Grade 11historyOriginal practice

US History: The Great Depression & FDR's New Deal

Analyze economic causes of the 1929 collapse, banking panics, Dust Bowl migration, and President Roosevelt's Relief, Recovery, and Reform programs.

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Grade 11 · social studies

US History: The Great Depression & FDR's New Deal

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Grade 11 · social studies · continued

US History: The Great Depression & FDR's New Deal

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Part A: Historical & Economic Analysis. Examine the systemic crises of the Great Depression and New Deal interventions.

1.Which combination of economic vulnerabilities contributed directly to the severity of the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent Great Depression?

AExcessive federal income tax rates on low-income farm workers

BUnchecked speculative buying on margin, agricultural overproduction, and unregulated commercial banking runs

CSevere shortages of industrial manufacturing plants in urban areas

DThe complete replacement of physical currency with gold bars

2.What was the overarching structural objective of the landmark Social Security Act passed in 1935 as part of the Second New Deal?

ATo nationalize all commercial banks under direct military control

BTo establish a permanent federal safety net providing old-age retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, and disability aid

CTo eliminate the federal minimum wage to encourage hiring

DTo provide free transcontinental railroad tickets to unemployed youths

3.How did the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) established by the 1933 Banking Act permanently restore public confidence in the financial system?

ABy legally outlawing citizens from withdrawing money from their accounts

BBy guaranteeing individual bank deposits with federal insurance in the event of institutional insolvency

CBy fixing the price of all corporate stocks at a single national price

DBy replacing all private bank branches with post office desks

Part B: The Three R's of the New Deal. Categorize each agency or program into Relief (immediate aid), Recovery (economic rebuilding), or Reform (permanent structural prevention).

Sort these items:

1. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): Employed young men in reforestation, erosion control, and state parks2. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): Built dams to generate regional electricity and control rural flooding3. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Regulated stock market trading and outlawed insider speculation4. Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA): Direct cash relief grants to starving destitute families5. Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA): Subsidized farmers to reduce surplus production and raise crop prices6. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): Insured private savings deposits against future bank collapse

Relief (Immediate Aid)

Recovery (Economic Stimulus)

Reform (Permanent Safeguards)

Grade 11 · social studies · Answer key

US History: The Great Depression & FDR's New Deal

Scan for answers

Grade 11 · social studies · Answer key · continued

US History: The Great Depression & FDR's New Deal

Scan for answers

Part A: Historical & Economic Analysis. Examine the systemic crises of the Great Depression and New Deal interventions.

1.Which combination of economic vulnerabilities contributed directly to the severity of the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent Great Depression?

B. Unchecked speculative buying on margin, agricultural overproduction, and unregulated commercial banking runs

Buying on margin (borrowing up to 90% of stock costs), farm debt from post-WWI crop overproduction, and fractional reserve banks failing during liquidity panics collapsed the national economy.

2.What was the overarching structural objective of the landmark Social Security Act passed in 1935 as part of the Second New Deal?

B. To establish a permanent federal safety net providing old-age retirement pensions, unemployment insurance, and disability aid

The Social Security Act of 1935 fundamentally transformed the federal government's obligation to citizens by creating old-age pensions, unemployment compensation, and assistance for families with dependent children.

3.How did the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) established by the 1933 Banking Act permanently restore public confidence in the financial system?

B. By guaranteeing individual bank deposits with federal insurance in the event of institutional insolvency

By guaranteeing depositor savings up to a statutory limit, the FDIC stopped contagious bank runs because customers knew their money was backed by the federal government.

Part B: The Three R's of the New Deal. Categorize each agency or program into Relief (immediate aid), Recovery (economic rebuilding), or Reform (permanent structural prevention).

Sort these items:

1. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): Employed young men in reforestation, erosion control, and state parks2. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): Built dams to generate regional electricity and control rural flooding3. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Regulated stock market trading and outlawed insider speculation4. Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA): Direct cash relief grants to starving destitute families5. Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA): Subsidized farmers to reduce surplus production and raise crop prices6. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): Insured private savings deposits against future bank collapse

Relief (Immediate Aid)

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): Employed young men in reforestation, erosion control, and state parks

Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA): Direct cash relief grants to starving destitute families

Recovery (Economic Stimulus)

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): Built dams to generate regional electricity and control rural flooding

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA): Subsidized farmers to reduce surplus production and raise crop prices

Reform (Permanent Safeguards)

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Regulated stock market trading and outlawed insider speculation

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): Insured private savings deposits against future bank collapse

About this practice

Grade 11 · social studies · Matching answer key included · US Letter and A4

US Letter practice PDF ↓ · Answer PDF ↓A4 practice PDF ↓ · Answer PDF ↓

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Teaching guide, sample answers and curriculum references

Before you begin

Read a historical timeline and distinguish economic conditions from policy responses.

How to use this worksheet

Model the target skill: identify underlying structural vulnerabilities that triggered the 1929 stock market crash and banking collapse. Use the first task as a guided example before asking for an independent response.
Check readiness first: Read a historical timeline and distinguish economic conditions from policy responses.
Discuss an incorrect response using this distinction: A policy's intention and its measured outcome are different; the New Deal included multiple programs with different roles.

A common mistake to discuss

A policy's intention and its measured outcome are different; the New Deal included multiple programs with different roles.

What to practice next

Explain which problem a named program tried to address and what evidence would show its effect.

Sample question and answer

Which combination of economic vulnerabilities contributed directly to the severity of the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent Great Depression?

A. Excessive federal income tax rates on low-income farm workers
B. Unchecked speculative buying on margin, agricultural overproduction, and unregulated commercial banking runs
C. Severe shortages of industrial manufacturing plants in urban areas
D. The complete replacement of physical currency with gold bars

Answer: B. Buying on margin (borrowing up to 90% of stock costs), farm debt from post-WWI crop overproduction, and fractional reserve banks failing during liquidity panics collapsed the national economy.

Intended curriculum references: C3.D2.His.3.9-12 · C3.D2.Eco.13.9-12. These references describe learning goals; they are not endorsements.

Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. Original MakeWorksheet practice. Automated consistency checks support publication; independent subject-specialist review is not recorded. Read our editorial policy.