STAAR - U.S. HIST - 2021 RELEASE A

Read the list and answer the question that follows.

- Growth of social media

- Increased use of cell phones

- Election of first African American president

What time period is represented by this information?

• 1970s

• 1980s

• 1990s

• 2000s

Which action did Congress take to help protect native plants and animals from extinction?

• Passed the Endangered Species Act

• Constructed the Hoover Dam

• Passed the Community Reinvestment Act

• Established the Department of Energy

WORLD'S FIRST SKYSCRAPER, CHICAGO, IL, 1884

Study the photograph and answer the question that follows.

Which development made it possible to construct this type of building?

• the invention of a new process for manufacturing steel

• the government's focus on educating engineers

• the manufacturing of glass that blocks ultraviolet sun rays

• the importation of stronger kinds of wood

Answer explanation

The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace

Read the list and answer the question that follows.

-- suffrage for African American men

-- suffrage for women

-- suffrage for 18 year-old men and women

How were these rights formally obtained?

• by granting citizenship to immigrants

• by passing antitrust legislation

• by ratifying constitutional amendments

• by engaging in an international conflict

What was one result of the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s?

• state governments took over the responsibility of protecting minority rights

• the federal government was no longer responsible for protecting natural resources

• state governments could no longer control their budgets

• the federal government provided aid to people suffering from unemployment

Which statement describes one of the MOST important reasons why the United States annexed the Kingdom of Hawaii?

• the islands offered excellent locations for tropical resorts

• the local residents needed help to prevent the spread of poverty and disease

• the location was strategically valuable to both military and business leaders

• the local rulers wanted financial assistance to rebuild after a natural disaster

Read the excerpt and answer the question that follows.

"Do Everything"

-- An all-round movement can only be carried forward by all-round advocates. . . . Our WCTU is a school. . . . Here we try our wings that . . . we may calmly take our places and prove to the world that what it needed most was two heads in counsel as well as "two beside the heart." When that day comes, the nation shall no longer miss as now the influence of halt its wisdom, more than half its purity and nearly all its gentleness, in courts of justice and halls of legislation. Then shall one code of morals--and that the highest--govern both men and women; then shall the Sabbath be respected, the rights of the poor be recognized, the liquor traffic banished, and the home protected from all its foes.

-A Handbook for the World's White Ribboners, 1895

How did the White Ribboners contribute to U.S. society during the late 1800s?

• by supporting the movement to end Reconstruction and Jim Crow

• by establishing labor unions for women and children

• by winning the right to vote for Africa Americans and immigrants

• by leading efforts to achieve prohibition and women's suffrage

Study the table and answer the question that follows.

AGREEMENTS WITHIN THE GENEVA ACCORDS, 1954

Agreement 1 -- The French government and the North Vietnamese forces agreed to a cease-fire and a temporary division of Vietnam along 17th parallel

Agreement 2 -- Neither North Vietnam nor South Vietnam would join alliances with outside parties, and general elections to unify the country were scheduled for 1956

Why was the United States concerned about Agreement 2?

• officials believed the election would lead to a civil war and revolution

• Congress members feared foreign policy decisions would lead to criticism at home

• the administration opposed the creation of regional alliances

• leaders feared Communist officials would win the election and take over the country

Which action BEST prepares a responsible citizen to vote?

• staying informed about issues affecting the country and communities

• defending the country through military service if the need arises

• getting a high-paying job with health care and retirement benefits

• participating on a grand jury on a regular basis

Study the photograph and answer the question that follows.

Chairman of the Chines Communist Party Mao Zedong Shakes Hands with U.S. President Richard Nixon, February 29, 1971

What was one of President Nixon's goals for the meeting shown in this photograph?

• to negotiate the withdrawal of U.S. and Chinese soldiers from Korea

• to create a military alliance with China against the Soviet Union

• to create an agreement limiting Chinese and Soviet development of nuclear weapons

• to normalize relations between the United States and China