Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg.We thought American business was the Rock of Gibraltar. We were the prosperous nation, and nothing could stop us now. A brownstone house was forever. You gave it to your kids and they put marble fronts on it. There was a feeling of continuity. If you made it, it was there forever. Suddenly the big dream exploded. The impact was unbelievable.Based on the excerpt and your historical knowledge, why did the stock market crash make Americans lose confidence in business?
Answer
A
Other industries became more successful and provided needed jobs.
B
Most successful business owners refused to assist those in need.
C
Americans realized that business was not immune to failure and could collapse.
D
Average Americans became the victims of unethical business owners.
Explanation
Before the crash, many Americans believed the country’s prosperity and businesses would last indefinitely, as Harburg’s description of a house that was “forever” suggests. The stock market crash and the economic collapse that followed showed that businesses and the wider economy could fail, undermining that confidence. Therefore, the best answer is that Americans realized business was not immune to failure and could collapse.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.