Which of the following statements correctly characterizes farm incomes in the second half of the ...

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 2

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 3

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 4

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 5

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.

Question 6

Recent research by Olmstead and Rhode (2002) emphasizes the importance of _________________in explaining increased agricultural productivity in the late 19th and early 20th 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 7

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.

Question 8

By 1900, the leading cotton producing state was
 a. Georgia.
  b. Louisiana.
  c. Texas.
  d. Mississippi.

Question 9

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 10

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 11

According to Gary Libecap and Ronald Johnson, which of the following was a positive outcome of fraudulently obtaining land by larger firms?
 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.

Question 12

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 13

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 14

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.