WorksheetsU.S. History Semester Exam Study Guide
Total questions: 100
Worksheet time: 50mins
Which merchants controlled the overland routes to Asia?
Portuguese
Muslim
English
Spanish
Which of the following statements characterized mercantilism?
“Economic concerns demand that businessmen be internationalists.”
“Economics is a win-win situation for everyone involved in trading.”
“Governments should treat all businesses equally with no special favors for anyone.”
“A nation’s wealth consists of the amount of precious metals—especially gold—that that nation holds.”
Who was Geneva’s most influential teacher and was instrumental in the Protestant Reformation?
Martin Luther
John Calvin
Walter Raleigh
John Cabot
Which of the following men explored for Portugal?
Martin Luther
Francisco de Coronado
Bartolomeu Dias
Christopher Columbus
Which country was Spain’s earliest competitor to reach the Far East and make early claims to new lands?
England
France
the Netherlands
Portugal
What name was given to the peoples of the Adena and Hopewell cultures that developed in what is now called the Midwest?
the Mound Builders
Pueblo Indians
Hopi Indians
the Woodlands Indians
The Eastern Woodlands Indians had a society that was
patriarchal.
mercantile.
monarchial.
matriarchal.
During the sixteenth century, which country dominated exploration of the New World?
Portugal
Spain
England
France
Which of the following is not true about Spain in the colonies?
Protestant missionaries were invited to come.
Soldiers did much of the exploration.
Much gold was found and taken.
Slavery was introduced.
The first great Spanish conquistador was
Francisco de Coronado.
Francisco de Coronado.
Ferdinand Magellan.
Hernando de Soto.
Which European nation first discovered a sea route to Asia?
England
France
Portugal
Spain
What was the primary motivation for the settlement of Massachusetts?
religious freedom
financial opportunity
reform of debtors
political freedom
Which of the following was considered a middle colony?
Maryland
Georgia
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Roman Catholics found a refuge in which colony?
Maryland
Georgia
Massachusetts
Delaware
Settlers came to America for all of the following reasons except
religious freedom.
riches.
land.
to join the British imperial army.
Which phrase does not apply to the Puritans?
holy commonwealth
city on a hill
emphasis on education
separation of church and state
The major difference between Pilgrims and Puritans concerned
obedience to the Roman Catholic Church.
the issue of baptism.
staying in the Anglican Church.
the issue of godly living.
Which was considered a New England colony?
Delaware
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Scots-Irish and German settlers
occupied lands in the backcountry.
stayed mostly on the coast.
came to America in small numbers.
were outnumbered by the Swedes and the French.
Infant death rates in the colonies were
the highest in the world at the time.
as high as 50 percent of live births.
lower than in Europe.
higher than in Europe.
The two largest non-English groups in America were
Germans and Swedes.
Scots-Irish and Germans.
Scots-Irish and French.
Dutch and Germans.
A major reason the Scots-Irish and the Germans came to America was to
search for gold.
start tobacco plantations.
fight the English.
escape religious intolerance.
The “colonial style” of architecture
was borrowed from Tudor England.
reflected French architecture.
showed the influence of the American frontier.
was an open log cabin.
A well-known minister in the colonies
Benjamin Franklin
Cotton Mather
John Copley
Devereux Jarratt
Who was the author of Poor Richard’s Almanack?
Cotton Mather
George Whitefield
Benjamin Franklin
John Copley
Which of the following was not a common addition to plantation houses?
glass
more rooms
central chimneys
piazza
What were dame schools?
village schools in New England
college prep schools for upper-class girls
plantation schools in the South
private schools run by tutors
Akachi was a(n)
Japanese soldier that switched sides and joined the Americans
indentured servant.
former slave
rice farmer.
Which of the following was true about education in the southern colonies?
Some would walk miles to borrow a book.
The majority went to a village school.
Private tutors were not an option.
Public libraries were unheard of.
Rice was a crop in
the South.
New England.
the middle colonies.
the middle colonies.
Instruction regarding Christian beliefs is called
Doctrine
gettin churched
catechism
a covenant.
Who founded what is considered the first Baptist church in America?
Gilbert Tennent
George Fox
John Eliot
Roger Williams
Which of these statements about John Eliot is false?
He preached to the Algonquins in their own language.
He translated the Bible into the Algonquin language.
He attempted to “civilize” the Algonquins before he converted them.
His converts were called “praying Indians.”
What was the most influential religious group in colonial America?
Puritans
Lutherans
Anglicans
Quakers
Which denomination did not allow infant baptism?
Baptist
Presbyterian
Catholic
Anglican
Which statement about the Salem witch trials is true?
Only people who professed innocence were executed.
Puritan ministers were the driving force behind the trials.
No one was practicing witchcraft at the time.
The citizens of Salem remained unrepentant about what occurred.
What was not a result of the Great Awakening?
dramatic growth of churches
increase in the number of religious colleges
end of divisions within America’s churches
greater democracy
Most American Lutherans came from
Holland.
France.
Germany.
Northern Ireland.
The largest Anabaptist group in America was the
Amish.
Mennonites.
Moravians.
Quakers.
The first book published in America was
the Algonquin Bible.
the New England Primer.
Poor Richard’s Almanack.
the Bay Psalm Book.
The most important phase of the church service in colonial America was
the pastoral prayer.
congregational singing.
Scripture reading.
the sermon.
Who became the leader of the Great Awakening in New England?
Samuel Davies
Jonathan Edwards
Gilbert Tennent
Theodore J. Frelinghuysen
The leader of the largest Anabaptist group was
Roger Williams.
Menno Simons.
George Fox.
John Huss.
Why did the Iroquois ally with the British?
The British governors had treated them fairly.
British trappers had made friends with the Indians.
The Iroquois feared the growth of French power.
The Iroquois’ enemy had supported the French.
What country was England’s main opponent during the wars that raged from the 1680s to the 1760s?
Germany
France
Spain
Austria
Which of the following events did not contribute to the alienation of the American colonists from Britain?
diversity of the colonists
strength of colonial self-government
taxes imposed on the colonies
the repeal of the Stamp Act
Which war brought an end to French power in the New World?
French and Indian War
King George’s War
King William’s War
Queen Anne’s War
What event sparked the French and Indian War?
A force commanded by George Washington clashed with the French near Fort Duquesne.
The colonists called the Albany Congress.
The British attacked Quebec.
The French refused to honor the Treaty of Paris.
Why was the Battle of Quebec important?
The American colonists proved their military skills.
The British captured the French Canadian capital.
The French stopped the British invasion of Canada.
Pontiac’s rebellion was crushed.
Nationalism grew in the American colonies for all of the following reasons except that
the colonies were isolated from Britain.
private ownership of land gave Americans a stake in their society.
all of the colonists had a common heritage from Great Britain.
the colonies were accustomed to self-government.
Who claimed the Louisiana Territory for France, including “all its nations, peoples, provinces, cities, towns, villages, mines, minerals, fisheries, streams, and rivers”?
Marquis de Montcalm
Louis XVI
Robert de La Salle
Marquis de Lafayette
France was a threat to the thirteen colonies for all of the following reasons except
France’s strong alliances with the Indians.
the British difficulty in defending its scattered settlements.
the large number of French settlers in America.
the failure of the colonies to present a united front.
Which of the following was not a consequence for the British of their victory in the French and Indian War?
increased land
an end of war for the next 20 years
debts that needed to be repaid
troubles in America
Which of the following did not happen as a result of the Boston Massacre?
John Adams was one of the defense attorneys for the British soldiers.
Five colonists died.
Two soldiers’ thumbs were branded.
The Stamp Act was issued.
Who became the “voice of the Revolution”?
Samuel Adams
John Dickinson
George Grenville
Patrick Henry
Which law or series of laws was a direct threat against the colonists’ power of the purse?
the Proclamation Line
the Quartering Act
the Stamp Act
the Townshend Acts
Which of the following events is not in chronological order?
Sugar Act
Stamp Act
Townshend Acts
Declaratory Act
What peace treaty brought an end to the French and Indian War?
Albany Congress
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Utrecht
Which of the following was not one of the colonists’ actions in response to British restrictions?
assassination of a royal governor
erecting effigies
boycotts
violence
Which of the following statements was not true of the Battle of Bunker Hill?
The Patriots used all their ammunition.
Much of the battle was fought on the slope of Breed’s Hill.
The British ended the siege of Boston.
The British had fewer casualties than the colonists.
Who was America’s ally during the War for Independence?
Italy
Germany
France
Russia
The Saratoga campaign was an important victory for the Patriots because
it brought France into the war.
it brought peace.
the British agreed to recognize the colonies as a separate nation.
it assured American control of the Northwest.
What sparked the Coercive Acts?
The Gaspee incident
The Boston Massacre
The Committees of Correspondence
The Boston Tea Party
Why did George Washington attempt to defend New York City?
Washington underestimated the power of the British.
Washington’s army was trapped by the British there.
The control of the city was essential to American victory.
Giving up the city without a fight would damage support for the war.
Which of the following battles helped raise American morale a few months after the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Long Island?
Camden
Trenton
Vincennes
Kings Mountain
What young French aristocrat became a major general in the American army?
Marquis de Lafayette
Baron de Kalb
Count Pulaski
Baron von Steuben
Where was “the shot heard round the world” fired?
Monmouth
Concord
Bunker Hill
Yorktown
In what capacity did the “Swamp Fox” help the war effort?
assisting Lafayette
launching guerrilla raids
making political speeches
providing financial support
What unexpected event turned Cornwallis’s secure position at Yorktown into a hopeless trap?
the defeat of his army in battle
the arrival of the Continental army
the arrival of a French fleet with reinforcements
the capture of a copy of his military plans
What was America’s single greatest contribution to political thought?
The Federalist
the Articles of Confederation
the Northwest Ordinance of 1787
the Constitution
What caused the Newburgh Conspiracy?
military discontent over back wages
unrest over defaulted farm loans
discontent over widespread unemployment
agitation by enemy agents
Which of the following best describes the government under the Articles of Confederation?
strong executive branch
strong judicial branch
unicameral Congress
strong legislative branch
What region was most opposed to granting the federal government control over trade?
the East
the Northwest
the middle states
the South
What was the most important accomplishment of the Annapolis Convention?
settling trade disputes between Maryland and Virginia
attracting representatives from all thirteen colonies
settling the issue of tariffs on exports
calling a new convention to remedy the weaknesses of the Confederation
Why did the colonists create a weak confederation?
No one saw the need for a strong central government.
Each colony was jealous of its power.
No one had experience in running a government.
The qualified leaders refused to participate in the confederation.
What decade was probably the most critical in our nation’s history?
the 1750s
the 1760s
the 1780s
the 1790s
In the original Constitution, which person or group of people was elected directly by the people?
the president of the United States
federal judges
senators
members of the House of Representatives
What caused Shays’s Rebellion?
officers’ discontent over back wages
unrest over farm loans
discontent over widespread unemployment
agitation by enemy agents
What unicameral plan did the small states support at the Constitutional Convention?
New Jersey Plan
Connecticut Plan
Virginia Plan
Three-Fifths Compromise
Which state refused to participate in the Constitutional Convention?
Virginia
New York
Rhode Island
North Carolina
Which of the following was not a provision of the trade agreement reached by the Constitutional Convention?
Slavery would be banned in twenty years.
Congress had power over foreign trade.
Congress had power over interstate commerce.
Congress could not impose export taxes on states.
What bicameral plan did the large states support at the Constitutional Convention?
New Jersey Plan
Connecticut Plan
Virginia Plan
Three-Fifths Compromise
Who said, “Thus I consent, Sir, to this Constitution because I expect no better, and because I am not sure, that it is not the best”?
George Mason
James Madison
Benjamin Franklin
Edmund Randolph
What issue first opened debate over constitutional interpretation?
assumption of state debts
the title of the president
creation of a national bank
salaries for congressmen
Who was the first chief justice of the Supreme Court?
Thomas Jefferson
John Knox
John Jay
Alexander Hamilton
Who was called “the greatest administrative genius in America”?
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
John Jay
Alexander Hamilton
What did the South accept in return for locating the national capital in the South?
assumption of state debts
funding of federal debts
creation of a national bank
the Bill of Rights
Who was generally considered the leader of the early Republican Party?
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
John Jay
Alexander Hamilton
The Federalists strongly supported
states’ rights.
federal spending on “internal improvements.”
small farmers.
strict constructionism.
Which of the following was not among the original executive departments?
State
Treasury
Agriculture
War
The United States broke the Treaty of Alliance with France because
the United States had no navy.
the French had broken their part of the treaty.
the French had overthrown their old government.
the United States had established a new government.
The main objectives of the first National Bank were to issue a unified currency and to
provide loans to the national government.
provide loans to local businesses.
regulate the stock market.
propose budgets for the Treasury Department.
With whom did the United States fight an undeclared war during the 1790s?
Britain
Spain
France
Germany
The main effect of the Jay Treaty was that it
increased trade with Britain.
averted war with Britain.
averted war with France.
ended the War for Independence.
Whom did John Adams choose as the chief justice of the Supreme Court?
Edmund Randolph
John Jay
Alexander Hamilton
John Marshall
The Democratic-Republicans strongly supported
a strong central government.
the national bank.
national debt.
the common man.
What situation made some Americans willing to accept the Alien and Sedition Acts?
the Quasi War
the Whiskey Rebellion
the formation of a national bank
the blazing of the Wilderness Road
Which of the following did not occur during Washington’s presidency?
Alien and Sedition Acts
Whiskey Rebellion
Jay Treaty
French Revolution
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions advocated
loose constructionism.
nullification.
implied powers.
sedition.
Which amendment is the most fundamental amendment to the Bill of Rights?
the First Amendment
the Second Amendment
the Sixth Amendment
the Tenth Amendment
