Which agency spent $3.3 billion on large-scale public works during the New Deal era?

• A. Public Works Administration
• B. Reconstruction Finance Corporation
• C. Works Progress Administration
• D. National Recovery Administration

Answer: (A)

This question tests knowing which New Deal agency was created to fund large-scale public works with federal money. The Public Works Administration was established in 1933 specifically to finance big infrastructure projects—facilities like roads, bridges, schools, and dams—to both create jobs and modernize the country. Its spending totaled about 3.3 billion dollars, making it the principal source of those large projects during the era. The Works Progress Administration focused on employing the unemployed through a wide range of projects and spent much more overall, while the Reconstruction Finance Corporation provided loans to banks and businesses rather than directly funding public works, and the National Recovery Administration dealt with industrial codes rather than public-works funding.