The Progressives Practice Test

Secondary-source excerpt (Progressives, 1890–1920): Progressives insisted that political democracy required economic fairness and basic consumer safety. Reformers pressed states to limit child labor, reduce workplace hazards, and compensate injured workers. At the federal level, they backed laws that strengthened oversight of meatpacking and patent medicines, arguing that informed consumers needed truthful labeling and sanitary conditions. These initiatives did not end industrial conflict, but they expanded expectations that government should protect the public from the worst abuses of the market.

Which federal action best fits the consumer-protection efforts described in the excerpt?

Secondary source excerpt (Progressives, 1890–1920): Middle-class reformers known as Progressives argued that rapid industrialization and urban growth had produced political corruption, unsafe working conditions, and widening inequality. They sought to use government power to regulate big business, protect consumers, and make democracy more responsive through measures such as the initiative, referendum, and recall. Progressives relied on investigative journalism (muckrakers), settlement houses, and expert-led commissions to gather data and build public support. Their achievements included antitrust actions, municipal reforms, and new state and federal regulatory agencies.

Based on the excerpt, which development best illustrates Progressive efforts to make democracy more responsive?