YAWP Ch. 23 Reading Exam with Complete Solution
Total questions: 45
1. Why did bank failures accelerate in the early 1930s?
a) The FDIC required closures to protect savers b) Panicked depositors demanded cash,
collapsing weak banks
c) Banks held excess gold reserves, d) Foreign lenders flooded U.S. banks with
causing deflation cheap loans
2. What immediate effect did Black Tuesday have on investors and markets?
a) Bond prices crashed while stocks largely held b) Share prices rose on coordinated banker
buying
c) Share prices collapsed as panicked d) Commodity prices spiked on inflation fears
selling surged
3. Why did the stock market crash not alone cause the Great Depression?
a) Underlying structural flaws b) Only a small number of banks were affected
compounded the shock
c) Federal bailouts quickly restored confidence d) Most Americans owned diversified stock
portfolios
4. Which 1920s policy mix most favored wealthy investors and widened inequality?
a) Import quotas with high corporate taxes b) High taxes, tight credit, and wage controls
c) Low taxes, easy credit, and low interest ratesd) Progressive taxation with strict bank rules
5. Which factor worsened conditions for farmers even before 1929?
a) High tariffs boosted farm exports and profits b) Rising prices and bumper crops eased debts
c) Urbanization raised local demand for crops d) Falling prices and soil exhaustion increased
debts
, 6. What was the international impact of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930?
a) It stabilized prices and boosted farm exports b) Global trade expanded despite higher U.S.
duties
c) Foreign nations lowered tariffs to aid the U.S. d) Other nations retaliated, trade collapsed
sharply
7. Which factor most directly created the Dust Bowl on the Great Plains in the 1930s?
a) Overgrazing restored deep-rooted b) Soil exhaustion from plowing away native cover
prairie grasses
c) Years of drought on well-protected topsoil d) Frequent floods that replenished soil moisture
8. What workplace pattern increased the vulnerability of Black Americans during the Depression?
a) They were promoted faster than white workers b) They were usually first hired during booms
c) They worked mostly in protected public jobs d) They were often last hired and first fired
9. Which belief about women’s employment shaped employer behavior in the 1930s?
a) Employers protected women from layoffs first b) Married women worked mostly by personal
choice
c) Women’s wages equaled men’s in most sectors d) Women worked solely to support their
families
10. What was a common official attitude toward foreign immigration during high unemployment in
1930?
a) Stricter visa scrutiny to deny likely job seekers b) Quotas eliminated to spur economic
growth
c) Amnesties for undocumented farmworkers d) Loosened screening to attract artisans
11. What policy trend uniquely affected Mexican and Mexican American communities in the 1930s?
a) Large-scale federal recruitment for factories b) Coordinated deportations and pressured
repatriations
c) Guaranteed citizenship for all farm laborers d) Expansion of Bracero-style guest worker visas
Total questions: 45
1. Why did bank failures accelerate in the early 1930s?
a) The FDIC required closures to protect savers b) Panicked depositors demanded cash,
collapsing weak banks
c) Banks held excess gold reserves, d) Foreign lenders flooded U.S. banks with
causing deflation cheap loans
2. What immediate effect did Black Tuesday have on investors and markets?
a) Bond prices crashed while stocks largely held b) Share prices rose on coordinated banker
buying
c) Share prices collapsed as panicked d) Commodity prices spiked on inflation fears
selling surged
3. Why did the stock market crash not alone cause the Great Depression?
a) Underlying structural flaws b) Only a small number of banks were affected
compounded the shock
c) Federal bailouts quickly restored confidence d) Most Americans owned diversified stock
portfolios
4. Which 1920s policy mix most favored wealthy investors and widened inequality?
a) Import quotas with high corporate taxes b) High taxes, tight credit, and wage controls
c) Low taxes, easy credit, and low interest ratesd) Progressive taxation with strict bank rules
5. Which factor worsened conditions for farmers even before 1929?
a) High tariffs boosted farm exports and profits b) Rising prices and bumper crops eased debts
c) Urbanization raised local demand for crops d) Falling prices and soil exhaustion increased
debts
, 6. What was the international impact of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930?
a) It stabilized prices and boosted farm exports b) Global trade expanded despite higher U.S.
duties
c) Foreign nations lowered tariffs to aid the U.S. d) Other nations retaliated, trade collapsed
sharply
7. Which factor most directly created the Dust Bowl on the Great Plains in the 1930s?
a) Overgrazing restored deep-rooted b) Soil exhaustion from plowing away native cover
prairie grasses
c) Years of drought on well-protected topsoil d) Frequent floods that replenished soil moisture
8. What workplace pattern increased the vulnerability of Black Americans during the Depression?
a) They were promoted faster than white workers b) They were usually first hired during booms
c) They worked mostly in protected public jobs d) They were often last hired and first fired
9. Which belief about women’s employment shaped employer behavior in the 1930s?
a) Employers protected women from layoffs first b) Married women worked mostly by personal
choice
c) Women’s wages equaled men’s in most sectors d) Women worked solely to support their
families
10. What was a common official attitude toward foreign immigration during high unemployment in
1930?
a) Stricter visa scrutiny to deny likely job seekers b) Quotas eliminated to spur economic
growth
c) Amnesties for undocumented farmworkers d) Loosened screening to attract artisans
11. What policy trend uniquely affected Mexican and Mexican American communities in the 1930s?
a) Large-scale federal recruitment for factories b) Coordinated deportations and pressured
repatriations
c) Guaranteed citizenship for all farm laborers d) Expansion of Bracero-style guest worker visas
