Question 1

True or false: Unemployment in the U.S. peaked at around 25% during the Great Depression.

Accepted Answer

True. At its worst in 1933, unemployment hit 24.9%, with some cities seeing rates over 50%.

Question 2

True or false: Canada actually avoided the Great Depression entirely due to wheat exports.

Accepted Answer

False. Canada was hit even harder than the U.S., with unemployment over 27% and severe drought in the Prairies.

Question 3

True or false: The Great Depression was caused solely by the 1929 stock market crash.

Accepted Answer

False. The crash was a trigger, but underlying issues like bank failures, dust bowl, and global debt were major causes.

Question 4

True or false: The Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930 helped end the Depression by protecting U.S. jobs.

Accepted Answer

False. It backfired, triggering retaliatory tariffs and collapsing international trade by over 50%.

Question 5

True or false: The Empire State Building was completed during the Depression and was profitable immediately.

Accepted Answer

False. It opened in 1931 but was mostly empty for years, earning the nickname 'Empty State Building.'

Question 6

True or false: Many wealthy Americans lost everything but still had servants during the Depression.

Accepted Answer

True. Some rich families kept domestic staff even after fortunes shrank, as servants earned very low wages.

Question 7

True or false: President Herbert Hoover supported direct federal relief for the unemployed.

Accepted Answer

False. Hoover opposed direct aid, favoring volunteerism and local efforts, which worsened the crisis.

Question 8

True or false: The Soviet Union imported American engineers and technology during the Depression.

Accepted Answer

True. Stalin hired thousands of U.S. experts to build industrial plants, as American firms were desperate for work.

Great Depression 1929 Trivia Questions