U.S. History: 1877–Present (Grades 10–11) Midterm — Semester 1, Form A
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Free printable U.S. History: 1877–Present midterm (Grades 10–11): 15 multiple-choice questions plus 1 written response covering Industrialization & the Gilded Age, Progressive Era & World War I, The 1920s & the Great Depression. Answer key included — customize it in the Midterm Maker.
U.S. History: 1877–Present (Grades 10–11) Midterm — Semester 1, Form A
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
Part 1: Multiple Choice
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How did urban political machines such as Tammany Hall gain power?
- A. By refusing to help newly arrived immigrants
- B. By trading jobs and favors to immigrants in exchange for votes
- C. By campaigning to end corruption in city government
- D. By passing civil service exams required for office
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How did the federal government respond to the Pullman Strike of 1894?
- A. It sent federal troops to end the strike and keep the mail moving
- B. It created the National Labor Relations Board
- C. It took over and ran the nation's railroads
- D. It forced the Pullman Company to raise workers' wages
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Which policy did the Populist Party of the 1890s support?
- A. Higher tariffs to protect eastern factory owners
- B. A strict gold standard to keep money scarce
- C. Free coinage of silver to increase the money supply
- D. Ending all government regulation of railroads
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What role did Ellis Island in New York Harbor play from 1892 onward?
- A. It was a military base protecting New York from invasion
- B. It was the main processing station for immigrants arriving on the East Coast
- C. It was the main processing station for immigrants arriving on the West Coast
- D. It was a prison for striking labor union leaders
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Andrew Carnegie owned the iron mines, railroads, and mills involved in making steel. What is this business strategy called?
- A. Horizontal integration
- B. Collective bargaining
- C. Laissez-faire
- D. Vertical integration
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Which German action was a major reason the United States entered World War I in 1917?
- A. Assassinating an American president
- B. Invading Poland
- C. Attacking the naval base at Pearl Harbor
- D. Resuming unrestricted submarine warfare against ships
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Why was Theodore Roosevelt known as a "trustbuster"?
- A. He created the first national labor union
- B. He ended all tariffs on imported goods
- C. He refused to enforce any regulations on business
- D. His administration used antitrust law to break up harmful monopolies
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In the Zimmermann Telegram, Germany proposed that
- A. the United States join the Central Powers
- B. Japan attack the Philippines
- C. Mexico join Germany against the U.S. in exchange for regaining lost territory
- D. Britain and Germany sign a peace treaty
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What did the Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, guarantee?
- A. An end to poll taxes in federal elections
- B. Direct election of senators
- C. Women's right to vote
- D. The right to vote for citizens age eighteen
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Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle helped lead to which 1906 laws?
- A. The Federal Reserve Act and the Sixteenth Amendment
- B. The Chinese Exclusion Act and the Dawes Act
- C. The Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Act
- D. The Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act
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What was the Harlem Renaissance?
- A. A movement to restore old buildings in Harlem
- B. A government program to build housing in Harlem
- C. A political party founded in the 1920s
- D. A flowering of African American art, music, and literature centered in New York City
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In the 1920s stock market, what did "buying on margin" mean?
- A. Buying stock only from companies with high profits
- B. Buying stock by paying a small part up front and borrowing the rest
- C. Selling stock before its price fell
- D. Buying government bonds instead of stocks
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The 1925 Scopes Trial centered on a conflict over
- A. women's right to vote
- B. immigration quotas
- C. teaching evolution in public schools
- D. the sale of alcohol
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Which was an unintended result of Prohibition in the 1920s?
- A. A large increase in federal tax revenue from alcohol
- B. The complete end of drinking in the United States
- C. The growth of organized crime through illegal alcohol sales
- D. The closing of every nightclub in American cities
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What did the Social Security Act of 1935 provide?
- A. Old-age pensions and unemployment insurance
- B. Insurance for bank deposits
- C. Jobs building dams in the Tennessee Valley
- D. Loans to large corporations
Part 2: Written Response
- Explain how industrialization changed American life between 1877 and 1900. Discuss at least two groups (such as workers, immigrants, farmers, or business owners) and how each was affected.
Answer Key — U.S. History: 1877–Present (Grades 10–11) Midterm — Semester 1, Form A
- B — By trading jobs and favors to immigrants in exchange for votes Machines offered help to immigrants and the poor in return for political loyalty.
- 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.
- C — Free coinage of silver to increase the money supply Indebted farmers wanted more money in circulation, so they backed free silver.
- B — It was the main processing station for immigrants arriving on the East Coast Millions of mostly European immigrants were inspected at Ellis Island.
- D — Vertical integration Vertical integration means controlling every stage of production, from raw materials to finished product.
- D — Resuming unrestricted submarine warfare against ships U-boat attacks on ships carrying Americans pushed Wilson to ask for war.
- D — His administration used antitrust law to break up harmful monopolies Roosevelt's Justice Department sued trusts such as the Northern Securities Company.
- C — Mexico join Germany against the U.S. in exchange for regaining lost territory Its publication in 1917 turned American opinion sharply against Germany.
- C — Women's right to vote It barred denying the vote on account of sex.
- D — The Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act The novel's descriptions of meatpacking plants shocked readers and Congress.
- D — A flowering of African American art, music, and literature centered in New York City Writers like Langston Hughes and musicians like Duke Ellington shaped the movement.
- B — Buying stock by paying a small part up front and borrowing the rest Margin buying fed speculation and magnified losses when prices crashed in 1929.
- C — teaching evolution in public schools John Scopes was tried for teaching evolution in violation of Tennessee law.
- C — The growth of organized crime through illegal alcohol sales Bootlegging and speakeasies made gangsters like Al Capone wealthy.
- A — Old-age pensions and unemployment insurance It created a lasting safety net for retirees and the unemployed.
Written Response — Look-Fors
- Specific examples (Carnegie/Rockefeller, factory conditions, strikes, urban growth, Populists); explains both benefits and costs; compares at least two groups clearly.