Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

8th Grade STAAR Review - High Leverage TEKS

Total questions: 47

Worksheet time: 24mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the significance of the Pilgrims arrival in America?

a)

It led to an alliance between the British and the French

b)

It led to an early attempt at self government in the colonies

c)

It caused Puritans to separate from the Church of England

d)

It introduced the slave trade to the Atlantic colonies

2.

Which of these describes the primary reason for French colonization?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

3.

Which reasons correctly replace the numbers in this table?

a)

F

b)

G

c)

H

d)

J

4.

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

a)

establishment of royal courts

b)

the growth of representative government

c)

the implementation of the mercantile system

d)

the abolishment of indentured servitude

5.

What was one way slow communication with the British government affected the American colonies?

a)

the colonies united for trade and defense

b)

self-government developed in the colonies

c)

smuggling of goods in the colonies decreased

d)

The colonies petitioned the government to establish a navy

6.

Why is this sequence of events important?

a)

colonists created a legislature with two houses

b)

colonists declared independence from English rule

c)

colonists defended the concept of unalienable rights

d)

colonists established a tradition of self-government

7.

During the colonial period, what was one difference between slave labor in the North and slave labor in the South?

a)

more slaves in the North worked in gold mines

b)

more slaves in the North worked in cash-crop production

c)

more slaves in the North worked trade-related jobs

d)

more slaves in the North worked as craftsmen on plantations

8.

Which human geographic factor most likely prompted this observation?

a)

F

b)

G

c)

H

d)

J

9.

Which effects correctly replace the numbers in this cause-and-effect diagram?

a)

F

b)

G

c)

H

d)

J

10.

Boston, Massachusetts, and San Francisco, California, are geographically similar in that they BOTH -

a)

have a Mediterranean climate

b)

are located near active volcanoes

c)

have a hot desert climate

d)

are located on a coast

11.

Which description is an example of an unalienable right from the Declaration of Independence?

a)

Equality - people's education should be equal in every state

b)

Wealth - People's salaries should be dependent on their skills

c)

Happiness - people can do lawful things that they enjoy

d)

Patriotism - people can choose to join any of the armed forces

12.

In this excerpt, the authors of the Virginia Declaration of Rights are describing rights they consider -

a)

granted to citizens by their government

b)

natural and possessed at birth

c)

protected under religious doctrine

d)

defined by the courts

13.

According to the Northwest Ordinance, which condition did a U.S. territory have to meet in order to apply for statehood?

a)

Have a population of 60000 free settlers

b)

hold a vote on whether to become a free or slave territory

c)

establish one public school per district

d)

have a territorial governor appointed by the president

14.

Which document completes this excerpt?

a)

Declaration of Independence

b)

Treaty of Ghent

c)

Northwest Ordinance

d)

Louisiana Purchase Treaty

15.

The Great Compromise addressed disagreements over federal representation by -

a)

creating a bicameral legislature

b)

enumerating the powers of the central government

c)

giving veto power to the executive

d)

establishing three branches of government

16.

Why was this congressional structure created by the framers of the Constitution?

a)

to follow the plan outlined in the Articles of Confederation

b)

to reach a compromise between large and small states

c)

to reach a compromise between slave states and non-slave states

d)

to implement the outcome of a popular vote

17.

Which argument would a federalist make to support ratification of the Constitution?

a)

The Constitution will enable states to nullify laws that are harmful to citizens

b)

A strong federal government will be more stable than a loose confederation of states

c)

The Constitution will allow states to establish banks to stablilize the national economy

d)

A republican system of government will better represent large states

18.

Which chart correctly identifies reasons for and against ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution?

a)

F

b)

G

c)

H

d)

J

19.

Which group would have made these arguments in 1787?

a)

Free-Soilers

b)

Anti-Federalists

c)

Loyalists

d)

Federalists

20.

Which speaker is in favor of ratifying the Constitution?

a)

Speaker 1

b)

Speaker 2

c)

Speaker 3

d)

Speaker 4

21.

Why did the Anti-Federalists demand that a bill of rights be added to the U.S. Constitution?

a)

to strengthen the authority of the federal government

b)

to improve organization of the judiciary

c)

to give each state an equal amount of power

d)

to protect individual freedoms from the federal government

22.

This author is expressing her opinion about -

a)

recalling members of Congress

b)

impeaching the President

c)

disobeying the Supreme Court

d)

amending the Constitution

23.

Which numbered pair correctly replaces (1) and (2) in the table?

a)

(1) three - fourths

(2) eligible voters

b)

(1) two - thirds

(2) electoral college

c)

(1) three - fourths

(2) Supreme Court

d)

(1) two - thirds

(2) state legislatures

24.

This excerpt provides one example of which Constitutional principle?

a)

Checks and Balances

b)

Federalism

c)

Separation of Powers

d)

Popular Sovereignty

25.

A certain small town has many choices for people who want to attend religious services, including two churches, a synagogue, a cathedral, a mosque, and a temple. These choices are protected by the -

a)

first amendment

b)

third amendment

c)

sixth amendment

d)

Eighth amendment

26.

Which document was most influenced by this statute?

a)

The Declaration of Independence

b)

The Articles of Confederation

c)

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

d)

The Bill of Rights

27.

Which historical action was protected by the First Amendment guarantee regarding religion?

a)

The nativist Know-Nothing Party attracted more members

b)

Eastern communities forced Mormons to migrate to the West.

c)

City officials Worked to reduce the political power of Catholic immigrants

d)

Evangelists led revivals in New England

28.

Which situation violates the Eighth amendment protections regarding criminal punishment?

a)

A protester is jailed for violent acts at a political rally

b)

A person sentenced to life in prison for shoplifting

c)

A person sentenced to ten years imprisonment for assault and robbery

d)

A judge orders that an accused person be jailed until bail is paid

29.

Why was the Third amendment prohibiting the quartering of troops added to the U.S. Constitution?

a)

to address colonial treatment by the British military

b)

To maintain control over members of the British military

c)

To ensure the national government could pay for the U.S. military

d)

To reinforce the need for state militias in the United States

30.

Which constitutional issue contributed to sectional conflict before the Civil War?

a)

disagreement over the boundaries of the Oregon Territory

b)

growing support for limiting female suffrage and immigration

c)

the limits on free speech and press included in the Alien and Sedition Acts

d)

Debate over the expansion of slavery into the West

31.

What was one result of industrialization in the United States during the mid - 1800s?

a)

sectional differences increased

b)

the federal government prohibited immigration

c)

job opportunities decreased

d)

fewer public lands were devoted to transportation

32.

What was one effect of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850?

a)

The Republican Party lost influence in the federal legislature

b)

The Missouri Compromise was deemed unconstitutional by federal courts

c)

tensions among the populations of northern and southern states increased

d)

immigrants were forced to relocate from eastern cities to western territories

33.

Which statement BEST describes the importance of the Battle of Vicksburg?

a)

The Confederacy lost control of the Mississippi River

b)

It was the opening engagement of the Civil War in the South

c)

It was described as the bloodiest fighting of the Civil War

d)

The Confederacy captured military supplies from the North

34.

Which of the following expresses a goal of the Reconstruction Acts of 1867?

a)

To restore the Democratic Party to power in the South

b)

To rebuild the plantation economy of the South

c)

To protect the rights of African Americans in the South

d)

To encourage former slaves to leave the South

35.
a)

F

b)

G

c)

H

d)

J

36.

Which of these prompted Congress to propose the 14th amendment?

a)

popular sovereignty provision in the Kansas-Nebraska Act

b)

the positions taken in the Know-Nothing Party platform

c)

The Black Codes enacted by southern states after the Civil War

d)

The opposition by southern states to the Emancipation Proclamation

37.

How did Southern states respond to the ratification of the 15th amendment?

a)

By creating segregated public education system

b)

By shutting down all remaining offices of Freedmen's Bureau

c)

By imposing requirements designed to deny African Americans the right to vote

d)

By forcing African Americans to work as tenant farmers and sharecroppers

38.

The measures in this list are examples of ways southern states weakened the effect of the -

a)

Compromise of 1850

b)

Fifteenth Amendment

c)

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

d)

Dred Scott v. Sanford decision

39.

Irish and Chinese immigrants are best remembered for performing which type of laboring during the late 19th century?

a)

building dams in midwestern states

b)

digging canals across northern states

c)

building railroads in western territories

d)

constructing bridges in southern states

40.

Which of the following occurred as a result of these events?

a)

The president of Mexico refused to withdraw troops from Texas

b)

Parts of Southern Texas were returned to Mexico

c)

The United States acquired several territories from Mexico

d)

Mexico was forced to sell Florida to the United States

41.

Which of the following best completes the diagram above?

a)

Slave holding states

b)

Bordered by the Pacific

c)

Formerly part of Mexico

d)

Dependent on heavy industry

42.

Which factor contributed most to the population change shown in this table?

a)

completion of the Erie Canal

b)

Discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill

c)

Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad

d)

Relocation of American Indians to reservations

43.

In which court case was the U.S. principle of judicial review established?

a)

McCulloch v. Maryland

b)

Gibbons v. Ogden

c)

Marbury v. Madison

d)

Dred Scott v. Sanford

44.

What was the issue in Worcester v. Georgia?

a)

The taxation of Cherokee lands

b)

The use of subsistence farming by the Cherokee people

c)

the sovereignty of the Cherokee nation

d)

The abandonment of the Cherokee culture by its people

45.

What was the purpose of this amendment?

a)

to encourage citizens to monitor the federal government

b)

to prevent conflicts between state and local governments

c)

to limit the authority of the federal government

d)

to increase the participation of citizens in state government

46.

Which grievance from the Declaration of Independence is addressed by the Sixth amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

a)

"He has dissolved Representatives Houses repeatedly"

b)

"For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury and a speedy trial"

c)

"He has obstructed the .... laws for establishing Judiciary powers."

d)

"For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us ..."

47.

Which idea correctly replaces the question mark in this diagram?

a)

Due Process

b)

eminent domain

c)

free speech

d)

federalism