Chapter 121. Reflections on Economic and Industrial Evolution, Chapter 12

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Correct. The answer is a. The author’s historical argument in this section is that the industrial revolution of the 1840s and 1850s transformed the United States, creating a dynamic national economy based on manufacturing and agriculture that spurred geographic and economic mobility for many Americans.

Incorrect. The answer is a. The author’s historical argument in this section is that the industrial revolution of the 1840s and 1850s transformed the United States, creating a dynamic national economy based on manufacturing and agriculture that spurred geographic and economic mobility for many Americans.

Correct. The answer is c. The author builds his case that increasing agricultural productivity fueled the economic growth of the mid-nineteenth century by showing that the movement of white farmers into fertile land of the upper Midwest after 1830 effectively doubled the nation’s farm production.

Incorrect. The answer is c. The author builds his case that increasing agricultural productivity fueled the economic growth of the mid-nineteenth century by showing that the movement of white farmers into fertile land of the upper Midwest after 1830 effectively doubled the nation’s farm production.

Correct. The answer is b. To substantiate his claim that the tremendous growth of the agricultural sector in the mid-nineteenth century caused a shortage of workers for manufacturing and thus promoted the development of mechanization, the author cites the figure that 80 percent of Americans still lived on farms in 1860, limiting the number of workers available to work in factories. Faced with those limitations, manufacturers sought more efficient ways to produce more goods with fewer people. Mechanization made it possible for factory workers to produce twice as much (per unit of labor) as agricultural workers.

Incorrect. The answer is b. To substantiate his claim that the tremendous growth of the agricultural sector in the mid-nineteenth century caused a shortage of workers for manufacturing and thus promoted the development of mechanization, the author cites the figure that 80 percent of Americans still lived on farms in 1860, limiting the number of workers available to work in factories. Faced with those limitations, manufacturers sought more efficient ways to produce more goods with fewer people. Mechanization made it possible for factory workers to produce twice as much (per unit of labor) as agricultural workers.

Correct. The answer is b. The author argues that the burgeoning railroads were critical for linking the agricultural and manufacturing sectors of the American economy in the mid-nineteenth century. Railroads made it possible to transport agricultural products rapidly into manufacturing areas, and manufactured goods into rural areas.

Incorrect. The answer is b. The author argues that the burgeoning railroads were critical for linking the agricultural and manufacturing sectors of the American economy in the mid-nineteenth century. Railroads made it possible to transport agricultural products rapidly into manufacturing areas, and manufactured goods into rural areas.

Correct. The answer is c. The author argues that federal land policy supported both agricultural development in the West and the growth of the railroads throughout the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. He shows that farmers’ ability to buy federal land at $1.25 an acre fueled westward expansion and increased agricultural production, and that large federal land grants amounting to more than twenty million acres by 1860 facilitated the expansion of the domestic rail network.

Incorrect. The answer is c. The author argues that federal land policy supported both agricultural development in the West and the growth of the railroads throughout the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. He shows that farmers’ ability to buy federal land at $1.25 an acre fueled westward expansion and increased agricultural production, and that large federal land grants amounting to more than twenty million acres by 1860 facilitated the expansion of the domestic rail network.

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Your answer has been accepted and your response will be reviewed by your instructor.

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Your answer has been accepted and your response will be reviewed by your instructor.

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Your answer has been accepted and your response will be reviewed by your instructor.