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AMH XXXXXXXXXXSpring 2019)
Take-Home Midterm Examination
Read all of the instructions below before beginning this examination, and follow all
directions. You must submit this midterm examination in hard copy to your TA at the start
of discussion section on Monday, 3/11. Your TA will not accept exams by email unless your
TA has given you prior permission, and your TA will only grant such permission for legitimate
and documented extenuating circumstances (like travel for university-related activities).
Choosing to extend your spring
eak vacation will not be an acceptable reason for receiving
permission to email your midterm. This exam covers material from the start of the class through
the 1920s.
Format directions: Write your name, AMH 2020, your discussion section number (-003, -004,
-005, or -006), your Teaching Assistant’s name, and “Midterm Examination” at the top of the
first page of your exam answers. Your answers must be typewritten, in 12-point font, double-
spaced, and with 1-inch margins on all sides. Put page numbers on each page, and staple your
pages together before turning in your exam. Write the examination question number and question
efore providing your answers. On the first page, after writing your name and before starting
your answers, write the following statement, followed by your original signature (use a pen). If
you do not include this signed statement with your answers, you will not receive your grade
until you provide the signed statement to your TA:
In taking this take-home examination, I pledge to follow the university code of academic
integrity. I certify that I have not consulted outside or unauthorized sources of any kind
for this examination, and I have not asked for answers from friends, family, or
classmates. I understand that, should I engage in academic dishonesty in completing this
exam, I will receive a failing grade for this assignment, and Dr. Shannon will report
me to the university for disciplinary action. I also understand that if I do not submit a
hard copy of my exam answers by the start of class on Monday, 3/11, I will earn a grade
of zero (0) for this examination.
Time Limit: There is no time limit for how long you may work on this. The only limit is that you
must turn the exam in on the day and time it is due.
How to do well: Because this is a take-home exam that has no time limit, your TA and I expect
you to refer to my lecture slides (which are posted on Canvas>Modules>Lecture Slides and on
Top Hat), your lecture notes, the textbook, and the assigned primary source readings
(Canvas>Modules>Assigned Readings) as you compose your answers to the below exam
questions. That means your answers must be of a higher quality than you would write for an in-
class, timed exam. You should include specific and detailed information as much as possible by
using examples of individual events, people, dates, concepts, etc. to illustrate your
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points. Fully explain what each of these are (i.e., explain what the event was, who the person
was, include dates of when things occu
ed, etc.). You do not need to use footnotes in your exam
unless you are directly quoting an assigned reading. Also, don’t just provide an information
dump; answer the question clearly and directly, and make sure your answers directly answer the
question and provide information relevant to the question. The more thorough your answers, and
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the more they incorporate relevant, specific information from the course, the more likely it is that
you will receive a high score on this exam. Conversely, answers that are vague, off-topic,
superficial, and/or do not incorporate specific information will not earn full credit. Since this is a
take-home exam, we also expect proper grammar and spelling and high quality answers that
show that you put some time and thought into them. This will be more difficult than an in-class
exam, so give yourself plenty of time to work on this.
Sources: You should not consult any outside (unassigned) sources as you work on this
examination because outside sources may give you inco
ect or inaccurate answers. All answers
must come from the context of this course, which means you may only use your notes, my
lectures, and the assigned readings to answer the examination questions. That means no
Wikipedia or other internet sources, no books or documents not assigned for this course, and no
asking friends, family, or classmates for answers. Any examinations that use outside/unassigned
sources will automatically earn a grade of 0 (F), and your TA and I will consider that to be a
each of academic integrity, with all of the penalties that implies.
Section I: Identifications (Section total of 25 points; 5 IDs, each worth 5 points = 2.5 points for
defining/explaining the term and 2.5 points for explaining its historical significance)
Choose five (and only five) identification terms from the following list. Each ID answer must
include the following information: 1) identify the term by explaining who or what (definition of
the term); when/date(s); where (if not a national event/phenomenon); and 2) historical
significance/importance of this term – what impact or influence this term had on U.S. history at
the time. Make sure your answer is absolutely clear and contains all of the relevant and
specific/detailed information you need to answer the question well. Write the ID term before
providing your answer so it is clear which IDs you have chosen.
assembly line Populist Party yellow journalism
Plessy v. Ferguson Hawaii flapper
Social Darwinism Teddy Roosevelt Chinese Exclusion Act
influenza Versailles Treaty Harlem Renaissance
Triangle Fire Jane Addams Haymarket Square riot
19th Amendment total war Wounded Knee
Section II: Short Answer (Total of 50 points; each question will be worth 5-10 points,
depending on the length of the required answer).
The following questions are worth 5 points each. You must answer both of these questions.
1. In the academic discipline of history, what is a primary source? Name two examples
from this course of sources that historians would consider to be primary sources.
2. List and
iefly explain 5 of the many skills (a.k.a., types of historical thinking) that
historians use to study the past.
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You must choose four (4), and only four, of the following questions to answer. Number
each answer as questions 3, 4, 5, and 6. These questions are worth 10 points each. Your answer
should be a full paragraph in length (approximately 4-8 sentences) for each question. Make sure
your answer is clear and contains all of the relevant and specific/detailed information necessary
to answer the question thoroughly. Provide examples to support your claims.
Explain the Victorian ideology of “separate spheres” for men and women, and explain
which group/class of Americans created this notion. How did other groups/classes
respond to this gender ideology becoming culturally dominant in the late 1800s?
What effect did mechanization and new technology during the Gilded Age have on
American workers? In other words, how did working conditions change for U.S.
industrial workers as a result of mechanization and new technology after the Civil War?
Why did the U.S. abandon its traditional foreign policy of neutrality to enter World War I
on the side of the Allies? In other words, why did the U.S. go to war against Germany in
1917?
Which of Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points do you think was most historically important, and
why?
What tensions existed between the movement for racial equality and the movement for
women’s equality in the U.S. between the end of the Civil War and the 1920s?
How was the War of 1898 connected or related to the Progressive movement?
Why were the 1920s called “the Jazz Age”?
How did U.S. culture, society, and/or behavioral norms in the 1920s differ from U.S.
culture, society, and/or behavioral norms before World War I?
What can the life of Ida B. Wells-Barnett teach us about the historical period in which
she lived?
Section III: Long Answer (1 question worth 25 points)
There are five choices in this section of the exam: a primary source analysis question and four
essay questions. Choose one (1), and only one, of these four options to answer. Label this
answer either “Essay Option [number]” or “Primary Source” question.
Essay Question Options: This is a traditional essay question. Your answer needs to be in full
sentences, have a logical and organized structure, and be at least 3 full paragraphs (approx. 4-8
sentences each) in length. The more specific, detailed, logically reasoned, and well-supported
with evidence and facts your answer, the more points you will earn. Answer all parts of the
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question in order to earn full credit, and your answer should include direct evidence from the
elevant primary sources on Canvas that were assigned readings throughout the semester.
Option 1. Discuss how American women asserted themselves politically, socially, and culturally
during the Victorian Era/Gilded Age, Progressive Era, World War I, and the 1920s.
Describe the impact of these women’s activities on the U.S. as a whole during this
period (1877-1920s).
Option 2. Explain what the Progressive movement was, who the Progressives were, what they
wanted, and then compare and contrast the primary concerns, goals, and tactics of
different groups of Progressives. Ultimately, why were Progressives important to U.S.
history (what impact did they have on the U.S. at the time)?
Option 3. Why and in what way(s) was World War I an important turning point for the U.S.,
both at home and in terms of its international position?
Option 4. Explain how African Americans sought full citizenship rights and racial equality in the
years after Reconstruction (1877-1920s). Compare the tactics they used during the
Gilded Age/Progressive Era and the Harlem Renaissance/1920s. What were the main
points of debate