Chapter 19 Learning Curve
What was the ultimate basis for the cohesion of urban political machines? A. Municipal corruption B. The ethnicity of its constituents C. Party loyalty D. Support of the business community
C
How did adoption of steam power change manufacturing in the middle and late nineteenth century? A. By moving it to rural areas B. By calling for more skilled laborers C. By vastly expanding scale D. By raising costs
C.
How did the citizens of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, try to bring innovative reforms to their city around the turn of the nineteenth century? A. By banning political machines B. By hiring a city manager C. By electing Socialists to city government D. By instituting a progressive tax code
C.
How did the early-twentieth-century campaign against prostitution affect prostitutes in many Americans cities at the time? A. New laws made it easier for prostitutes to find more respectable work. B. New obstacles to interstate transport limited most prostitutes' mobility. C. By closing brothels, new laws worsened many prostitutes' lives. D. It dramatically reduced the number of men seeking prostitutes' services in cities.
C.
To what does the term "private city" refer in historians' discussions of urban life in the United States in the late nineteenth century? A. Red light districts that were common in most urban areas B. Factory towns established by industrialists during this time C. Urban areas shaped by individuals and profit-seeking businesses D. The family and domestic lives of the residents of American cities
C.
What did the New York Tammany ward boss George Washington Plunkitt mean by "honest graft"? A. Bribing politicians for good purposes B. Accepting bribes but later confessing about them C. Profiting from insider status D. Paying taxes on bribe money received
C.
What distinguished the new "vertical aesthetic" of the Chicago school in the late nineteenth century? A. Designs that reminded viewers of soaring Gothic cathedrals B. Flat roofs that created a more imposing appearance C. Designs that expressed rather than masked structure and function D. Numerous and highly decorative window frames
C.
Which subculture emerged in American cities in the late nineteenth century and offered a dramatic challenge to Victorian ideals? A. The vegan community B. The tattoo community C. The gay community D. The jazz community
C.
Why did music publishing agents spend so much time in urban beer gardens and dance halls in the United States after the 1890s? A. To promote their records with free drinks on the house B. To look for talented musicians in the crowds C. To have their musicians test their songs on the audiences there D. To sell records outside these establishments
C.
Why was Margaret Sanger indicted for publishing her newspaper column "What Every Girl Should Know" in the 1910s? A. It suggested that New York's homosexual community was not immoral. B. The column discussed white slavery and prostitution openly. C. Her frank discussion of birth control violated obscenity laws. D. Sanger argued that native-born women should consider marrying immigrant men.
C.
How did reform-minded businessman Tom Johnson recapture the political support of Cleveland's working class in the early twentieth century? A. He advocated public ownership of city utilities. B. He advocated tax cuts for the people of the city. C. He joined the city's largest political machine. D. He joined the city's Central Labor Union.
A.
How did the development of outlying suburbs in the middle and late nineteenth century change the social structure of cities? A. By separating well-off suburbanites from working-class urbanites B. By forcing the poor to live in far-flung suburbs and rely on commuting to get to work C. By making suburbs predominantly female and cities largely male D. By segregating African Americans into outlying suburbs
A.
What did Florence Kelley hope to achieve through her leadership of the National Consumers' League (NCL)? A. Worker protection B. Safer, healthier food C. Lower prices for consumers D. Urban government reform
A.
What was America's best-known amusement park around 1900? A. Coney Island B. Willow Grove Park C. Tin Pan Alley D. The World's Fair
A.
What was significant about the formation of the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) in the early twentieth century? A. Bridging of class lines B. Joining of white and African American women C. Efforts to give immigrant women civics education D. The focus on woman's suffrage issues
A.
Which institution of progressivism offered a laboratory to experiment with solving social problems? A. The settlement movement B. Political machines C. Muckraking journalism D. Public schools
A.
Which of the following helped found symphony orchestras and opera companies in late-nineteenth-century American cities? A. Elites B. The middle class C. Immigrant mutual aid societies D. City governments
A.
Why did New York State undertake serious workplace safety reforms after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911? A. In response to public outrage B. Because of pressure from Congress C. Because of the collapse of Tammany Hall D. Labor union pressure
A.
Why did audiences enjoy the vaudeville, an urban entertainment that emerged in the 1880s and 1890s? A. The variety of entertainment types B. As a vehicle for assimilation into American culture C. Performances by well-known figures from immigrants' home countries D. For drawing on traditional European cultural forms
A.
Why did journalist Upton Sinclair write his 1904 novel The Jungle? A. To expose labor exploitation in Chicago's meatpacking plants B. To draw attention to the risks of eating meat C. To force the federal government to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act D. To uncover corruption in Chicago's City Hall
A.
Why did most black men and women who migrated to the large cities of the North between 1880 and 1917 end up working in the service sector? A. They were routinely rejected from other jobs. B. Black migrants had particular talents in service industries. C. They lacked the education for office jobs. D. They lacked the skills for factory work.
A.
Why was the reform effort aimed at wiping out urban prostitution in the early twentieth century shortsighted? A. It ignored the multiple factors that led women to prostitution. B. It focused on punishing clients rather than helping the prostitutes. C. It could not close brothels because they were supported by corrupt city officials. D. It did nothing to address male prostitution.
A.
A week after the Triangle fire, the Rabbi Stephen S. Wise made this statement at a memorial service for the victims: "This was not an inevitable disaster which man could neither foresee nor control. We might have foreseen it, and some of us did; we might have controlled it, but we chose not to do so. . . . It is not a question of enforcement of law nor of inadequacy of law. We have the wrong kind of laws and the wrong kind of enforcement. Before insisting upon inspection and enforcement, let us lift up the industrial standards so as to make conditions worth inspecting, and, if inspected, certain to afford security to workers." What did New York State do in response to the public outrage expressed here over the Triangle fire tragedy? A. Eliminated sweatshops B. Appointed a factory commission that developed labor reform C. Developed new labor codes, but was unable to gain passage because Tammany Hall blocked passage D. Nothing
B.
After running their Chicago settlement house for a few years, what did Jane Addams and her colleagues believe the working-class people they served needed? A. A stronger sense of "civic enterprise and moral conviction" B. The resources and political voice to improve their lives C. Information about how to live in a safer, healthier, more responsible way D. Art classes and other cultural programs to expand their minds
B.
By 1900, city reformers worked on altering urban landscapes as part of a movement given what name? A. "Modern Cities" B. "City Beautiful" C. "Denser Cities" D. "Utilitarian Cities"
B.
Congress passed the Mann Act in 1910 to achieve what purpose? A. Institute a federal income tax system B. Prohibit the transportation of prostitutes across state lines C. Criminalize landlords' failure to maintain their properties D. Make the production and sale of alcoholic beverages illegal
B.
How did Henry Huntington expand the suburban ideal in southern California in the early twentieth century? A. He was an urban planner who inspired the "City Beautiful" movement. B. He used his family's fortune to buy up real estate and subdivide it into lots. C. He drew on his strong political ties to Los Angeles city government. D. He engineered a new form of mass production in housing.
B.
How did the city of Chicago address its sewage problem around the turn of the century? A. It launched a massive public information campaign. B. It reversed the course of the Chicago River. C. It built enormous water treatment facilities. D. It stopped the release of sewage into Lake Michigan.
B.
In what way was the power of city governments limited? A. They were small. B. They were subject to state law. C. Union rules for city workers constrained them. D. They faced strict federal regulations.
B.
The dominance of private development in U.S. cities and the preference for business solutions to city needs are expressed in what concept? A. The "public city" B. The "private city" C. The "machine city" D. The "planned city"
B.
The social geography of the suburbs in the late nineteenth century was in large part determined by which of the following factors? A. Ethnic makeup B. Class structures C. Natural boundaries D. Urban planning
B.
To which political party did the American reform mayors of the early twentieth century belong? A. The Republican Party B. No particular party C. The Democratic Party D. The People's Party
B.
What impact did city politics have on immigrant communities in the United States in the late nineteenth century? A. Isolated them from mainstream culture B. Integrated them into urban society C. Rendered them powerless D. Shunted them to the suburbs
B.
What prompted urban reform movements in the 1890s? A. Disgust with machine corruption B. Widespread suffering from the depression of that decade C. Better civic education given to immigrants D. City governments bankrupted by corruption
B.
What was the key to the successful building of skyscrapers in American cities in the late nineteenth century? A. New designs that transferred all loads to the outside walls B. An interior skeleton made of manufactured steel beams C. Machinery that could dig very deep foundations D. Redwood timber, which was stronger than traditional pine
B.
What was the relationship of Italian immigrants' mutual aid societies and Chinese Americans' tongs? A. They were the precursors of home language newspapers. B. They were essentially the same. C. They were used to compete for jobs. D.Both developed into ethnic banks.
B.
Which of the following statements assesses the impact of New York's Tenement House Law of 1901 on the 44,000 tenements that existed at the time? A. It spurred gentrification and pushed the poor out of the city. B. It failed to change older structures because reform was not profitable. C. The law succeeded because of the cooperation of private interests. D. The law never passed due to opposition from tenement landlords.
B.
Which statement assesses the consequences of the Triangle fire in New York City in 1911? A. The fire prompted dramatic reforms in the organization of fire departments. B. The fire showed that only stronger laws could alleviate sweatshop conditions. C. The fire further deepened corruption at Tammany Hall. D. The workplace disaster led to the creation of a federal factory commission.
B.
Which statement assesses the early-twentieth-century crusade against prostitution in the United States? A. It succeeded at rooting out the vice until it emerged again during the Great Depression. B. The crusade pushed prostitution out of brothels and into the street. C. The antiprostitution campaign was undermined by the silence of the federal government on the issue. D. While the crusade did not eliminate prostitution, it improved the living conditions of women in the trade.
B.
What accounted for the popularity of ragtime music in the United States in the 1890s? A. Its use of electric guitar B. Its big band ensembles C. Its large chorus arrangements D. Its decisive break with Victorian music
D.
What allowed engineers and planners in the second half of the nineteenth century to develop a new urban geography in the United States? A. The upsurge in immigration B. Europe's decline C. A gradual change in climate D. New technologies
D.
What was the purpose of the phenomenon that took shape in the United States in the late nineteenth century and came to be known as progressivism? A. To create new forms of art, music, dance, and American literature B. To destroy the political influence of radicals and working-class movements C. The amelioration of conditions on the ships that brought immigrants to the United States D. To combat the problems caused by industrialization and urbanization in the United States
D.
Which statement describes living conditions in New York City's Eleventh Ward at the turn of the nineteenth century? A. Despite its density, this neighborhood was still less crowded than any European city. B. The tenement buildings offered protection against disease. C. The dense neighborhoods offered neighborly safety and low crime rates. D. Crowding was a serious problem in tenements.
D.
Why did big cities in the United States become sites of manufacturing as well as finance and trade after the Civil War? A. There were now enough immigrants in urban areas to work in factories. B. The high skills demanded in new manufacturing could only be found in cities. C. City governments had begun to welcome factories for their property taxes. D. Steam engines allowed factory operators to move away from water-driven power.
D.
Why were audiences at the Metropolitan Opera in New York shocked by an opera presented there in 1907? A. The orchestra played Richard Strauss, whose compositions were unconventional. B. The orchestra played Richard Wagner, who was notorious and disliked for his anti-Semitism. C. The Met had hired an African American chief conductor. D. The Metropolitan performed the sexually scandalous opera Salome.
D.
Why were skyscrapers an impetus to urban development? A. They gave a city a unique skyline that helped identify it. B. They became home to huge factories that employed growing numbers of city residents. C. They were cheap to build because of the falling cost of steel. D. They made it possible to crowd more work and living space into a given area.
D.
Why were women more vulnerable than men in the new system of dating that emerged in American cities around the turn of the nineteenth century? A. They were emotional and less suited for casual relationships. B. They were more likely to suffer violent abuse. C. They were judged by their appearance more than men. D. They earned less than men, making them vulnerable to gifts in exchange for sex.
D.
Working separately in the 1880s and 1890s, researcher Helen Campbell and photographer Jacob Riis both sought to call attention to what problem? A. Unsanitary practices in meatpacking plants B. Contaminated food and drug products C. Child prostitution in New York City D. Miserable conditions in urban tenement housing
D.
