- 1. The Ghost Town of Fordlândia, once a bold vision of industrial expansion and an ambitious project by the American rubber magnate Henry Ford in the 1920s, now stands as a haunting reminder of failed dreams and ecological miscalculations. Located in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, Fordlândia was established with the intent of cultivating rubber to supply Ford's burgeoning automobile empire with a sustainable and local source for tire production. The town was meticulously planned, featuring wide boulevards, a community center, houses resembling Midwestern architecture, and even a hospital, all designed to create a utopian environment for the workers brought in from the United States and Brazil. However, the project quickly faced insurmountable challenges, including the region's tropical diseases, the complexities of the local ecology, and the cultural dissonance between American managerial practices and Brazilian labor expectations. By the late 1930s, after numerous setbacks and the failure to produce sufficient rubber, Fordlândia was abandoned, leaving behind crumbling buildings overtaken by the encroaching jungle. Today, it serves as an eerie yet captivating site for adventurers, historians, and environmentalists alike, reflecting the consequences of industrial ambition clashing with the resilience of nature, and prompting discussions about sustainability, colonialism, and the intricate relationship humans have with the environment.
What country is Fordlândia located in?
A) Venezuela
B) Colombia
C) Argentina
D) Brazil
- 2. Who founded Fordlândia?
A) Henry Ford
B) Andrew Carnegie
C) Thomas Edison
D) John D. Rockefeller
- 3. In what year was Fordlândia established?
A) 1928
B) 1914
C) 1945
D) 1938
- 4. What was the primary purpose of Fordlândia?
A) Rubber production
B) Timber extraction
C) Sugarcane farming
D) Coffee cultivation
- 5. Which tree’s sap was crucial to the establishment of Fordlândia?
A) Bamboo
B) Coconut tree
C) Rubber tree
D) Cacao tree
- 6. What did Henry Ford want to achieve with Fordlândia?
A) Develop a new car model
B) Create a self-sufficient community
C) Construct an amusement park
D) Build a luxury resort
- 7. What was one of the social plans proposed by Ford for the town?
A) Free healthcare for all
B) Open market for alcohol
C) Mandatory education for children
D) Prohibition of alcohol
- 8. When did Fordlândia ultimately fail as a settlement?
A) 1932
B) 1940
C) 1945
D) 1950
- 9. What ultimately replaced Fordlândia as a significant rubber source?
A) African rubber farms
B) Southeast Asian plantations
C) Synthetic rubber production
D) Native rainforest harvesting
- 10. What type of architecture was prominent in Fordlândia?
A) Baroque
B) Industrial
C) Gothic
D) Modernist
- 11. Which indigenous people lived in the area before Fordlândia was established?
A) The Guarani
B) The Tupinambá
C) The Tapajós
D) The Yanomami
- 12. Which environmental issue impacted the rubber trees in Fordlândia?
A) Flooding
B) Fungal disease
C) Drought
D) Deforestation
- 13. Which major global event affected rubber production in the early 20th century?
A) The Great Depression
B) World War I
C) World War II
D) The Cold War
- 14. Which plantation crop failed to thrive in Fordlândia due to disease?
A) Corn
B) Rubber
C) Sugarcane
D) Coffee
- 15. What was a major challenge in the development of Fordlândia?
A) Lack of resources
B) Disease
C) Political instability
D) Natural disasters
- 16. What was one of the first major structures built in Fordlândia?
A) A school
B) A factory
C) A hospital
D) A church
- 17. In which decade was Fordlândia established?
A) 1920s
B) 1910s
C) 1930s
D) 1940s
- 18. What disease became prevalent among the workers in Fordlândia?
A) Tuberculosis
B) Malaria
C) Cholera
D) Typhoid fever
- 19. Which other city was part of Henry Ford's ambitions for rubber production?
A) Rio de Janeiro
B) São Paulo
C) Manaus
D) Belterra
- 20. Fordlândia's initial population consisted primarily of which group?
A) European migrants
B) Local Brazilian farmers
C) Indigenous people
D) American workers
- 21. What type of governance was established in Fordlândia?
A) Democratic elections
B) Military rule
C) Direct democracy
D) A company town structure
- 22. Which of the following best describes Fordlândia today?
A) Sparsely populated
B) A government project
C) Thriving
D) Abandoned
- 23. How did the locals react to Ford’s imposition of American culture?
A) They remained neutral
B) They embraced it
C) They resisted
D) They were confused
- 24. Which resource did Fordlândia primarily compete with?
A) Southeast Asian rubber
B) West African cocoa
C) Brazilian coffee
D) North American timber
- 25. What year did Ford abandon the project?
A) 1934
B) 1936
C) 1932
D) 1930
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