SAT II US History : U.S. Economic History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II US History

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Example Questions

Example Question #21 : U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present

Following the start of the Great Depression, President Hoover rejected calls for direct relief. What is direct relief?

Possible Answers:

Cutting taxes so people would have more money

Giving money to average citizens with the hope they would spend it and stimulate the economy

Giving money to banks so they could continue operating normally

Giving money to major businesses to keep them from going out of business 

Correct answer:

Giving money to average citizens with the hope they would spend it and stimulate the economy

Explanation:

Direct Relief is an economic principle where a government attempts to help an ailing economy by giving citizens assistance in the form of money either as a handout or in the form of a job. The idea being that if an average person has a few extra dollars to spend, they will spend it, thus getting money flowing through the economy again.

Example Question #22 : U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present

What was President Hoover's reason for refusing to use direct relief to help the people of the U.S. during the Great Depression? 

Possible Answers:

He was ideologically opposed to it

He wanted to give aide to businesses instead

He did not want the government to interfere in business matters

He did not want to run a budget deficit 

Correct answer:

He did not want to run a budget deficit 

Explanation:

Hoover ran for president on the platform that government should not spend more than it takes in. As the Great Depression was in full swing, the government was bringing in much less in taxes than it needed to spend in order to operate. This meant the government could barely afford to support itself, never mind give relief to citizens, so Hoover decided to stick to principles and allow the economy to right itself.

Example Question #31 : U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present

When did the Stock Market crash, sending the United States, and the world, into the Great Depression? 

Possible Answers:

January 1930

May 1929

October 1929

December 1929

Correct answer:

October 1929

Explanation:

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 #31 : U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present

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?

Possible Answers:

Cartels

Gangs

Mobs

Traders

Correct answer:

Cartels

Explanation:

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 #32 : U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present

What were the rundown villages of shacks set up in many cities where the destitute lived during the Depression called?

Possible Answers:

Shanty Towns

Ramshackle 

Ghettos

Hoovervilles

Correct answer:

Hoovervilles

Explanation:

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 #65 : U.S. Economic History

October 29, 1929 is famous for what event?

Possible Answers:

Stock market crash

Election of Franklin Roosevelt

Rise of Hitler

End of World War I

Correct answer:

Stock market crash

Explanation:

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 #21 : Facts And Details In U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present

When the people who were hit hardest by the Depression needed a meal, where did they go for one?

Possible Answers:

Bread lines

Churches

Pantries

Government shelters

Correct answer:

Bread lines

Explanation:

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 #22 : Facts And Details In U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present

President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society is most similar to ______________.

Possible Answers:

Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation 

None of these

Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal 

Ronald Reagan's New Federalism  

Warren Harding's Return to Normalcy 

Correct answer:

Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal 

Explanation:

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 #67 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

What legal invention was arguably one of the biggest vehicles for increased industry during the 20th century?

Possible Answers:

The Petite Jury

The Corporation

The Habeas Corpus

None of these

The Jury

Correct answer:

The Corporation

Explanation:

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 #24 : Facts And Details In U.S. Economic History From 1899 To The Present

The Federal Reserve Act (1913) is responsible for creating the first Bank of the US.

Possible Answers:

False, the first US bank would not be established until after the Stock Market Crash of 1929

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

Correct answer:

False, the first bank in the US was established far before the FRA, in the late 18th century

Explanation:

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. 

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