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Worksheets8th grade social studies
Total questions: 23
Worksheet time: 23mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
On what principle from the Declaration of Independence did President Lincoln base the Emancipation Proclamation?
a)
The principle that political power belongs to the people.
b)
The principle that the federal government should control slavery.
c)
The principle of limited government.
d)
The principle that all men are created equal.
2.
The purpose of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was to ____________________.
a)
announce the beginning of the Civil War
b)
surrender to certain demands of the Confederacy
c)
Remind Americans about the reasons why the war was being fought
d)
declare the official end of the Civil War
3.
Life for African Americans in the South changed after the Civil War because many African Americans ____________.
a)
were now free because of the Emancipation Proclamation
b)
received equal rights and opportunities under the law
c)
had gained the respect of the white population of the South
d)
were given high paying jobs
4.
What was the economic condition of the South after the end of the Civil War?
a)
Improved, as plantations were in the hands of former slaves.
b)
Fair, as most plantations became Union generals' mansions.
c)
Thriving, as the end of slavery enhanced working conditions
d)
Desperate, as homes and jobs were not available to most people.
5.
The Freedmen's Bureau was a/an _____________.
a)
Organization established by Congress to aid poor southerners after the Civil War.
b)
Organization made up of a group of newly freed African Americans.
c)
Group created to establish rules and regulations for freedmen in the United States.
d)
Group designed to aid Reconstruction by building the economy of the South.
6.
What did ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment mean for African Americans?
a)
It gave African Americans the same economic opportunities as white Americans.
b)
It provided African Americans with compensation for their labor during slavery.
c)
It gave African Americans citizens the right to vote.
d)
It provided African Americans with a future free from slavery.
7.
The Black Codes were ________________.
a)
laws passed that limited the freedom of African Americans
b)
laws passed that provided economic support for freed slaves
c)
identification numbers assigned to individual slaves
d)
demands from African Americans to southern governments
8.
How did members of the Ku Klux Klan demonstrate their anger towards African Americans?
a)
They lobbied Congress.
b)
They used violence and terror.
c)
They held peaceful protests.
d)
They voted against Democrats.
9.
The verdict (decision) in Plessy v. Ferguson
a)
decided that the Civil Rights Act of 1875 was constitutional.
b)
stated that the Fourteenth Amendment could only be applied at the state level.
c)
legalized segregation as long as "separate-but-equal" facilities were provided.
d)
ended the reign of the oppressive Jim Crow laws in the United States.
10.
What was the transcontinental railroad meant to connect?
a)
The southern United States to the North.
b)
The eastern United States to the West.
c)
Canada to the southern United States.
d)
Canada to Mexico and Central America.
11.
What did the federal government intend to do by establishing reservations for the Plains Indians?
a)
prevent clashes between warring tribes
b)
sustain a unique culture and way of life
c)
take advantage of their hunting skills
d)
use their land for mining and ranching
12.
What was the main effect of the expansion of railroads across the United States?
a)
rapid growth of cities
b)
increase in the price of steel
c)
decrease in interstate trade
d)
movement of city dwellers to the suburbs
13.
What effect did the moving assembly line, introduced by Henry Ford, have on the automobile industry?
a)
It reduced profits.
b)
It made cars safer.
c)
It decreased the cost of production.
d)
It improved working conditions in factories.
14.
The Sherman Antitrust Act was a law passed by the Congress in 1890 that
a)
allowed businesses to charge more than market value for a particular product.
b)
protected the rights of laborers working for large corporations.
c)
allowed corporations to force competitors out of business.
d)
prevented any corporation from creating a monopoly.
15.
Why did labor unions form?
a)
Immigrants did not want to compete with natives for jobs.
b)
Women wanted equal treatment in the workplace.
c)
Workers needed to increase their bargaining power.
d)
Factory managers would only hire union labor.
16.
What can you infer from the fact that many immigrants traveled to America in steerage (the bottom level of a ship)?
a)
Most of them did not have much money.
b)
They were unaccustomed to first class.
c)
Most of them were frightened of the open sea.
d)
They wanted to avoid motion sickness.
17.
Because of the transition into American culture was difficult, many immigrant families
a)
chose to live in areas populated mostly by American families.
b)
returned to their native countries after a few years.
c)
moved into neighborhoods with people from the same country.
d)
kept their native customs secret.
18.
Politics during the Gilded Age can best be characterized as having been
a)
corrupt.
b)
useless.
c)
honest.
d)
helpful.
19.
What was a consequence of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire?
a)
Business leaders volunteered to compensate (pay) injured workers.
b)
Working conditions around the country worsened.
c)
Laws improving factory safety were passed.
d)
Existing safety laws were enforced more strictly.
20.
Which of the following best describes the spoils system?
a)
It eased citizens' distrust of corrupt politicians and political practices.
b)
It helped many untrained and unqualified workers get government jobs.
c)
It marked the conclusion of a cycle of major government reforms.
d)
It allowed skilled people to replace unskilled workers in civil service jobs.
21.
The Pure Food and Drug Act protected consumers by
a)
prohibiting food and drug companies from monopolizing certain markets.
b)
requiring expiration dates be printed on all food and drug packaging.
c)
instituting price regulations limiting corporate profits on food and drugs.
d)
banning the sale and transport of mislabeled or contaminated food and drugs.
22.
Why was the purchase of Alaska by the United States in 1867 called "Seward's Folly?"
a)
Americans didn't want to own a territory so far from the mainland and so close to Russia.
b)
The United States had already annexed Samoa, and didn't need another Pacific territory.
c)
Americans thought the two-cents per acre price tag for Alaska was too expensive.
d)
Americans thought Alaska was nothing but a frozen wasteland and had no resources to offer.
23.
Which territory was annexed by the United States because of the economic value of its sugarcane plantations?
a)
Alaska
b)
the Midway Islands
c)
Hawaii
d)
Samoa
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