Question

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.

Answer 1

Hello. This question is incomplete. The full question is:

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.

How do Harburg's words reflect the experience of many Americans during the Great Depression?

Like Harburg, many expected that they could maintain their possessions through the Depression.

Like Harburg, many were shocked by stock market collapse and ensuing Depression.

Like Harburg, many were grateful for the lessons they learned from the Depression.

Like Harburg, many made meticulous plans to prepare for the Depression.

Answer:

Like Harburg, many were shocked by stock market collapse and ensuing Depression.

Explanation:

The excerpt shown in the question above shows that Americans saw the United States as a country so prosperous and successful that it was constantly growing and had a path of success that would go on for years. This prosperity caused Americans to be extremely surprised by the arrival of the Great Depression, as they did not believe that an empire like the one the United States had established could be swept up in ashes and reached the brink of misery overnight, as happened with the collapse of the steel market.