Question

The timeline below shows changes in U.S. tariff policy between 1920 and 1930:

May 1921— Emergency Tariff increases import taxes on agricultural products
September 1922— Fordney-McCumber Tariff raises tariffs on farm and manufactured goods
June 1930— Smoot-Hawley Tariff increases tariff levels to record high level
What conclusion can be drawn from this timeline?

Answer 1

A: the American economy was almost entirely self-sufficient throughout the 1920s
B: During the 1920s, Congress supported domestic producers with a protective trade policy
C: During the 1920s, the United States shifted from an export-based economy to an import-based economy
D: Crop prices and corporate profits increased steadily during the 1920s as a result of government policy

notice that all three of these events describe tariffs (taxes specifically imposed on imported/exported goods). we can start by eliminating A (the existence of tariffs does not prove or disprove self-sufficiency) and C (the existence of tariffs does not necessarily indicate a switch from import to export economy, or the other way around)

between B+D which do you think is more reasonable to conclude simply based on the info provided?