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Quiz about US History in Abbreviations
Quiz about US History in Abbreviations

U.S. History in Abbreviations Trivia Quiz


These abbreviations are about American governmental, political, and social organizations or groups, both past and present. I'll describe the organization, you supply the initials. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by clemmydog. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
clemmydog
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
300,777
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
4 / 10
Plays
1349
Last 3 plays: Kabdanis (6/10), rainbowriver (10/10), Guest 24 (7/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. This labor organization was founded in 1905. At its peak in 1923 it had over 100,000 members. Its nickname was "The Wobblies". It was still active in the early 2000s but with fewer than 1,000 members. What are the initials? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. This political and fraternal organization was formed in 1866 in Illinois. Although not a political party, the organization quickly gained a powerful influence in American politics. It was responsible for the establishment of Memorial Day as a national holiday. At its peak in 1890 it had a membership of almost 500,000. The organization was officially dissolved in 1954, two years before the death of the last member. What are the initials? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This Government organization was created as part of the "New Deal" of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s. It lasted less that two years due to a declaration of unconstitutionality by the United States Supreme Court in 1935. What are the initials? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This organization was also created as part of the New Deal. Started in 1933 it lasted until 1942. Generally considered one of the most popular "New Deal" programs, the organization had enrolled over 3 million young men during its 9 year life span. Camps were a prominent feature of this organization. What are the initials? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. This New Deal organization was started in 1935 and became the largest agency created by FDR as part of the New Deal. Between 1935 and 1943 this agency created more than 8 million jobs. These jobs ranged from building post office buildings to painting murals in those post offices. What are the initials? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. This organization started by actors as a social club in 1868 was originally called the "Jolly Corks". Today it boosts almost 1,000,000 members in over 2000 "Lodges" in the United States It was originally a "men only" club but in the middle 1990s, because of a court decision women were allowed to join. Members sometimes carry an animal tooth as a sign of membership. What are the initials? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. This labor union was formed in 1890 from the merger of two earlier labor unions of workers in a basic industry. Associated with, and involved in several violent clashes with industry, management and federal and local government in its early years, the union's membership of 240,000 in 2000 (down from almost 500,00 in 1946) has come to focus primarily on safety within its industry. John L. Lewis was president of the union from 1920 to 1960. What are the initials? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. This government agency is one of the few New Deal organizations that has continued to operate into the 21st century. It was formed specifically to benefit rural America in a particular way. What are the initials? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This U.S Government agency was formed in June of 1942 by presidential executive order. It was the forerunner of a current famous (or infamous) governmental agency. What are the initials? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. This entity was formed in February, 1941, as a wartime adjunct to the War Department's largest component. It soon dwarfed its "parent" organization in terms of the number of members. The organization was suspended in 1946 but became active again for the Korean and Vietnam Wars. It was disestablished in 1974 Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This labor organization was founded in 1905. At its peak in 1923 it had over 100,000 members. Its nickname was "The Wobblies". It was still active in the early 2000s but with fewer than 1,000 members. What are the initials?

Answer: IWW

IWW stood for the Industrial Workers of the World. It was founded on the belief that all workers should belong to a single union and the idea that the wage system should be abolished. That the organization was considered "left Wing" by federal and states' governments goes without saying.

In its heyday it had an active membership of over 100,000 members and controlled the actions of about 300,000 more. Because of its many "radical" ideas, proposals and platforms various governmental agencies cracked down on the IWW, causing the arrest of many of its leaders. Repression peaked in the late 1920s and early 1930s which resulted in quickly declining membership and influence.
2. This political and fraternal organization was formed in 1866 in Illinois. Although not a political party, the organization quickly gained a powerful influence in American politics. It was responsible for the establishment of Memorial Day as a national holiday. At its peak in 1890 it had a membership of almost 500,000. The organization was officially dissolved in 1954, two years before the death of the last member. What are the initials?

Answer: GAR

The GAR, the Grand Army of the Republic, was formed as fraternal organization of Union Army veterans immediately after the end of the Civil War. The GAR was organized along military line with "Departments" and "posts" and its members wearing military style organizational uniforms. From 1868 to 1908 no Republican presidential candidate was nominated unless he had the GAR endorsement. Every year between 1866 and 1949 an annual "encampment" of the GAR was held.

Besides the establishment of Memorial Day, the GAR was influential in establishing a system of Old Soldiers' Homes which evolved into the Veterans Administration.
3. This Government organization was created as part of the "New Deal" of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s. It lasted less that two years due to a declaration of unconstitutionality by the United States Supreme Court in 1935. What are the initials?

Answer: NRA

The National Recovery Administration, NRA, was created as part of the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933. Among other powers, the administration was empowered to set minimum wages and maximum working hours for industrial workers, as well as enabling industrial leaders to set base prices for their products. By a 9-0 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the NRA unconstitutional because it was deemed to violate the principle of separation of powers in the U.S. Constitution.
4. This organization was also created as part of the New Deal. Started in 1933 it lasted until 1942. Generally considered one of the most popular "New Deal" programs, the organization had enrolled over 3 million young men during its 9 year life span. Camps were a prominent feature of this organization. What are the initials?

Answer: CCC

The CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, was formed to provide work for young men, aged 17 to 28, from unemployed families during the Great Depression . The CCC operated under the control of the Department of Labor with the U.S. Army operating the various work camps.

The camps were geared to several specific tasks such as curbing soil erosion, reforestation, and creation and repair of national parks and trails. Initial pay for a member was $30 with $25 being sent back to the members family. After the draft started in 1940 enrollment quickly dropped, and with the start of WW2 the program stopped in 1942.
5. This New Deal organization was started in 1935 and became the largest agency created by FDR as part of the New Deal. Between 1935 and 1943 this agency created more than 8 million jobs. These jobs ranged from building post office buildings to painting murals in those post offices. What are the initials?

Answer: WPA

The Works Progress Administration, WPA, was later renamed the Works Projects Administration in 1939. A particular feature of this program were the special programs that provided employment for artists and writers in their craft, painting and sculpting artistic works for the various federal and state buildings constructed by the WPA. Writers were commissioned to write articles about and histories of the WPA.
6. This organization started by actors as a social club in 1868 was originally called the "Jolly Corks". Today it boosts almost 1,000,000 members in over 2000 "Lodges" in the United States It was originally a "men only" club but in the middle 1990s, because of a court decision women were allowed to join. Members sometimes carry an animal tooth as a sign of membership. What are the initials?

Answer: BPOE

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the BPOE, has evolved from an association of men, who originally formed to avoid the opening laws of New York City controlling city taverns, into a national fraternal and charitable organization which operates social programs ranging from drug rehabilitation to veterans' services.

The BPOE is based on local chapters or "lodges" that are known for their ability to respond quickly, to local local charitable needs. The initials, BPOE, are often said to stand for "Best People on Earth".
7. This labor union was formed in 1890 from the merger of two earlier labor unions of workers in a basic industry. Associated with, and involved in several violent clashes with industry, management and federal and local government in its early years, the union's membership of 240,000 in 2000 (down from almost 500,00 in 1946) has come to focus primarily on safety within its industry. John L. Lewis was president of the union from 1920 to 1960. What are the initials?

Answer: UMWA

The United Mine Workers of America, UMWA, was formed from the merger of The Knights of Labor, and the National Progressive Union of Miners and Mine Laborers. In 1920 John L. Lewis became president of the union. For the next 40 years Lewis led the union to become, arguably, the most influential labor unions in the country in the 1940s and early 1950s.

His aggressive leadership resulted in strikes and threatened strikes in the war years of the 1940s. This, ultimately, lead to the passage of the Taft-Hartley labor relations act, by Congress, in 1947. Among other things, the act outlawed "closed shops" and required a mandatory 60 day "notice" by either labor or management to the other before instigating strike or lock-out action.
8. This government agency is one of the few New Deal organizations that has continued to operate into the 21st century. It was formed specifically to benefit rural America in a particular way. What are the initials?

Answer: REA

The Rural Electrification Administration, REA, was created in 1935 to bring the benefits of electricity to large areas of the United States that were still without power in the 1930s. Private power companies had been slow to extend their power grids to rural areas because of low profitability. With a name change to the Rural Utilities Service, the agency continues to provide and coordinate programs of electrification, water, waste management, and telecommunications under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
9. This U.S Government agency was formed in June of 1942 by presidential executive order. It was the forerunner of a current famous (or infamous) governmental agency. What are the initials?

Answer: OSS

The Office of Strategic Services, the OSS, was formed as a wartime intelligence gathering agency to coordinate what had been, up to that time, disparate and overlapping functions of several other existing intelligence gathering groups. In September, 1945, by order of President Harry Truman, the OSS was disbanded.

Its function reverted to what was essentially the pre-WW2 method of intelligence operations. However, the National Security Act of 1947 created the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, organized along the line of the wartime OSS.
10. This entity was formed in February, 1941, as a wartime adjunct to the War Department's largest component. It soon dwarfed its "parent" organization in terms of the number of members. The organization was suspended in 1946 but became active again for the Korean and Vietnam Wars. It was disestablished in 1974

Answer: AUS

The "Army of the United States", AUS, was established to manage the large influx of draftees during the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The designation AUS was used as a suffix in official papers and titles to differentiate the AUS soldier from a Regular Army member, e.g. "Sergeant Smith, AUS" instead of "Sergeant Smith, USA" No such distinction was made for Navy or Marine Corps personnel, although they were usually designated as reserve, e.g. USNR or MCR. Officers of the Regular Army, (USA) could be appointed to the AUS in temporary higher ranks for wartime service. Thus a captain in the USA could (and often did) hold the rank of colonel, or higher, in the AUS.
Source: Author clemmydog

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