How did the Federal Reserve Act change monetary policy?

• A. It repealed the gold standard
• B. It established price controls during inflation
• C. It introduced a centralized framework to regulate money supply and stabilize the economy
• D. It created a federal budget surplus rule

Answer: (C)

The main idea being tested is that monetary policy became centralized under the Federal Reserve Act. The act created the Federal Reserve System, a central banking structure with a governing board and 12 regional banks, which gave the nation a single, coordinated way to influence the money supply. Through tools like open market operations, reserve requirements, and the discount rate, the Fed can expand or contract credit to help stabilize the economy, respond to banking panics, and smooth out business-cycle fluctuations. This marked a shift from a fragmented system of individual banks to a unified framework for managing money and credit.

The other options don’t fit because the act did not repeal any gold standard, did not establish price controls, and monetary policy is not about a federal budget surplus rule.