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Quizzes > History > Regional History

Take the Gilded Age Quiz and Prove Your US History Smarts

Ready for Gilded Age trivia questions? Dive in and challenge yourself!

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Bethany ShortUpdated Aug 24, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art cityscape with factories, steamboat and political medals on golden yellow background

This Gilded Age quiz helps you practice key US history topics - big business, labor strikes, and political reform. Play through quick questions to spot gaps before a test and learn a new fact or two. Want more practice? Try more US history questions or explore city life and urban change .

Which period is commonly referred to as the Gilded Age in U.S. history?
1914 to 1918, World War I
1830 to 1860, the Antebellum era
Circa 1877 to 1900, from Reconstruction's end to the dawn of Progressivism
1800 to 1830, the Early Republic
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Standard Oil achieved dominance primarily through which business strategy?
Government-granted monopoly from the Supreme Court
Horizontal integration, consolidating many competing refineries
Exclusive reliance on overseas oil imports
State ownership of oil wells
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The term robber baron was commonly applied to which figure of the Gilded Age?
Jay Gould, the speculator and railroad magnate
Booker T. Washington, educator
Grover Cleveland, president
William Jennings Bryan, orator
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The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 primarily targeted abuses in which industry?
Oil, by banning drilling on federal land
Textiles, by limiting factory hours to 8 per day
Steel, by nationalizing mills
Railroads, by creating the Interstate Commerce Commission
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Which labor organization, led by Terence V. Powderly, sought broad membership including skilled and unskilled workers?
Industrial Workers of the World
Congress of Industrial Organizations
American Federation of Labor
Knights of Labor
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Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld which doctrine?
Women's suffrage at the federal level
Freedom of contract for labor unions
Separate but equal for public facilities
Incorporation of the Bill of Rights to the states
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Which violent labor conflict occurred at Andrew Carnegie's steel plant in 1892?
The Homestead Strike, involving Pinkertons and state militia
The Haymarket Affair
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
The Ludlow Massacre
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Which group founded in 1886 focused on skilled labor and craft unionism under Samuel Gompers?
Knights of Labor
Farmers' Alliance
Populist Party
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
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Which 1894 protest march on Washington highlighted unemployment during the Panic of 1893?
Bonus Army
Bonus Marchers of 1877
Whiskey Rebellion
Coxey's Army led by Jacob Coxey
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What was the principal outcome of Wabash v. Illinois (1886)?
Struck down the Interstate Commerce Act
Nationalized railroads
Expanded states' regulation of railroads across state lines
Limited states' power over interstate commerce, prompting federal regulation
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Which 1895 Supreme Court case limited antitrust enforcement by ruling that manufacturing was not interstate commerce?
Munn v. Illinois
United States v. E. C. Knight Co.
Lochner v. New York
Northern Securities Co. v. United States
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Which investigative technique did muckraker Ida B. Wells use during the Gilded Age to combat lynching?
Data-driven journalism and exposés documenting cases
Armed federal marshals in every Southern town
Supreme Court litigation ending lynching in 1892
Federal prosecution of all cases
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What was the main platform of the Omaha Platform (1892) of the People's Party?
Annexation of overseas colonies and high naval spending
Abolition of tariffs and adoption of free trade only
Immediate prohibition of alcohol and national suffrage for women
Graduated income tax, direct election of Senators, and silver coinage
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Which innovation most enabled skyscraper construction during the Gilded Age?
Steel-frame construction paired with safety elevators
Brick-only load-bearing walls
Gas lighting without elevators
Wooden post-and-beam structures
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Who authored the Gospel of Wealth (1889), urging the rich to use fortunes for public good?
Thorstein Veblen
Henry George
Edward Bellamy
Andrew Carnegie
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Which 1894 Supreme Court decision struck down the federal income tax, foreshadowing the 16th Amendment?
Muller v. Oregon
Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.
Lochner v. New York
Plessy v. Ferguson
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Which court's use of labor injunctions during the Pullman Strike signaled a pro-business judicial stance?
Federal courts issuing injunctions against the American Railway Union
State courts imprisoning railroad executives
Municipal courts negotiating a wage increase
Supreme Court siding with Eugene Debs immediately
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The Supreme Court case Munn v. Illinois (1877) upheld what principle regarding state regulation?
Courts set all rail rates directly
States cannot regulate any private business
Only the federal government can regulate intrastate commerce
States can regulate businesses affected with a public interest, like grain elevators
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The Dingley Tariff of 1897 is best described how?
A tariff limited to agricultural imports only
A treaty eliminating tariffs with Europe
A revenue tariff that lowered most duties
A high protective tariff enacted under McKinley, raising rates after 1894 cuts
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U.S. v. E. C. Knight expanded federal power by defining manufacturing as interstate commerce.
False
True
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Major Industrial Figures -

    Readers will recall and describe the contributions of captains of industry such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt during the Gilded Age.

  2. Analyze Economic Growth and Monopolies -

    Users will examine how rapid industrialization, trusts, and monopolies shaped the US economy and fueled wealth disparities in this era.

  3. Evaluate Political Reforms and Legislation -

    Participants will explain the impact of key laws and movements - like the Sherman Antitrust Act and civil service reforms - on government and society.

  4. Assess Social Movements and Labor Conflicts -

    Quiz takers will explore the rise of labor unions, major strikes, and social challenges facing workers and immigrants during the Gilded Age.

  5. Understand Landmark Events and Innovations -

    Readers will sequence pivotal moments such as the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and the spread of electricity, gaining context for Gilded Age trivia questions.

  6. Apply Knowledge through Targeted Trivia -

    Users will reinforce their US history skills by answering diverse Gilded Age quiz questions and flashcards to test comprehension and retention.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Rise of Industrial Titans -

    During the Gilded Age, figures like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller used vertical and horizontal integration to build empires in steel and oil, respectively. Remember the "CRaSH" mnemonic - Carnegie, Rockefeller, Standard Oil, Homestead - to quickly recall the major players and their strategies. Universities like Harvard Business Review and the Library of Congress detail these growth tactics.

  2. Labor Movements and Major Strikes -

    Key organizations such as the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor (AFL) emerged to advocate for workers' rights, sparking landmark events like the Homestead Strike of 1892 and the Pullman Strike of 1894. Review primary source excerpts on Cornell University's digital labor archives to understand demands for an eight-hour day. Use the quick mnemonic "H-P-P" (Homestead, Pullman, People) to remember major clashes.

  3. Political Corruption and Reform -

    Political machines like Tammany Hall, led by Boss Tweed, thrived on patronage and graft, prompting reforms such as the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883. Explore official texts from the National Archives to see how merit-based hiring replaced the spoils system. Keep in mind "Petty to Pendleton" to track the shift from local corruption to federal reform.

  4. Urbanization and Immigration -

    Rapid city growth drew millions through Ellis Island, leading to overcrowded tenements and nativist backlash. Check out interactive maps from the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation to visualize immigrant settlement patterns. The "M.U.T.E." mnemonic (Migration, Urban centers, Tenements, Ethnic enclaves) helps you organize key urban trends.

  5. Social Reform and the Populist Movement -

    Reformers like Jane Addams at Hull House championed the Social Gospel, while farmers formed the Populist Party in 1892 to protest railroad monopolies and advocate for bimetallism. The Smithsonian's online exhibits offer vivid accounts of settlement houses and rural protests. Remember "S.P.R.I.N.G." (Social Gospel, Populists, Reform, Income tax, Silver, Grange) to cover the core reform initiatives.

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