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History/Social Studies Certification Exam Review

Total questions: 65

Worksheet time: 33mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

World History/Geography: Most early civilizations of Afro-Eurasia arose in physical environments that featured

a)

abundant temperate grasslands that could be used for the pasture of livestock.

b)

easy access to existing major long-distance trade networks.

c)

proximity to a reliable freshwater source that could be used for crop irrigation.

d)

plentiful wild game, fish and other food sources available for hunting and foraging.

2.

World History: Which of the following statements best describes a major impact of the Columbian Exchange on Europe?

a)

New food crops from the Western Hemisphere promoted better health and longer life spans in Europe

b)

Immigration from the Western Hemisphere significantly altered the ethnic makeup of Europe

c)

New diseases from the Western Hemisphere killed close to 90 percent of Europe’s pre-Columbian population

d)

New draft animals from the Western Hemisphere greatly increased the productivity of European farmers

3.

World History: The Chinese government responded to the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square by

a)

halting all trade with Europe and the United States.

b)

appeasing protesters by holding democratic elections.

c)

forcibly dispersing the demonstrations with tanks and troops.

d)

calling for a session of the United Nations Security Council to condemn the protests.

4.

World History: The Punic Wars resulted in which of the following?

a)

Sparta emerging as the strongest of the Greek city-states

b)

Rome gaining full control of the western Mediterranean

c)

Augustus Caesar becoming the sole leader of the Roman state

d)

The Persian Empire trying and failing to conquer Greece

5.

World History: Which of the following describes a position held by most Enlightenment thinkers?

a)

Organized religion is at the root of all social evils and should be abolished

b)

Social and political problems can be solved through the application of reason to practices and institutions

c)

Children are better human beings than adults because society has not corrupted children's natural instincts

d)

Separation of powers and a system of checks and balances are essential for the functioning of a democratic government

6.

World History: Which of the following was the main cause of the rapid decolonization that took place in Africa in the 1950s and 1960s?

a)

the rise of communism in Russia

b)

the end of the global slave trade

c)

depletion of natural resources on the continent

d)

a new global focus on human rights

7.

World History:  In which of the following ways did invasions from North Africa and the Middle East most affect society on the Iberian Peninsula following the 8th century?

a)

Invaders adopted and modernized Spanish political institutions.

b)

Invaders adopted the Spanish use of horses and exported them to their homelands.

c)

Invaders imported Islamic religion, philosophy, and social customs.

d)

Invaders brought with them the concept of representative democracy.

8.

World History: The Taiping Rebellion in China (1850–1864) and the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) were similar in that the rebels in both cases attracted popular support for their cause mostly by promising

a)

agrarian reform.

b)

universal suffrage.

c)

freedom of all religions.

d)

a return to monarchical rule.

9.

World History: Ancient Mesopotamia experienced frequent invasions that often resulted in the conquest or collapse of existing states. Which of the following factors was responsible for facilitating that tendency?

a)

The presence of an established network of paved roadways in Mesopotamia

b)

The ease with which potential invaders could sail down the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and attack settled societies in southern Mesopotamia

c)

The lack of major natural barriers between Mesopotamia and neighboring regions

d)

The vulnerability of Mesopotamia to seaborne invasions from India and Egypt via the Persian Gulf

10.

World History: In the period circa 1300–1500 A.D., Islam spread to Southeast Asia primarily through

a)

warfare.

b)

trade.

c)

migration.

d)

forced conversions.

11.

World History: One important factor in the expansion of the Inca Empire in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries A.D. was the Inca's

a)

complicated system of hieroglyphics that allowed for advanced communication among various peoples.

b)

extensive system of roads that allowed for communication and travel through the Andean highlands and between the highlands and the lowlands along the Pacific coast.

c)

standardized monetary system, use of credit notes and other financial instruments that facilitated long-distance trade.

d)

extensive importation of foodstuffs from Mesoamerica to support the population of the less fertile highland regions of the empire.

12.

World History: By the mid-1400s, silver coinage had replaced copper coinage and paper money as the primary means of exchange in Ming China. The change had which of the following long-term effects on the world economy?

a)

Prices of gold relative to silver collapsed in Europe, leading to a worldwide economic depression

b)

Large numbers of Chinese silver prospectors immigrated to neighboring countries, such as Japan and Burma, where silver was mined

c)

The use of silver in jewelry and other decorative personal items was largely discontinued in East Asia

d)

Increasing demand for silver in China was eventually met by imports of silver produced in the newly opened mines of Spanish America

13.

U.S. History: The widespread support for the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1787-88 demonstrates which of the following?

a)

the political effect of granting women the vote

b)

desire to return to British rule

c)

support for a weak central government

d)

dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation

14.

U.S. History: Which of the following most directly contributed to the launch of the First Gulf War in 1990?

a)

the overthrow of the Shah

b)

the election of George H.W. Bush

c)

the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001

d)

the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

15.

U.S. History: Which of the following groups of people constituted the main source of labor for the Chesapeake colonies before 1660?

a)

Indentured servants

b)

Landowning families

c)

American Indians

d)

Enslaved Africans

16.

U.S History: Which of the following was a significant objection raised by members of the United States Senate to joining the League of Nations after World War I?

a)

It did not require reparations to be paid by Germany

b)

It could entangle the United States in future European military conflicts

c)

It took away the president’s power to declare war

d)

It gave veto power over major policy decisions to China and the Soviet Union

17.

U.S History: What was the purpose of the G.I. Bill of Rights passed by Congress in 1944?

a)

To ensure that soldiers accused of war crimes received fair trials

b)

To ensure that soldiers accused of war crimes received fair trials

c)

To guarantee that members of the armed services had the same constitutional protections as civilians

d)

To provide educational and financial benefits to soldiers returning home from war

18.

U.S History: John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry and the Dred Scott decision similarly affected the United States because they both

a)

made sectional compromise more unlikely.

b)

contributed to the formation of the Whig Party.

c)

eased tensions between the North and the South.

d)

upheld the doctrine of popular sovereignty.

19.

U.S History: The United States Constitution as written in 1787 included an explicit provision for which of the following?

a)

The abolition of slavery

b)

A bicameral legislature

c)

Universal male suffrage

d)

Judicial review of legislative and executive actions

20.

U.S History: Which of the following factors contributed most to population growth in the British North American colonies between 1700 and 1770?

a)

New laws that increased the attractiveness of indentured servitude

b)

An increase in the importation of enslaved Africans

c)

Immigration brought about by agricultural decline in Europe

d)

Natural increase driven by farm families' growing need for labor

21.

U.S History: One Cold War policy initiated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration was

a)

making human rights the central focus of United States relations with the Soviet Union.

b)

sending American troops into any part of the world where communist forces were threatening an existing government.

c)

increasing the United States nuclear arsenal to ensure a military advantage over the Soviet Union.

d)

negotiating arms-reduction and trade agreements with the Soviet Union.

22.

U.S History: United States foreign policy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was primarily designed to

a)

protect the country from foreign invasion.

b)

extend United States military, cultural and economic power abroad.

c)

isolate the United States from involvement in foreign disputes.

d)

compete with European countries in establishing colonies in Africa.

23.

U.S History: Which of the following established the practice of legally segregating White people from African Americans in the South after Reconstruction?

a)

Jim Crow legislation

b)

Black Codes

c)

The sharecropping system

d)

The Freedmen's Bureau

24.

U.S History: One significant finding of the data in the 1920 United States Census was that for the first time

a)

immigrants outnumbered native-born Americans.

b)

there had been a reverse migration among African Americans as large numbers of African Americans returned to the South.

c)

the number of people living in urban areas was greater than the number of people living in rural areas.

d)

the number of women in the workforce was greater than the number of women who stayed at home.

25.

U.S History/Geography: In seventeenth-century North America, most British colonial settlements were located

a)

along the Eastern Seaboard or near major rivers.

b)

on the Great Plains.

c)

in the Appalachian Mountains.

d)

in the Piedmont region.

26.

U.S History: Which of the following ideas is contained in the Declaration of Independence?

a)

Citizens are entitled to petition the government

b)

Legitimate governments derive their power from the consent of the people being governed

c)

Economic conditions determine the course of history, making revolution inevitable

d)

Nations need a strong central authority to avoid discord and civil war

27.

U.S History: Which of the following leaders is best known for urging African Americans to concentrate their efforts on improving their education and economic status rather than on an immediate struggle to achieve political and social equality?

a)

Malcolm X

b)

W. E. B. Du Bois

c)

Martin Luther King, Jr.

d)

Booker T. Washington

28.

U.S History: Which of the following statements best describes the impact that Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin had on large cotton plantations?

a)

A decrease in the number of slaves and an increase in the amount of cotton processed

b)

An increase in the number of slaves and an increase in the amount of cotton processed

c)

A decrease in the number of slaves on large plantations and in the Deep South overall

d)

An increase in the number of slaves and a decrease in the amount of cotton produced by each slave

29.

U.S. History: In the years immediately following the founding of the American Republic, the concept of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" first gave rise to which of the following movements?

a)

abolition

b)

temperance

c)

suffrage

d)

socialism

30.

U.S. History: The United States government responded to the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s with which of the following policies?

a)

deportation of Cuban-Americans

b)

diplomatic recognition of the Castro regime

c)

an appeal to the United Nations for international aid

d)

an economic embargo

31.

Texas History:  Which of the following American Indian tribes inhabited present-day Texas and is best known for construction of ceremonial mounds?

a)

Pueblo

b)

Apache

c)

Caddo

d)

Comanche

32.

Texas History: During World War II, Texas became instrumental in the war effort by

a)

vastly expanding its petroleum-refining industry to produce more fuel.

b)

mandating the strictest gas-rationing policy in the nation.

c)

becoming the center of research and development for the Manhattan Project.

d)

becoming the main base for antisubmarine warfare against the Germans.

33.

Texas History: José de Escandón played a different role than that of Francisco Hidalgo during the formation of early Spanish colonial Texas in that

a)

Escandón sought to convert American Indians to Catholicism by building missions, whereas Hidalgo insisted he must live among the Indians and teach religious practices.

b)

Escandón suppressed American Indian rebellions and established new colonies, whereas Hidalgo built missions throughout southeastern Texas to convert American Indians to Catholicism.

c)

Escandón advocated a policy of assimilation of American Indians through education, whereas Hidalgo showed American Indians how to employ advanced agricultural practices so they could remain independent.

d)

Escandón explored the southern Texas coastline and negotiated a colonial border with France, whereas Hidalgo built military forts in the Rio Grande valley from which to attack the French.

34.

Texas History: The provisions of the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819 affected Texas by

a)

making Mexico, including Texas, independent from Spain.

b)

recognizing Texas as a territory free from Mexico.

c)

giving Florida to the United States in exchange for the United States relinquishing claims to parts of Texas.

d)

establishing the boundary between the United States and Mexico along the Rio Grande.

35.

Texas History: One of the reasons that Mexico granted Stephen F. Austin permission to start a colony in Texas was to

a)

keep the French from encroaching on Mexican territory.

b)

create a buffer between Mexico and American Indian groups living to the north.

c)

enable Mexico to levy a tax on cotton exported from Texas.

d)

establish a base for Mexican expansion into the southern United States.

36.

Texas History: Which of the following contributed most to the eventual disappearance of long-distance cattle drives in Texas?

a)

The invention and popularization of barbed-wire fencing

b)

The construction of the Interstate Highway System

c)

The withdrawal of Texas from the Union during the Civil War

d)

The destruction of land caused by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s

37.

Texas History: Which of the following describes a major accomplishment of Oveta Culp Hobby?

a)

As a political reformer, she helped lead the fight for women's suffrage and ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment

b)

As a lawyer and politician, she was the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress

c)

As head of the Women's Army Corps during the World War II, she organized women from across the country to fill roles left vacant by men fighting overseas

d)

As a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Texas, she fought for equal pay for African-American teachers

38.

Texas History: Which of the following was one significant result of the Texas oil boom in the early twentieth century?

a)

Other industries in Texas, such as lumber and railroads, experienced a decline in profitability

b)

The city of Houston grew from a small commercial center into one of the largest cities in the United States

c)

High school enrollment dropped in Texas because many teenagers left school to make money in the oil industry

d)

The state legislature moved the capital from Houston to Austin to avoid being unduly influenced by newly enriched oil producers

39.

Geography: Annual hurricane storms have the greatest effect on which of the following regions?

a)

Hawaiian Islands

b)

The US Gulf Coast

c)

South America

d)

Western Europe

40.

Geography: The British people's embrace of tea drinking is an example of

a)

assimilation

b)

culture

c)

diffusion

d)

adaptation

41.

Geography: The discovery of oil in the Middle East in the 20th century has affected these societies in which of the following ways?

a)

The highest income classes have grown wealthier while the number of individuals in poverty has increased.

b)

Western countries have ceased trading relationships with previous allies in the Middle East.

c)

The middle class has grown substantially throughout the region.

d)

Labor unions and socialist thought have taken hold in the region.

42.

Geography: The shaded region on the map represents which of the following climate zones?

a)

Warm semiarid

b)

Humid continental

c)

Mediterranean

d)

Humid subtropical

43.

Geography: A country is most likely to join the European Union for which of the following reasons?

a)

So that it can have the assurance of retaining its unique culture

b)

So that its citizens can use the same currency when traveling to other European countries

c)

So that it can exercise more economic power in the world market

d)

So that it can take unilateral military action to protect its interests

44.

Geography: Which of the following is an example of a network in sociology?

a)

people living in a neighborhood

b)

students in a school

c)

students in a class

d)

people who share an ethnicity

45.

Government: Which of the following best describes the purpose of congressional committees?

a)

to focus on a specific policy area and provide oversight of relevant legislation

b)

to allow the public more direct interaction with their representatives

c)

to provide power to the minority party

d)

to limit the number of legislators who see a piece of legislation

46.

Government: The Second Amendment protects the right to:

a)

Speak freely

b)

Bear arms

c)

Vote

d)

Petition the government

47.

Government: The concept of consent of the governed is best reflected in which of the following political systems?

a)

authoritarianism

b)

oligarchy

c)

anarchy

d)

democracy

48.

Government: The main way the media influences political campaigns is to:

a)

select candidates for the ballot.

b)

provide legislators with draft bills.

c)

amplify the discussion of particular issues.

d)

audit the results of an election.

49.

Government: Which of the following statements correctly explains how the United States Constitution may be amended?

a)

The president may propose an amendment, and Congress must ratify it by a supermajority vote

b)

Congress may propose an amendment by a two-thirds vote, and three fourths of the states must ratify it

c)

Three-fourths of the states may propose an amendment, and the Supreme Court must ratify it by a two-thirds vote

d)

Three-fourths of the states may propose an amendment, and the president must ratify it

50.

Government: The United States Supreme Court cited the idea of separate but equal to justify the decision in which of the following cases?

a)

Plessy v. Ferguson

b)

McCulloch v. Maryland

c)

Dred Scott v. Sandford

d)

Marbury v. Madison

51.

Economics: The large and sustained growth in China's GDP over the last twenty years indicates what about the Chinese economy and its place in the world?

a)

China is decreasing in economic output.

b)

The standard of living for the average Chinese citizen has increased.

c)

China is increasing economic output and becoming a more influential power on the world stage.

d)

China is increasingly relying on sources of renewable energy.

52.

Economics: A central bank can use its influence over the nation's money supply to affect economic conditions in which of the following ways?

a)
  1. raising the money supply to discourage consumer spending and reduce imports

b)
  1. raising the money supply to reduce interest rates and encourage investment spending

c)
  1. lowering the money supply to increase the savings rate and improve income equality

d)
  1. lowering the money supply to encourage borrowing and increase employment

53.

Economics: The production of any good or service requires land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurs. These collectively are known as:

a)

finished goods.

b)

factor markets.

c)

factors of production.

d)

supply and demand.

54.

Economics: Assume the United States does not currently impose a tariff on imported horse saddles from Spain. If a tariff were imposed, what would be the effect on the United States saddle market?

a)

Prices would increase because of a decrease in the supply of saddles.

b)

Prices would increase because of an increase in the supply of saddles.

c)

Prices would decrease because of a decrease in the supply of saddles.

d)

Prices would decrease because of an increase in the supply of saddles.

55.

Economics: The free-enterprise system as it operates in the United State is characterized by all of the following features EXCEPT:

a)

low barriers to entry.

b)

competitive prices.

c)

market competition.

d)

centralized output goals.

56.

Economics: Assume that the demand for soft drinks is relatively inelastic. If the government imposes a per-unit tax on the sale of soft drinks, which of the following correctly identifies how the tax will affect the quantity demanded in the market and who will pay the largest portion of the tax?

a)

The quantity demanded will decrease and sellers will pay the largest portion of the tax.

b)

The quantity demanded will decrease and buyers will pay the largest portion of the tax.

c)

The quantity demanded will increase and buyers will pay the largest portion of the tax.

d)

The quantity demanded will increase and sellers will pay the largest portion of the tax.

57.

Economics: Which of the following is the main incentive for entrepreneurs to take risks to start a business?

a)

Voluntary exchange

b)

Profits

c)

Specialization

d)

Competition

58.

Social Studies Foundations:  The use of annual statistics on the origin of immigrants to the United States would be most helpful in answering which of the following?

a)

where job creation is likely to occur

b)

which political party is likely to come into power in the next presidential election

c)

how the demographics of the United States are likely to change in the next decade

d)

which cities are likely to experience growth in the next decade

59.

Social Studies Foundations:  What type of location is determined when you locate your position on a global coordinate grid system?

a)

absolute

b)

basic

c)

distance

d)

relative

60.

Social Studies Foundations:  Which of the following documents is considered a secondary source?

a)

The United States census

b)

Plato’s Republic

c)

The Journal of American History

d)

The Treaty of Versailles

61.

Social Studies Foundations:  Which of the following activities best encourages reflective thinking by students participating in a mock election in their civics class?

a)

Predicting the outcome of the election using polling data

b)

Making a campaign poster in support of a candidate

c)

Researching the outcomes of past presidential elections

d)

Writing a journal entry describing the reasons behind their vote

62.

Social Studies Foundations: Which of the following graphic organizers is most useful for comparing and contrasting attributes of the North and the South in the period before the Civil War?

a)

Histogram

b)

Venn diagram

c)

Concept map

d)

KWL chart

63.

Social Studies Foundations: Which of the following is an example of a primary source?

a)

An encyclopedia article on Chinese culture

b)

A novel set in medieval Scotland

c)

A textbook on African history

d)

A Korean War soldier's letter to his family

64.

Social Studies Foundations: A teacher who wishes to incorporate historiography into a history lesson should present students with a

a)

study of maps and mapmaking.

b)

variety of competing historical interpretations.

c)

study of legislative documents.

d)

collection of primary documents.

65.

Social Studies Foundations: After a lesson on vocabulary words about the United States government, which of the following instructional activities would best facilitate students' understanding of the term "separation of powers"?

a)

A reading on the Madisonian form of government including separation of powers

b)

A lecture explaining the reason behind Madison's idea of separation of powers

c)

A nonlinguistic representation of the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government

d)

A summative assessment on the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government