AP US History · Topic 6.6
The Rise of Industrial Capitalism Practice
Part of Period 6: 1865–1898.
Practice questions
14
Sample questions
5 of 14 — sign in to practice the rest with adaptive difficulty and mastery tracking.
Sample 1difficulty 2/5
"This, then, is held to be the duty of the man of Wealth: First, to set an example of modest, unostentatious living, shunning display or extravagance... and after doing so to consider all surplus revenues which come to him simply as trust funds, which he is called upon to administer... to produce the most beneficial results for the community." — Andrew Carnegie, "The Gospel of Wealth," 1889
Carnegie's argument in this excerpt is best characterized as a defense of which Gilded Age phenomenon?
- A
Government redistribution through progressive taxation
- B
Labor union ownership of industrial enterprises
- Ccheck_circle
Concentrated private wealth balanced by voluntary philanthropy
- D
Direct democratic control of corporate boards
Why
Carnegie defends inequality by tying it to the philanthropic obligation of the rich. He explicitly opposed government taxation as redistribution; his alternative was voluntary giving administered by the wealthy themselves.
- A
Sample 2difficulty 2/5
"This, then, is held to be the duty of the man of wealth: to set an example of modest, unostentatious living... and, after doing so, to consider all surplus revenues which come to him simply as trust funds, which he is called upon to administer... in the manner which, in his judgment, is best calculated to produce the most beneficial results for the community." — Andrew Carnegie, "Wealth," 1889
Carnegie's argument best reflects which broader Gilded Age idea?
- A
That immigration restriction would protect American living standards
- B
That labor unions should manage the philanthropy of corporate magnates
- C
That the federal government should redistribute industrial profits to workers
- Dcheck_circle
That the wealthy had a moral obligation to use their fortunes for public benefit
Why
Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth" framed great fortunes as a public trust, urging the rich to fund libraries, universities, and civic projects rather than pass wealth to heirs.
- A
Sample 3difficulty 3/5
The "Robber Barons" / "Captains of Industry" included
- A
Theodore Roosevelt (politics), Woodrow Wilson (academia), William Taft (judiciary)
- B
Frederick Douglass (abolition), Harriet Tubman (Underground Railroad), Sojourner Truth (rights)
- Ccheck_circle
Andrew Carnegie (steel), John D. Rockefeller (oil), J.P. Morgan (finance), Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroads)
- D
Abraham Lincoln (politics), Ulysses S. Grant (military), William Seward (diplomacy)
Why
They built massive industrial monopolies; views of them ranged from praise to harsh criticism.
- A
Sample 4difficulty 3/5
By 1900, the United States had become
- A
A closed economy restricting immigration and foreign trade entirely
- B
A mostly agrarian society dependent on European manufactured goods
- Ccheck_circle
The world's leading industrial economy, surpassing Britain
- D
An economically stagnant nation lagging behind major European powers
Why
Steel, oil, railroads, and electricity transformed the economy and society.
- A
Sample 5difficulty 3/5
Which long-term trend best explains the shift visible in this 1900 workforce composition compared with 1870?
- A
Mechanization eliminated all manufacturing jobs.
- B
The Homestead Act caused a sharp rise in the agricultural share.
- C
Civil War destruction permanently reduced southern agriculture below 10%.
- Dcheck_circle
Industrialization and urbanization drew workers from farms into factories and service jobs.
Why
By 1900 industry and services together exceeded agriculture for the first time, reflecting the Gilded Age shift driven by railroads, steel, and urban manufacturing centers like Chicago and Pittsburgh.
- A