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CAP Exam Study Guide 2025 — Worksheet Questions (Grade 8)

Total questions: 65

Worksheet time: 33mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What was the name given to the U.S. program designed to rebuild the South after the Civil War?

a)

Reconstruction

b)

Redemption

c)

Industrialization

d)

New Deal

2.

President of the United States during the Civil War and assassinated in 1865.

a)

Abraham Lincoln

b)

Andrew Johnson

c)

Ulysses S. Grant

d)

James Buchanan

3.

Who became president after the assassination in 1865?

a)

Andrew Johnson

b)

Abraham Lincoln

c)

Rutherford B. Hayes

d)

Theodore Roosevelt

4.

What does the term impeach mean?

a)

To formally accuse a public official of misconduct

b)

To remove a judge from office without trial

c)

To veto a law passed by Congress

d)

To appoint a new cabinet member

5.

Which statements correctly describe the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments? Select all that apply.

a)

Abolished slavery in the United States

b)

Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

c)

Established a national income tax

d)

Gave citizens the right to vote

e)

Created prohibition of alcohol

6.

Following the Civil War, which group attempted to return white authority throughout the South through violence and terror?

a)

Ku Klux Klan

b)

Freedmen’s Bureau

c)

Union Army

d)

Populist Party

7.

Black Codes were laws created in the South that limited the civil rights of African Americans.

a)

True

b)

False

8.

What event first drew people out west to mine for gold?

a)

Gold Rush

b)

Oregon Trail migration

c)

Transcontinental Railroad completion

d)

Homestead Act

9.

What is a Boom Town?

a)

A town that sprang up quickly during the gold rush

b)

A planned capital city

c)

A military fort on the frontier

d)

A farming village established by homesteaders

10.

What did the West symbolize for many Americans?

a)

Freedom, opportunity, adventure, independence

b)

Strict government control and high taxes

c)

Crowded cities and factory labor

d)

Old-world traditions and monarchies

11.

What event caused the cattle industry to boom?

a)

The Civil War

b)

Prohibition

c)

The Great Depression

d)

World War I

12.

What invention put an end to the open range ranching industry?

a)

Barbed wire

b)

Steam plow

c)

Telegraph

d)

Windmill

13.

Which were challenges people faced on the Great Plains? Select all that apply.

a)

Droughts and prairie fires

b)

Harsh weather and insects

c)

Intense competition

d)

Dense forests with abundant rainfall

e)

Coastal hurricanes only

14.

What was the purpose of the Homestead Act?

a)

Encouraged people to move west by offering land

b)

Raised tariffs to protect industry

c)

Created a national bank

d)

Ended slavery in all states

15.

What book was written by Helen Hunt that brought to light the mistreatment of Native Americans in the United States?

a)

A Century of Dishonour

b)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

c)

The Jungle

d)

Little House on the Prairie

16.

Map skills—Use the map. Which river is indicated by the arrow along the eastern edge of the region shown?

a)

Mississippi River

b)

Missouri River

c)

Rio Grande River

d)

Colorado River

17.

Map skills—Use the map. Which river is shown flowing from the northern Plains toward the central United States, indicated by an arrow labeled across Montana and into the Plains?

a)

Missouri River

b)

Mississippi River

c)

Rio Grande River

d)

Columbia River

18.

Map skills—Use the map. Which river forms much of the boundary between Texas and Mexico, indicated by the arrow in the southwest?

a)

Rio Grande River

b)

Mississippi River

c)

Missouri River

d)

Arkansas River

19.

Map skills—Use the map. Which major mountain range is indicated by arrows running north–south through the interior West?

a)

Rocky Mountains

b)

Appalachian Mountains

c)

Sierra Nevada

d)

Cascade Range

20.

Map skills—Use the map. Which labeled state lies on the Gulf of Mexico in the south-central United States?

a)

Texas

b)

Nebraska

c)

Wyoming

d)

Nevada

21.

Map skills—Use the map. Which labeled state is immediately north of Texas?

a)

Oklahoma

b)

Missouri

c)

Nevada

d)

Wyoming

22.

Map skills—Use the map. Which labeled state is shown west of the Rocky Mountains and east of California?

a)

Nevada

b)

Missouri

c)

Nebraska

d)

Oklahoma

23.

Map skills—Use the map. Which labeled state borders the Mississippi River to its east within the region displayed?

a)

Missouri

b)

Wyoming

c)

Nevada

d)

Montana

24.

Map skills—Use the map. Which labeled state is situated between Montana and Colorado along the Rocky Mountains?

a)

Wyoming

b)

Nebraska

c)

Oklahoma

d)

Texas

25.

Map skills—Use the map. Which labeled state lies directly north of Kansas in the Great Plains?

a)

Nebraska

b)

Oklahoma

c)

Texas

d)

Nevada

26.

What did Thomas Edison invent?

a)

Light bulb

b)

Phonograph

c)

Typewriter

d)

Telegraph

27.

What did Alexander Graham Bell invent?

a)

Telephone

b)

Radio

c)

Motion picture camera

d)

Electric generator

28.

What does GNP stand for and what is it?

a)

Gross National Product; the total value of everything a country makes in a year

b)

General National Policy; the government’s plan for the economy

c)

Global National Production; the amount of goods exported each year

d)

Gross Nation Percentage; the share of people employed

29.

How did Cornelius Vanderbilt make his fortune?

a)

Railroads

b)

Banking

c)

Automobiles

d)

Coal mining

30.

How did John D. Rockefeller make his fortune?

a)

Oil

b)

Textiles

c)

Railroads

d)

Construction

31.

How did Andrew Carnegie make his fortune?

a)

Steel

b)

Shipping

c)

Agriculture

d)

Timber

32.

What is capitalism?

a)

A system where people own businesses and seek profits

b)

A system where the government owns all property and sets wages

c)

A barter system without money

d)

A system that bans private ownership

33.

What is communism?

a)

A system where property is shared, government controls the economy, and pay depends on needs and work

b)

A system of free markets with little regulation

c)

A democratic system with elected representatives

d)

A monarchy with inherited rule

34.

Why were unions created?

a)

To fight for higher pay, shorter hours, safer conditions, and more say at work

b)

To eliminate competition among businesses

c)

To require all workers to be self-employed

d)

To reduce immigration

35.

What does the term laissez-faire mean?

a)

Government stays out of most business decisions

b)

Government sets prices for all goods

c)

Businesses must be owned by the state

d)

Workers vote on company policies

36.

Chicago was known for which industry?

a)

Meatpacking

b)

Steel

c)

Oil refining

d)

Automobile manufacturing

37.

Pittsburgh was known for which industry?

a)

Steel

b)

Meatpacking

c)

Oil refining

d)

Shipbuilding

38.

Cleveland was known for which industry?

a)

Oil refining

b)

Steel

c)

Meatpacking

d)

Logging

39.

Factory working conditions were described in the worksheet. Which statements accurately reflect those conditions? Select all that apply.

a)

Workers faced long hours

b)

Workers earned very low wages

c)

Conditions were unsafe and unhealthy

d)

People worked around dangerous machines with little protection

e)

Workers had few breaks or rights on the job

40.

What laws separated African Americans and whites in public areas and enforced discrimination?

a)

Jim Crow laws

b)

Homestead Act

c)

Sherman Antitrust Act

d)

Neutrality Acts

41.

By 1900, what percentage of the American people lived in cities?

a)

20%20\%

b)

30%30\%

c)

40%40\%

d)

50%50\%

42.

Which of the following are push factors that led people to leave their countries? Select all that apply.

a)

Poverty

b)

War

c)

Religious oppression

d)

Jobs

e)

Land

43.

Which of the following are pull factors that made people want to come to America? Select all that apply.

a)

Jobs

b)

Land

c)

Chance of a better life

d)

Poverty

e)

War

44.

What is a tenement, and what describes tenement living?

a)

Crowded, poorly built apartment-like buildings that were dirty, unsafe, and packed with too many people in small spaces

b)

Spacious single-family homes with modern plumbing

c)

Temporary work camps outside the city

d)

Government-built houses with strict safety standards

45.

For what reasons did the United States declared war on Spain in the Spanish-American War? Select all that apply.

a)

Spain treated Cubans badly

b)

Americans wanted to help and protect people living in Cuba

c)

Yellow journalism stirred up anger

d)

The USS Maine explosion pushed Americans to support war

e)

The U.S. sought to end trade with Europe

46.

The United States and Spain had a conflict over what island?

a)

Cuba

b)

Hawaii

c)

Puerto Rico

d)

Jamaica

47.

What ship exploded off the coast of Cuba?

a)

USS Maine

b)

USS Arizona

c)

USS Constitution

d)

USS Monitor

48.

According to newspapers at the time, who was blamed for the explosion near Cuba?

a)

Spain

b)

France

c)

Germany

d)

Mexico

49.

What was the name of the group Theodore Roosevelt formed to fight in the Spanish-American War?

a)

Rough Riders

b)

Minutemen

c)

Buffalo Soldiers

d)

Green Mountain Boys

50.

What was China’s Open Door policy?

a)

A plan by the United States to allow all countries to trade fairly with China

b)

A treaty that closed China to all foreign trade

c)

A policy that limited trade to one European nation

d)

A law requiring American companies to produce goods in China

51.

Who was president of the United States during the Spanish-American War?

a)

William McKinley

b)

Theodore Roosevelt

c)

Grover Cleveland

d)

Woodrow Wilson

52.

What is propaganda, and how was it used during WWI?

a)

Biased information used to influence people’s beliefs or actions; it was used by the U.S. and Britain to gain public support for the war

b)

Neutral reporting of events; it was used to provide balanced news coverage of battles

c)

Secret diplomatic letters; it was used to negotiate peace treaties

d)

Military codes; it was used to coordinate battlefield strategies

53.

What was the Zimmerman Telegram, and who sent it?

a)

A secret message from Germany promising Mexico help to regain U.S. territory if it joined the Central Powers

b)

A public statement from Britain inviting Mexico to join the Allied Powers

c)

A peace offer from the United States urging Germany to end submarine warfare

d)

A coded letter from France asking the U.S. to enter the war against Austria-Hungary

54.

Which description best summarizes trench warfare and life in the trenches during WWI?

a)

Soldiers lived in deep ditches to avoid enemy fire; conditions were cold, wet, and disease-ridden, and crossing “No Man’s Land” was dangerous

b)

Armies fought primarily on open fields with minimal fortifications and few casualties

c)

Soldiers stayed in fortified castles with dry, sanitary living conditions and quick battles

d)

Fighting took place mostly at sea, with sailors living comfortably aboard ships far from danger

55.

What caused the United States to officially enter WWI?

a)

The Zimmerman Telegram

b)

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

c)

The Schlieffen Plan

d)

The Treaty of Versailles

56.

How did the United States get more soldiers to fight during WWI?

a)

By instituting the draft

b)

By hiring foreign mercenaries

c)

By releasing prisoners to serve

d)

By relying only on voluntary enlistments

57.

What is a U-Boat and which country used it during WWI?

a)

A German submarine used by Germany

b)

A British battleship used by Great Britain

c)

An American troop transport used by the United States

d)

A French airship used by France

58.

In the acronym M.A.I.N., what does Militarism mean?

a)

Building up armies and weapons

b)

Promising to help other countries

c)

Fighting over colonies

d)

Strong pride and loyalty to one’s country

59.

In the acronym M.A.I.N., what does Alliances mean?

a)

Promising to help other countries

b)

Building up armies and weapons

c)

Fighting over colonies

d)

Strong pride and loyalty to one’s country

60.

In the acronym M.A.I.N., what does Imperialism mean?

a)

Fighting over colonies

b)

Promising to help other countries

c)

Building up armies and weapons

d)

Strong pride and loyalty to one’s country

61.

In the acronym M.A.I.N., what does Nationalism mean?

a)

Strong pride and loyalty to one’s country

b)

Promising to help other countries

c)

Building up armies and weapons

d)

Fighting over colonies

62.

According to the alliances listed, which countries made up the Triple Alliance?

a)

Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary

b)

Great Britain, France, Russia

c)

Germany, France, Russia

d)

Italy, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary

63.

According to the alliances listed, which countries made up the Triple Entente?

a)

Great Britain, France, Russia

b)

Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary

c)

Germany, France, Russia

d)

Italy, Great Britain, Austria-Hungary

64.

Who was the president of the United States during WWI?

a)

Woodrow Wilson

b)

Theodore Roosevelt

c)

William Howard Taft

d)

Franklin D. Roosevelt

65.

How were civil liberties restricted in America during WWI?

a)

The Sedition Act of 1918 made it illegal to speak or write against the war, limiting free speech

b)

The Espionage Act expanded voting rights during wartime

c)

Prohibition outlawed alcohol to increase military discipline

d)

The Open Press Act encouraged criticism of the government