HIST 17C Midterm Quizzes #1-#5 Practice Exam
HIST 17C Midterm Review Quiz
Test your knowledge of American history with our comprehensive 50-question quiz covering key events and figures from the Progressive Era to World War I. This engaging quiz is perfect for students looking to prepare for their midterm exams or anyone interested in American historical developments.
- 50 multiple-choice questions
- Covers significant topics in U.S. history
- Improve your understanding and retention of historical facts
1. Which idea formed the core of reform Darwinist theory in progressive-era America?
A. People are powerless in the face of the law of natural selection.
B. Laissez-faire is the most effective means of solving society's problems.
C. Reform should always be a slow and thoughtful process.
D. The state should play a more active role in solving social problems.
2. To obtain the Panamanian isthmus for construction of a canal in 1903, the United States
A. Negotiated a treated and paid a fair price for the property.
B. Backed an uprising in Panama arranged by New York investors.
C. Declared war with Colombia, which controlled isthmus at the time.
D. Submitted its cause to international arbitration.
3. The purpose of the 1907 "Gentlemen's Agreement" between the United States and Japan was to
A. Allow greater Japanese immigration into the United States.
B. Forge and alliance between the United States and Japan in case war broke out with China.
C. Allow the Japanese to save face by voluntarily restricting immigration to the United States.
D. condemn Russia for supporting Chinese goals.
4. During his first term as president, Woodrow Wilson refused to support child labor laws, women's suffrage, and labor's dekand for an end to injunctions because he
A. Opposed affording special privileges to any group.
B. Could not find support for those measures in Congress.
C. Did not want to offend big-business interest groups.
D. Found little support for those measures in his own political party.
5. What was the response to Maragaret Sanger's first efforts to launch a movement for birth control in 1915?
A. Theodore Roosevelt publicly endorsed her efforts.
B. Boston and Chicago lobbied her to open clinics in those cities.
C. Medical associations openly declared their support for her tactics and goals.
D. She was faced with the prospect of arrest for distributing obscene information.
6. The efforts of Alice Paul were instrumental in
A. Immigration restriction.
B. Prohibtion.
C. The eugenics movement.
D. Woman suffrage.
7. What was the fundamental difference between the philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois during the progressive period?
A. Washington focused on education and economic progress, while Du Bois emphasized civil rights and black leadership.
B. Washington focused on assimilation in America, while Du Bois emphasized retruning to Africa.
C. Du Bois lobbied for militant protest while Washington argued for nonviolent protest.
D. Du Bois believed that African Americans would be better off living in the South while Washington wanted African Americans to leave the South.
8. President Wilson declared that he would not support a "government of butchers" as a way of justifying which decision?
A. Dispatching troops to Latin America after the outbreak of World War I.
B. Pulling American troops out of the Dominican Republic.
C. Intervening in Mexico's affairs after the Mexican Revolution.
D. Supporting the establishment of dictatorship in Haiti.
9. Why did Mexican farmers, led by Francisco "Pancho" Villa, stage a rebellion from 1916 through 1917?
A. They wanted to restore the government of General Victoriano Huerta.
B. They wanted government subsidies as compensation for crops lost in a major drought.
C. They believed that the new American-backed government had betrayed the revolution's promise to help the common people.
D. They sough American aid to help them restore their fields after they were damaged during the civil war under General Victoriano Huerta.
10. Which event triggered the outbreak of War War I in 1914?
A. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria by a Bosnian Serb terrorist.
B. German pillaging in Belgium that preceded its attack on and invasion of France.
C. The monarch's objection to the national election of a socialist prime minister in Poland in 1914.
D. The accidental sinking of British passenger ship Lusitania by German U-boats.
11. According to President Wilson, American neutrality entailed
A. The right offer nonmilitary aid to the Allies.
B. Free trade with all nations at war and a guarantee of safety on the open seas.
C. An embargo on all private passenger ships traveling between the British Isles, Europe, and the United States.
D. A mediator role in the peace process.
12. The Zimmermann telegram made headlines in 1917 because
A. It revealed German plans to destroy the Panama Canal.
B. It encouraged Mexico to recruit men for service in the German army.
C. It promised Mexico it would regain Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona if they declared war on the United States.
D. It conveyed the Germans' belief that the United States would adhere to its neutral position.
13. Why was it ironic that the 369th Regiment of the 92nd Division won more medals than any other American combat unit?
A. It was a black regiment that had been forced to serve with the French.
B. It spent barely a month in battle and many died in an all-out offensive.
C. It lost most of its battles during the war but still showed bravery.
D. It consisted primarily of German immigrants who were suspected of German sympathies.
14. The labor shortage following the mobilization of U.S. Troops in 1917 resulted in
A. Expanded employment opportunities for women.
B. A decrease in the nation's agricultural output.
C. Weakened labor unions by depriving them of members.
D. German immigrants were refused naturalization.
15. Which statement describes a result of the patriotic fervor that grew in the United States during World War I?
A. The German language disappeared from public school curricula.
B. German speech was banned in public settings.
C. All German citizens living in the United States were detained.
D. German immigrants were refused naturalization.
16. In his Fourteen Points, President Wilson called for
A. A return to the prewar status quo.
B. The right of Europeans to self-determination.
C. Strict punishment of the German nation.
D. the United Nations to being meeting immediately.
17. Why were the Germans outraged by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
A. They did not believe they had lost the war.
B. They were singled out as the instigator of the war.
C. They expected that France would take sole blame for causing the war.
D. They lost their Asian colonies, which were assigned to Russia.
18. Why did the United States fail to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and join the League of Nations?
A. President Wilson would not compromise on the terms of the treaty.
B. Americans overwhelmingly opposed the League of Nations.
C. The House of Representatives voted against the treaty's ratification.
D. President Wilson's health limited his ability to lobby the members of Congress for their support.
19. The return to free enterprise in the United States after World War I resulted in
A. Unprecedented levels of employment and workers' well-being.
B. Steady prices and continued gains for the worker class.
C. Greater cooperation between government, business, and labor unions.
D. A rise in unemployment and new conflicts between business and labor.
20. What was the American Red scare of 1919 and 1920?
A. A fear of internal subversion and Communist revolution that resulted in suppression of dissent.
B. A frightening series of strikes led by Communist radicals in the United States.
C. An epidemic by Spanish influenza that claimed the lives of some 700,000 Americans.
D. A protest by socialist reformers who circulated posters and pamphlets and marched on Washington.
21. African American men who moved to the North from the South could expect to find work
A. On cotton plantations.
B. In automobile factories.
C. As teachers in public schools.
D. As house servants.
22. President Harding's adminstration was characterized by
A. Ongoing government control of industry.
B. Financial wrongdoing on the part of the president.
C. Scandals that involved several members of his adminstration.
D. An aggresive foreign policy.
23. The goal of the Washington Disarmament Conference was to
A. Negotiate peace treaties with Germany, Austria, and Hungary.
B. convince Congress to authorize $25 million as compensation for Mexico's loss of territory in the 1840s.
C. persuade England and France to forgive the reparations they wanted in Germany to pay after World War I.
D. Establish a balance of naval power among Britain, France, Japan, and Italy.
24. Detroit's second largest industry during the 1920s was
A. Illegal alcohol sales.
B. Automobile manufacturing.
C. Steel production.
D. Railroad construction.
25. Which factor diluted the influence of women in politics in the 1920s?
A. A lack on unity around the issues.
B. A major crime wave, which kept women from venturing to the polls.
C. Required literacy tests for all new women voters.
D. Laws prohibiting women from joining the major political parties.
26. Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association urged black Americans in the 1920s to
A. Revolt against the U.S. Government and their white oppressors.
B. Rediscover their African heritage and take pride in their culture and achievements.
C. Adopt the accommodationist stance advocated by Booker T. Washington to increase their status.
D. Lobby the federal government for reparations for the time they and their ancestors spent in slavery.
27. The purpose of immigration laws like the Johnson-Reed Act passed in the 1920s was to
A. Open the nation's borders to an unprecendented influx of new immigrants.
B. Place strict limits on immigration.
C. Close off immigration to the United States from other areas of the Western Hemisphere.
D. Overturn the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
28. Which of these accounted for the reemergent of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States in 1915?
A. The widespread belief that blacks, immigrants, radicals, feminists, Catholics, and Jews threatened traditional American values.
B. The notion that African Americans were gaining equality in the new world of giant corporations and needed to be kept in their place.
C. The belief that the government was conspiring to subvert the fundamental rights of U.S. citizens.
D. The belief that some apocalyptic event was about to occur and the Klan would bring salvation.
29. Which of these was the central issue addressed by the highly publicized Scopes trial of 1925?
A. The Ku Klux Klan's right to be involved in politics at the state level.
B. The legality of the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution in Tennessee.
C. The 1920s era conflict between fundamentalist Protestants and Catholics in America.
D. The biblical evidence for human evolution.
30. The fundamental cause of the Great Depression in the United States was
A. The stock market crash in the fall of 1929.
B. Problems in the American and international economies.
C. Herbert Hoover's election to U.S. presidency.
D. Massive fraud in the New York and Chicago stock exchanges.
31. The purpose of President Hoover's Reconstruction Finance Corporation, created in 1932, was
A. Assisting the millions of Americans who had lost their jobs.
B. Aiding rural black Southerners who had been in an agricultural depression for years.
C. Lending money to endangered American banks, insurance companies, and railroads.
Shoring up faltering West Coast shippers plying the Pacific trade.
32. How did the Great Depression affect the American family in the 1930s?
A. It caused an increase in the number of marriages among young adults whose parents could no longer support them.
B. It sparked an increase in the birthrate among middle- and upper-class whites.
C. It created resentment among men, who had lost their jobs more often than women did.
D. It led to the stabilization of the birthrate, which had been increasing since the turn of the century.
33. How did the Hoover administration respond to the World War I veterans, known as Bonus Marchers, who asked for the immediate payment of their pension?
A. It ordered the U.S. Army to forcibly evict them from their camp on the edge of Washington, D.C.
B. It welcomed them to Washington, thanked them for their service, and sent them home with government checks.
C. It organized a ceremony to reiterate the government's gratitude for their service and award medals.
D. It provided a hearty meal on the White House lawn but refused to pay the bonuses early.
34. The three-part goal of Roosevelt's New Deal was
A. experiment, energy, and employment.
B. Workers' rights, unemployment relief, and civil rights.
C. relief, recovery, and reform.
D. coalition, compromise, and capitalism.
35. Which woman became the New Deal's unofficial ambassador?
A. Margaret Sanger
B. Jane Addams
C. Mary McLeod Bethune
D. Eleanor Roosevelt
36. Which statement describes the purpose of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)?
A. It incentivized making investements in the failing stock market by ensuring the money invested would be returned at an agreed-upon point.
B. It guaranteed to bank customers that the federal government would reimburse them for deposits if their bank failed.
C. It was an emergency measure Roosevelt passed to close the nation's banks until they were solvent again.
D. It was a system through which the federal government would deposit money into regional banks to strengthen them.
37. Dr. Francis Townsend proposed which program as a way to assist the elderly?
A. A free transportation program to get the elderly to and from physicians.
B. Subsidized health care that would allow them to stay healthy.
C. A food delivery service to aid those who could not get a healthy meal on their own.
D. A montly pension paid to the elderly.
38. Which criteria were used to determine who would receive Social Security benefits?
A. Benefits were based on workers' contributions and years of work.
B. Workers took a means test to prove they were needy.
C. All workers in all occupations received Social Security benefits.
D. Domestic and agricultural workers received extra benefits.
39. Why did Roosevelt fail to push for more ambitious reforms for black Americans?
A. He was too busy with programs for workers and farmers.
B. He could not afford to lose the support of southern Democrats for his New Deal agenda.
C. He was unmoved by African Americans' circumstances and not concerned about civil rights.
D. He was afraid of disturbing the balance of power between African American and while landowners.
40. What were the experiences of Mexican Americans during the 1930s?
A. They found it easy to integrate into American society.
B. They experienced less discrimination in New Deal programs than other minority groups.
C. They experienced a dramatic increase in wages through employment in New Deal programs.
D. Thousands were deported, many with their American-born children.
41. President Roosevelt's plan to remove judicial obstacles to New Deal reforms in his second term of office
A. Was extremely popular with conservatives.
B. Was popularly known as court-packing.
C. Was widely accepted by Congress and the American public.
D. Would allow Roosevelt to take his ideas directly to the American people.
42. Which nation invaded the northern Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931 in an effort to increase its global power?
A. Germany
B. Italy
C. Japan
D. The Soviet Union
43. The objective of the Neutrality Act of 1937 was to
A. End the Great Depression in the United States and Europe.
B. Prevent increasing American involvement in European affairs.
C. Encourage the aggression of German and Japanese militarists in Europe and the Pacific.
Stop German and Japanese aggression in Europe and the Pacific.
44. Which event occured as a resul of the Nazi-Soviet treaty of nonaggression in August 1939?
A. Hitler's invasion of Poland.
B. The U.S. Declaration of war against Germany.
C. The end of Hitler's aggression in Europe.
D. England's confirmation of the effectiveness of appeasement.
45. Which statement describes the significance of the Battle of Britain in 1940?
A. The British victory handed Hitler his first major defeat.
B. It ended with England's occupation by Germany.
C. It proved that Great Britain no longer needed U.S. assistance.
D. It emboldened the French to expel occupying German forces.
46. The purpose of the Lend-Lease Act of 1941 was to
A. lend France enough money to defeat the Germans.
B. Make arms, munitions, and other supplies available to Britain.
C. Lend large sums of money to Latin American countries.
D. Give arms, munitions, and supplies to Canada.
47. Which nations joined the Tripartite Pact of 1940?
A. Japan, Germany, and Italy.
B. China, Japan, and Germany.
C. Italy, the Soviet Union, and Germany.
D. The Soviet Union, Germany, and Japan.
48. Regarding the constitutionality of the Japanese American internment camps, the Supreme Court ruled that
A. The violation of Japanese American rights was justified by military necessity.
B. President Roosevelt had overstepped his power as president with his executive order.
C. The passage of the internment law by Congress violated the basic human rights of the Japanese Americans.
D. The internment of Japanese Americans was unlawful and that anyone who had been held should receive reparations.
49. Which group was forced to train in segregated camps, live in segregated barracks, and serve in segregated units during World War II?
A. African Americans
B. Native Americans
C. Homosexuals
D. Chinese Americans
50. How did American labor unions respond to the production demands of World War II?
A. They agreed to disband temporarily to focus on production.
B. They demanded increases in overtime pay for the duration of the war.
C. They volunteered to enlist one-half of their workers in the armed forces.
D. They granted the government's request that they pledge not to strike.
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