7th Grade Great Depression pop quiz

Miscellaneous History
1

Here is a pop quiz I gave my 7th graders last week. Let me know what you think:

  1. In what part of the economy was the bubble in the 1920s? ________________________

  2. In what year did the bubble crash? _______________________

  3. What country did the US try to help out by inflating the money supply? ________________

  4. True/False – Herbert Hoover did very little to try to fix the Depression _____________________

  5. What tariff destroyed world trade during the 1930s? _________________________

  6. What was the one thing Hoover and others refused to let drop during the Depression? ______________

  7. What did TVA stand for? ________________________________________________

  8. How was most of the new spending under FDR paid for – taxes or debt? _______________________

  9. What were the two goals of Social Security? __________________________________________________

  10. What country did FDR look to for inspiration on economic issues? __________________________

  11. FDR outlawed the private ownership of what metal? _________________________

  12. How did the AAA raise the prices of livestock? _____________________________________________

Bonus#1: What was FDR’s middle name?

Bonus #2: Within 1 %, what is today’s official unemployment rate?

My kids got the 2nd bonus wrong - they all said 18%, which is the unofficial number (and the more accurate one).

2

Do you teach at a public school?

3

This is more in depth than my highschool AP U.S. History tests. What’s the answer for 10? Germany, Italy?

4

In number eight;

By debt, do you mean that the new spending under FDR wasn’t paid for, and was thus added onto the debt?

As for number nine, I would want to put “To create a docile voter base in order to increase control of the nation & to create more bureaucratic jobs, thereby increasing the number of dependents on the continued existence of the welfare state.” I imagine the correct answer would be different though?

5

No, I teach at a Catholic school. I have a great deal of autonomy.

6

It’s Italy.

I use “FDR’s Folly” as well as Murphy’s new book on the depression as my primary sources when teaching. I generally only use the textbook to either show the human side of history (i.e. the Dust Bowl), or when I’m demonstrating how awful it is.

7

I wish I could upload my powerpoints, I’d like some input on them.

8

I thought you would have to be teaching at a private school, but just wanted to verify. Keep fighting the good fight.

9

Most new spending was financed through debt, not increased taxes.

The answer I was looking for was to get old folks out of the work force and to allow new workers to fill their spots. I do mention Ida May Fuller and explain how SS won’t be around for them.

10

Excellent! I am at a public school and could teach that/ give this quiz but of course would have to have posted the nationalization of thought benchmarks that say the cause of the GD was inequality of income, underconsumption and such. I am still learning and when questioned, state that I am supporting global learning objective (GLO) 3 which states the student has to have the “ability to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving.” Keep up the good work!

Aloha,

will

11

Pretty cool.

My main objection would be that it’s focused on facts instead of theory. Of course, knowing the important facts leads quickly to valid theories.

12

Your could try uploading them onto Google documents then sharing the link with us.

13

So what do the parents think of what you are teaching?