• The Roaring Twenties • The Great Depression • FDR's New Deal • 1920s & 1930s Foreign Affairs • World War II • The Fabulous Fifties
The following multiple-choice questions are academically synonymous to those which appeared on the College Board Advanced Placement National Examination in United States History prior to 2015. They have been adapted from past National Exams, various College Board matter offering sample questions, and assorted APUSH review manuals widely available through common retail outlets. No item is an exact copy of any material previously published. The questions address political, social, economic, intellectual, and diplomatic history. While the multiple-choice format currently used by the College Board deviates from the conventional style, the items included here can nevertheless serve as effective learning support. This review set is intended for private use and educational purpose only and may not be sold or marketed in any manner.
DIRECTIONS: Using knowledge obtained through class lecture and assigned reading, coupled with the ability to reason logically, select the best response from among the four suggested completions for each statement.
At the close of the World War I, the United States:
granted diplomatic recognition to the Soviet Union
received large reparation payments from Germany
emerged as the world's leading creditor nation
rejected the League of Nations in principle
Henry Ford's assembly-line production of automobiles resulted in:
construction plans for the interstate highway system
large scale abandonment of railroad passenger traffic
widespread purchase of cars by average American families
laws promoting economic advantage and international markets for American corporations
During his presidency, Harry S Truman did all of the following except:
veto the McCarran Act
order the desegregation of America's military forces
abolish the Tennessee Valley Authority
extend Social Security benefits
The emergence of rock and roll music as a part of the 1950s popular culture in America:
was a spin-off from British popular music of the time
adapted many of the Big Band tunes of the 1940s
had little appeal in the South and West
relied heavily on black musical traditions
American writers of the 1920s, such as Sinclair Lewis and F. Scott Fitzgerald, have been called the "lost generation" because they:
seemed preoccupied with writing nostalgic stories about the "good old days"
found it difficult to get their works published
were disillusioned with the shallowness of American life
advocated cultural isolationism in the wake of World War I
In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), the Supreme Court ruling:
provided for federal support of parochial schools
confirmed free public elementary and secondary schools
outlawed racially segregated public schools
established free public colleges
During the Great Depression, so-called "Hoovervilles" were:
shantytowns of unemployed and homeless people
model communities established by President Herbert Hoover for the downtrodden
government relocation centers for indigent workers financed under New Deal legislation
camps in California for migrant fruit pickers similar to what John Steinbeck described in his novel The Grapes of Wrath
One of the principal reasons the "noble experiment" failed was because it led to an enormous increase in:
law enforcement costs
drinking among minors
racial discord
absenteeism among factory workers
Charles Lindbergh became a national hero for all of the following reasons except:
he embodied American traditional values in the new industrialized society
his success incorporated elements of technology and individualism
he advocated American leadership in world affairs
he completed a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean
The government's forced relocation of Japanese-Americans from the West Coast to inland camps during World War II was:
implemented according to provisions set forth by Congress for internment of dissidents
declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
justified by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a military necessity
consistent with treatment given to German-Americans and Italian-Americans
Many historians see an indication of strong anti-Catholic sentiment in the presidential election of 1928 because of:
Herbert Hoover's use of "rugged individualism" as his campaign slogan
failure of Alfred E. Smith to carry a solidly Democratic South
increased political activity of the Ku Klux Klan
Robert La Follette's decision to run as a liberal third-party candidate
President Herbert Hoover and President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt disagreed most strongly about the positive aspects of:
government aid to corporations
federal relief to individuals
maintaining a balanced budget
farm price supports
During World War II the United States sought greater cooperation with the nations of Latin America primarily to:
encourage Latin American social and economic reforms
promote the industrialization of Latin America
develop a hemispheric common front against fascism
end the threat of Latin American communist movements
The drawing above shows a decrease in:
America's popularity among European nations as a result of the Senate's rejection of United States membership in the League of Nations
immigration due to quotas supported by labor groups and heightened xenophobia following World War I
alcohol consumption resulting from national prohibition enacted during the 1920s
conscription due to modified draft laws reflecting an American public disillusioned with United States participation in two world wars during a 25-year period
The Palmer Raids of 1919 were conducted against:
leaders for the American Federation of Labor
Republicans bitterly opposed to the policies of President Woodrow Wilson
suspected communists and anarchists
white racist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan
All of the following factors contributed to the growth of suburbia after World War II except:
development of a national highway system
low-interest loans to veterans
expansion of the existing railway network
availability of low-cost housing
For American farming, the years 1921 to 1929 represented a period of:
rapid inflation in the price of farmland
growth in the size of the farm population
increased government subsidization
low prices for agricultural products
The government's conscription policies for World War I differed most from those of World War II in that World War II's draft:
did not recognize "conscientious objectors"
permitted integration of units according to race
began before the United States issued an official declaration of war
allowed vast exemptions for a range of war-related occupations
The epic film The Birth of a Nation, produced in 1915 by D. W. Griffith, was controversial because it:
portrayed the Sons of Liberty as nothing more than a lawless mob
depicted Ku Klux Klan activities as heroic and commendable
justified violent labor demonstrations, such as the Haymarket Square incident, as an acceptable method to fight big business
empathized with Germany's purpose for fighting World War I
The American Federation split apart at its national convention in 1935 because:
many of the AFL leaders opposed collective bargaining
most workers opposed FDR's New Deal
many delegates believed the leadership of the AFL was soft on communism
numerous AFL leaders refused to grant charters to new unions organized on an industry-wide basis
The National Industrial Recovery Act sought to combat the Great Depression by:
reducing competition
lowering prices
weakening organized labor
abolishing trusts
Of the following, the group that experienced the greatest percentage of growth in the American work force during the 1950s was:
industrial workers
military personnel
service workers
agricultural labor
Senator Joseph McCarthy's investigative tactics found support among many Americans because:
evidence clearly substantiated McCarthy's charges against the government
McCarthy was supported by both President Dwight D. Eisenhower and former President Harry S Truman
there was widespread fear of communist infiltration of the United States
McCarthy worked closely and carefully with the FBI
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947:
created the interstate highway system
limited the powers of labor unions
outlawed transportation of alcoholic beverages across state lines
provided low-interest loans to veterans of World War II
All of the following concerns were addressed during the "Hundred Days" of the New Deal except:
banking regulation
unemployment relief
agricultural adjustment
judicial restructuring
During the 1930s, isolationists drew support for their position from:
the Webster-Ashburton Treaty
The Federalist essays of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
the Platt Amendment
President George Washington's Farewell Address
As he left the presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower warned Americans of:
insufficient spending for social-welfare programs
lack of zest for the civil rights movement
dangers of developing a military-industrial complex
communist infiltration of American society and subversion of democratic principles
The New Deal attempted to revive the farm economy during the 1930s by:
making more federal land available for homesteads
reducing the amount of land under cultivation
increasing tariffs to eliminate foreign competition
selling surplus farm commodities abroad
The least important consideration in the United States decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan in August of 1945 was:
scientists wished to demonstrate to Congress that the $2 billion spent, after long debate, on the six-year Manhattan Project had not been wasted
dropping the atomic bombs would give a new and powerful argument to the Japanese government to cease fighting
scientists could propose no acceptable technical demonstration of the atomic bomb likely to convince Japan that further fighting was futile
using the bombs would presumably shorten the war and therefore save the lives of American troops which would be lost in an invasion of the Japanese homeland
The chief difference between the economic prosperity of the 1920s and 1950s was the:
degree of government spending
role of transportation in general and the automobile in particular
equality of distribution of wealth
amount of corporate consolidation
The John Scopes trial of 1925 represented all of the following except:
conflict between rural and urban culture
tensions created by America's new role as a world leader in the 1920s
battle between Protestant fundamentalism and modern science
lack of academic freedom in some parts of the country
The objective of the "Bonus Army" incident of 1932 was:
eligibility of World War I prisoners-of-war for veterans' benefits
protest of United States participation in the League of Nations
racial integration of American combat units
payment of money to veterans of World War I
"President Harry S Truman, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, later replaced by Clement Attlee, and Premier Joseph Stalin agreed to try Nazi leaders as war criminals, made plans for exacting reparations from Germany, and confirmed the division of the country into four zones to be occupied separately by American, Soviet, British, and French troops. Berlin, deep within the Soviet sector, was divided into quadrants, as well, each to be administered by one of the occupying powers." The important conference described took place at:
Potsdam, Germany
San Francisco, USA
Teheran, Iran
Yalta, USSR
The change shown between 1938 and 1942 on the chart above can be attributed to:
success of the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration
industrial mobilization related to World War II
shifting population centers of the United States
global economic boom following the Great Depression
The Tennessee Valley Authority:
was a state-sponsored agency established to restore and fertilize eroded soil
constructed dams that made rural electrification possible in seven southern states
provided land in Tennessee for immigrants who wanted to become farmers
improved existing roads and built interstate highways throughout the Upper South
The principal reason for the economic boom in the United States after World War II was:
shortage of consumer goods combined with purchasing power reserve in the form of accumulated savings
continuance of the federal government's operation of basic industries such as railroads
strong action by Congress on behalf of organized labor
full employment because the government retained ten million personnel in the armed forces as a precautionary measure
Despite its isolationist position during the 1920s, the United States government actively intervened throughout the decade in European affairs involving:
human rights
international finance and reparations
resistance to fascism
collective security against communism
"He was the most formidable of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's critics. While he did not question segregation or white supremacy (he used the word 'nigger' unabashedly, even when addressing northern black leaders), as a reformer he was fully dedicated to improving the lot of all poor, including blacks. Raffish, totally unrestrained, yet shrewd, a fellow southern politician called him 'the smartest lunatic I ever saw.' He initially supported FDR's New Deal, but later became one of its staunchest foes, advocating in its stead his own program, known as the 'Share-Our-Wealth' movement." The person described is:
Father Charles Coughlin
Senator Huey Long
Dr. Francis Townsend
Governor Alfred Landon
During the presidencies of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge, most of the federal regulatory agencies created during the Progressive Era:
were placed in the hands of the states
reflected the public's disdain for big business
were abolished, allowed to expire, or declared unconstitutional
served mainly to aid business
Of the following, the description that best reflects the foreign policy stance practiced by the United States after World War I is:
"non-colonial imperial expansion"
"global responsibility"
"dollar diplomacy"
"independent internationalism"
American women during World War II:
organized labor unions and led strikes demanding improved working conditions
contributed sparingly to the war effort aside from voluntary participation in government rationing programs
had opportunities to take industrial jobs enabling them to learn new skills and earn better wages than previous employment
initiated a publically visible and highly vocal feminist movement
The purpose of the immigration restriction laws passed in the 1920s was to:
exclude Chinese immigration for a period of ten years
favor northern and western European immigration
deny full citizenship to immigrants from Asia
reveal subversive plots against the United States government
One significant result of the 1936 presidential campaign was the:
sharp decline in support of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs
emergence of a viable third party to challenge the Democrats and Republicans
refusal of Congress to comply with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's attempt to increase the number of Supreme Court justices
shift of black voters from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party
From those provided below, the most important cause of the Great Depression was:
soaring energy levels
excessive government spending
the stock market crash of October 29, 1929
serious dislocations in international trade
Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon's policies:
reduced income tax rates for the wealthy in order to release money for private investment
provided federal guarantees for bank deposits in excess of $100,000
restricted United States loans to foreign nations
created more purchasing power for low-income families
All of the following are correct about the report of the Nye Committee except that it:
fed America's isolationist fears
blamed United States entrance into World War I on bankers and weapons manufacturers, termed "merchants of death"
recommended immediate suspension of war debts and reparations owed to the United States as a result of World War I
was instrumental in creating the series of Neutrality Acts during the late 1930s
President Herbert Hoover approached the task of caring for unemployed workers during the Great Depression by:
expanding the federal government's payroll
requesting large corporations hire war veterans
emphasizing the importance of private charities
relying on services provided by federal welfare agencies
Of the numerous changes that took place in the intellectual life of college-educated Americans between 1880 and 1930, the characteristic least typical of this group during the period was:
growth in influence of religious fundamentalism
rise of pluralistic and relativistic world views
accelerated professionalization of intellectual roles
expanded popularity of nonrational explanations for human behavior
"In the summer of 1933, a nice old gentleman wearing a silk hat fell off the end of a pier. He was unable to swim. A friend ran down the pier, dived overboard, and pulled him out; but the silk hat floated off with the tide. After the old gentleman had been revived, he was effusive in his thanks. He praised his friend for saving his life. Today, three years later, the old gentleman is berating his friend because the silk hat was lost." In this story, told by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Democratic Party Convention in 1936, the "old gentleman" and "friend" were meant to refer to:
farmers and crop acreage controls
consumers and fixed prices
laborers and wage-hour controls
businessmen and industrial regulations
All of the following statements are true regarding the Washington Conference of 1821 except:
"nine nations, all having interests in the Pacific Ocean and East Asia, attended"
"the conference resulted in three major treaties"
"the attending nations agreed on a 'naval construction holiday' and 'land forces moratorium' extending over a ten-year period"
"the conference gave Americans a false sense of global peace and national security"