U.S. History: Reconstruction to the Early 21st Century — Midterm exam

Parent / teacher answer key

Course-authored written history assessment with a worked key. Use two 50-minute blocks for the midterm, three for the final, or one 60-minute block for the sample. Allow additional time for accessibility and marking. The sample is an optional rehearsal, not an additional required exam.

16 questions · 48 points · suggested 100 minutes

Student instructions

Tasks are course-authored teaching cases. Unnamed letters, advertisements, accounts, and practice figures are illustrative scenarios, not claimed original records or historical quotations. Distinguish them from the separately cited original excerpts in chapter workshops.
Use the supplied evidence and reference notes; a dictionary and timeline are permitted.
Write a short reasoned response for each task; equivalent supported explanations are accepted.
Distinguish facts, source assertions, and interpretations.
Keep worked keys closed until after your attempt.

Historical inquiry reference notes

Task	Method
Context	Identify period, place, institutions, and relevant earlier developments.
Source	Identify creator, date, audience, purpose, and scope.
Causation	Explain a mechanism and chronology; distinguish trigger from conditions.
Interpretation	Use evidence, counterevidence, and a qualified conclusion.

Coverage and marks

Chapter	Questions	Points
Reconstruction, Land & Historical Inquiry	1, 2, 3, 4	12
Industry, Migration & Urban Life	5, 6, 7, 8	12
Reform, Empire & Democratic Participation	9, 10, 11, 12	12
World War I, the 1920s & Depression	13, 14, 15, 16	12

Name: ____________________ Date: ____________________

Question 1 · 3 points

A 1910 photograph shows a crowded street, but its caption was added in 1980. What can you establish, and what should you verify?

Question 2 · 3 points

A sharecropping family receives $240 after harvest and owes $275 for supplies. Calculate its remaining balance and explain one limit of this model.

Question 3 · 3 points

A rail company describes a route as unused land; a community map marks seasonal gathering sites there. What additional question should an investigator ask?

Question 4 · 3 points

A family letter mentions relatives offering a room and work contacts in Chicago. Explain how a migration network can lower the risks of moving.

Question 5 · 3 points

An oil refiner purchases competing refineries and its own delivery fleet. Identify the two strategies and one question about competition.

Question 6 · 3 points

A historian has one immigrant business owner’s memoir. Explain what it can contribute and why it cannot prove that all immigrants prospered.

Question 7 · 3 points

A factory reports fewer injuries after inspections, but its workforce also shrank. What comparison would improve the analysis?

Question 8 · 3 points

A city adds a school building but charges a fee some families cannot afford. Explain the difference between capacity and access.

Question 9 · 3 points

A civil-service rule uses examinations instead of personal connections. Identify its intended benefit and one possible limit.

Question 10 · 3 points

A map colors several places as “U.S. influence.” What must its key clarify?

Question 11 · 3 points

An editorial promises freedom, while an agreement reserves outside control of foreign affairs. What historical question follows?

Question 12 · 3 points

A 1915 telephone advertisement shows a comfortable urban household. What conclusion about rural access is unsupported?

Question 13 · 3 points

A student says an armistice in 1918 means the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1918. Correct the chronology.

Question 14 · 3 points

A national output chart rises while farmers’ letters report hardship. Must one source be false?

Question 15 · 3 points

Unemployment falls after a relief program begins, but national demand also rises. What conclusion is too strong?

Question 16 · 3 points

A 1935 program excludes an occupation held disproportionately by one group. Explain how a rule without a racial label can still have unequal effects.

Revisit the covered chapters

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