2015 Released STAAR

Which of these factors contributed most to the Dust Bowl?

• Flash flooding and intense deforestation

• Prolonged drought and poor farming practices

• High winds and railroad construction

• Severe heat and rapid suburban development

• Food Stamp Act of 1964

• Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965

• Child Nutrition Act of 1966

The passage of the pieces of legislation in this list resulted in —

• the regulation of cabinet-level agencies

• federal guarantees of income

• limitations on government expenditures

• the creation of programs to alleviate poverty

Why did gasoline prices spike during the 1970s and early 1980s?

• A natural disaster impeded offshore drilling for oil.

• Congress imposed new regulations on foreign energy companies.

• Conflicts in the Middle East disrupted the distribution of oil.

• Congress introduced new legislation to increase the fuel efficiency of vehicles.

Navajo soldiers made an important contribution to the Allied war effort during World War II by —

• designing radar technology for submarines

• flying bombing missions into enemy territory

• encoding military communications for secure transmission

• providing intelligence on enemy positions

There is hereby created [an agency] . . . , which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.

—Mission statement for the _______?______ , 1916

Which agency name belongs on the blank line?

• U.S. Geological Survey

• National Park Service

• Bureau of Reclamation

• U.S. Border Patrol

The rights of citizens under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution were violated by the U.S. government when it authorized the establishment of —

• internment camps for Japanese Americans

• the Office of War Mobilization

• nuclear test sites in Nevada

• the Office of Price Administration

We are on a mission to make sure that freedom is enduring. We’re on a mission to say to the rest of the world, come with us—come with us, stand by our side to defeat the evil-doers who would like to rid the world of freedom as we know it.

—President George W. Bush, September 26, 2001 How did

President Bush attempt to complete the mission described above?

• By overthrowing a dictator in North Korea

• By fighting a global war on terrorism

• By offering assistance to refugees escaping genocide

• By supporting the Arab Spring movement

During the Progressive Era, one goal of state-level political reformers was to —

• prevent party leaders from amending campaign platforms

• increase the influence of business owners on regulatory legislation

• promote the principle of direct democracy

• limit the use of judicial review by circuit courts

Which of the following was a direct result of the 1957 launch of Sputnik 1?

• The United States began a period of technology sharing with the Soviet Union.

• The U.S. government founded a federal agency dedicated to space exploration.

• The Soviet Union was unable to collect images of the United States from space.

• The Soviet government collapsed because of economic competition.

During the Civil Rights movement, the Black Panther Party’s tactics differed from those of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., because the Black Panthers called for —

• the use of the court system to gain equality

• respecting government authority

• the use of armed resistance if necessary

• enduring injustice through religious faith