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Created in 2009 by:
· Central Organizer:
Jaci Bedford
· Unit I – V Multiple Choice coordinator:
Leah Marino
· Unit VI – X Multiple Choice coordinator:
John Mooney
· Document Based Question coordinator:
Chelsea Alling
· Essay coordinator:
Walter Pendleton
UNITED STATES HISTORY
SECTION I
Time – 55 minutes
80 Questions
Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by five suggested answers or completions. Select the one that is best in each case and then fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet.
1. The Great Ice Age accounted for the origins of North America’s human history because
a. it exposed a land bridge connecting Eurasia with North America.
b. the glacial withdrawal allowed migration from South America.
c. the glacial withdrawal formed freshwater lakes that supported life.
d. when it ended European migration to the west became possible.
e. it prevented the migration of dangerous animals from the Bering isthmus.
2. After his first voyage, Christopher Columbus believed that he had
a. discovered a New World.
b. failed at what he had set out to do.
c. sailed to the outskirts of the East Indies.
d. sailed around the world.
e. reached the shores of Japan
3. The settlement founded in the early 1600s that was the most important for the future United States was
a. Santa Fe.
b. Quebec.
c. Jamestown.
d. Massachusetts Bay.
e. Saint Augustine.
4. The summoning of Virginia’s House of Burgesses marked an important precedent because it
a. failed.
b. was abolished by King James I.
c. was the first of many miniature parliaments to convene in America.
d. forced King James I to revoke the colony’s royal charter and grant it self-government.
e. allowed the seating of nonvoting Native Americans.
5. Match each colony on the left with its associated item.
A. Plymouth 1. General Court
B. Connecticut 2. Mayflower Compact
C. Massachusetts Bay 3. Fundamental Orders
4. Patron ships
a. A-3, B-2, C-4
b. A-2, B-3, C-1
c. A-4, B-1, C-2
d. A-1, B-4, C-3
e. A-3, B-2, C-1
6. Settlers of the Connecticut River colony developed a document known as the Fundamental Orders, which
a. marked the beginning of the colony of Connecticut.
b. established a regime democratically controlled by “substantial” citizens.
c. set up a military alliance in New England.
d. pleased King Charles I.
e. supported a government controlled by all people.
7. Bacon’s Rebellion was supported mainly by
a. young men frustrated by their inability to acquire land.
b. the planter class of Virginia.
c. those protesting the increased importation of African slaves.
d. people from Jamestown only.
e. the local Indians.
8. The Puritan system of congregational church government logically led to
a. an authoritarian political government.
b. the early establishment of religious toleration.
c. democracy in political government.
d. the end of town meetings.
e. none of the above.
9. One feature of the American economy that strained the relationship between the colonies and Britain was the
a. British demand to halt the importation of slaves.
b. growing desire of Americans to trade with other nations in addition to Britain.
c. lack of any British regulations regarding trade with foreign nations.
d. British rejection of the Molasses Act.
e. the Americans’ unwillingness to trade with the French West Indies.
10. The Great Awakening
a. undermined the prestige of the learned clergy in the colonies.
b. split colonial churches into several competing denominations.
c. led to the founding of Princeton, Dartmouth, and Rutgers colleges.
d. was the first spontaneous mass movement of the American people.
e. all of the above.
11. French motives in the New World included the desire to
a. establish agricultural communities to produce profitable staple crops.
b. convert Indians to Protestantism.
c. compete with Spain for an empire in America.
d. provide a place for French religious dissenters to settle.
e. compete with Portugal for an empire in America.
12. For the American colonies, the French and Indian War
a. ended the myth of British invincibility.
b. left them in need of experienced officers.
c. offered the opportunity to grow closer to the British.
d. gave them the opportunity finally to gain control of Mississippi.
e. helped improve relations between Britain and the colonies.
13. When it came to the Revolution, it could be said that the American colonists were
a. eager revolutionaries.
b. up until the end wanting more than the “rights of Englishmen.”
c. little concerned about economics.
d. clearly opposed to tightening commercial bonds to the British.
e. reluctant revolutionaries.
14. Match each act below with the correct description.
A. Sugar Act 1. First British law intended
to raise revenues in the colonies
B. Stamp Act 2. Asserted Parliament’s absolute
power over the colonies
C. Declaratory Act 3. Required colonists to lodge
British troops in their homes
4. Generated the most protest
in the colonies
a. A-3, B-2, C-l
b. A-1, B-4, C-3
c. A-1, B-4, C-2
d. A-4, B-1, C-2
e. A-2, B-1, C-4
15. Perhaps the most important single action of the Second Continental Congress was to
a. select George Washington to head the army.
b. draft new appeals to the king.
c. adopt measures to raise money.
d. postpone an immediate demand for independence.
e. support independence.
16. One purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to
a. warn other nations to stay out of the Revolution.
b. ask for an end to slavery.
c. appeal for fairer treatment by Parliament.
d. explain to the rest of the world why the colonies had revolted.
e. condemn Parliament for its actions.
17. The Articles of Confederation were finally approved when
a. agreement was reached on who would be president.
b. states gave up their right to coin money.
c. all states claiming western lands surrendered them to the national government.
d. the states gave up their power to establish tariffs.
e. a two-house national legislature was added.
18. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
a. provided for the survey and sale of public lands in the Old Northwest.
b. established a procedure for governing the Old Northwest territory.
c. banned slavery from all territories of the United States.
d. cleared the way for ratification of the Articles of Confederation.
e. gave control over land to the territories in which they were located.
19. Alexander Hamilton believed that a limited national debt
a. would do great harm to the nation’s economy.
b. might lead to military weakness.
c. could persuade individuals and nations not to lend money to the United States.
d. was beneficial, because people to whom the government owed money would work hard to make the nation a success.
e. could help his economic plans but not his political plans.
20. The event of the 1790s that has left the deepest scar on American political and social life is
a. the Whiskey Rebellion.
b. the French Revolution.
c. Hamilton’s economic plan for the country.
d. the trouble with Native Americans.
e. the development of the political party system.
21. The legal precedent for judicial review was established when
a. the House of Representatives impeached Justice Samuel Chase.
b. the Supreme Court declared the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional.
c. Congress repealed the Judiciary Act of 1801.
d. President Adams appointed several “midnight judges” to the federal courts.
e. the Judiciary Act of 1801 was passed
22. Macon’s Bill No. 2
a. forbade American ships from leaving port.
b. permitted trade with all nations but promised that if either Britain or France lifted its commercial restrictions on American trade, the United States would stop trading with the other.
c. forbade American trade with Britain and France but promised to open trade with either country if it would cease its violations of American neutrality rights.
d. repealed the Embargo Act of 1807.
e. halted trade with Britain.
23. The delegates of the Hartford Convention adopted resolutions that included a call for
a. a Constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote in Congress before war was declared.
b. New England’s secession from the Union.
c. a separate peace treaty between New England and the British.
d. the dissolution of the Federalist party.
e. war with England.
24. In diplomatic and economic terms, the War of 1812
a. was a disaster for the United States.
b. could be considered the Second War for American Independence.
c. was considered a victory for Britain.
d. resulted in the fall of the British government that concluded the conflict.
e. was a disaster for Britain.
25. In the 1820s and 1830s the public’s attitude regarding political parties
a. grew more negative.
b. saw little change from the early years of our nation.
c. reinforced the belief of the Era of Good Feelings.
d. accepted the sometimes wild contentiousness of political life.
e. none of the above.
26. Texans won their independence as a result of the victory over Mexican armies at the Battle of
a. Santa Anna.
b. Goliad.
c. the Alamo.
d. San Jacinto.
e. the Rio Grande.
27. The American phase of the industrial revolution first blossomed
a. on southern plantations.
b. with textile mills.
c. in rapidly growing Chicago.
d. with shipbuilding.
e. in coal-mining regions.
28. A major economic consequence of the transportation and marketing revolutions was
a. a lessening of the gap between great wealth and poverty.
b. a stabilization of the work force in industrial cities.
c. the declining significance of American agriculture.
d. a steady improvement in average wages and standards of living.
e. the growing realization of the “rags-to-riches” American dream.
29. The Second Great Awakening tended to
a. promote religious diversity.
b. reduce social class differences.
c. blur regional differences.
d. discourage church membership.
e. weaken women’s social position.
30. A genuinely American literature received a strong boost from the
a. wave of nationalism that followed the War of 1812.
b. writing of Charles Wilson Peale.
c. religious writings of the Second Great Awakening.
d. federal support for the arts.
e. none of the above.
31. By 1860, slaves were concentrated in the “black belt” located in the
a. border states of Kentucky, Missouri, and Maryland.
b. Deep South states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
c. old South states of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
d. new Southwest states of Texas, Arkansas, and Indian Territory.
e. mountain regions of Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
32. In arguing for the continuation of slavery after 1830, southerners
a. placed themselves in opposition to much of the rest of the Western world.
b. were in opposition to the North but on the side of the Western world.
c. failed to compare slaves with the northern factory worker.
d. allowed considerable dissent in the South.
e. aligned themselves with leading European intellectuals.
33. One argument against annexing Texas to the United States was that the annexation
a. could involve the country in a series of ruinous wars in America and Europe.
b. might give more power to the supporters of slavery.
c. was not supported by the people of Texas.
d. offered little of value to America.
e. would lead to tensions and possible war with Mexico.
34. The election of 1844 was notable because
a. the campaign raised no real issues.
b. a genuine mandate emerged.
c. it was fought over numerous issues.
d. Polk won the electoral vote but lost the popular vote.
e. it brought the slavery issue into politics.
35. The Free Soldiers argued that slavery
a. was unsuited to the West.
b. would cause more costly wage labor to wither away.
c. would, through its profits, enable small farmers to buy more land.
d. should be gradually abolished.
e. all of the above.
36. The Young Guard from the North
a. regarded preserving the Union as their top priority.
b. agreed fully with the Old Guard on the issue of slavery.
c. saw expansionism as a solution to the slavery question.
d. gave support to John C. Calhoun’s plan for rescuing the Union.
e. were most interested in purging and purifying the Union.
37. As a result of reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin, many northerners
a. found the book’s portrayal of slavery too extreme.
b. vowed to halt British and French efforts to help the Confederacy.
c. rejected Hinton Helper’s picture of the South and slavery.
d. swore that they would have nothing to do with the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law.
e. sent guns to antislavery settlers in Kansas (“Beecher’s Bibles”).
38. In ruling on the Dred Scott case, the United States Supreme Court
a. hoped to stimulate further debate on the slavery issue.
b. held that slaveowners could not take slaves into free territories.
c. supported the concept of popular sovereignty.
d. reunited the Democratic party.
e. expected to lay to rest the issue of slavery in the territories.
39. European powers favored a civil war in the United States because
a. they could regain control of a divided America.
b. war would weaken the United States’ power in the Western Hemisphere.
c. war could end the concept of balance of power in the Americas.
d. such a conflict would halt the flow of blacks to Canada.
e. two North American nations would have weaker economies than one.
40. During the Civil War, women in the North
a. generally played a small role.
b. worked on farms but not in cities.
c. saw their numbers in the manufacturing force greatly reduced.
d. had new opportunities opened to them in industry.
e. agitated for the vote.
41. In the 1848 presidential election, the Democratic and Whig parties
a. lost to the Free Soil party.
b. addressed the issue of slavery.
c. remained silent on the issue of slavery.