U.S. Economic History Trivia
1. What was the first major export industry in America?
Answer
2. What was produced at the first American factory?
- Cars
- Clothing
- Canned goods
- Yarn
Answer
3. What kind of employees were recruited to work in the first American cloth factories?
- Young unmarried women
- Young unmarried men
- Young married women
- Young married men
- Old unmarried women
- Old unmarried me
Answer
4. How large was the first national debt?
- $25 million
- $50 million
- $75 million
- $100 million
Answer
5. How large was it 200 years later?
- Millions
- Billions
- Trillions
- Zillions
Answer
6. How many "Banks of the United States" have there been?
Answer
7. Who were the chief adversaries in the "Bank War"?
- Andrew Jackson vs Nicholas Biddle
- Bill Clinton vs the American people
- Abraham Lincoln vs Robert E. Lee
- George Washington vs England
Answer
8. Has the national debt ever been fully paid off?
- No, never
- Yes, once
- Yes, twice
- Yes, more than once
Answer
9. At its height, how much cotton did the South produce?
- Less than 1 million bales
- 1 to 2 million bales
- 2 to 3 million bales
- Over 3 million bales
Answer
10. What was the first installment plan in American business?
- Henry Ford
- Ross Perot
- Edward Clark
- John D. Rockefeller
Answer
11. In the 19th century, what was the Great Depression?
- 1873-1897
- 1929-1935
- 1987-1993
- 1965-1969
Answer
12. Which administration brought about the first federal income tax?
- Bill Clinton
- Abraham Lincoln
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- George Washington
Answer
13. When did the federal income tax become a permanent institution?
Answer
14. How much did the highest tax bracket fall during the Reagan years?
Answer
15. How many shares of stock were traded on Black Tuesday?
- About 16 million
- About 32 million
- About 64 million
- About 128 million
Answer
16. How many points did the Dow Jones industrial average fall in the crash of 1987?
- About 100
- About 300
- About 500
- About 700
Answer
17. What was the highest tariff in U.S. history?
- Bill Clinton’s tariff
- The Hawley-Smoot Tariff
- The Great Depression Tariff
- The Tariff against Germany during World War II
Answer
18. How much did the national debt grow during World War II?
- Twofold
- Threefold
- Fourfold
- Sixfold
Answer
19. What is the largest denomination of U.S. currency now being issued?
- $100
- $1,000
- $10,000
- $100,000
Answer
20. What was the leading career choice of Harvard M.B.A. graduates in 1976? In 1986?
- Lawyer then accountant
- Business owner both in 1976 and 1986
- Investment banking then manufacturing
- Manufacturing then investment banking
Answer
21. When did the Dow Jones industrial average first close higher than 1000? 2000? 3000?
- 1950, 1993, 1997
- 1901, 1902, 1903
- 1972, 1987, 1991
- 1990, 1997, 1998
Answer
22. Did Drexel Burnham Lambert file for bankruptcy in the 1980s or 1990s?
- 1980s
- 1990s
- did not file
- filed before 1980
Answer
23. How many people serve on the Federal Reserve Board?
Answer
24. What makes up the GNP (Gross National Product)?
- The total market value of American goods
- Some number that the nation can multiply
- The national debt divided by the population count
- Fortune 500 companies
Answer
25. In 1992, what was the biggest corporation in America?
- Microsoft
- Exxon
- General Motors
- Ford Motor Company
Answer
26. What magazine empire is bigger, the Hearst Corporation or Time Warner?
- Time Warner
- Hearst
- Same size
- Both owned by the same company
Answer
27. What percentage of national wealth is held by the richest one percent of Americans in 1989?
Answer
28. What was the official poverty level in 1990 (family of four)?
- About $4,000
- About $8,000
- About $12,000
- More than $16,000
Answer
29. What percentage of Americans lived below the poverty level in 1990?
- About 13%
- About 25%
- About 47%
- About 21.2%
Answer
Questions from "American History, The New York Public Library Book of Answers." |
