American History
Government
Government 2.0
American History 2.0
History 101
100
Review the following timeline:
- 1932 – FDR is elected to his first term as president.
- 1933 – FDR signs a law repealing Prohibition.
- 1936 – FDR is elected to a second term in office.
- 1940 – FDR is elected to a third term in office.
- 1941 – Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and the US enters WWII.
- 1944 – FDR is elected to a fourth term in office.
- 1945 – The US wins WWII.
- 1947 – The 22nd Amendment is introduced which limits presidents to two four-year terms
What conclusion is supported by the information in the timeline?
A. The 22nd Amendment was a response to FDR’s unprecedented four terms in office.
B. The attack on Pearl Harbor helped FDR win a third term in office.
C. FDR failed to fulfill a campaign promise to repeal Prohibition.
D. Voters elected FDR to a fourth term in order to show their appreciation for victory in WWII.
A. The 22nd amendment was a response to FDR's unprecedented four terms in office.
The timeline shows that FDR was elected as President four times, and then the 22nd Amendment was introduced. It is reasonable infer that this Amendment was a response to FDR's four terms. There is no evidence supporting any of the other claims.
100
Which branch of government approves new judges to serve on the Supreme Court?
A. The Judicial Branch
B. The Legislative Branch
C. The Executive Branch
D. The voters
B. The Legislative Branch
As shown in the chart, the Executive Branch appoints judges and the Legislative Branch approves judicial appointments.
100
The chart best illustrates which of the following principles?
A. Federalism
B. Popular Sovereignty
C. Judicial Review
D. Checks and Balances
D. Checks & Balances
The American government utilizes a system of checks and balances that enables each branch of government to oversee and exert some control over the actions of the other branches. This system is meant to prevent any single branch from acting autonomously, thereby preventing a centralization of power. The diagram shows that each branch of government is influenced by, and can influence, each of the other branches.
100
Three of the following statements about the Korean War are based on facts and evidence. Which one is based on speculation or opinion?
A More than 34,000 American soldiers died during the Korean War.
B The Korean War was the first time jet fighters faced each other in combat.
C The United States may have won the Korean War if General Douglas MacArthur had been permitted to use nuclear weapons against Communist forces.
D The Korean War began in 1950 and ended with an armistice in 1953.
C. The United States may have won the Korean War if General Douglas MacArthur had been permitted to use nuclear weapons against Communist forces.
This statement is speculating about how an historical event might have played out differently under altered circumstances. There is no way to prove this factually.
100
According to this map, the majority of Australia exhibits what climate type?
A. equatorial and temperate
B. tropical and grassland
C. desert and temperate
D. grassland and desert
grassland & desert
It can be seen that orange, representing desert, makes up the largest portion of the continent. Yellow, representing grassland, makes up the next largest portion. No other combination covers as much of the continent.
200
The following is an excerpt from the The Declaration of Independence:
Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
In the excerpt, what does the term abolish mean?
A. Validate
B. Change
C. Eliminate
D. Ignore
C. Eliminate
In this excerpt, abolish is used to describe eliminating or dissolving a government that is infringing upon citizens’ rights. The founding fathers acknowledged that doing so should be attempted only after efforts to alter or change the status quo had failed. Furthermore, should a government be abolished, it was the responsibility of the people to then create a government that better suited the needs and rights of its citizens.
200
Which fundamental principle of US democracy do these excerpts reflect?
The following are excerpts from the US Constitution:
Article 1, Section 8 – “The Congress shall have Power To... raise and support Armies… To provide and maintain a Navy… to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia.”
Article 2, Section 2 – “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States.”
A. Federalism
B. Limited Government
C. Separation of powers
D. Judicial Review
C. Separation of powers
Separation of powers refers to the division of government responsibilities into different branches. The purpose is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances.
200
Under the US Constitution, which body has the sole authority to declare war?
A. The President
B. The U.S. Congress
C. The Secretary of Defense
D. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
B. The U.S Congress
Only Congress has the authority to declare war, although it is the president who directs the conduct of the war. This is an example of the separation of powers outlined in the US Constitution.
200
Which of the following questions about NASA’s budget would be the most difficult to answer?
A. How does NASA spend its money?
B. Does the United States spend too much money on space exploration
C. How much of an increase did NASA receive over last year’s budget?
D. How much do we spend on astronaut training annually?
B. Does the United States spend too much money on space exploration
All of the other answer choices represent questions that can be answered with factual information found in government records. Answer (B), however, represents a question that is seeking an opinion of how the United States allocates its funds. As such, there is no clear-cut, correct answer.
200
The following statement is from George Mason, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787:
Whatever power may be necessary for the National Government a certain portion must necessarily be left in the States. It is impossible for one power to pervade the extreme parts of the U.S. so as to carry equal justice to them.
Based upon his statement, George Mason’s political views would best be described as
A. Federalist
B. Socialist
C. Anti-Federalist
D. Loyalist
Anti-Federalist
Mason, like other anti-federalists, supported the notion that America would be better served by a governmental structure comparable to what had been established by the Articles of Confederation following the Revolutionary War. He advocated for the majority of America’s governing power to be left in the hands of the individual states rather than be delegated to a strong, overarching federal government.
300
Examine the poster and answer the question that follows.
This World War II poster served what function:
A. Encourage protest against the war.
B. Promote support for the war.
C. Encourage the Axis powers to end the war.
D. Demonstrate the ineffectiveness of guns.
B. Promote support for the war
While men were on the battle lines, women were encouraged to contribute to the war effort by participating in factory work and other jobs traditionally held by men.
300
The graph below shows data from the United States census
Based on this data, which of the following statements is true?
A. In 2010, Hispanics were the largest non-white population group.
B. In 2010, whites accounted for less than half of the US population.
C. In 2010, blacks were the smallest population group in the US.
D. In 2010, Asians were the largest non-white population group.
A. In 2010 Hispanics were the largest non-white population group.
The non-white population groups include hispanic, asian, and black. The orange line represents hispanics, and in 2010 it is clearly higher than the other two lines.
300
This question refers to the following graph:
Given the above information, which of the following statements is the most logical conclusion?
A. A higher unemployment rate leads to more tax revenue
B. A lower unemployment rate leads to more tax revenue
C. There is no relationship between unemployment and tax revenue
D. A higher unemployment rate leads to more tax fraud
B. A lower unemployment rate leads to more tax revenue
The three highest unemployment rates correspond to the lowest tax revenue figures. Conversely, the three lowest unemployment rates line up with the years where tax revenue was the highest.
300
Review the chart below
What was the primary goal of the Confederacy in fighting the Civil War?
A. To rejoin the United States
B. To take control of the federal government of the United States
C. To remain an independent country where slavery was permitted
D. To wipe out the Union and destroy the northern states
C. To remain an independent country where slavery was permitted
The Confederacy (South) never aimed to conquer the Union (North). The southern states were seeking to become an independent country with the ability to retain the laws and institutions they had come to rely upon (like slavery and the plantation economy).
300
Which of these conclusions is supported by this graph?
A. The statutory debt limit helps reduce debt.
B. Total debt will exceed $18 Trillion in a few years.
C. Total debt has increased during the terms of the last 5 presidents.
D. Current levels of debt are not sustainable.
C.
Total debt has increased during the terms of the last 5 presidents.
The graph shows that debt has increased during the terms of the last 5 presidents. Even under Clinton, where there were some budget surpluses, the total debt at the end of his term is higher than it was at the beginning of his term. The other statements may or may not be true, but there is no evidence in the graph to support them.
400
Which branch of the federal government can veto legislation?
A. The president
B. The US House of Representatives
C. The US Senate
D. The US Supreme Court
A. The president
The President, as head of the executive branch, can veto a law passed by Congress. This is a crucial check to the lawmaking power of the legislative branch. However, Congress can override a presidential veto with a 2/3 majority vote by both the House and Senate.
400
Which statement about the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election is supported by the data in the table?
A. Donald Trump received a majority of the popular vote.
B. Hilary Clinton received a majority of the popular vote.
C. No candidate received a majority of the popular vote.
D. Donald Trump would have received a majority of the popular vote if he had received all of Johnson’s support.
C. No candidate received a majority of the popular vote.
Hillary Clinton won a plurality of the popular vote, meaning that she won more popular votes than any other candidate. But she did not win a majority of the popular vote because she did not win more than 50%. No candidate won over 50%, so no candidate won a majority.
400
The “right to bear arms” is granted by which amendment of the United States Constitution?
A. First Amendment
B. Tenth Amendment
C. Fifth Amendment
D. Second Amendment
D. Second Amendment
The Bill of Rights provides the first 10 amendments:
- Freedom of religion, speech, and the press
- The right to bear arms
- Freedom from housing soldiers
- Protection from unreasonable searches and seizures
- Right to a grand jury
- Rights of accused persons in criminal cases
- Rights in civil cases
- Excessive bail, fines, and punishments forbidden
- Rights reserved to the people
- Undelegated powers kept by the states and people
400
This chart provides a summary of President Lyndon B. Johnson's domestic programs:
Which of the following programs was designed to help people of all income levels?
A. Housing and Urban Development Act
B. Higher Education Act
C. Medicare
D. Medicaid
C. Medicare
According to the chart, Medicare "provides health insurance for the elderly." There is no mention of income levels; for all of the other choices, the chart specifies low or middle income.
400
The monetary value of all the finished goods and services that are produced within a country's borders in a specific time period is the:
A. Money Supply
B. Gross Domestic Product
C. Balance of Trade
D. Aggregate Demand
The Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is the main tool for measuring the activity of a country's economy. The GDP takes into account consumer spending, government spending, overall investment, and the total net exports. Money supply is the total amount of monetary resources available to a country at a given time. Balance of trade is the difference between a country’s exports and imports (or total net exports) at a given time. Aggregate demand is the total demand for goods and services in a country’s economy at a given time.
500
“On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Allied forces sustained more than 10,000 casualties.”
This statement is best classified as:
A. An opinion
B. A scientific conclusion
C. A fact
D. An inference
C. A fact
The statement is a factual piece of information that can be verified using official records and documentation.
500
Consider the following statements:
When prices rise, supply increases. When prices fall, supply decreases. When prices increase, demand falls. When prices fall, demand increases.
A. Farmers will produce additional beans when the price per ton goes down by $10.
B. Manufacturers will produce more tires when the price per tire goes up by $8.
C. Consumers will buy more apples when the price per dozen goes up by $1.50.
D. Consumers will buy less ice cream when the price per carton goes down by $1.
B. Manufactures will produce more tires when the price per tire goes up by $8
This is a case of rising prices leading to increase supply. When the price of tires goes up, manufacturers will work to produce more tires in order to profit from these high prices. Over time, this increased production will start to push prices back down.
500
According to the chart, which of the following states does not require a mental health background check to purchase a firearm?
A. California
B. Texas
C. Florida
D. Illinois
The second map, titled “Mental health,” shows which states require mental health background checks. California is not shaded, indicating that it does not require background checks.
500
On December 7th 1941 the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred this event led the United States to..
A. Bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki leading the US to become involved in WWII
B. Bomb Germany leading the US to become involved in WWI
C. Japan bombing China leading the US to become involved in WWI
D. The US never retaliated
A. Bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki leading the US to become involved in WWII
500
State governments have the power to perform which of the following?
A. Conduct elections.
B. Regulate trade between states.
C. Establish post offices.
D. Make treaties.
Conduct elections
Under the U.S. system of Federalism, there is a Constitutional division of authority between the federal (national) government and the state governments, with each retaining significant authority. The power to conduct elections is reserved for states. The other powers listed are delegated to the federal government.