HELP....Multiple Choice!!!?

Question

1 - During the period following the Civil War the US:
a - was willing to expand because of isolationism.
b - was able to once again expand because slavery in new territories was no longer an issue.
c - had a shrinking economy that prevented the country from expanding.
d - only grew because of graft and bribery in Congress.

2 - The Alabama claims were impotrant because:
a - the US desperately needed the money.
b - Americans were willing to go to war with Britain over them.
c - they were settled by an international court.
d - Britain for the last time was forced to give territory to the US.

Plz Help me out. 10 Points for Best Answer.. Thank you!

Answer 1

1. b
2. c

Answer 2

You can answer these questions without knowing absolutely everything.

1. Start by scanning the question and answers. What's it all about? Then form your own answer on the topic. The question is wide open, but the answers are all about expansion after the Civil War. So, was the US expanding after the Civil War? (Yes) Eliminate contrary answer choice c.

2. Pick off the outliers - "crazy talk" answers that are factually incorrect or unlikely to be true. Choice a is odd... does isolationism make a country willing to expand? Eliminate choice a.

Choice d is just weird. Eliminate for same reason as choice a.

3. Check remaining answer choices (in this case, only b) for problems. Does it say anything you know to be false? Nah. The answer is b.

Do the same for question 2. I don't know anything about the Alabama claims, but my guess is that it's from the same time period. Two answers mention Britain, and one an international court. I can't form my own answer, so I go straight to eliminating "crazy talk" answers.

Choice c is an outlier. There was no international court in the era in question. Choice b is suspect - I'm not aware of any war between the US and Britain after 1815. It doesn't actually say there was a war, but that's just because it's a badly written question.

Choice a sounds likely - having just fought the Civil War, the US probably did need more funds.

Choice d is unlikely. In the post-Civil War era, the US got land from Spain and Mexico, and bought Alaska from Russia, and stole Hawaii, but I don't think anything involving Alabama had to do with British territories. I choose a.