SAT II US History : U.S. Social History from 1899 to the Present

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #41 : U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

During the Civil Rights movement, many people conducted sit-ins at lunch counters and other types of protests. These actions are examples of ______________.

Possible Answers:

Martin Luther King's way to support affirmative action 

acts of violence by the Black Panthers and other groups 

violent acts conducted by whites who were for the continuation of segregation 

nonviolent attempts to show opposition to acts of segregation 

None of these

Correct answer:

nonviolent attempts to show opposition to acts of segregation 

Explanation:

Sit-ins at lunch counters, on buses, and other places were ways for supporters of integration to demonstrate non-violently their opposition to blacks and whites having to sit separately in restaurants, lunch counters, and buses. While Martin Luther King supported such nonviolent forms of protest, he did not specifically support affirmative action, as he was focused on securing more basic rights for the racially and socially pressed in American society.

Example Question #36 : Facts And Details In U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

What part did Langston Hughes play in the Harlem Renaissance?

Possible Answers:

Artist

Political activist

Community leader

Poet

Correct answer:

Poet

Explanation:

Hughes was a very famous poet of this period. He was one of the first African-Americans to support himself as a writer. He wrote stories and poetry about the lives of the people of Harlem and New York. 

Example Question #42 : U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

Before a welfare system was in effect, many people in the Great Depression relied on government help to get by. What was this called?

Possible Answers:

Handouts

Direct Relief

Indirect Relief

Charity

Correct answer:

Direct Relief

Explanation:

Direct Relief is when the government gives money, or something of value, directly to a citizen. While relief can be given to businesses or local governments, these require a middle-man to give relief to the person thus making the relief indirect.

Example Question #43 : U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

Which of the following writings advocated that the very rich had a moral responsibility to help the poor using their wealth?

Possible Answers:

Common Sense

None of these

On the Theory of Evolution

Gospel of Wealth

Social Darwinism

Correct answer:

Gospel of Wealth

Explanation:

This should have been a relatively simple question. Andrew Carnegie quite famously wrote in The Gospel of Wealth that the very wealthy had a moral duty to help their less fortunate brothers and sisters. Carnegie, of course, fulfilled the obligations that he prescribed for others: Carnegie remains one of the greatest philanthropists in all of American history.

The Gospel of Wealth was published in 1889. 

Example Question #44 : U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

Which of the following completely changed the landscape (literally and figuratively) of the Appalachian region?

Possible Answers:

Dane County Airport

The Coulee Dam

LaGuardia Airport

The Tennessee Valley Authority

Correct answer:

The Tennessee Valley Authority

Explanation:

The TVA, or Tennessee Valley Authority, changed the face of the Appalachian region. First, it literally changed the landscape, as it constructed different dams necessary to build reservoirs for hydroelectric power that completely obliterated various landmarks, homes, and ancestral graveyards when they impounded water and flooded regions. This is the negative effect of the TVA. In addition, the TVA figuratively changed the landscape by bringing power to a region that many social scientists have compared to a third world country. This is the positive effect of the TVA.

Example Question #45 : U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

Why were the “fireside chats” important?

Possible Answers:

All of these answers are correct.

They showed the public that the President was attempting to address the various problems of the Great Depression.

They encouraged and comforted the American people.

They were the first time that a president had spoken “directly” to the populace.

Correct answer:

All of these answers are correct.

Explanation:

All of these answers are correct. The so-called “fireside chats” were the first time that a president had ever reached out “directly” (via the radio) to the American people. Generally speaking, Americans heard from their President only relatively rarely, or during election season. By reaching out, FDR attempted to assuage America’s fears, and keep the populace updated on what he was doing and why.

Example Question #1 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

In the Supreme Court case Muller v. Oregon,the Court ruled that __________.

Possible Answers:

the Eleventh Amendment prevents a citizen of a U.S. state from suing that state in Federal court

None of those mentioned represent the decision of the Court in Muller v. Oregon.

women could not work excessively long hours for fear they might damage their bodies for motherhood 

individual rights in the Constitution do not apply to tribal governments 

the United States judicial system can hear cases regarding polygamy, even if it is a feature of religious belief 

Correct answer:

women could not work excessively long hours for fear they might damage their bodies for motherhood 

Explanation:

The Supreme Court case of Muller v. Oregon upheld the state law of Oregon to limit the number of hours women could work, in order to protect their health. In the majority verdict the court stated that the physical well-being of women was an object of public interest, in order that the strength and vigor of the American people should be sustained.

Example Question #2 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

What did Samuel Gompers hail as “the working man’s Magna Carta”?

Possible Answers:

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act

William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech 

The repeal of prohibition 

Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points

The passage of the Seventeenth Amendment

Correct answer:

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Explanation:

The Magna Carta is a famous document from English history, written in 1215. It helped ensure limited democratic participation for a collection of prominent English barons against the tyrannical rule of King John. It is often hailed as one of the earliest assurances of democratic process in western history; however, it applied only to a very slim percentage of the population—only the highest of the upper classes. When Samuel Gompers called the Clayton Anti-Trust Act “the working man’s Magna Carta” he was echoing a commonly held belief that, after the passage of the Act, the working man was finally as free and enfranchised as the wealthy class. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act was designed to ensure fair competition in the workplace and marketplace, along with competitive wages and benefits for the working class. Whether or not it achieved this in practice is up for debate, as many businesses fused into a single corporations and were able to derive the benefits of a cartel in a legal fashion. What is certain, however, is that the Clayton Anti-Trust Act was a significant event in the correcting of social and economic injustices in early twentieth-century America. 

Example Question #2 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

Marcus Garvey __________.

Possible Answers:

was the first African-American Supreme Court Justice

advocated for the end of alcohol prohibition 

sponsored a movement to encourage the return of Blacks to Africa

successfully argued for the protection of Native American land

helped ensure the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote 

Correct answer:

sponsored a movement to encourage the return of Blacks to Africa

Explanation:

Marcus Garvey was a prominent member of the movement to advance the status of blacks in America, and indeed the world. He believed strongly in Black Nationalism and advocated for the return of America’s black population to Africa, as well as the removal of European colonial influence on that continent. Garvey was a controversial figure throughout his political life—he staunchly opposed W.E.B. Dubois and the NAACP, once meeting with the leader of the Ku Klux Klan: calling the Klan’s racism the most honest form of white supremacy.

Example Question #1 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Social History From 1899 To The Present

Which First Lady was behind the sexual and drug abstinence campaign called Just Say No?

Possible Answers:

Jacqueline Kennedy

Nancy Reagan

Lady Bird Johnson 

Hilary Clinton 

Barbara Bush

Correct answer:

Nancy Reagan

Explanation:

The Just Say No campaign was a reaction to the growth of drug use and the emergence (into public knowledge) of sexually transmitted diseases—most notably HIV—in the 1980s and 1990s. It aimed to prevent young people from experimenting with drugs or engaging in unprotected sex. The campaign was created and championed by First Lady Nancy Reagan. 

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