gave too much power to the
people
21.
The American Liberty League
formed to
a. Support the Bonus Army
b. Introduce new legislation
c. Oppose FDR’s New Deal
d. Oppose the TVA
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
22.
The Agricultural Adjustment
Act helped farmers because it
a. Sought to end overproduction
and raise crop prices
b. Attracted industry with the
promise of cheap power
c. Created jobs for over 2 million
U.S. citizens
d. Regulated the stock market and
made investments safer
23.
The Rural Electrification
Administration provided electricity
to
a. The elderly
b. Farmers
c. The unemployed
d. Minorities
24.
The right to collective
bargaining was part of the
a. Wagner Act
b. Works Progress Administration
c. Social Security Act
d. Agricultural Adjustment Act
25.
Members of the _____________
participated in a sit down strike
until General Motors agreed to
recognize them
a. WPA
b. UAW
c. REA
d. NLRB
26.
What caused Republicans to
gain power in Congress in 1938?
a. The Supreme Court started
approving New Deal programs
b. The economy took a downturn
and wiped out much of FDR’s
progress
c. Unemployment went down from
14 percent to 10 percent
d. Southern Democrats became
supporters of the New Deal
27.
Eleanor Roosevelt showed her
support of minorities when she
a. Appointed herself as Secretary of
Labor
b. Sat with black delegates at a
conference
c. Wrote a weekly newspaper
column
d. Established a minimum wage
28.
During the 1930s, the Bureau
of Indian Affairs
a. Passed acts that led to total
landlessness
b. Denied Native Americans the
right to vote
c. Stopped discouraging the
practice of Indian religions
d. Encouraged Native Americans to
herd sheep on the Colorado
Plateau
29.
FDR set aside 12 million acres
of land for
a. Indian reservations
b. Farms
c. Dams
d. National parks
30.
How many terms did
Roosevelt serve as President?
a. 1
b. 3
c. 2
d. 4
31.
Who was the first female
Cabinet member?
a. Frances Perkins
b. Margaret Marshall
c. Mary McLeod Bethune
d. Eleanor Roosevelt
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
32.
Who was a top swing
musician?
a. Glenn Miller
b. Orson Welles
c. Woody Guthrie
d. Billie Holiday
33.
One way that Americans
escaped their concerns during the
1930s was to
a. Live in the country
b. Follow the stock market
c. Go to theaters and watch movies
d. Avoid watching news on
television
34.
The Lone Ranger and The
Shadow are examples of
a. Big bands
b. Depression-era novels
c. Broadway musicals
d. Radio series
35.
The Federal Art Project set a
precedent for
a. Increased government support of
radicals
b. Federal funding of the arts and
artists
c. Free theater performances for the
public
d. Realistically showing living
conditions on farms
36.
How did New Deal programs
change life in the West?
a. Introduced labor unions and
minimum wages
b. Built dams to supply power and
stop flooding
c. Cut taxes and encouraged
farmers to stop grazing sheep
d. Ended gender discrimination in
the workplace
37.
Which group faced the
greatest financial difficulty during
the 1920s?
a. Farmers
b. Industrial workers
c. Stock market investors
d. Bank owners
38.
Which factor contributed to
the spread of the Great Depression
overseas?
a. An increase in international trade
b. A decline in investment from the
United States
c. The lowering of tariffs in the US
and Europe
d. A decline in US production
39.
Why did the stock market
crash?
a. Investors lost confidence in the
market and started to sell their
shares
b. Depositors lost their investments
and made runs on the nation’s
banks
c. The Federal Reserve increased
the money supply
d. Germany ceased reparations
payments
40.
How did Eleanor Roosevelt
change the role of the First Lady?
a. The role became an elected
position with Congressional
voting rights
b. She created a newspaper column
that all First Ladies now have to
write
c. The role changed from being
largely ceremonial to a role of
political involvement
d. She created a new Cabinet
position for herself that all First
Ladies since have held
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
41.
A significant cause of the
Great Depression of the 1930s was
that
a. Some banking policies were
unsound and had led to the
overexpansion of credit
b. A decrease in protective tariffs
had opened American business
to competition from abroad
c. A wave of violent strikes had
paralyzed major industries
d. Consumer goods were relatively
inexpensive
44.
The main purpose of New Deal
measures such as the Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC)
and the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC) was to
a. Provide immediate employment
opportunities
b. Develop rules to limit speculation
and safeguard savings
c. Enable the Federal Government
to take over failing industries
d. Assure a guaranteed income for
American families
42.
In the 1930s, the enactment
of New Deal programs demonstrated
a belief that
a. Corporations were best left to
operate without government
interference
b. State governments should give
up control over commerce inside
their states
c. the Federal Government must
concern itself with the people’s
economic well-being
d. The United States Constitution
was not relevant to 20th century
life
45.
A lasting result of the New
Deal has been
a. Reduction of the national debt
b. Control of stock prices by the
Federal government
c. Joint effort of businesses and
labor to strengthen the
Presidency
d. Assumption by the Federal
Government of greater
responsibility for the nation’s
well being
43.
Critics charged that President
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s plan to
increase the number of Supreme
Court Justices was clearly in
conflict with
a. The Supreme Court’s practice of
judicial restraint
b. The constitutional principle of
checks and balances
c. Attempts of Congress to limit
judicial responsibilities
d. Efforts to restrict the number of
terms a President could serve
46.
The main reason President
Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to
increase the number of Justices on
the United States Supreme Court
was to
a. Force the Court to hear cases
involving the rights of minorities
and women
b. Speed up the Court’s review of
cases
c. Increase the independence of the
Court
d. Make the Court more supportive
of New Deal programs
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
47.
A major result of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal
was
a. A decline in the Federal deficit
b. An expansion of the power of the
Federal Government
c. A change in the voting rights of
women
d. A reinstitution of the gold
standard for United States
currency
48.
The election of FDR to the
Presidency in 1932 reflected the
desire of many Americans to
a. Return to a policy of laissez faire
b. Abandon capitalism in favor of
socialism
c. Continue the domestic policies of
the Hoover administration
d. Have government take an active
role in solving economic
problems
49.
The effectiveness of the New
Deal in ending the Great Depression
is difficult to measure because
a. FDR died during his 4th term in
office
b. US involvement in WWII rapidly
accelerated economic growth
c. The Supreme Court declared
most New Deal laws
unconstitutional
d. Later Presidents failed to support
most New Deal reforms
50.
Speaker A: "The business of
America is business, and we would
be wise to remember that."
Speaker B:"Government
ownership of business is superior to
private enterprise."
Speaker C:"Strict government
regulation of business practices is a
means to insure the public good."
Speaker D:"Only through
personal effort can wealth and
success be achieved."
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which speaker best expresses the
main idea of rugged individualism?
Speaker A
Speaker B
Speaker C
Speaker D
51.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which day is Black Tuesday?
September 1, 1982
October 29, 1929
December 7, 1941
November 1, 1930
52.
Which of the following is a
CAUSE of the Great Depression?
a. Industries are less competitive
because of outdated equipment
b. Farmers produce more than they
can sell
c. There is an availability of easy
credit
d. There is an unequal distribution
of income
e. All of the above
53.
This is one advantage farmers
had over those living in the cities.
a. More money
b. The Dust Bowl
c. Able to grow their own food
d. None of the above
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
54.
In the fall of 1929, a wave of
panic selling gripped the stock
market as a result of
a. A sudden fall in stock prices
b. Corruption among stockbrokers
c. Business failures
d. Government limits on
speculation
55.
Practices such as buying on
margin reflected Americans
a. Moral virtue
b. Demand for safe, secure
investments
c. “get-rich-quick” attitude
d. Lack of faith in the stock market
56.
Which of the following is NOT
an EFFECT of the Great
Depression?
a. Banks and businesses fail
b. American loans to Europe dry up
c. Personal incomes shrink
d. Buying on margin
e. All of the above
“The Hawley-Smoot Tariff went into
effect in June 1930, in the full blast
of the depression. Under the
circumstances there was great
indignation and resentment on the
part of the majority of the countries
of the world, but that of the debtor
countries of Europe was extreme.
This intense indignation, coupled
with the absolute necessity of
securing a favorable trade balance,
could result in but one course of
action: retaliatory tariff increases
against the United States.”
-Joseph M. Jones, Jr.
57.
According to Joseph Jones,
which of the following statements is
an accurate assessment of the
Hawley-Smoot Tariff?
a. It caused European countries to
pass their own protective tariffs.
b. It opened international markets
and stimulated world trade.
c. It put limits on Allied war debts
d. It established the funds for the
Reconstruction Finance
Corporation.
58.
1 out of how many workers is
unemployed during the Great
Depression?
a. 4
b. 3
c. 2
d. 5
59.
There were Roosevelt’s
reforms to put an end to the
Depression.
a. Brain Trust
b. FDIC
c. New Deal
d. Prohibition
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
60.
During this period of time,
Congress passed 15 major pieces of
New Deal legislation.
a. 1st Hundred Days
b. 2nd Hundred Days
c. Prohibition
d. The Great Depression
62.
The medicine bottles in the
cartoon represent
a. New Deal programs
b. Other governments
c. Members of Congress
d. None of the above
63.
Who does the “patient” in this
cartoon truly represent?
a. American troops
b. The American economy
c. The American war effort
d. Uncle Sam
“Of course, we may have to change remedies if we
don’t get results”
Look at the political cartoon above and
answer the following questions.
61.
Which one of the following
statements accurately depicts the
message of this cartoon?
a. FDR needs Congress to fix the
economy.
b. The American economy is failing
and FDR’s New Deal is going to
fix it
c. The New Deal is unable to fix the
failing economy
d. Uncle Sam is angry at FDR for
trying to help
“I want six substitutes AT ONCE. Those fellows
don’t know it, but they’re through. But I don’t want
to take ‘em off the field!”
Look at the political cartoon above and
use it to answer the following questions.
64.
What event is this cartoon
depicting?
a. The Stock Market crash
b. The Great Depression
c. The New Deal
d. The Court-Packing Bill
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
65.
True or False: The events
depicted by this cartoon succeeded.
a. True
b. False
66.
Statement A: "The best way
to economic recovery is to subsidize
industry so that it will hire more
workers and expand production."
Statement B: "If jobs are not
available, the government must
create jobs for those who are
unemployed."
Statement C: "According to
human nature, the most talented
people will always come out on top."
Statement D: "Our
government is responsible for the
nation’s economic well-being."
Which statements most strongly
support the actions of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Statements
Statements
Statements
Statements
A and B
B and D
C and A
C and D
67.
When the Great Depression
began in 1929, the most common
economic belief supported by the
Republican Party was that
a. An increase in defense spending
would stimulate the economy
b. Unemployed workers should receive
Federal unemployment benefits
c. The government should assume
control of industry
d. The economy would recover on its
own
68.
Which statement is accurate
about American culture during the
Great Depression?
a. The Federal Government
provided money to support the
arts
b. Most movies featured realistic
themes and unhappy endings
c. Rock-and-roll music became
popular
d. Interest in professional sports
declined
69.
A major criticism of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s programs to
combat the Great Depression was
that these programs
a. Reduced the power of the Federal
Government
b. Ignored the plight of homeowners
with mortgages
c. Provided too much protection for
big business
d. Made people dependent upon the
Federal Government
70.
The Dust Bowl experiences of
the Oklahoma farmers during the
Great Depression demonstrated the
a. Effect of geography on people’s
lives
b. Success of government farm
subsidies
c. Limitation of civil liberties during
times of crisis
d. Result of the Indian Removal Act
71.
In the 1930s, one factor that
accounted for the westward
migration of farmers from the Great
Plains was
a. High farm prices
b. New technologies
c. The Dust Bowl
d. The Baby boom
US Multiple Choice: The Great Depression and New Deal
72.
In the 1930s, which
geographic factor most influenced
the westward migration of
thousands of people from the
southern Great Plains?
a. Extended drought in farming
areas
b. Excessive flooding of the
Mississippi River
c. Serious earthquakes in Pacific
coastal areas
d. Destructive hurricanes in the
Gulf of Mexico
73.
Which event is most closely
associated with the end of the Great
Depression?
a. Passage of the Social Security Act
b. Beginning of World War II
c. Reelection of President Franklin
D. Roosevelt in 1940
d. Announcement of the Marshall
Plan
74.
President Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s response to Supreme
Court decisions that declared
several New Deal laws
unconstitutional was to
a. Ask Congress to limit the Court’s
jurisdiction
b. Propose legislation to increase
the size of the Court
c. Demand the resignation of
several justices
d. Ignore the Court’s rulings
75.
During the Great Depression,
expressions such as Hoovervilles
and Hoover blankets showed that
President Hoover
a. Was seen as a role model
b. Used the military to aid the
unemployed
c. Was blamed for the suffering of
the poor
d. Supported relief and public
housing for the needy