Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

US History Semester 1 Exam

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

People who would move into an area, hoping to become rich from finding minerals, were known as...

a)

frontiersmen

b)

prospectors

c)

ranchers

d)

settlers

2.

In 1859, when prospector Henry Comstock staked a claim in Six-Mile Canyon, Nevada, the sticky blue-gray mud there turned out to be...

a)

fools gold

b)

iron ore

c)

lead

d)

silver ore

3.

At first, ranchers saw barbed wire as a threat because it

a)

harmed their cattle.

b)

kept their herds from roaming freely.

c)

prevented cattle from finding food.

d)

required much effort to maintain.

4.

Many Mexican Americans lost their lands in the West because

a)

American courts would not recognize Spanish land grants.

b)

Mexican courts forced them to sell to American settlers.

c)

they decided to leave the area before new settlers arrived.

d)

they fought against U.S troops during the War with Mexico.

5.

A glut of wheat on the world market led to

a)

an increase in the number of bonanza farms.

b)

an increased general demand for wheat.

c)

construction of new railroad lines.

d)

falling wheat prices paid to farmers.

6.

The army encouraged the killing of buffalo in order to

a)

force Native Americans onto reservations.

b)

make way for new railroad lines.

c)

protect crops.

d)

starve Native Americans.

7.

In 1864 Colonel John Chivington was ordered to attack the Cheyenne at

a)

Black Hills

b)

Little Big Horn

c)

Medicine Lodge Creek

d)

Sand Creek

8.

George Custer attacked a large group of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors at

a)

Sand Creek.

b)

the Black Hills

c)

the Little Bighorn River.

d)

Wounded Knee.

9.

Defying the orders of the government agent at the reservation, the Lakota continued to perform a ritual called the

a)

Bighorn Dance

b)

Buffalo Dance

c)

Ghost Dance

d)

Peace Dance

10.

The Dawes Act attempted to help Native Americans by

a)

giving them land for farming.

b)

reintroducing the buffalo to native lands.

c)

returning them to their native lands.

d)

sustaining their previous way of life.

11.

Railroad companies raised most of the money that they needed to build their railroads from

a)

hauling freight to market.

b)

private investors.

c)

selling government land grants.

d)

subsidies from tax revenues.

12.

A steel company that owns the coal mines, limestone quarries, and iron ore fields it depends on is an example of

a)

business integration.

b)

capital integration.

c)

stock integration.

d)

vertical integration

13.

The Great Northern became the most successful transcontinental railroad in part because of

a)

bribes the company gave to members of Congress.

b)

its founder’s good decisions and honest business practices.

c)

its investors’ ability to manipulate stock prices.

d)

land grants given to the company by the federal government.

14.

According to the graph, when did the production of steel begin to rise significantly in the United States?

a)

between 1870 and 1875

b)

between 1885 and 1895

c)

between 1895 and 1900

d)

in 1865

15.

Which factor leading to industrialization was not influenced by government policies?

a)

abundant natural resources

b)

cheap immigrant labor

c)

high tariffs

d)

networks of communication and transportation

16.

Laissez-faire relies on ____ to regulate prices and wages.

a)

supply and demand

b)

businesses

c)

government

d)

the GNP

17.

Combining many firms engaged in the same type of business into one corporation is called

a)

a holding company.

b)

a monopoly.

c)

horizontal integration.

d)

vertical integration.

18.

Who claimed there would be a workers’ revolution in which workers would seize control of the factories and create a socialist society?

a)

Anarchists

b)

Knights of Labor

c)

Marxists

d)

Pullman Company

19.

One reason for the country’s industrial success was its vast abundance of natural

a)

resources.

b)

gross national product.

c)

technology.

d)

enterprise.

20.

The American Federation of Labor pushed for closed shops, meaning that companies

a)

could only hire union workers.

b)

could not try to prevent strikes.

c)

would agree to collective bargaining.

d)

would not hire African Americans.

21.

The wave of immigrants that arrived in the late nineteenth century changed American society by

a)

bringing new ideas to American industries.

b)

changing the face and size of American cities.

c)

forming ethnic neighborhoods in many communities.

d)

rapidly assimilating into mainstream American culture.

22.

William M. Tweed was

a)

the designer of the first skyscraper.

b)

the inventor of the electric trolley car.

c)

the leader of the Workingman’s Party.

d)

the party boss of a political machine.

23.

In the late nineteenth century, southern states passed Jim Crow laws in order to

a)

ban the Populist Party.

b)

enforce discrimination.

c)

protect African Americans.

d)

put limits on voting rights.

24.

In 1896, the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the doctrine of

a)

civil rights.

b)

“equal protection.”

c)

the right to vote.

d)

“separate but equal.”

25.

Tammany Hall was the name of a

a)

dance hall.

b)

political machine.

c)

saloon.

d)

theater.

26.

The philosophy of Social Darwinism applied Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to

a)

biblical accounts of creation.

b)

human society and competition.

c)

political and economic issues.

d)

the social reform movement.

27.

In contrast to Social Darwinists, social reformers believed that society’s problems could be fixed only by

a)

encouraging competition and natural selection.

b)

helping poor people to help themselves.

c)

recognizing that people fail due to circumstances beyond their control.

d)

regulating the economy and helping those in need.

28.

The vast majority of immigrants arriving on the East Coast spent about a day at a processing center located where?

a)

Angel Island

b)

Ellis Island

c)

Staten Island

d)

Long Island

29.

Formed in 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings were the nation’s first

a)

sports team affiliated with a city.

b)

professional baseball team.

c)

World Series champion.

d)

college football team.

30.

Passed by Congress in response to the assassination of President James A. Garfield, the Pendleton Act

a)

brought an end to patronage and the spoils system.

b)

marked the beginning of a professional civil service.

c)

attempted to regulate rates charged by railroads.

d)

increased tariffs on textiles and many other goods.

31.

Who organized a rebellion in 1895 declaring Cuban independence?

a)

Jose Cuervo

b)

Teddy Roosevelt

c)

Jose Marti

d)

William Randolph Hearst

32.

Why did the U.S. feel obligated to intervene in the Cuban civil war?

a)

Yellow Journalism, as well as over $50M in business investments by Americans in Cuba.

b)

Cuba was a popular vacation spot for Americans at this time.

c)

Castro was in control and the U.S. was committed to ending Communism.

d)

None of the above.

33.

What happened in Havana Harbor in 1898 that triggered the U.S. to declare war on Spain.

a)

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

b)

The Cubans attacked several US Warships.

c)

The Spanish seized the USS Maine.

d)

The USS Maine exploded in the harbor.

34.

Who led the Rough Riders into battle in the Spanish-American War?

a)

William McKinley

b)

John Wayne

c)

Teddy Roosevelt

d)

Franklin Roosevelt

35.

At the end of the Spanish-American war, Spain lost Cuba, The Phillipines, _________, & Guam to the U.S.

a)

Germany

b)

Mexico

c)

Jamaica

d)

Puerto Rico

36.

Thousands died during the construction of __________ due to accidents, yellow fever, and malaria.

a)

The Roosevelt Corollary

b)

The Panama City Canal

c)

The Spanish-American Wall

d)

The Panama Canal

37.

Though Woodrow Wilson opposed American Imperialism, he still purchased _________ from Denmark.

a)

Cuba

b)

The Florida Keys

c)

The Virgin Islands

d)

Puerto Rico

38.

Wilson refused to recognize the government of ________ when General Huerta overthrew it and did not allow democratic elections.

a)

Spain

b)

Germany

c)

Maine

d)

Mexico

39.

Type of sensational, biased, and often false reporting for the sake of attracting readers.

a)

Jingoism

b)

Mandalorianism

c)

Yellow Journalism

d)

Pink Journalism

40.

A policy of joining the business interests of a country with its diplomatic interests abroad.

a)

diplomatic monetization

b)

dollar diplomacy

c)

jingoism

d)

Communism

41.

The Progressive Era aimed to move America from a _______ economy to one of government reform.

a)

bad

b)

corrupt

c)

Communist

d)

lassiez-faire

42.

The _________ exposed abuses and corruption in reform minded magazines.

a)

mudslingers

b)

muckrakers

c)

bootleggers

d)

yellow journalists

43.

Who wrote The Jungle?

a)

Teddy Roosevelt

b)

Jacob Riis

c)

Mark Twain

d)

Upton Sinclair

44.

The Jungle described the horrors of what industry?

a)

postal service

b)

meatpacking

c)

shipping

d)

waste disposal

45.

The 17th Amendment allowed

a)

women to vote

b)

voters, instead of state legislatures, to select their senators.

c)

the government to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages

d)

businesses to disallow black people from entry.

46.

Teddy Roosevelt ended the miner strike of 1902 by...

a)

leading the rough riders up San Juan Hill to victory

b)

parading the Great White fleet around the lake near the mines

c)

negotiating a compromise with no threat of violence

d)

threatening to use the military to seize control of the mines

47.

What statement best describes William Howard Taft?

a)

he was the exact opposite of Teddy Roosevelt politically.

b)

he was a conservative democrat who worked to keep segregation intact

c)

he hated Teddy Roosevelt and attempted to shoot him mid-speech in 1904.

d)

he was friends with Roosevelt and continued Roosevelt's Progressive policies

48.

What caused Roosevelt to join the "Bull Moose Party" in 1912?

a)

Taft controlled the Republican Convention so he unfairly gained their nomination despite Roosevelt's greater popularity.

b)

Roosevelt was no longer a Progressive thinker; he wanted to focus instead on Native American needs and named the party after the Sioux Chief Bull Moose.

c)

Roosevelt was shifting politically closer to a Democratic way of thinking, but he did not want to call himself a Democrat.

d)

He liked the name better.

49.

What happened in the election of 1912 as a result of Roosevelt running as a 3rd candidate the "Bull Moose" party.

a)

Taft won the presidency again because Roosevelt split the Democrat vote with Wilson.

b)

Roosevelt won by a narrow margin over Wilson and Taft by gaining some Republican and some Democratic support.

c)

Taft dropped out of the Presidential race due to ill health from his ever expanding girth, and the stress of Roosevelt running against him.

d)

Roosevelt and Taft split the Republican vote, so Progressive Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the election.

50.

Though Wilson was a Progressive and helped to create things like The Graduated Income Tax, The Federal Reserve, and The Underwood Tariff, he still on to what non-Progressive ideology?

a)

Women's Sufferage

b)

The Temperance Movement

c)

The Monroe Doctrine

d)

Segregation