Directions: Using your notes, 411 files, and what you learned in reading the lessons, choose the best answer for each prompt. Once you have complete this practice exam, contact me so we can go over some of the items and answer any questions you may have.

The MJUS History exams are based upon the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards [NGSSS] requiring students to take their thinking from simple understanding to applying their knowledge. Our exams require a comprehensive look at history based upon the module content. This test is not ‘read and answer the questions’ type of exam. It is a read, think about the prompt, consider the who, what, where, why ,when, and where of the prompt, eliminating options which do not match, and then choosing the response that best answers the question type of exam! This practice guide is comprised of questions, which mirror the types of questions a student will experience during the exam.

Strategies for taking this type of exam:

  1. Read each prompt
  2. Consider the who, what, where, when, how and why [when applicable] in regards to the prompt
  3. Read each answer choice
  4. Eliminate the choices that don’t match based upon the who, what, where, when, why and how from the prompt
  5. Choose the best response that answers the question

Question 1: The North benefited greatly from cotton production. Why then was cotton a dividing issue and cause of the Civil War?
The North and South disagreed about how to export cotton.
Southern cotton growers needed slaves to harvest the crop.
The North and South disagreed on whether or not tariffs on cotton should be enforced.
Northern manufacturers felt they should benefit more since they processed the cotton.
Lesson 8.01

Question 2: What changed for slaves in the South immediately after the Emancipation Proclamation?###4#^
All slaves in the United States were freed.
Slaves were compensated for their labor.
Slavery became illegal in the United States.
Lincoln had no way to enforce it, so little changed.
Lesson 8.03

Question 3: How did the Civil War play an important role in establishing the United States as a country that protects the freedom and liberty of all people?
The United States became a country where people of different races and ethnicities could live freely.
After the war, the organization of the U.S. government was changed to allow any person the right to run for office.
After the Civil War, President Lincoln was elected and established the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all slaves.
The United States embraced the states that had seceded from the Union which allowed the country to become stronger and protect its citizens.
Lesson 8.04

Question 4: Which statement best describes the impact of slavery on the admission of new territories and states to the U.S.?
The Unites States government favored slavery as a way to boost population and make settling new land easier.
Most new territories were opposed to slavery in the wake of violent events like Nat Turner's rebellion and the siege of Harper's Ferry.
Both slave and free states felt that the other side would gain control of Congress if the balance of free states and slave states was changed.
Unless a territory contained a lot of land that was good for farming, the question of whether or not a new state would allow slavery was not discussed.
Lesson 8.01

Question 5: Which answer summarizes the basic argument between those who were for slavery in 19th-century America and those who were against it?
racism vs. tolerance
wealthy people vs. poor people
property rights vs. human rights
southern values vs. northern value
Lesson 8.01

Question 6: Why was the Siege of Vicksburg important to the outcome of the Civil War?
The Union gained control of the Mississippi River.
Vicksburg gave the Union armies hope for an end to the war.
Gaining control of Vicksburg gave the Confederates more power.
The Confederacy lost one-third of its entire army during the siege.
Lesson 8.03

Question 7: What effect did the 13th Amendment have on the United States?
It made state secession illegal.
It officially ended slavery in the entire country.
It explained the plan for reconstruction of the nation.
It declared assassination of a president a capital crime against the nation.
Lesson 8.03

Question 8: Why were 80 electoral votes not counted in the Election of 1864?
Citizens of the Confederacy did not vote during the Election of 1864.
A reorganization of states votes occurred because the Southern states had seceded from the Union.
A majority of the states felt the Confederates were corrupt, so their votes were not counted.
Northern states that opposed Lincolns reelection in 1864 refused to vote during the election.
Lesson 8.04

Question 9: Why did some Union citizens refuse to vote for Abraham Lincoln during the Election of 1864?
They disagreed with many of his decisions during the Civil War.
Many citizens did not agree with who Lincoln chose as his running mate.
The majority of Northern voters did not want to abolish slavery completely.
His indecisiveness during his first term made them feel he couldnt handle the job.
Lesson 8.04

Question 10: How many states continued to allow slavery but did not secede from the Union during the Civil War?
12
6
4
2
Lesson 8.02

Question 11: Use the map to answer the following question:

The map indicates four groups of states. The first group consists of: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware. The second group consists of: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. The third group consists of: Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. The last group is the Indian Territories. Using the map above, what does the group of states including Virginia represent during the Civil War?
the last states to surrender during the Civil War
the only states never to surrender during the Civil War
the last states to leave the Union after the Civil War began
the first states to leave the Union before the Civil War began
Lesson 8.02

Question 12: Which answer best describes the position of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas at the outbreak of the Civil War?
They waited until well into the war to secede.
They had not yet seceded when the war started.
They only seceded after attacked by Union forces.
They were the first states to secede before the war started.
Lesson 8.02

Question 13: What is one key advantage that helped the Union Army throughout the entire course of the Civil War?
The Union States had superior military leadership.
The Union States had stronger support from their citizens.
The Union States had a larger population during the Civil War.
The Union States were more familiar with the territory where the war was fought.
Lesson 8.02

Question 14: Which answer correctly explains how the Union had a financial advantage over the Confederacy in the Civil War?
The Union made citizens buy war bonds to fund the war.
The Union's international trade was undisturbed by the war.
The Union had a better system for moving money to pay troops.
The Union held the majority of the nation’s wealth in its banks.
Lesson 8.02

Question 15: When did conflict between Union and Confederate soldiers begin at Fort Pickens?
years after the Battle of Fort Sumter
years after the Battle of Bull Run
months before the Battle of Fort Sumter
months before Congress ratified the Thirteenth Amendment
Lesson 8.03

Question 16: Which answer best describes Congresses role in Reconstruction?
Congress rejected the idea of Reconstruction, thinking the Southern states should be responsible for their own rebuilding efforts.
Congress felt the U.S. Army should occupy the Southern states to maintain order and ensure former slaves were treated fairly.
Congress supported the idea that the Southern states should be readmitted to the United States and allowed to govern themselves.
Congress believed that the Southern states should be punished for starting the Civil War and only be allowed to govern themselves after paying large fines
Lesson 8.05

Question 17: Which answer best describes how many Southern states responded to the Thirteenth Amendment?
The states created new laws that further expanded the rights of the former slaves.
The states supported the Amendment and granted the former slaves all rights of citizenship.
The states created new laws that prevented former slaves from gaining equal jobs or education.
The states pushed for the passing of the Fourteenth Amendment to reduce the rights of former slaves.
Lesson 8.05

Question 18: Which answer best describes President Johnson's views on granting former slaves the right to vote?
Johnson believed that former slaves should never be allowed to vote.
Johnson felt that all former slaves should be allowed to vote if they became citizens.
Johnson thought that former slaves should pass a literacy test before they could vote.
Johnson worked to create legislation that would make former slaves want to vote for him.
Lesson 8.05

Question 19: In the 1868 presidential election, why did Grant have fewer votes in the North?
Grant was supported by the "Radical Republicans" in the South, but voters in the North wanted a more conservative president.
He had the support of African Americans in the South, but the right to vote for former slaves had not extended to Northern states.
Grant ran on the Democratic ticket, and the North was comprised mostly of radical Republicans who didn't want Grant as president.
The votes of African Americans in the North had been thrown out by those opposed to the new law granting all males the right to vote.
Lesson 8.06

What was the most likely effect of Jim Crow laws on the rights granted by the 15th Amendment?
Jim Crow laws made it difficult for African-Americans to buy the land needed to qualify to vote.
Jim Crow laws made it difficult for African-Americans to exercise the rights granted in the 15th Amendment.
Jim Crow laws encouraged more African-Americans to run for office so that these laws could be overturned.
Jim Crow laws encouraged social activists to move to the South during the late 1800s to uphold the 15th Amendment.
Lesson 8.06