Question 1

Which of the following statements accurately characterizes pre-1820 wages?

Accepted Answer

A)  Skilled workers in England received higher wages than U.S. skilled workers. 
B)  The wage premiums paid to skilled workers in the U.S. were typically greater than those paid in England. 
C)  Early immigration of primarily skilled workers tended to reduce the wages of skilled labor in the U.S.. 
D)  The pull on unskilled labor to enter agricultural pursuits led to lower wages for unskilled workers in the manufacturing sector. 
A)  Skilled workers in England received higher wages than U.S. skilled workers. 
B)  The wage premiums paid to skilled workers in the U.S. were typically greater than those paid in England. 
C)  Early immigration of primarily skilled workers tended to reduce the wages of skilled labor in the U.S.. 
D)  The pull on unskilled labor to enter agricultural pursuits led to lower wages for unskilled workers in the manufacturing sector.

Question 2

Which of the following statements best describes the union movement between 1800-1860?

Accepted Answer

A)  Unions were composed primarily of craftsmen. 
B)  Unions were concentrated primarily in rural towns and villages. 
C)  Union membership grew consistently through the period and comprised a substantial portion of the working population. 
D)  Women were more likely to belong to unions than men. 
A)  Unions were composed primarily of craftsmen. 
B)  Unions were concentrated primarily in rural towns and villages. 
C)  Union membership grew consistently through the period and comprised a substantial portion of the working population. 
D)  Women were more likely to belong to unions than men.

Question 3

The Rhode Island System

Accepted Answer

A)  employed whole families to work in textile mills. 
B)  employed young women in their late teens and early twenties. 
C)  banned the use of child workers in factories. 
D)  relied on a workforce mainly consisting of former slaves. 
A)  employed whole families to work in textile mills. 
B)  employed young women in their late teens and early twenties. 
C)  banned the use of child workers in factories. 
D)  relied on a workforce mainly consisting of former slaves.

Question 4

According to studies by Goldin and Sokoloff (1982) and Craig and Field-Hendry (1993), the female-to-male wage ratio in the early 1800s

Accepted Answer

A)  was higher in the North than in the South. 
B)  is comparable to the ratio in 1860. 
C)  encouraged the adoption and success of the Waltham system. 
D)  was greater than one. 
A)  was higher in the North than in the South. 
B)  is comparable to the ratio in 1860. 
C)  encouraged the adoption and success of the Waltham system. 
D)  was greater than one.

Question 5

In the early antebellum period, New England women's wages were about 1\3 of men's wages. By 1860, New England women's wages were

Accepted Answer

A)  about ¼ of men's wages. 
B)  about ½ of men's wages. 
C)  more than men's wages. 
D)  about equal to men's wages. 
A)  about ¼ of men's wages. 
B)  about ½ of men's wages. 
C)  more than men's wages. 
D)  about equal to men's wages.

Question 6

Improvements in transportation during the first half of the 19th century

Accepted Answer

A)  enhanced labor mobility and made both product and labor markets more competitive. 
B)  helped local political entities create monopolies, making both product and labor markets less competitive. 
C)  were only profitably implemented in the Northern states, causing product shortages in the Southern states. 
D)  None of the above are correct. 
A)  enhanced labor mobility and made both product and labor markets more competitive. 
B)  helped local political entities create monopolies, making both product and labor markets less competitive. 
C)  were only profitably implemented in the Northern states, causing product shortages in the Southern states. 
D)  None of the above are correct.

Question 7

Data on Northeastern manufacturing firms show that firm size (number of workers per firm) increased for _________________  between 1820 and 1860.

Accepted Answer

A)  mechanized industries 
B)  nonmechanized industries 
C)  mechanized and nonmechanized industries 
D)  only the textile industry 
A)  mechanized industries 
B)  nonmechanized industries 
C)  mechanized and nonmechanized industries 
D)  only the textile industry

Question 8

Which statement best describes the growth rate of adult male real wages between 1820-1860 in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

A)  The growth rate was about the same as it was in pre-Revolutionary U.S. 
B)  The growth rate was negative. 
C)  The growth rate was more than 5 percent per year. 
D)  The growth rate was 1.2-1.6 percent per year. 
A)  The growth rate was about the same as it was in pre-Revolutionary U.S. 
B)  The growth rate was negative. 
C)  The growth rate was more than 5 percent per year. 
D)  The growth rate was 1.2-1.6 percent per year.

Question 9

The population of the United States grew _____ during the first half of the 19th century.

Accepted Answer

A)  slowly 
B)  erratically 
C)  about 3 percent per year 
D)  about 6 percent per year 
A)  slowly 
B)  erratically 
C)  about 3 percent per year 
D)  about 6 percent per year

Question 10

According to Williamson and Lindert, during the antebellum period increasing wealth concentration occurred in the U.S.

Accepted Answer

A)  within regions. 
B)  within age groups. 
C)  among the native born. 
D)  among the foreign born. 
E)  All of the above. 
A)  within regions. 
B)  within age groups. 
C)  among the native born. 
D)  among the foreign born. 
E)  All of the above.

Question 11

In the 1850s, the growth rate of real wages in U.S. manufacturing slowed to nearly zero because

Accepted Answer

A)  the demand for manufacturing labor and the supply of manufacturing labor increased by approximately the same amount during this period. 
B)  the demand for manufacturing labor and the supply of manufacturing labor decreased by approximately the same amount during this period. 
C)  the demand for manufacturing labor increased more rapidly than the supply of manufacturing labor during this period. 
D)  the demand for manufacturing labor increased while the supply of manufacturing labor decreased during this period. 
A)  the demand for manufacturing labor and the supply of manufacturing labor increased by approximately the same amount during this period. 
B)  the demand for manufacturing labor and the supply of manufacturing labor decreased by approximately the same amount during this period. 
C)  the demand for manufacturing labor increased more rapidly than the supply of manufacturing labor during this period. 
D)  the demand for manufacturing labor increased while the supply of manufacturing labor decreased during this period.

Question 12

Generally speaking, by 1860 which of the following groups could not vote in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

A)  white male citizens 
B)  black males in New York and New England 
C)  alien males in the agricultural Northwest 
D)  white women in the North 
A)  white male citizens 
B)  black males in New York and New England 
C)  alien males in the agricultural Northwest 
D)  white women in the North

Question 13

If the U.S. Gini coefficient measure of income inequality changed from 0.4 in 1970 to 0.6 in 1990, what would be most accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)  Income inequality increased in the U.S. 
B)  Per capita income increased in the U.S. 
C)  Both income inequality and per capita income increased. 
D)  Income inequality decreased. 
E)  The growth rate of income increased. 
A)  Income inequality increased in the U.S. 
B)  Per capita income increased in the U.S. 
C)  Both income inequality and per capita income increased. 
D)  Income inequality decreased. 
E)  The growth rate of income increased.

Question 14

From which country came the fewest immigrants during the large wave of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. in the 1840s and 1850s?

Accepted Answer

A)  England . 
B)  Germany . 
C)  Ireland . 
D)  Spain . 
A)  England . 
B)  Germany . 
C)  Ireland . 
D)  Spain .

Question 15

The Waltham System

Accepted Answer

A)  employed whole families to work in textile mills. 
B)  employed young women in their late teens and early twenties. 
C)  employed young children, who often worked 10-12 hours per day. 
D)  was considered a disreputable form of employment for women. 
A)  employed whole families to work in textile mills. 
B)  employed young women in their late teens and early twenties. 
C)  employed young children, who often worked 10-12 hours per day. 
D)  was considered a disreputable form of employment for women.

Question 16

As a result of the relatively low female-to-male wage ratio in early-1800s New England,

Accepted Answer

A)  the supply of women willing to work in factories increased. 
B)  the supply of women willing to work in farming declined. 
C)  the wages of female farm labor rose. 
D)  the North industrialized more quickly than the South. 
E)  All of the above 
A)  the supply of women willing to work in factories increased. 
B)  the supply of women willing to work in farming declined. 
C)  the wages of female farm labor rose. 
D)  the North industrialized more quickly than the South. 
E)  All of the above

Exam 11: Labor During the Early Industrial Period

Which of the following statements accurately characterizes pre-1820 wages?

Which of the following statements best describes the union movement between 1800-1860?

The Rhode Island System

According to studies by Goldin and Sokoloff (1982) and Craig and Field-Hendry (1993), the female-to-male wage ratio in the early 1800s

In the early antebellum period, New England women's wages were about 1\3 of men's wages. By 1860, New England women's wages were

Improvements in transportation during the first half of the 19th century

Data on Northeastern manufacturing firms show that firm size (number of workers per firm) increased for _________________ between 1820 and 1860.

Which statement best describes the growth rate of adult male real wages between 1820-1860 in the U.S.?

The population of the United States grew _____ during the first half of the 19th century.

According to Williamson and Lindert, during the antebellum period increasing wealth concentration occurred in the U.S.

In the 1850s, the growth rate of real wages in U.S. manufacturing slowed to nearly zero because

Generally speaking, by 1860 which of the following groups could not vote in the U.S.?

If the U.S. Gini coefficient measure of income inequality changed from 0.4 in 1970 to 0.6 in 1990, what would be most accurate?

From which country came the fewest immigrants during the large wave of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. in the 1840s and 1850s?

The Waltham System

As a result of the relatively low female-to-male wage ratio in early-1800s New England,

Growth, Welfare, and the American Economy

Founding the Colonies

Colonial Economic Activities

The Economic Relations of the Colonies

Economic Progress and Wealth

Three Crises and Revolt

Hard Realities for a New Nation

Land and the Early Westward Movements

Transportation and Market Growth

Market Expansion and Industry in First Transition

Money and Banking in the Developing Economy

The Entrenchment of Slavery and Regional Conflict

War, Recovery, and Regional Divergence

Agricultures Western Advance

Railroads and Economic Change

Industrial Expansion and Concentration

The Emergence of Americas Labor Consciousness

Money, Prices, and Finance in the Postbellum Era

Commerce at Home and Abroad

World War I, 1914-1918

The Roaring Twenties

The Great Depression

The New Deal

World War Ii

The Changing Role of the Federal Government

The Changing Role of the Federal Government: Consumer Safety, Agriculture, the Environment, and Housing

Monetary Policy, Fiscal Policy, and the Business Cycle After World War Ii

Manufacturing, Productivity, and Labor

Achievements of the Past, Challenges for the Future

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