Question

They used to tell me I was building a dream,
And so I followed the mob—
When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear
I was always there—right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream
With peace and glory ahead—

Based on this excerpt and your knowledge of American history, why did the stock market crash make Americans lose confidence in business?
Following the mob without asking questions can potentially lead to financial or emotional devastation.
People worked diligently to participate in the building of the American dream with the understanding they would profit.
The promise of peace and glory compelled many people to work for the wealthy and make them richer.
Instead of plowing the fields and going to war, American should have gone to college.

Answer 1

The best match is the second option. The poem is a voice of disillusionment: ordinary people had been told they were “building a dream” and put their labor and money into factories, homes, and the share market expecting steady returns and security. When the 1929 crash wiped out savings, destroyed jobs and businesses, and exposed rampant speculation and bank failures, that promise collapsed. Workers who had been loyal to industry found themselves penniless while financiers and owners seemed to escape blame — so Americans lost confidence in business and the financial system.

(Option 1 — “following the mob without asking questions” — captures a related idea about blind trust being dangerous, but the core reason for the loss of confidence was the tangible betrayal of economic expectations: lost savings, mass unemployment, and visible failures of banks and corporations.)