U.S. History: 1877–Present (Grades 10–11) Midterm — Full-Course Review

← Midterm Library / Social Studies / U.S. History: 1877–Present

Grades 10–11 30 multiple choice + 2 written

Free printable U.S. History: 1877–Present midterm (Grades 10–11): 30 multiple-choice questions plus 2 written responses covering Industrialization & the Gilded Age, Progressive Era & World War I, The 1920s & the Great Depression, World War II, Cold War & Civil Rights, Modern America (1970s–2010s). Answer key included — customize it in the Midterm Maker.

Customize in Midterm Maker

Name: Date: Period:

Directions: Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Answer the written response in complete sentences.

Covers: Industrialization & the Gilded Age · Progressive Era & World War I · The 1920s & the Great Depression · World War II · Cold War & Civil Rights · Modern America (1970s–2010s)

Part 1: Multiple Choice

Andrew Carnegie owned the iron mines, railroads, and mills involved in making steel. What is this business strategy called?
1. A. Horizontal integration
2. B. Collective bargaining
3. C. Laissez-faire
4. D. Vertical integration
How did the federal government respond to the Pullman Strike of 1894?
1. A. It sent federal troops to end the strike and keep the mail moving
2. B. It created the National Labor Relations Board
3. C. It took over and ran the nation's railroads
4. D. It forced the Pullman Company to raise workers' wages
What was the goal of the Dawes Act of 1887?
1. A. To divide tribal lands into individual plots to push Native Americans to assimilate
2. B. To return western lands to Native American nations
3. C. To create large shared reservations for every tribe
4. D. To grant Native Americans immediate full citizenship
Mark Twain's label "the Gilded Age" suggested that the era
1. A. was the first period of American history to use gold coins
2. B. was a time of equal wealth for all Americans
3. C. was free of political scandals
4. D. had a shiny surface of wealth that hid poverty and corruption
What role did Ellis Island in New York Harbor play from 1892 onward?
1. A. It was a military base protecting New York from invasion
2. B. It was the main processing station for immigrants arriving on the East Coast
3. C. It was the main processing station for immigrants arriving on the West Coast
4. D. It was a prison for striking labor union leaders
Who were the muckrakers of the Progressive Era?
1. A. Journalists who exposed corruption and social problems
2. B. Politicians who controlled city machines
3. C. Farmers who formed cooperatives
4. D. Factory owners who opposed labor unions
Which German action was a major reason the United States entered World War I in 1917?
1. A. Assassinating an American president
2. B. Invading Poland
3. C. Attacking the naval base at Pearl Harbor
4. D. Resuming unrestricted submarine warfare against ships
What change did the Seventeenth Amendment (1913) make?
1. A. Women gained the right to vote
2. B. The sale of alcohol was banned
3. C. Congress gained the power to collect an income tax
4. D. Voters began directly electing U.S. senators
In Schenck v. United States (1919), the Supreme Court ruled that
1. A. newspapers cannot be sued for false stories
2. B. speech can be limited when it creates a "clear and present danger"
3. C. the government may never limit speech in wartime
4. D. the military draft violated the Thirteenth Amendment
Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle helped lead to which 1906 laws?
1. A. The Federal Reserve Act and the Sixteenth Amendment
2. B. The Chinese Exclusion Act and the Dawes Act
3. C. The Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Act
4. D. The Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act
Which was an unintended result of Prohibition in the 1920s?
1. A. A large increase in federal tax revenue from alcohol
2. B. The complete end of drinking in the United States
3. C. The growth of organized crime through illegal alcohol sales
4. D. The closing of every nightclub in American cities
What caused the Dust Bowl of the 1930s?
1. A. Flooding of the Mississippi River
2. B. Severe drought combined with farming practices that stripped the Plains of grass
3. C. Volcanic eruptions in the western states
4. D. Overuse of coal in Midwestern factories
What did the Social Security Act of 1935 provide?
1. A. Old-age pensions and unemployment insurance
2. B. Insurance for bank deposits
3. C. Jobs building dams in the Tennessee Valley
4. D. Loans to large corporations
Why was the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) created in 1933?
1. A. To pay farmers to grow fewer crops
2. B. To regulate the sale of stocks
3. C. To build public works projects
4. D. To insure bank deposits and restore confidence in banks
What was the Great Migration?
1. A. The movement of African Americans from the rural South to cities in the North and West
2. B. The movement of farmers from the Plains to California during the Dust Bowl
3. C. The movement of Americans from cities to suburbs
4. D. The arrival of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe
What was the immediate result of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?
1. A. The United States declared war on Japan
2. B. The United States passed the Neutrality Acts
3. C. The United States invaded Germany
4. D. The United States signed a peace treaty with Japan
What was President Truman's stated main reason for using atomic bombs against Japan in 1945?
1. A. To force the Soviet Union to declare war on Japan
2. B. To destroy Japan's navy at Pearl Harbor
3. C. To test the bombs before using them on Germany
4. D. To end the war quickly without a costly invasion of Japan
What did the "Rosie the Riveter" image symbolize during World War II?
1. A. Women taking industrial jobs to support the war effort
2. B. Women serving as combat pilots overseas
3. C. Women leading the movement for voting rights
4. D. Women organizing protests against the war
What was the Manhattan Project?
1. A. A plan to rebuild Europe after the war
2. B. A New York City housing program for veterans
3. C. A code-breaking operation against Japan
4. D. A secret U.S. program to build an atomic bomb
What did Executive Order 9066 (1942) lead to?
1. A. The forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans on the West Coast
2. B. The rationing of gasoline and sugar
3. C. The desegregation of the U.S. armed forces
4. D. The creation of the atomic bomb program
What was the Marshall Plan?
1. A. A program to send astronauts to the moon
2. B. A military alliance between the U.S. and Western Europe
3. C. U.S. economic aid to rebuild Western Europe after World War II
4. D. A plan to divide Germany into four zones
The term "McCarthyism" refers to
1. A. accusing people of communist disloyalty without solid evidence
2. B. a plan to rebuild Japan after the war
3. C. a program to integrate public schools
4. D. a policy of cutting taxes on businesses
What did the Supreme Court rule in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?
1. A. Racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional
2. B. Separate but equal facilities are constitutional
3. C. States may require literacy tests for voting
4. D. Busing students to integrate schools is illegal
What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?
1. A. Granted citizenship to formerly enslaved people
2. B. Outlawed segregation in public places and banned job discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
3. C. Created the Department of Education
4. D. Ended poll taxes in all elections
How did the United States respond to the Soviet blockade of West Berlin in 1948?
1. A. It agreed to give West Berlin to the Soviets
2. B. It built the Berlin Wall
3. C. It invaded East Germany with ground troops
4. D. It flew food and supplies into the city in the Berlin Airlift
Supply-side economics, central to President Reagan's policies, held that
1. A. raising taxes would encourage businesses to hire
2. B. tariffs should be raised on all imports
3. C. government should own major industries
4. D. cutting taxes would encourage investment and economic growth
What helped trigger the financial crisis of 2008?
1. A. A sudden oil embargo by OPEC
2. B. The end of the gold standard
3. C. A collapse in housing prices tied to risky mortgage lending
4. D. A war between the U.S. and China
Which pair of events marked the end of the Cold War?
1. A. The Berlin Airlift and the formation of NATO
2. B. The Watergate scandal and the end of the Vietnam War
3. C. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991
4. D. The Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis
What did the Camp David Accords of 1978 achieve?
1. A. The release of American hostages in Iran
2. B. A nuclear arms treaty with the Soviet Union
3. C. An end to the Vietnam War
4. D. A peace framework between Egypt and Israel, brokered by President Carter
What effect did the 1973 OPEC oil embargo have on the United States?
1. A. Gasoline shortages and sharply higher fuel prices
2. B. The end of U.S. oil imports forever
3. C. A rapid boom in car sales
4. D. A sharp drop in the price of gasoline

Part 2: Written Response

Was the New Deal successful in responding to the Great Depression? Take a position and support it with at least three specific programs or results.
Choose one event from 1970 to 2015 that you believe most changed the United States. Explain what happened and why its effects were significant.

Answer Key — U.S. History: 1877–Present (Grades 10–11) Midterm — Full-Course Review

D — Vertical integration Vertical integration means controlling every stage of production, from raw materials to finished product.
A — It sent federal troops to end the strike and keep the mail moving President Cleveland used troops, citing interference with the U.S. mail.
A — To divide tribal lands into individual plots to push Native Americans to assimilate The Dawes Act broke up communal land, and much land was lost to non-Native settlers.
D — had a shiny surface of wealth that hid poverty and corruption Gilded means a thin gold coating over something less valuable.
B — It was the main processing station for immigrants arriving on the East Coast Millions of mostly European immigrants were inspected at Ellis Island.
A — Journalists who exposed corruption and social problems Muckrakers such as Ida Tarbell and Jacob Riis exposed abuses to spark reform.
D — Resuming unrestricted submarine warfare against ships U-boat attacks on ships carrying Americans pushed Wilson to ask for war.
D — Voters began directly electing U.S. senators Before 1913, state legislatures chose U.S. senators.
B — speech can be limited when it creates a "clear and present danger" Schenck's anti-draft leaflets were not protected during wartime.
D — The Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act The novel's descriptions of meatpacking plants shocked readers and Congress.
C — The growth of organized crime through illegal alcohol sales Bootlegging and speakeasies made gangsters like Al Capone wealthy.
B — Severe drought combined with farming practices that stripped the Plains of grass Plowing removed grasses that held soil, so drought winds blew topsoil away.
A — Old-age pensions and unemployment insurance It created a lasting safety net for retirees and the unemployed.
D — To insure bank deposits and restore confidence in banks Insured deposits helped stop the bank runs of the early Depression.
A — The movement of African Americans from the rural South to cities in the North and West Millions sought jobs and escaped Jim Crow laws in the South.
A — The United States declared war on Japan Congress declared war on Japan the next day.
D — To end the war quickly without a costly invasion of Japan Truman argued the bombs would save lives lost in an invasion.
A — Women taking industrial jobs to support the war effort Millions of women entered factories while men served in the military.
D — A secret U.S. program to build an atomic bomb Scientists at sites like Los Alamos developed the first atomic weapons.
A — The forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans on the West Coast About 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were sent to camps.
C — U.S. economic aid to rebuild Western Europe after World War II Aid strengthened economies and reduced the appeal of communism.
A — accusing people of communist disloyalty without solid evidence Senator Joseph McCarthy's reckless accusations ruined many careers in the early 1950s.
A — Racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional Brown rejected "separate but equal" in public education, overturning Plessy's reasoning there.
B — Outlawed segregation in public places and banned job discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin It outlawed segregation in public accommodations and job discrimination.
D — It flew food and supplies into the city in the Berlin Airlift Allied planes supplied West Berlin for about eleven months until the blockade ended.
D — cutting taxes would encourage investment and economic growth Supporters argued lower taxes would spur growth that benefits the whole economy.
C — A collapse in housing prices tied to risky mortgage lending Mortgage defaults damaged banks and led to the Great Recession.
C — The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 Communist governments collapsed across Eastern Europe, then the USSR dissolved.
D — A peace framework between Egypt and Israel, brokered by President Carter Egypt and Israel signed a formal peace treaty in 1979.
A — Gasoline shortages and sharply higher fuel prices Long gas lines and inflation followed the embargo.

Written Response — Look-Fors

Clear claim; specific programs (Social Security, FDIC, WPA/CCC, TVA); acknowledges limits or criticism; uses evidence about relief, recovery, or reform.
Accurately describes event (Watergate, end of Cold War, 9/11, 2008 crisis, etc.); explains short- and long-term effects; justifies significance; stays balanced and factual.

U.S. History: 1877–Present (Grades 10–11) Midterm — Full-Course Review

Part 1: Multiple Choice

Part 2: Written Response

Written Response — Look-Fors

More U.S. History: 1877–Present midterms