Deck 15: Agricultures Western Advance

Question 1

According to research by Richard Scylla and John James on western farm mortgage rates,

A)real rates were lower than rates charged to eastern manufacturers.
B)relatively high real rates were due to the monopoly power of eastern financiers.
C)relatively high rates reflected high lending risks associated with agricultural loans.
D)Farmers' nominal rates were high,but real rates were actually less than those charged for most loans.

Answer 1

Farmers' nominal rates were high,but real rates were actually less than those charged for most loans.

Question 2

Under the Dawes Act of 1887,

A)nearly 100 acres of Indian territories were opened for public purchase.
B)"squatters" rights were legally recognized.
C)substantial tracts of land were granted to western railroads.
D)160 acres was granted to anyone who agreed to plant trees on at least 40 acres.

Answer 2

nearly 100 acres of Indian territories were opened for public purchase.

Question 3

Which of the following statements correctly characterizes farm incomes in the second half of the 19th century?

A)Real per capita income fell.
B)The rate of growth in real income per worker was negative.
C)Nominal per capita income fell,but real per capita income remained unchanged.
D)Growth rates in per capita income were positive,but small.

Answer 3

Nominal per capita income fell,but real per capita income remained unchanged.

Question 4

By 1900,the leading cotton producing state was

A)Georgia.
B)Louisiana.
C)Texas.
D)Mississippi.

Question 5

The rise in agricultural discontent in the late 19th century can be best explained by

A)the rise of railroad cartels in the Midwest.
B)the rise of global market forces not easily observed by the farmers.
C)a decline in the value of agricultural exports from 1870 to 1900.
D)predatory lending by banks,resulting in increased farm repossessions.

Question 6

Between 1870 and 1900,total land under cultivation

A)increased by roughly 25 percent
B)increased by roughly 50 percent.
C)more than doubled.
D)increased fourfold.

Question 7

Between 1870 and 1910,corn and wheat

A)output showed little,if any,growth in land productivity.
B)output increased dramatically,due to labor productivity increases.
C)yields per acre hardly changed.
D)output increased dramatically due to the effects of increased amounts of capital per worker.
E)All of the above are correct.

Question 8

Which of the following pieces of legislation represents a liberalization of federal land policy?

A)The Homestead Act of 1862
B)The Desert Land Act of 1877
C)The Timber and Stone Act of 1878
D)All of the above are correct.
E) Only a and c are correct.

Question 9

The terms of trade for the American farmer during the last part of the 19th century

A)were made worse by political unrest.
B)were caused by a decrease in the supply of agricultural products.
C)could be enhanced by mechanization.
D)worsened in part due to increased mechanization.
E)Both c and d are correct.

Question 10

Problems for farmers in the last half of the 19ᵗʰ century included

A)falling per capita incomes.
B)reduced domestic agricultural output.
C)rising prices for consumer goods.
D)increased world supply of agricultural products.
E) All of the above.

Question 11

According to Gary Libecap and Ronald Johnson,one positive outcome of the fraud that often allowed large companies to obtain land intended for homesteaders was

A)fines charged to fraudulent companies provided substantial revenues for the federal government.
B)resources were transferred to companies that could take advantage of economies of scale.
C)conflicts between farmers and railroads were reduced.
D)legislators friendly to economic development were elected because of backing from the fraudulent companies.

Question 12

Farmers who joined the Greenback Party in the late-19th century felt that

A)the government should make efforts to curb the inflation that the country was experiencing.
B)farm prices were too high in comparison to the overall price-level of the economy.
C)the government should own all transportation and communication facilities.
D)an increase in the money supply would benefit debtors.

Question 13

During the second half of the 19th century,export demand for U.S.agricultural products

A)declined.
B)increased.
C)remained static.
D)experienced chaotic periods on increase and decrease.

Question 14

Cyrus McCormick is best known for

A)manufacturing the mechanical reaper.
B)developing hybrid strains of corn.
C)introducing chemical fertilizers.
D)the invention of the single-horse plow.

Question 15

The federal goal of making land widely accessible,especially in the last half of the 19th century,

A)was largely realized without fraud or favoritism.
B)was implemented despite a process that favored special interests.
C)was often subverted by fraud.
D)None of the above is correct.
E)Only b and c are correct.

Question 16

From the early 1860s to the early 1900s,the amount of land acquired by sales (including from railroads and states)was _____ land obtained free through homesteading.

A)roughly half as much as
B)about the same as
C)twice as much as
D)triple the amount of

Question 17

Between 1870-1910,quantitative evidence shows very little,if any growth in bushels produced per acre for crops like corn and wheat.Which of the following statements correctly depicts the situation of farmers during this period?

A)Although output per acre was not growing,increased labor productivity allowed farmers to earn profits.
B)Farmers exited corn and wheat production due to lack of profits in these crops.
C)Because output per acre was not growing,farmers were forced to produce corn and wheat on farms of 60 acres or less.
D)Corn and wheat production became concentrated in the Great Lakes region,where small farms were common after the Civil War.

Question 18

Which of the following did not contribute to the farmer's worsening terms of trade during the period of 1875-1895?

A)A rapid increase in the supply of agricultural products.
B)Output increases as a result of technological change during the period.
C)A rise in demand for U.S.crops after the Civil War.
D)The income elasticity of demand for most agricultural crops was less than one.

Question 19

Which of the following statements correctly characterizes changes in farming and agriculture land during the period between 1870 and 1900?

A)The number of farms rose,but the number of acres under cultivation fell.
B)The number of farms fell,but the number of acres under cultivation rose.
C)The number of farms,as well as the number of acres under cultivation rose.
D)The number of farms,as well as the number of acres under cultivation fell.

Question 20

Quantitative evidence on federal land policy has led current economic historians to conclude that

A)the policy was inefficient and reduced total output.
B)the policy was largely inefficient,with evidence of increased output only found on large farms.
C)the Homestead Act allowed western farmers to enjoy rising agricultural prices for most of the post-bellum period.
D)average rates of return on western agricultural investments were comparable to those in manufacturing.

Question 21

Increases in the price of farm labor during the post-bellum period led to

A)an increase in farmers' demand for capital equipment.
B)a decrease in farmers' demand for land.
C)a decrease in the demand for food.
D)an increase in the demand for fertilizer.

Question 22

Established in 1862,the Department of Agriculture's functions during the 19th and early 20th century included all of the following except

A)research and experimentation on plant and animal breeding.
B)regulation of agricultural prices and output.
C)distribution of information through publications and experiment stations.
D)regulation of quality through inspection of meat and dairy products.

Question 23

According to the text,what best explains the price for federal land that would have maximized real GNP?

A)Some price above zero that maximizes government revenues to be redistributed fairly to the people.
B)Some price above zero that minimizes negative environmental externalities.
C)A price equal to zero that eliminates the welfare loss associated with land not used for production.
D)A subsidized price that distributes land based on egalitarian principles.

Question 24

What best describes what happens to the share of income spent on food as income increases?

A)The share increases.
B)The share decreases.
C)The share stays the same.

Question 25

The first farm organization of importance was

A)the Grangers.
B)the Greenback Party.
C)the Southern Alliance.
D)The Populists.

Question 26

The Morrill Act of 1862 established

A)local chapters of the organization that later became known as "Future Farm Leaders of America."
B)state-run agricultural experiment stations.
C)"land-grant" colleges that provided agricultural education and research.
D)funding for high-school vocational training.

Question 27

Which of the following presidents is remembered for his role in championing American conservation legislation?

A)Warren G.Harding
B)Abraham Lincoln
C)Ulysses S.Grant
D)Theodore Roosevelt

Question 28

Which of the following statements correctly characterizes the elasticity of demand for food?

A)While food demand is not very responsive to changes in price,increases in income produce big increases in the demand for food.
B)As income increases,the quantity demanded of food decreases.
C)If the price of food falls by 5 percent,quantity demanded will rise by less than 5 percent.
D)People consume the same amount of food regardless of the price of food.

Question 29

Major achievements of the Roosevelt administration in the field of conservation included all of the following except

A)protection of 150 acres of national forests.
B)retention of rights to 75 million acres of mineral wealth.
C)adoption of policies that would ultimately provide for construction of reservoirs and irrigation projects.
D)protection of over 100 species of animals and birds,including the bald eagle.

Question 30

The first major step toward natural resource reform was

A)the General Revision Act of 1891.
B)the Commons Preservation Act of 1896.
C)the Reclamation Act of 1902.
D)the Snowden-Higgs Act of 1904.