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8th Grade Social Studies Final Exam Prep

Total questions: 53

Worksheet time: 4hrs 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The Homestead Act was mostly helpful for people who wanted to be...

a)

Farmers

b)

Miners

c)

Factory workers

d)

Preachers

2.

What was the main purpose of the Transcontinental Railroad?

a)

To make China more powerful.

b)

To help with transportation, communication, and to connect the nation.

c)

To make Native Americans move off their land.

d)

To give immigrants a job, to feel important, and needed in America.

3.

The American government forced indigenous people of the West onto areas called...

a)

Camps

b)

Reservations

c)

Resettlements

d)

Cities

4.

As a result of growing feelings of Nativism in the United States, the government passed laws that...

a)

Restricted immigration

b)

Made education up to the age of 16 mandatory

c)

Made becoming a citizen easier

d)

Required employers to pay a fair wage

5.

New arrivals to the United States often lived in cramped, tiny apartments called...

a)

Tenements

b)

Penthouses

c)

Projects

d)

Studios

6.

Andrew Carnegie got rich by...

a)

Developing a new way to make steel

b)

Inventing the lightbulb

c)

Finding new oil supplies out west

d)

Running the mafia

7.

Which of the following was not one of the countries where the greatest number of immigrants came from in the 1880-1920 period?

a)

Colombia

b)

Russia

c)

Italy

d)

Greece

8.

Which of the following is a known cause for deaths of 140 workers at the Triangle Factory (check all that apply):

a)

Someone set the fire on purpose

b)

Some of the doors out of the factory were locked

c)

There was no sprinkler system

d)

The workers had not been told what to do in an emergency

e)

There was no fire department in New York yet.

9.

A muckraker is a....

a)

Journalist

b)

Terrorist

c)

Union leader

d)

Politician

10.

Ida B Wells was mostly known for her work to end...

a)

Lynching

b)

Child Labor

c)

Domestic Violence

d)

Pollution

11.

Lewis Hine and Jacob Riis both tried to open people's eyes to the suffering experience by people living in poverty. They did this by:

a)

Taking photographs

b)

Organizing tours of poor neighborhoods so rich people could see what the deal was.

c)

Writing books

d)

Running for public office

12.

Booker T. Washington believed that African Americans should focus their energy on...

a)

Achieving economic success

b)

Winning voting rights

c)

Ending segregation

d)

Establishing communities out West that would only be open to African-American settlers.

13.

Upton Sinclair wrote a book called The Jungle that was about..

a)

How tough it was to be a meatpacker

b)

The experience of coming through Ellis Island

c)

The experiences of a solider in the Spanish-American War

d)

Life in a Hooverville

14.

What was made at the Triangle Factory?

a)

Women's blouses

b)

Furniture

c)

Candy

d)

Men's hats

15.

Which amendment banned the production and sale of alcohol ?

a)

17th

b)

18th

c)

19th

d)

20th

16.

Which amendment gave women the right to vote?

a)

18th

b)

19th

c)

21st

d)

There is no such amendment

17.

Which of the following were causes of the Spanish-American War? Check all that apply.

a)

The US government wanted to protect its business interests in Cuba.

b)

There was a mysterious explosion on the warship "Maine" that killed Americans.

c)

The US believed the Spanish were mistreating the people of Cuba.

d)

The US didn't want European countries to have any more colonies in the Americas.

e)

There was no Seamless then, so it was the easiest way to get Cubano sandwiches.

18.

Which of the following was a reason for the US entering World War I?

a)

Germany was using submarine warfare to sink ships in the Atlantic Ocean.

b)

Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor

c)

Germany had recently purchased Texas from Mexico.

d)

We were really, really mad about Archduke.

19.

In World War I, which of the following happened FIRST?

a)

Germany sank the Lusitania.

b)

The Treaty of Versailles was signed.

c)

A terrorist killed two members of the Austrian royal family.

d)

Russia declared war on Germany.

20.

Before the United States entered World War I....

a)

The two sides were locked in "stalemate"-- nobody was winning and nobody was losing.

b)

France was winning.

c)

Germany was bombing London and other English cities.

d)

Russia was planning on invading the Untied States.

21.

During World War I, who was president?

a)

Teddy Roosevelt

b)

Woodrow Wilson

c)

Herbert Hoover

d)

T'Challa

22.

World War I had which of the following impacts. Select all that apply.

a)

Nuclear weapons were developed.

b)

Russia became a Communist country.

c)

New nations were formed in Europe.

d)

The US took over France.

23.

All of the following were weapons used in World War I EXCEPT:

a)

Chemical weapons (eg, mustard gas)

b)

Tanks

c)

Airplanes

d)

Machine Guns

e)

Nuclear Weapons

24.

Americans purchased Liberty Bonds were purchased during both World Wars. What were they?

a)

Payments to get you out of the draft

b)

Small loans to the government to help it fight the war

c)

Canned goods to send to soldiers

d)

Newsletters to keep you up-to-date on current events

25.

Flappers were...

a)

Young trendy women of the 1920s

b)

A type of gun used in World War I

c)

Someone without a job during the Great Depression

d)

Religious Leaders

26.

These women outside the White House in 1917 are protesting because they want...

a)

Suffrage (the right to vote)

b)

Higher wages

c)

The right to divorce their husbands

d)

Access to better health care

27.

The Zimmerman Telegram caused the United States to...

a)

Declare War on Germany during World War I

b)

Invade Mexico

c)

Elect a new President

d)

Do the cha cha slide

28.

Following World War I, the Treaty of Versailles put harsh penalties on what country?

a)

Russia

b)

France

c)

The United States

d)

Germany

29.

Following the Spanish-American War, the United States acquired all of the following EXCEPT:

a)

The Philippines

b)

Hawaii

c)

Puerto Rico

d)

A Navy Base in Cuba

30.

The Philippine-American war happened as a result of...

a)

The Spanish-American War

b)

The Great Migration

c)

World War I

d)

The Great Depression

31.

The term "Great Migration" most commonly means...

a)

African Americans moved from the South to big cities in the North and West.

b)

People moved from the big cities of the North to farms out West

c)

Native Americans were forcibly moved onto Reservations

d)

People moved off farms destroyed by the Dust Bowl

32.

In this painting, Jacob Lawrence is showing what a scene from what major historical event?

a)

The Great Migration

b)

The Great Depression

c)

World War II

d)

The assassination of JFK

33.

The name given to the programs created by FDR to address the problems across the nation was...

a)

The Patriot Act

b)

The Great Society

c)

Bootstrapping

d)

New Deal

34.

On October 29, 1929 share prices on the New York Stock Exchange completely collapsed. This day is known as...

a)

Doomed Sunday

b)

Black Tuesday

c)

Wall Street Panic

d)

Daylight Savings

35.

The Dust Bowl took place in the

a)

Pacific Northwest

b)

Northeast

c)

Southern Great Plains/ Mid-West

d)

Mid-Atlantic States

36.

In cities across the USA people who lost their homes lived in makeshift shelters, what did people call these places?

a)

Hoovervilles

b)

Okies

c)

Bonus Army Bases

d)

Homeless Encampments

37.

Which of the following was a cause of the Great Depression?

a)

Taxes were too high

b)

The government passed set too many rules on the stock market

c)

People were buying too much on credit and not paying the money back

d)

There was a shortage of stuff for people to buy

38.

Roosevelt's New Deal tried to get the country back on track during the Great Depression by doing which of the following?

a)

Making health care free for all Americans

b)

Encouraging people to see a therapist to talk about their problems

c)

Creating jobs to put people back to work

d)

Making rent free for all Americans who needed it.

39.

During industrialization, a country goes through what important change?

a)

It moves to an economy based on manufacturing instead of on farming

b)

It becomes more diverse

c)

It moves from being a monarchy to being a democracy

d)

It becomes more religious

40.

Which of the following events occurred FIRST?

a)

The Allies invaded France to take it back from the Germans.

b)

Hitler became leader of Germany.

c)

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

d)

The United States used nuclear weapons against Japan.

41.

FDR's Executive Order 9066 gave the government the authority to...

a)

Lock up Japanese-Americans for the duration of the war without having to show any evidence.

b)

Order factories to hire women since many of the men were off at war.

c)

Draft young men to join the army.

d)

Create an ice cream sundae bar in every American school.

42.

The Manhattan Project was the name given to...

a)

The top-secret plan to build nuclear weapons.

b)

The American plan to trick German forces before the Normandy invasion.

c)

The Allied firebombing of German cities.

d)

The American policy of locking up Japanese-Americans during the war.

43.

What BEST describes the US strategy against Japan during World War II?

a)

Invade Japan with millions of American soliders

b)

Fight bloody battles on little Pacific Islands, taking over as many as possible.

c)

Send commandos to kill the emperor

d)

Trick Japan into invading the United States, where we could fight them more easily

44.

Before the US entered World War II, it...

a)

Gave money and supplies to the Allies

b)

Invaded France

c)

Made it easier for Jewish refugees to come into this country

d)

Tried to make a secret deal with Hitler.

45.

Which action by the federal government would Progressive reformers be most likely to support?

a)

Passing laws to protect consumers and workers

b)

Letting businesses do whatever it takes to get money

c)

Going to war with other nations to get their natural resources

d)

Making it so corporations don't have to pay taxes

46.

What was the major reason that African Americans migrated to northern cities during and after World War I?

a)

A surplus of cotton led to widespread farm foreclosures in the South.

b)

Discrimination had been eliminated in the North

c)

Political opportunities had expanded in the South.

d)

Industrial jobs were available in the North

47.

This map shows that:

a)

Before 1920, many states allowed women some voting privileges

b)

Before 1920, southern states allowed women full voting rights.

c)

Western states lagged behind other states in granting women voting rights

d)

Suffrage was not sought by American women until 1920

48.

The conditions shown in this 1936 photograph were caused mainly by

a)

periods of widespread flooding

b)

deforestation and overgrazing

c)

global warming

d)

drought and poor farming techniques

49.

The primary goal of this World War II poster was to convince the American public to

a)

register for the draft

b)

provide financial support for the war

c)

support the internment of Italian Americans

d)

defeat congressmen who voted to go to war

50.

In what way did the traditional role of many women change during World War II?

a)

They won leadership roles in Congress

b)

They accepted high-level management positions in war industries

c)

They were assigned to combat positions in the armed forces

d)

They took jobs in support of the war effort.

51.

Which two issues led to protests and riots in many American cities during the 1960s?

a)

space exploration and environmental pollution

b)

the Vietnam War and racial injustice

c)

inadequate health care and women’s liberation

d)

gasoline shortages and illegal immigration

52.

One reason the U.S. became involved in the Vietnam War was to

a)

prevent the spread of communism in Asia

b)

reduce French influence

c)

stop China from seizing Vietnam

d)

support the government of North Vietnam

53.

The domino theory was the belief that

a)

Latin America should become part of the United States

b)

Japan's use of nuclear weapons would lead to another war

c)

trade should be encouraged with as many countries as possible

d)

if we allowed one country in Southeast Asia to fall to Communism, then others would fall as well