All SAT II US History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #63 : U.S. Economic History
When did the Stock Market crash, sending the United States, and the world, into the Great Depression?
December 1929
October 1929
January 1930
May 1929
October 1929
October of 1929 would see the start of the largest economic decline in American History. Once the stock market crashed, it started a series of events that would cause the accumulated wealth of most Americans to evaporate.
Example Question #61 : U.S. Economic History
What were the groups of people who artificially raised the price of stocks for their own profit, which ultimately lead to the stock market crash were called?
Traders
Mobs
Cartels
Gangs
Cartels
The Cartels were groups of people who sold stock in companies they knew to be worthless that way the demand for those stocks would rise. This is when they would sell their own stocks at a huge profit, but leave all the people who had bought these stocks with nothing as they figured out the company they bought into was a sham.
Example Question #62 : U.S. Economic History
What were the rundown villages of shacks set up in many cities where the destitute lived during the Depression called?
Hoovervilles
Ramshackle
Ghettos
Shanty Towns
Hoovervilles
Hoovervilles were named after the President who many blamed for their woes. President Hoover's response to the Depression was considered slow, and when he did respond, inadequate. He generally did nothing to ease the suffering of American workers, and when he did do something it often only made matters worse.
Example Question #13 : Facts And Details In U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present
October 29, 1929 is famous for what event?
Stock market crash
Election of Franklin Roosevelt
End of World War I
Rise of Hitler
Stock market crash
The Stock Market Crash was not as many people think, the cause of the Great Depression, it simply signaled the start of the deep decline that was caused by a host of factors.
Example Question #63 : U.S. Economic History
When the people who were hit hardest by the Depression needed a meal, where did they go for one?
Churches
Government shelters
Bread lines
Pantries
Bread lines
The Bread line was a staple of most major cities in America in the 1930's. Each morning many people would line up looking for a meal, which as the name suggest, would usually consist of a piece of bread and possibly some soup. Often the length of these lines would far exceed the amount of food that was available.
Example Question #64 : U.S. Economic History
President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society is most similar to ______________.
Ronald Reagan's New Federalism
Warren Harding's Return to Normalcy
Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
None of these
Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal
Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal
The Great Society is most similar to the New Deal because they both aim to help poor Americans by creating programs such as Medicare (Johnson) and Social Security (FDR). All of the other answer describe socially and fiscally conservative (some would say regressive) principles.
Example Question #65 : U.S. Economic History
What legal invention was arguably one of the biggest vehicles for increased industry during the 20th century?
The Corporation
The Habeas Corpus
None of these
The Jury
The Petite Jury
The Corporation
The corporation was arguably one of the biggest reasons behind increased industry during the early 20th century. The corporation, in its original form, originally existed only at the behest of the state legislature; in order to form a corporation, you had to petition the state legislature to grant you a “charter” and, generally, the legislature would only hand out charters for “public interest” businesses (such as a hospital).
Around the turn of the 20th century, however, state legislatures started loosening up restrictions on corporations; currently, all you need to do to create a corporation is to file articles of incorporation with (generally) the secretary of state of the state in which you wish to incorporate—and it can be for ‘any lawful purpose.’
Perhaps the most interesting thing about corporations is that they are limited liability—that is, you cannot be held liable (on the hook monetarily) for more than you put in to the company.
Example Question #66 : U.S. Economic History
The Federal Reserve Act (1913) is responsible for creating the first Bank of the US.
True, the main goal of the FRA was to create the US's first official banking institution
False, the first bank in the US was established far before the FRA, in the late 18th century
None of these
False, the first US bank would not be established until after the Stock Market Crash of 1929
False, the first bank in the US was established far before the FRA, in the late 18th century
This is a tricky question. To begin with, the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) is an immensely complicated topic, and one that is (mostly) far beyond the scope of your course. More importantly, however, the FRA of 1913 did not create the first Bank of the US. Hopefully you’ll remember that the First Bank of the US was Hamilton’s brainchild, and came into being during the 1790s. The FRA created the Federal Reserve, which—and this is a gross oversimplification—created our central banking system.
Example Question #31 : U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present
What was the purpose of the Agricultural Adjustment Act?
Purportedly, to battle the rampant deflation that drove down agriculture prices
To encourage farmers to “plow under” their own crops
To battle the hunger issue that the Dust Bowl created
All of these answers are correct.
Purportedly, to battle the rampant deflation that drove down agriculture prices
This is a relatively simple question, although it had the potential to be difficult. At any rate, the purported purpose of the AAA was to artificially raise the rates of agricultural products. Essentially, and for a variety of reasons beyond the scope of this test, the economy happened to converge in such a fashion that there was a glut of agricultural products on the market at a time when demand was lower than usual. This caused the prices of agricultural products to plunge. In an effort to combat this problem, FDR pushed the AAA through Congress. The AAA basically attempted to dry up the supply (and thus raise the prices) by paying farmers to keep crops off of the market.
Example Question #32 : U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff did which of the following?
None of the other answers is correct.
It decreased industrial tariffs to help manufacturers during the Great Depression.
It decreased agricultural tariffs to help the farmers during the Great Depression.
It increased agricultural and industrial tariffs to the highest level in nearly one hundred years.
It increased agricultural and industrial tariffs to the highest level in nearly one hundred years.
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff increased agricultural and industrial tariffs to the highest level in nearly one hundred years. It was a well-intentioned bill, by all means (although the end result was catastrophic).
Remember: a tariff is a protectionist measure that artificially increases the prices of imported goods (so that they are either on equal footing or more expensive than their home-grown counterparts). The Smoot-Hawley Tariff was, in large part, an attempt to shore up a floundering American agricultural and industrial sector.
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