Gilded Age Expressions

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Date:

Instructions: Discover the language of America's Gilded Age, an era of rapid wealth and social change (1870s-1900)

1.
In the Gilded Age, what was a 'robber baron'?
A
A bank robber
B
A medieval villain
C
A ruthless and powerful industrialist who amassed great wealth
D
A highway thief
2.
What did the term 'Gilded Age' itself imply?
A
A time of gold mining
B
A period that appeared golden on the surface but had serious problems underneath
C
A golden era
D
An age of guilt
3.
In Gilded Age vocabulary, what was a 'trust'?
A
A combination of companies controlling an entire industry to limit competition
B
A legal agreement
C
A savings account
D
Faith in someone
4.
What were the 'Four Hundred' during the Gilded Age?
A
A type of race
B
A military regiment
C
The elite list of New York's most prominent socialites
D
A financial index
5.
In Gilded Age slang, what was a 'muckraker'?
A
A type of shovel
B
A journalist who exposed corruption and social problems
C
A farm worker
D
A garbage collector
6.
What was a 'sweatshop' in Gilded Age America?
A
A gym
B
A laundry service
C
A factory with long hours, low wages, and poor working conditions
D
A steam room
7.
In the Gilded Age, what did 'new money' refer to?
A
A new currency
B
Recently acquired wealth, as opposed to inherited aristocratic wealth
C
Counterfeit money
D
Freshly printed bills
8.
What was a 'tenement' during the Gilded Age?
A
A tent city
B
A crowded urban apartment building for low-income families
C
A type of commandment
D
A temporary home
9.
In Gilded Age vocabulary, what was a 'tycoon'?
A
A wealthy and powerful business leader
B
A type of train
C
A type of storm
D
A Japanese general
10.
What did 'conspicuous consumption' mean in the Gilded Age?
A
Spending lavishly on luxury goods to display wealth and status
B
Having a visible illness
C
Eating in public
D
Shopping frequently
11.
In the Gilded Age, what was a 'Pullman car'?
A
A shopping cart
B
A luxurious sleeping car on a railroad train
C
A horse-drawn cart
D
A type of automobile
12.
What was 'social Darwinism' in Gilded Age thinking?
A
The belief that the wealthy succeeded due to natural superiority and survival of the fittest
B
A dance style
C
A type of social club
D
A biology class
13.
In Gilded Age language, what was a 'carpetbagger'?
A
A luggage maker
B
A Northerner who moved South after the Civil War, often for political gain
C
A rug seller
D
A type of thief
14.
What was a 'cottage' in Gilded Age Newport, Rhode Island?
A
A gardener's hut
B
A small humble home
C
A beach shack
D
A grand mansion owned by the wealthy elite, modestly called a cottage
15.
In the Gilded Age, what did 'captain of industry' describe?
A
A military leader
B
A business leader who made great contributions to the economy and society
C
A ship captain
D
A factory foreman

Answer Key

Question 1

C. A ruthless and powerful industrialist who amassed great wealth

Question 2

B. A period that appeared golden on the surface but had serious problems underneath

Question 3

A. A combination of companies controlling an entire industry to limit competition

Question 4

C. The elite list of New York's most prominent socialites

Question 5

B. A journalist who exposed corruption and social problems

Question 6

C. A factory with long hours, low wages, and poor working conditions

Question 7

B. Recently acquired wealth, as opposed to inherited aristocratic wealth

Question 8

B. A crowded urban apartment building for low-income families

Question 9

A. A wealthy and powerful business leader

Question 10

A. Spending lavishly on luxury goods to display wealth and status

Question 11

B. A luxurious sleeping car on a railroad train

Question 12

A. The belief that the wealthy succeeded due to natural superiority and survival of the fittest

Question 13

B. A Northerner who moved South after the Civil War, often for political gain

Question 14

D. A grand mansion owned by the wealthy elite, modestly called a cottage

Question 15

B. A business leader who made great contributions to the economy and society

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