Deck 15: Agricultures Western Advance

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

resources were transferred to companies that could take advantage of economies of scale.

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

All of the above are correct.

Question 3

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, farmers in the Great Lakes region

A) specialized in grain production.
B) specialized in production of fresh fruits and vegetables.
C) switched their emphasis from grain production to dairy farming.
D) earned high profits by raising cattle for beef production.

Answer 3

switched their emphasis from grain production to dairy farming.

Question 4

The abrupt end of long distance cattle drives in 1885 was primarily due to

A) the development of railroad cars that could haul cattle.
B) organized efforts by northern cattlemen to reduce overstocking of cattle on the northern ranges.
C) the advent of barbed wire fences.
D) a reduced demand for beef in both domestic and export markets.

Question 5

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 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 1860 and 1920, the number of mouths fed per farmer

A) decreased by about 10 percent.
B) initially decreased, but then returned to its former level and remained there.
C) increased by about 50 percent.
D) nearly doubled.

Question 8

By 1900, the leading cotton producing state was

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

Question 9

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 10

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 11

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 12

In the early 1900s, the Homestead Act

A) was modified to allow settlers to obtain larger, more practical-sized farms.
B) was repealed by Congress.
C) was amended to reduce the size of a homestead from 160 acres to 80 acres.
D) was amended to increase the residency requirement to 10 years.

Question 13

Under the Dawes Act of 1887,

A) nearly 100 million 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.

Question 14

Recent research by Olmstead and Rhode (2002) emphasizes the importance of _________________in explaining increased agricultural productivity in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

A) "learning by doing"
B) the movement from family farms to corporate farms
C) better access to banks and financial capital
D) biological and chemical innovations

Question 15

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 16

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 17

Between 1875 and 1895,

A) wholesale farm prices fell and consumer prices rose.
B) wholesale farm prices rose slightly, but consumer prices rose more rapidly.
C) wholesale farm prices and consumer prices fell, but wholesale farm prices fell more rapidly.
D) wholesale farm prices fell while consumer prices remained generally unchanged.

Question 18

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.

Question 19

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 20

The Homestead Act was passed in 1862. However, only about 20 percent of newly-added farm land between 1870 and 1900 belonged to homesteads because

A) Americans were more interested in moving to cities than to homesteads.
B) the available land was best suited for grazing livestock, but 160-acre plots were too small to do so profitably.
C) a treaty between the U.S. government and Native Americans prevented homesteaders from acquiring most of the land.
D) homestead filing fees were gradually increased during this time period.

Question 21

The first farm organization of importance was

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

Question 22

Members of the Populist Party supported

A) government ownership of banks.
B) government ownership of railroads.
C) government-imposed anti-monopoly policies.
D) government policies designed to encourage inflation.
E) All of the above.

Question 23

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 24

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 25

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 26

Worsening terms of trade can be offset by

A) increased productivity.
B) increased competition.
C) reductions in domestic tariffs.
D) increased property taxes.

Question 27

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 28

Problems for farmers in the last half of the 19^th 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 29

Quantitative analysis of relevant data show that economic problems for farmers in the last half of the 19^th century included

A) falling prices for wholesale farm products.
B) rising real interest rates.
C) rising prices for consumer goods.
D) rising prices for farm equipment.
E) All of the above.

Question 30

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 31

In the late-19^th century, farmers blamed their problems on a number of factors. Which of these complaints is supported (somewhat) by quantitative evidence gathered by economic historians?

A) Eastern bankers conspired to inflate interest rates on western farm mortgages.
B) Manufacturers charged unreasonably high prices for farm equipment.
C) Consumer goods prices were rising too rapidly.
D) Certain sections of railroad were monopolized, resulting in unreasonably high freight rates.

Question 32

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 33

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 34

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 35

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.

Question 36

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 37

The Grangers are noted for

A) encouraging the federal government to re-issue "greenbacks."
B) establishing cooperatives that sold farm and consumer goods to their members.
C) refusing to sell grain to foreign countries.
D) forming a cartel that set upper limits on members' output of basic farm products.
E) All of the above.

Question 38

According to research by Richard Sylla 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.

Question 39

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 40

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 41

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 42

Economic Analysis 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 43

The creation of National Forests under Theodore Roosevelt

A) had no concrete practical impact.
B) laid the foundation for Franklin D. Roosevelt to pursue conservation measures.
C) placed 75 million acres of marketable timber under government stewardship.
D) was the heart of early environmental preservationism.