8th Social Studies STAAR Released Questions - 2022 (Part 2)

Why is Thomas Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence considered to be one of his greatest contributions to American history?

• He showed responsibility by outlining the structure for a new government

• He helped define rights that would defeat tyranny

• He developed a military plan to defeat the British

• He outlined a strategy for acquiring the Louisiana Territory

Which event was one cause of the U.S.-Mexican War?

• The United States banned slavery in territories acquired from Mexico

• The U.S. Congress debated statehood for New Mexico

• U.S. and Mexican soldiers fought over disputed territory north of the Rio Grande

• The United States acquired the Mexican Cession

Which factor was a reason for the trade system illustrated on this map?

• Labor demands of the factory system

• Invention of the steamboat

• Labor demands of the plantation system

• Invention of the mechanical loom

In the early days of the colonies, a belief in these rights helped lead to —

• the establishment of royal courts

• the growth of representative government

• the implementation of the mercantile system

• the abolishment of indentured servitude

Which statement describes one result of the War of 1812?

• Great Britain lost control of Canada

• The United States gained control of the Oregon Territory

• The United States stopped trading with Britain and France

• Great Britain stopped the practice of impressment

Which statement explains an effect of the Missouri Compromise?

• The compromise maintained the balance between the number of free states and slave states in the Senate

• The compromise allowed slaves to be counted toward a state’s population for representation in Congress

• The compromise enabled Southerners to pursue fugitive slaves into the North

• The compromise ended the slave trade in Washington, D.C

Why did President Andrew Jackson oppose the Second Bank of the United States?

• He believed it was inefficient and poorly managed

• He thought it was unconstitutional and favored the wealthy

• He considered it an obstacle to industrial progress and expansion

• He believed it favored the rights of states over the federal government

Which title best completes this diagram?

• Innovations in the Cottage Industry

• Causes of Rural Development

• Expansion of Employees’ Rights

• Reasons for Urbanization

What was one effect of the Fifteenth Amendment?

• Immigrants faced less discrimination

• Black voters helped bring the Republican Party to power in the South

• Electors selected the president and vice president on separate ballots

• American Indian tribal land was divided into individual plots

Which geographic feature allowed the Mid-Atlantic colonies to have a longer growing season than the New England colonies?

• Thick forests

• Navigable rivers

• Flat land with rocky soil

• Mild climate