US History MCQs

US Industrial Revolution Labor Conditions MCQs with Answer

What was a common term used to describe long work hours during the Industrial Revolution?
A) Easy shifts
B) Short schedules
C) Long hauls
D) Long hours
Answer: D

Which industry was notorious for employing child labor during the Industrial Revolution?
A) Banking
B) Agriculture
C) Textiles
D) Entertainment
Answer: C

What were “sweatshops” during the Industrial Revolution?
A) Upscale factories
B) Comfortable workspaces
C) Factories with excessive heat
D) Unsanitary and cramped workspaces
Answer: D

The term “piecework” refers to a labor system where workers were paid based on:
A) Their appearance
B) Their level of education
C) The number of items they produced
D) Their length of service
Answer: C

What were “company towns” during the Industrial Revolution?
A) Residential areas for wealthy factory owners
B) Towns where only one company operated and controlled most aspects of life
C) Towns built around natural resources
D) Towns with an abundance of recreational facilities
Answer: B

“Laissez-faire” economic policies during the Industrial Revolution often led to:
A) Strict government regulations
B) High worker wages
C) Unregulated and exploitative labor practices
D) Increased worker rights
Answer: C

The “Factory Act of 1833” in the UK aimed to improve working conditions for:
A) Children
B) Factory owners
C) Skilled workers
D) Government officials
Answer: A

The term “unionization” refers to the process of workers forming:
A) Social clubs
B) Political parties
C) Labor unions
D) Exclusive partnerships with employers
Answer: C

The “Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire” of 1911 highlighted issues related to:
A) Pollution in the workplace
B) Lack of proper ventilation
C) Workplace safety and fire hazards
D) Employee dress code
Answer: C

What did workers often face in the form of fines for various infractions in factories?
A) Discounts on goods
B) Bonuses
C) Deductions from their already low wages
D) Vacation days
Answer: C

“Blacklisting” during the Industrial Revolution referred to:
A) Providing workers with benefits
B) Hiring skilled workers
C) A list of workers who were considered troublemakers and were denied employment
D) Promoting diversity in the workplace
Answer: C

The term “scab” was used to refer to:
A) A type of factory machinery
B) Replacement workers hired during a strike
C) A type of safety equipment
D) A type of work-related injury
Answer: B

“Collective bargaining” during the Industrial Revolution involved negotiations between:
A) Employers and consumers
B) Employers and labor unions on behalf of workers
C) Skilled and unskilled workers
D) Governments and factory owners
Answer: B

The “Homestead Strike” of 1892 was primarily a response to:
A) Hazardous working conditions
B) Wage cuts and increased work hours
C) Immigration policies
D) Discrimination against foreign-born workers
Answer: B

The “Great Railroad Strike” of 1877 was sparked by:
A) Child labor regulations
B) Unsafe working conditions
C) Wage cuts and layoffs
D) Racial segregation
Answer: C

What term describes the process of bringing together different tasks previously done by various skilled workers?
A) Specialization
B) Centralization
C) Modernization
D) Deskilling
Answer: D

The term “yellow dog contract” referred to agreements where workers:
A) Were required to wear yellow uniforms
B) Agreed not to join labor unions
C) Were given yellow ribbons as a sign of distinction
D) Had to work with hazardous yellow chemicals
Answer: B

The “Adamson Act” of 1916 established the eight-hour workday for which group of workers?
A) Miners
B) Railroad workers
C) Textile workers
D) Child laborers
Answer: B

“Collective action” during the Industrial Revolution often referred to:
A) Individual workers’ actions
B) Workers coming together to demand better conditions and wages
C) Employers’ actions
D) Government interventions
Answer: B

The “Muller v. Oregon” Supreme Court case (1908) upheld:
A) Child labor practices
B) The eight-hour workday
C) Workplace safety regulations for women
D) Racial segregation in the workplace
Answer: C

The “Pinkerton Detective Agency” was often hired by employers to:
A) Organize labor strikes
B) Advocate for workers’ rights
C) Suppress labor strikes and protests
D) Lobby for government regulations
Answer: C

The term “poorhouse” referred to institutions that provided assistance to:
A) Wealthy factory owners
B) Skilled workers
C) Unemployed and impoverished individuals
D) Factory machinery
Answer: C

The “social gospel” movement during the Industrial Revolution aimed to:
A) Promote leisure activities for workers
B) Spread religious teachings in factories
C) Improve social conditions and address the issues of poverty and inequality
D) Advocate for shorter work hours
Answer: C

The “shirtwaist” was a popular clothing item associated with:
A) Wealthy factory owners
B) Skilled artisans
C) Women working in factories
D) Children working in mines
Answer: C

“Subcontracting” during the Industrial Revolution involved:
A) Hiring workers directly
B) Employing child laborers
C) Hiring workers through intermediaries
D) Providing workers with contracts
Answer: C

The “muckrakers” were journalists and writers who exposed:
A) Factory owners’ personal lives
B) Government corruption and scandals
C) Labor union activities
D) The benefits of industrialization
Answer: B

The “Bread and Roses” strike of 1912 was significant for advocating:
A) Shorter work hours
B) Increased bread production
C) Improved working conditions and wages
D) The prohibition of alcohol in the workplace
Answer: C

The term “wage slavery” referred to the idea that workers were:
A) Paid highly competitive wages
B) Treated as slaves
C) Forced to work for low wages in poor conditions
D) Unable to work due to wage disputes
Answer: C

The “National Labor Union” (NLU) advocated for:
A) An end to labor unions
B) Improved wages for skilled workers only
C) The eight-hour workday
D) The rights of factory owners
Answer: C

The term “child labor” refers to:
A) Factory owners’ children working in factories
B) The practice of hiring only child workers
C) The use of children to perform work that is harmful to their physical and mental development
D) Children working in the entertainment industry
Answer: C

“Labor turnover” during the Industrial Revolution referred to the rate at which workers:
A) Left their jobs and were replaced by new workers
B) Turned over factory machinery
C) Received pay raises
D) Joined labor unions
Answer: A

“Contract labor” during the Industrial Revolution involved workers being bound by:
A) Verbal agreements
B) Written contracts that detailed their work terms
C) Temporary work assignments
D) Collective bargaining agreements
Answer: B

The term “lockout” referred to employers:
A) Preventing workers from entering the workplace during a labor dispute
B) Offering workers permanent job contracts
C) Allowing workers to access the workplace regardless of strikes
D) Encouraging workers to organize and strike
Answer: A

The “Social Darwinism” theory during the Industrial Revolution suggested that:
A) Society should support the weak and disadvantaged
B) Government intervention was necessary to protect workers’ rights
C) Only the fittest individuals should survive and succeed in society
D) All workers should have equal opportunities
Answer: C

“Worker alienation” during the Industrial Revolution referred to the feeling of:
A) Inclusion and belonging in the workplace
B) Ownership of the means of production
C) Isolation and detachment from one’s work
D) Having a strong connection to employers
Answer: C

“Collective security” during the Industrial Revolution referred to workers’ efforts to:
A) Improve workplace security measures
B) Bargain collectively for better conditions and wages
C) Collaborate with employers on safety regulations
D) Protect factory machinery from theft
Answer: B

The “Pinkerton Detective Agency” was known for its involvement in conflicts with:
A) Workers and labor unions
B) Employers and businesses
C) Political parties
D) Religious organizations
Answer: A

The term “scissor grinder” was used to refer to:
A) Factory inspectors
B) Child laborers
C) Workers who repaired machinery
D) Factory managers
Answer: B

“Poverty wages” during the Industrial Revolution referred to wages that were:
A) Ample to cover workers’ basic needs
B) Paid to factory owners
C) Below the poverty line and inadequate to support a decent standard of living
D) Equal for all workers regardless of skill level
Answer: C

“Job sabotage” during labor disputes often involved workers intentionally:
A) Improving workplace conditions
B) Enhancing their own skills
C) Slowing down production or damaging equipment
D) Supporting management decisions
Answer: C

The “Suffrage Movement” during the Industrial Revolution focused on advocating for the rights of:
A) Labor union leaders
B) Business owners
C) Women to vote and participate in politics
D) Skilled workers
Answer: C

The “crèche” system was established during the Industrial Revolution to provide:
A) Child laborers with toys
B) Workers with health care benefits
C) Workers with access to religious services
D) Childcare services for working mothers
Answer: D

“Worker cooperatives” during the Industrial Revolution involved workers:
A) Competing with each other for better wages
B) Collaborating to form labor unions
C) Owning and managing their own workplaces
D) Accepting management decisions without protest
Answer: C

The “St. Louis general strike” of 1877 involved workers from which industry?
A) Textiles
B) Agriculture
C) Railroad
D) Mining
Answer: C

The “Ludlow Massacre” of 1914 involved violent clashes between:
A) Workers and employers
B) Workers and the government
C) Workers and consumers
D) Workers and religious organizations
Answer: A

“Company scrip” during the Industrial Revolution was:
A) A form of currency issued by the government
B) An alternative form of payment for workers in the form of tokens or vouchers
C) A type of stock ownership given to workers
D) A popular song among factory workers
Answer: B

“Whistleblowers” during the Industrial Revolution were workers who:
A) Created loud noises to protest poor working conditions
B) Blew whistles as a form of entertainment
C) Reported unsafe or unethical practices in the workplace
D) Organized strikes with whistles as a signal
Answer: C

The “Panic of 1873” led to widespread:
A) Employment opportunities
B) Labor strikes
C) Worker uprisings
D) Economic depression and job losses
Answer: D

The term “rat work” during the Industrial Revolution referred to:
A) The jobs done by skilled workers
B) Dangerous and undesirable jobs performed by unskilled workers
C) The practice of training rats to assist in factories
D) Workers’ attempts to improve their work environment
Answer: B

“Buddy systems” were often implemented in factories to:
A) Encourage workers to form friendships with supervisors
B) Ensure that workers had companions during breaks
C) Pair workers to increase productivity and quality control
D) Provide workers with tools and equipment
Answer: C

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button