Quiz 23: The Great Depression

Throughout 1928,the American stock market A)saw the number of shares traded daily soar. B)saw the average price of stocks rise slightly. C)had slowly been declining in value. D)had rapidly been losing in value. E)saw brokerage firms restrict credit to those buying stocks.

On October 29,1929,the American stock market A)saw fewer than one million shares of stock traded. B)lost all the gains of the previous year. C)experienced its first sharp decline in values since the war. D)was forced to suspend business because of staggering declines in values. E)rebounded slightly from the tremendous losses of "Black Thursday.

All of the following factors were causes of the Great Depression EXCEPT A)an unstable European economy. B)a lack of diversification in the United States economy. C)a misdistribution of purchasing power. D)conservative banking policies that restricted the availability of loans. E)weak consumer demand.

In the late 1920s,the European demand for agricultural and manufacturing goods from the United States was A)rising. B)steady. C)declining. D)chronically unstable. E)essentially nonexistent.

After 1929,in the face of the worsening global economic crisis,the United States A)reduced the debts owed by European nations to America. B)forgave the debts owed by European nations to America. C)demanded immediate payment of all debts owed by European nations to America. D)refused to alter the payment schedule of debts owed by European nations to America. E)forgave the debts owed by former allies during the war,and reduced the debts of other nations.

In 1931,the severity of the Depression increased when the Federal Reserve Board A)closed all financially-ailing banks. B)declared bankruptcy. C)weakened the value of the dollar. D)expanded the money supply. E)raised interest rates.

In 1932,the unemployment rate in Toledo,Ohio,was one of the worst in the nation at A)40 percent. B)60 percent. C)70 percent. D)80 percent. E)95 percent.

During the Great Depression,in the rural United States A)one-third of all farmers lost their land. B)farm income dropped by 25 percent. C)the economic conditions were slightly better than in industrial cities. D)the farm economy could not keep up with consumer demand. E)farmers enjoyed several unusually fertile growing seasons.

In the 1930s,the "Dust Bowl" A)was created by the national economic collapse. B)stretched from Kansas to California. C)experienced years of heavy rainfall. D)was created by grasshoppers. E)was a product of changing environmental conditions.

During the 1930s,southern rural blacks who moved to northern urban areas A)were denied all forms of public relief assistance. B)generally experienced better economic conditions. C)could still find domestic service jobs no whites wanted. D)were denied all forms of public relief assistance,but could find domestic service jobs no whites wanted. E)None of these answers is correct.

The 1931 Scottsboro court case saw A)black teenagers accused of rape by two white women. B)a Georgia jury convict all of the black youths. C)the Supreme Court reaffirm the death penalty convictions. D)eight of the convicted youths executed for crimes they did not commit. E)All these answers are correct.

In response to the Great Depression,many Mexican Americans A)migrated to the South. B)left the United States entirely. C)moved into California. D)successfully organized agricultural unions. E)migrated into rural areas,where work was more available.

In the 1930s,the largest Japanese- and Chinese-American populations were found in A)Oregon. B)Arizona. C)Washington. D)Hawaii. E)California.

During the Great Depression,Asian Americans A)unlike blacks and Hispanics were generally able to keep from losing their jobs to white Americans. B)who were college educated generally weathered the crisis fairly well. C)had trouble competing for jobs with poor white migrants from the Midwest. D)were limited by law to low-paying jobs such as salesclerks and food servers. E)found it easier to move into mainstream professions.

For women,the economic pressures caused by the Great Depression A)weakened the notion that a woman's proper place was in the home. B)saw men move into jobs traditionally held by professional women. C)forced most women out of the labor force. D)saw the federal government make it illegal for married women to work outside the home. E)affected service and clerical positions held by women more than they did jobs in heavy industry.

During the Great Depression, A)the divorce rate declined. B)the marriage rate increased. C)the birth rate increased. D)both the marriage rate and the birth rate increased. E)All these answers are correct.

As a result of the Great Depression,social values in the United States A)saw Americans embrace nearly any idea that was new or nontraditional. B)saw a majority of Americans question the future of democracy. C)seemed to change relatively little. D)saw most Americans turn against the traditional "success ethic." E)saw the idea of individual initiative fall into disrepute.

In the 1930s,Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People A)claimed community togetherness was the best way to combat hard times. B)argued the best way to end the Depression was for working-class men and women to run for office. C)asserted that a strong faith in Christianity would best help one through hard times. D)gave financial advice and offered tips when going to a job interview. E)taught that individual initiative could help people to restore themselves financially.

During the 1930s,regarding radio, A)the largest proportion of programming was devoted to news. B)most programs were increasingly prerecorded. C)around half of all American homes owned a radio. D)listening was often a community experience. E)radio sets were basically unusable in rural areas without electricity.

The long-time censor of Hollywood films in the 1920s and 1930s was A)Frank Capra. B)Pare Lorentz. C)King Vidor. D)James Agee. E)Will Hays.

In the 1930s,all of the following films offered social commentary on the United States and the Great Depression EXCEPT A)Our Daily Bread. B)It Happened One Night. C)The Grapes of Wrath. D)Mr.Smith Goes to Washington. E)Mr.Deeds Goes to Town.

In the 1930s,the director Frank Capra typically displayed in his films A)a populist admiration for ordinary Americans. B)the cultural backwardness of small towns in America. C)praise for the "rugged individualism" of American business. D)the grasping materialism of most Americans. E)a harsh critique of the heartlessness of capitalism.

During the 1930s,American literature A)offered a greater degree of social commentary than did either radio or movies. B)saw most popular books and magazines focus on the Great Depression. C)saw photographic magazines lose much of their readership due to the high cost of each issue. D)faced censorship laws that suppressed criticisms of American politics and culture. E)adopted a more pessimistic,although no less radical,approach to society in the later 1930s.

In the 1930s,all of the following books offered criticism of American society EXCEPT A)U.S.A.by John Dos Passos. B)Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaniel West. C)Studs Lonigan by James T.Farrell. D)The Disinherited by Jack Conroy. E)Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen.

During the 1930s,the most important group within the Popular Front was the A)Socialist Party. B)Federation of Labor. C)Communist Party. D)Progressive Party. E)Americans for Democratic Action.

The "Abraham Lincoln Brigade" is associated with A)the radical Right. B)the Spanish Civil War. C)veterans of World War I. D)the "bonus marchers." E)the Civilian Conservation Corps.

During the 1930s,the American Communist Party A)distanced itself from the Soviet Union. B)excluded most minorities from its ranks. C)supported Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War. D)both distanced itself from the Soviet Union and excluded most minorities from its ranks. E)None of these answers is correct.

In 1939,after the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany,the American Communist Party A)reduced its criticism of the United States. B)formed an American Nazi Party. C)broke from the Soviet Union. D)lost a significant portion of its membership. E)disbanded.

During the 1930s,the Southern Tenant Farmers Union A)sought to organize the rural poor across racial lines. B)was formed by the American Communist Party. C)concerned the federal government as a powerful force of rural radicalism. D)both sought to organize the rural poor across racial lines,and concerned the federal government as a powerful force of rural radicalism. E)All these answers are correct.

During the 1930s,the radical left in the United States A)found broad acceptance among both the working class and intellectuals. B)experienced intense government hostility. C)saw a widening of the ideological range of mainstream art and politics. D)both experienced intense government hostility and saw a widening of the ideological range of mainstream art and politics. E)All these answers are correct.

As Herbert Hoover began his presidency,he A)considered the country to have a bright economic future. B)assumed the economy might suffer a mild recession. C)feared a depression. D)called for voluntary guidelines to stabilize the stock market. E)renounced his earlier policy of associationalism.

President Herbert Hoover responded to the onset of the Great Depression by A)proposing a series of economic reform programs. B)shutting down the bank system until confidence in it could be restored. C)urging voluntary cooperation from business leaders. D)calling for a tax increase to prevent a federal deficit. E)calling for a system of social security to alleviate individual suffering.

As the Depression deepened,President Herbert Hoover A)encouraged businessmen to reduce their industrial production. B)grew less willing to increase federal spending. C)began to experiment with untried economic principles. D)called for a reduction in taxes. E)stopped worrying about trying to balance the budget.

The Hawley-Smoot Tariff of 1930 A)gave incentives to Europeans to sell their goods in the United States. B)was designed to stimulate United States exports. C)increased tariffs on industrial products,but left farm products' rates unchanged. D)both gave incentives to Europeans to sell their goods in the United States,and was designed to stimulate United States exports. E)None of these answers is correct.

The Hoover administration addressed the economic situation of American farmers with the A)Agricultural Marketing Act. B)Soil Conservation Act. C)Agricultural Adjustment Act. D)Farm Security Administration. E)Rural Electrification Administration.

After Democrats won control of Congress in the 1930 elections,President Herbert Hoover A)criticized voters for abandoning the economic principles of the Republican Party. B)told reporters that his economic recovery policies had not been successful. C)urged the new Congress to construct "Hoovervilles" to shelter the unemployed. D)refused to support a more vigorous public spending program for relief. E)deferred to their economic agenda of relief and public spending programs.

The Reconstruction Finance Corporation A)was intended to provide federal loans to troubled banks and businesses. B)was created in the last year of Herbert Hoover's administration. C)included a $1.5 billion public works budget. D)both included a $1.5 billion public works budget,and was intended to provide federal loans to troubled banks and businesses. E)All these answers are correct.

In 1932,the Reconstruction Finance Corporation A)lent funds only to financial institutions with sufficient collateral. B)was created by Congress over President Herbert Hoover's veto. C)focused most of its spending on large urban cities in the Northeast. D)was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. E)spent most of its money trying to prop up unstable local banks.

In 1932,the Farmers' Holiday Association A)began and spread throughout the South. B)was essentially a farmers' strike. C)led to more public money being sent to rural areas. D)called on farmers to leave their lands unplanted. E)argued that farmers should also reap the benefits of welfare capitalism.

The federal government's response to the "Bonus Army" included A)the use of six tanks to rout the veterans from Washington. B)General Douglas MacArthur exceeding his orders to remove the veterans. C)the injuring of over 100 marchers. D)both the use of six tanks to rout the veterans from Washington,and the injuring of over 100 marchers. E)All these answers are correct.

Prior to 1932,Franklin Roosevelt had been all of the following EXCEPT A)assistant secretary of the Navy. B)vice president of the United States. C)governor of New York. D)a state legislator. E)a Hudson Valley aristocrat.

In 1932,Franklin Roosevelt's promise of a "new deal" for America included a commitment to A)spend billions of dollars to assist in the economic recovery. B)provide relief jobs to millions of unemployed Americans. C)pass legislation establishing a nationwide program of social security. D)both spend billions of dollars to assist in the economic recovery,and provide relief jobs to millions of unemployed Americans. E)None of these answers is correct.

Franklin Roosevelt's victory over Herbert Hoover in 1932 A)saw Roosevelt carry every state. B)was disputed in several states. C)was a convincing mandate. D)was decided only in the final days of the election. E)All these answers are correct.

Between his election in 1932 and the inauguration in 1933,Franklin Roosevelt A)declared he would dramatically increase government spending. B)promised to maintain a balanced federal budget. C)made no public statements. D)refused to make any agreements with the outgoing president,Herbert Hoover. E)began laying the groundwork for his social security legislation.

In 1928,Herbert Hoover predicted that the end to poverty in America was near.

In the year prior to its crash,the stock market had been soaring upward.

The Great Depression was caused by the stock market crash of October 1929.

The automobile and construction industries were both experiencing economic declines prior to the stock market crash.

During the 1920s,most American banks were quite conservative,but some major banks were quite reckless in their stock market investments.

In order to ease economic problems in Europe,the United States government reduced Europe's debts to America stemming from World War I.

Following the "great crash," the Federal Reserve system lowered interest rates in an effort to revive the American economy.

Farm income declined by 60 percent between 1929 and 1932.

As the Depression began,more than half of all black Americans still lived in the South.

Those blacks who migrated to northern cities during the Great Depression found conditions little better than in the South.

Traditional patterns of segregation and disenfranchisement in the South were not significantly challenged during the Great Depression.

In 1932,the Supreme Court overturned the convictions of the "Scottsboro boys."

The last of the Scottsboro defendants was not freed until 1950.

Despite hard economic times in the United States,few Hispanics left the United States for Mexico during the Great Depression.

Popular culture in the 1930s held that married women should not work outside the home.

At the end of the 1930s,a higher percentage of black women were employed than were white women.

During the Great Depression,both the marriage rate and the divorce rate declined.

American social values were changed dramatically by the Great Depression.

The staple of radio broadcasting during the 1930s was news.

In the 1930s,listening to the radio was often a family or community experience.

The power of censors in the film industry declined as the Depression progressed.

It is accurate to state that filmmaker Frank Capra admired the American people more than American democracy.

Depression-era literature,for the most part,was escapist and romantic.

The Popular Front was a broad coalition of left-leaning "antifascist" groups.

During the 1930s,the American Communist Party was always under the close supervision of the Soviet Union.

Although it was a segregated organization,the Southern Tenant Farmers Union sought to improve the lives of all sharecroppers.

President Hoover did attempt to use federal spending to fight the Great Depression.

Both the Agricultural Marketing Act and the Hawley-Smoot Tariff provided significant help to American farmers.

Much of the money lent by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation went to large banks and corporations.

Farm strikes in the Midwest during the Great Depression were initially successful.

The "Bonus Army" of 1932 demanded that Congress make an early payment of a promised "bonus" for World War I veterans.

Prior to 1932,Franklin Roosevelt had never held elective office.

In national politics,Franklin Roosevelt had generally avoided divisive cultural issues.

Franklin Roosevelt won in a landslide in 1932,but it was not clear what he would do as president.

Prior to his inauguration,Franklin Roosevelt promised outgoing President Hoover that he would not create more debt in the federal budget.

The ________ Tariff of 1930 was an attempt to protect American farmers from international competition.

During the drought of the 1930s,the Great Plains were called the ________.

The infamous ________ case saw the arrest and conviction of nine likely innocent black teenagers in Alabama in 1931.

One of the best-selling books of the 1930s was How to Win Friends and Influence People by ________.

The Grapes of Wrath was written by ________.

When a live radio broadcaster,overcome with emotion,cried out "Oh the humanity!" on the air in 1937,he was referring to the crash of the ________.

Mr.Deeds Goes to Town and Mr.Smith Goes to Washington were two romanticized populist films of America directed by ________.

________ magazine was the leading photographic journal in the 1930s.

The driving ideology behind the antifascist Popular Front was ________.

Those Americans who went to Spain to fight against General Franco and fascism created the ________ Brigade.

The ________ was an alliance between the American Communist Party and other "progressive" groups in the 1930s.

The Socialist Party of America in the 1930s was led by ________.

Many Americans angry at their government began calling shanty towns built by the unemployed on the outskirts of cities "________."

In 1932,President Hoover sought to lift business out of the Depression through the ________ Corporation.

Farm strikes in the Midwest were organized by the Farmers' ________ Association.

General ________ was ordered by President Hoover to remove the "Bonus Army" from Washington,D.C.in 1932.

The Great Engineer was a nickname given to ________.

In 1921,Franklin Roosevelt lost the use of his legs when he was stricken with ________.

What caused the stock market to crash in October 1929? Could this crash have been avoided?

Prior to the stock market crash in October 1929,what were the major weaknesses in the economy of the late 1920s?

What are the major interpretations regarding the causes of the Great Depression? Why is there little historical consensus regarding the causes?

Accurately characterize the depth and breadth of the Great Depression.

What influence did the philosophy of "rugged individualism," which developed in the late nineteenth century,have on both Herbert Hoover and the American population at large between 1929 and 1932?

Did the philosophy of "rugged individualism" lessen or worsen the severity of the Great Depression? Justify your response.

How did the American people-men,women,minorities-generally respond to the Great Depression?

How was the American family affected by the Great Depression?

What were the popular cultural similarities and differences in the 1930s among radio programs,the movies,and literature?

Why did the radical left enjoy growing popularity in America during the 1930s? Why did this popularity prove to be largely temporary?

What did President Hoover offer in the fight against the Great Depression? Why was he ineffective in this fight?

Characterize Herbert Hoover's personality during his presidency.How did his personal image with the American public change between 1928 and 1932?

Why was Franklin Roosevelt elected president in 1932? What was his campaign platform?