1. Name________________________________________________Date______________Block__________
TN Curriculum Standards:
4.0-Understand the reforms and changes in American politics that affected America and the world during the 1890s and 1930s.
5.0- Understand the role of the U.S. in world affairs.
6.0-Understand the moral, social, and cultural changes that occurred in the 1920s.
Roaring 20s and Great Depression Assessment
1. Overproduction of agriculture contributed to the Great Depression by
A. encouraging foreign competition
B. decreasing farm income
C. promoting rural development
D. increasing personal spending
2. Which Civil Rights leader established the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) and campaigned for greater political rights for African-Americans?
A. W. E. B. Dubois
B. Marcus Garvey
C. Booker T. Washington
D. George Washington Carver
3. In 1918 and 1919, what was the main issue that divided isolationists and interventionists?
A. continued trade with other countries
B. participation in the League of Nations
C. racial desegregation in the South
D. government regulation of monopolies

2. 4. During a period of economic decline, which of the following most often occurs?
A. an increase in industrial production
B. a decrease in business failures
C. an increase in unemployment
D. a decrease in inventory
5. During the Great Depression, Hoovervilles became symbolic of
A. federal government’s failure to provide relief
B. growth of economic neighborhoods in major cities
C. collapse of industrial enterprise zones
D. federal funding of defense contractors
6. Which government program was directly responsible for creating the community of Oak Ridge?
A. Tennessee Valley Authority
B. Social Security Administration
C. Manhattan Project
D. Great Society
7. “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as writing a poem. It is
at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top.
Which of the following early civil rights’ leaders ideas is best represented by the quotation above?
A. Booker T. Washington
B. W. E. B. Dubois
C. Martin Luther King, Jr.
D. Marcus Garvey

3. 8. During the late 19th
century, state governments passed Granger laws with the goal of
A. encouraging investment in new factories
B. restricting voting rights in the former slave states
C. protecting the economic rights of farmers
D. banning child labor in coal mines.
9. British propaganda had the greatest influence on the United States’ entry into which war?
A. Spanish-American War
B. World War I
C. World War II
D. Korean War
10. In the 1920s, speakeasies (saloons) became popular in America as a result of
A. prohibition of alcohol
B. billboard advertising
C. new trends in music
D. new immigration patterns
11. CAUSES LEADING TO THE _____________________________________
Overproduction in agriculture
Weak financial regulations
Purchasing stock on margin
Which of these best completes the title of the above list?
A. Federal Reserve Act of 1913
B. Economic Collapse of 1929
C. Auto Workers Strike of 1936

4. D. Lend Lease Agreement o f1941
12. What was the effect of the use of literacy test throughout the South after the Civil War?
A. an increase in voter turnout by African-Americans
B. the election of more African-American government officials in the South
C. the poor and African-Americans not being allowed to vote
D. an increase in the power of the Republican Party in the South
13. After World War I, why did American farmers fail to share in the general economic growth of the
United States?
A. Many immigrants were settling in the west and competing with the farmers.
B. The Federal Government reduced the number of acres on which farmers could grow subsidized
crops.
C. Farmers could not produce enough to keep up with demand.
D. Overproduction and competition caused falling prices.
14. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s was a period when African Americans
A. left the United States in large numbers to settle in Nigeria
B. created noteworthy works of art and literature
C. migrated to the West in search of land and jobs
D. used civil disobedience to fight segregation in the Armed Forces
15. Which condition increased the negative effects of the Great Depression?
A. Factories had to decrease production because of low demand.
B. Low levels of unemployment created labor shortages.
C. The demand for imported products increased.

5. D. The Federal Government raised taxes repeatedly.
16. Which events best support the image of the 1920’s as a decade of nativist sentiment?
A. the passage of the National Origins Act and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan
B. the Scopes trial and the passage of women’s suffrage
C. the Washington Naval Conference and the Kellogg-Briand Pact
D. the growth of the auto industry and the Teapot Dome Affair
17. In the United States, the decade of the 1920’s was characterized by
A. a willingness to encourage immigration to the United States
B. increased consumer borrowing and spending
C. the active involvement of the United States in European affairs
D. major reforms in national labor legislation
18. The economic boom and the financial speculation of the 1920’s were caused in part by
A. installment buying and an unregulated stock market
B. the expansion of civil rights to women and minorities
C. the mobilization of the economy for war
D. increased government restrictions on big business
19. After World War I, which factor was the major cause of the migration of many African Americans to
the North?
A. the start of the Harlem Renaissance
B. increased job opportunities in Northern cities
C. laws passed in Northern States to end racial discrimination
D. Federal Government job-training programs

6. 20. Which combination of factors contributed most to the start of the Great Depression of the 1930’s?
A. immigration restrictions and a lack of skilled workers
B. high taxes and overspending on social welfare programs
C. United States war debts and the declining value of the dollar
D. overproduction and the excessive use of credit
21. The 1925 trial of John Scopes reflects the conflict between
A. science and religion
B. isolation and international involvement
C. traditional roles and new roles for women
D. Prohibition and organized crime
22. Which action is an example of nativism in the 1920s?
A. widespread violation of Prohibition laws
B. efforts to improve living conditions for Native American Indians
C. passage of laws restricting immigration
D. provision of credit to farmers

7. 23.
“I, Too, Sing America”
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll sit at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—
I, too, am America.
— Langston Hughes, 1926
23. This poem was a literary contribution from the
A. abolitionist movement
B. Progressive Era
C. Prohibition movement
D. Harlem Renaissance
24. What was a major result of Prohibition in the United States during the 1920s?
A. restriction of immigration
B. growth of communism
C. destruction of family values
D. increase in organized crime

8. 25. During the 1920s, controversies concerning the Scopes trial, national Prohibition, and the behavior
of “flappers” were all signs of disagreement over
A. the return to normalcy
B. traditional values and changing lifestyles
C. causes of the Great Depression
D. the benefits of new technology
26. A significant cause of the Great Depression of the 1930’s 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 the major industries
D. consumer goods were relatively inexpensive
27. An important factor contributing to the start of the Great Depression in the United States was the
A. increase in military spending
B. failure to maintain the gold standard
C. reduction of tariff rates
D. uneven distribution of wealth
28. The creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority is an example of
A. federal intervention to meet regional needs
B. state-funded regional transportation
C. free-market capitalism
D. laissez-faire economics

9. 29. 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
30. Which situation was a basic cause of the Great Depression?
A. continued increases in wages for workers
B. excessive profits for farmers
C. overregulation of the stock market
D. overproduction of consumer goods
31. 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
32. 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

10. 33. 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
34. In the 1930s, shantytowns, often called “Hoovervilles,” sprang up across the United States because
of President Herbert Hoover’s
A. support for federal programs to provide jobs for the unemployed
B. refusal to provide direct federal aid to the homeless
C. efforts to help the residents return to their farms
D. emergency relief program to provide food to the poor
35. What were two basic causes of the Dust Bowl during the early 1930s?
A. strip mining and toxic waste dumping
B. overfarming and severe drought
C. clear-cutting of forests and construction of railroads
D. overpopulation and urban sprawl
36. A major reason for creating the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 was to
A. build and manage a turnpike in the valley
B. provide health care benefits for southerners
C. encourage African Americans to settle in the valley
D. improve economic conditions in a poor rural region