TAKS 2003 G8 Social Studies Online Test

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Read each question and choose the best answer. Then mark the circle next to the letter for the answer you have chosen.

Use the cartoon and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

In this cartoon, what is Benjamin Franklin trying to tell the American colonies?

	A	The only way to win the war against France is to fight together.
	B	Only the New England colonies will succeed in the war against the French.
	C	The only way for the colonies to survive is to surrender to the French.
	D	The South is the key to defending the colonies from France.

The combination of resources, improved transportation, and technological breakthroughs all contributed to the —

	F	Era of Good Feelings
	G	adoption of the gold standard
	H	Industrial Revolution
	J	formation of agricultural cooperatives

What factor was most important in growing cotton in the 1800s?

	A	Slave labor
	B	Foreign investment
	C	Dry summers
	D	Improved transportation

In the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln said that Union soldiers had sacrificed their lives to ensure that “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” What type of government was Lincoln referring to?

	F	Monarchy
	G	Oligarchy
	H	Aristocracy
	J	Democracy

Use the illustration and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Illustration: Victims of the Boston Massacre (Crispus Attucks, James Caldwell, Patrick Carr, Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick)

What colonial claim about the Boston Massacre is supported by this illustration?

	A	Most of the American colonists in Boston were killed.
	B	British soldiers fired on unarmed colonists.
	C	There were more soldiers than civilians at the Boston Massacre.
	D	Colonists were better equipped for war than British soldiers were.

Robert Fulton’s steamboat aided the economic development of the United States by —

	F	reducing traffic in the nation’s ocean harbors
	G	making transportation on rivers more efficient
	H	ending American dependence on European shipping
	J	serving as a method of connecting California and the East Coast

One result of British regulations such as the Sugar and Stamp Acts was America’s resentment of —

	A	foreign alliances
	B	locally appointed governing bodies
	C	taxation without representation
	D	government control of speech

Use the chart and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

U.S. Railroad Mileage 1830-1860

Year	Milage
1830	23
1840	2,818
1850	9,021
1860	30,626

Source: Historical Statistics of the United States

Based on the chart above, what conclusion can be drawn about railroad construction in the United States?

	F	Railroad construction gradually decreased after 1860.
	G	As the country expanded, railroads became more important.
	H	Increased railroad usage contributed to the start of the Civil War.
	J	The steam locomotive was invented in 1830.

Use the illustration and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Which of these would be the best title for the illustration above?

	A	Divine Nature
	B	Survival of the Fittest
	C	Manifest Destiny
	D	Universal Expansion

The reason that the Mayflower colonists signed the Mayflower Compact in 1620 was to —

	F	agree to share colonial lands
	G	form a social contract for self-government
	H	appoint a governor for their colony
	J	regulate the activities of local Native Americans

The Proclamation of 1763 stated that colonists could not settle beyond which of the following geographical features?

	A	Mississippi River
	B	Great Plains
	C	Appalachian Mountains
	D	Rocky Mountains

Use the excerpt and your knowledge of social studies skills to answer the following question.

My motive and object in all my political works, beginning with Common Sense, the first work I ever published, have been to rescue man from tyranny and false systems . . . of government, and enable him to be free. . . .

— Thomas Paine, 1806

An important effect of Common Sense was that it persuaded many —

	F	ordinary people to support independence from Great Britain
	G	rich merchants to leave the colonies
	H	loyalists to support the king
	J	loyalists and patriots to unite against Great Britain

The U.S. Constitution maintains a republican system of government through the —

	A	president’s power to veto acts of Congress
	B	appointment of federal judges to life terms
	C	election of representatives who make laws
	D	creation of a presidential cabinet

Use the cartoon and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Based on the cartoon, which of the following best explains the impact of the Monroe Doctrine?

	F	The United States would not allow foreign nations to form alliances.
	G	The United States would not allow further European colonization in the Western Hemisphere.
	H	The United States would serve as a negotiator between European nations.
	J	The United States would protect the economic interests of Europe.

Use the information in the box and your knowledge of social studies skills to answer the following question.

One Principle of the U.S. Constitution

Checks and Balances

A system by which each branch of government limits the power of the other branches

Which of these is an example of the system of checks and balances?

	A	Congress can regulate industry.
	B	Governors can pardon federal prisoners.
	C	The president can veto bills passed by Congress.
	D	The Supreme Court can impeach members of Congress.

In 1803 Thomas Jefferson made one of his most important contributions as president when he —

	F	wrote the Declaration of Independence
	G	became the leader of the Democratic- Republican Party
	H	founded the University of Virginia
	J	purchased the Louisiana Territory from France

One reason freedom of the press was included in the Bill of Rights was the important role newspapers played in —

	A	alerting the British troops about the colonists’ activities
	B	publishing battle plans and detailed maps
	C	spreading information and helping unify the colonies
	D	spreading Loyalist propaganda

In 1787 many of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution because of its failure to —

	F	include a bill of rights
	G	reduce states’ rights
	H	eliminate slavery
	J	establish a foreign-trade policy

Use the map and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Which region was mainly involved in shipbuilding, forestry, and fishing?

	A	Middle colonies
	B	Southern colonies
	C	New England
	D	Western frontier

Use the map and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Map: Major Rivers and Landforms of the Continental United States

What natural barrier would a pioneer traveling west to California encounter that a pioneer traveling to Oregon would not?

	F	Great Plains
	G	Mississippi River
	H	Rocky Mountains
	J	Sierra Nevada

Use the diagram and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Diagram: [Weakness of the Articles of Confederation] & [Shays's Rebellion] -> [Desire for a stron national government] -> [empty]

Which of these would complete the diagram?

	A	Alien and Sedition Acts
	B	U.S. Constitution
	C	Magna Carta
	D	Declaration of Independence

Use the information in the box and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Disadvantages of the South
During the Civil War

Smaller navy
Fewer railroads
?

Which item would best complete the list?

	F	Inexperienced military leaders
	G	Lack of industries
	H	Larger population
	J	Lack of agricultural land

In the early 1800s power looms transformed the textile industry and provided new job opportunities for —

	A	young women
	B	African American men
	C	Italian immigrants
	D	Native Americans

Anti-Federalists had many of their concerns about the U.S. Constitution satisfied through the approval of the —

	F	Bill of Rights
	G	electoral college
	H	Three-Fifths Compromise
	J	Treaty of Paris

Alexander Hamilton promoted what type of economic system for the United States?

	A	Free enterprise
	B	Agricultural
	C	Command
	D	Mercantilist

Which of the following would provide the best primary source material about the works of Abraham Lincoln?

	F	A biography of Lincoln
	G	An interview with a descendant of Lincoln
	H	A collection of speeches written by Lincoln
	J	A historical analysis of the Lincoln–Douglas debates

Which of the following lists shows the correct order in which these presidents served?

	A	George Washington Andrew Jackson Thomas Jefferson James Monroe
	B	George Washington James Monroe Andrew Jackson Thomas Jefferson
	C	George Washington Thomas Jefferson Andrew Jackson James Monroe
	D	George Washington Thomas Jefferson James Monroe Andrew Jackson

One result of Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) was —

	F	a resumption of the international slave trade
	G	greater tension between slave states and free states
	H	the creation of separate-but-equal public facilities for whites and blacks
	J	the end of Reconstruction in the South

Use the cartoon and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

This cartoon represents the point of view of which reform movement?

	A	Child labor
	B	Temperance
	C	Abolition
	D	Women’s rights

The first three words of the U.S. Constitution, “We the people,” express the idea of popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is the belief that the people hold the —

	F	final authority in government
	G	power to elect judges to the U.S. Supreme Court
	H	authority to break laws established for the common good
	J	power to elect the president directly

In 1787 Congress established a system for creating new states from western territories —

	A	through the Monroe Doctrine
	B	through the Northwest Ordinance
	C	with the Treaty of Paris
	D	with the approval of the Three-Fifths Compromise

The Union general who accepted the surrender of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army at Appomattox Court House was —

	F	Ambrose Burnside
	G	George McClellan
	H	Ulysses S. Grant
	J	William T. Sherman

Use the time line and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Time Line: [French and Indian War begins 1754]; [Stamp Act 1765]; [?]; [US Constitution written 1787]; [George Washington takes oath of office 1789]; [Cotton gin invented 1793]

Which event in U.S. history would best complete the box above?

	A	Nullification Crisis
	B	American Revolution begins
	C	Purchase of the Louisiana Territory
	D	Completion of the Erie Canal

The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the American Revolution because —

	F	the colonists were defeated and lost possession of New York
	G	Native Americans joined the war against the colonies during the battle
	H	Great Britain was forced to form an alliance with France against the colonies
	J	the colonial victory convinced France to support American independence

King John of England signed the Magna Carta in 1215. What idea did the Founding Fathers borrow from this document to include in the Bill of Rights?

	A	People accused of a crime have a right to a trial by a jury of their equals.
	B	People accused of a crime will be imprisoned until proven innocent.
	C	People have only those individual rights granted to them by the king.
	D	People must be born in a country to have the rights of a citizen.

Which of the following is an example of exercising the right to free speech?

	F	Lying in a court case to protect a friend
	G	Protesting a government policy
	H	Falsely accusing someone of a crime
	J	Threatening to hurt someone

The Virginia Company established the House of Burgesses in 1619, which —

	A	was the first government to have a president
	B	established the doctrine of separation of powers
	C	had the power to veto acts of Parliament
	D	was the first representative legislature in the English colonies

Which of these leaders is correctly identified with his or her major contribution to U.S. society?

	F	James Monroe — wrote the Doctrine of Divine Rights
	G	Frederick Douglass — fought for prohibition of alcohol
	H	Elizabeth Cady Stanton — sought equal rights for women
	J	Harriet Beecher Stowe — wrote a book promoting slavery in the United States

Some fugitive slaves fled to Canada rather than staying in northern states because runaway slaves —

	A	had fewer economic opportunities in Canada
	B	were needed to help populate rural areas in Canada
	C	could travel quickly up the Mississippi River to Quebec
	D	could be captured in the North and returned to the South

Marbury v. Madison (1803) is considered a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case because it —

	F	demonstrated that the president had more power than Congress
	G	established the Court’s power of judicial review
	H	held slavery to be unconstitutional
	J	expanded the size of the Court

During the 1700s and 1800s, European migration to North America resulted in Native Americans experiencing —

	A	an extensive loss of land
	B	an improved standard of living
	C	an increase in population
	D	a loss of interest in religious activities

In the early 1800s, industrialization increased in the United States because —

	F	European markets for American goods expanded
	G	higher prices required the creation of new factories to provide jobs
	H	interchangeable parts made the production of goods more efficient
	J	farming was no longer profitable

Use the excerpt and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? . . . I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!

— Patrick Henry, 1775

Based on this excerpt, a reader can conclude that Patrick Henry believed —

	A	the colonists would be labeled traitors
	B	negotiating with Great Britain was necessary
	C	freedom was worth dying for
	D	loyalists would join the patriot cause

Use the illustration and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

The accomplishments shown on the tombstone are associated with —

	F	Benjamin Franklin
	G	Thomas Jefferson
	H	James Madison
	J	John Adams

Use the excerpt and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Excerpt from “Concord Hymn”

These lines of poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson refer to the —

	A	Native American struggle against white settlers
	B	North’s battle to restore the Union
	C	American fight for independence from Great Britain
	D	clash over landholdings in Mexico

Use the map and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

Which area on the map was acquired by the United States as a result of the Mexican War?

	F	Area 1
	G	Area 2
	H	Area 3
	J	Area 4

One of the most popular and influential American novels of the 1800s was Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It addresses the topic of —

	A	women’s suffrage
	B	industry
	C	slavery
	D	westward movement

Use the excerpt and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

The Cherokee nation . . . is a distinct community, occupying its own territory . . . which the citizens of Georgia have no right to enter but with the assent [agreement] of the Cherokees themselves. . . .

— Worcester v. Georgia, 1832

In Worcester v. Georgia the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee nation. However, President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the ruling, and the result was the —

	F	Trail of Tears
	G	Missouri Compromise
	H	Bleeding Kansas conflict
	J	Texas Revolution

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