What was the most important responsibility facing the Second Continental Congress?
A) to convince the colonists of the necessity for war
B) to win loyalty from the Indians
C) to organize the colonies for war
D) to find a strong political leader for the nation
E) to draft the Declaration of Independence
What was one consequence of the urban growth of the late nineteenth century?
A) urban renewal of neighborhoods
B) growth of middle-class neighborhoods
C) development of urban planning
D) powerful city political machines
E) construction of better housing
Which best describes the “gang” labor performed by many slaves on large plantations?
A) A group of white overseers pushed a small group of slaves to work around the clock.
B) Large groups of slaves worked side by side with their masters.
C) Groups of slaves worked from sunrise to sunset under a white overseer.
D) Slaves worked at their own pace with little supervision during an eight-hour day.
E) Large groups of slaves worked together to accomplish major projects.
In what ways was American democracy an illusion in the 1820s”1840s?
A) Although all white men began life with equal opportunities, women and African and
Native Americans did not.
B) Despite the impression that people had equal opportunities, distinctions of class and
education persisted.
C) Not only were women and African and Native Americans excluded, but economic
inequality was growing.
D) Only land owners could vote, and as there were so few land owners in the United
States, suffrage was not universal even among white men.
E) U.S. foreign policy in Latin America showed that the democracy Americans enjoyed
was not the same system they supported for their neighbors.
With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, President Roosevelt _______.
A) immediately declared war on Germany
B) immediately loaned war supplies to Britain and France
C) declared American neutrality
D) warned Germany not to invade France
E) made a secret pact with the Russians
How had life changed for Americans by 1920?
A) Their quality of life had improved.
B) One-quarter had lost their jobs due to a depression.
C) Only the rich saw their quality of life improve.
D) They could not afford mass-produced goods.
E) Life remained no different than their parents’ life.
Puritans viewed which of the following as essential to their New England
commonwealth?
A) strict adherence to personal hygiene measures
B) a flexible form of colonial administration
C) a healthy family life
D) the rapid creation of an urban society in New England
E) honest public officials
The most significant result of the Korean War was that it _______.
A) vindicated the United States in the eyes of the world
B) succeeded in unifying Korea for thirty years
C) brought about massive American rearmament
D) reinforced Truman’s popularity with the American people
E) inhibited the further expansion of communism
What was the platform of Sam Houston, the first president of Texas?
A) He fought to prevent the annexation of Texas.
B) He was against annexation in any form.
C) He was against annexation unless it included the Oklahoma territory.
D) He was for annexation but only if it included the New Mexico territory.
E) He was for annexation immediately after Texas declared independence.
How did irrigation create a rural class system in the West?
A) Native Americans owned water rights, so they became a wealthy, powerful class
divided from white farmers.
B) Rich Europeans invested in companies that sold diverted water and owned land,
while westerners became poor tenant farmers.
C) Irrigation created fertile land, which was sold to immigrants from southern and
eastern Europe for small farms.
D) Irrigation made once undesirable Indian reservations desirable, so Native Americans
were displaced and made to live as nomads.
E) Only the wealthy could afford to irrigate, creating a divide between landowners and
workers.
What were Johnson’s feelings about committing the United States to the war in
Vietnam?
A) He worried about the consequences of either withdrawal or invasion so he
committed to a large-scale but limited military intervention.
B) He worried about the consequences of being too cautious so he committed the
American military to an all-out invasion of North Vietnam.
C) He was worried about the consequences of a U.S. troop presence so he withdrew
troops to Taiwan and Japan while he reconsidered his options.
D) He worried about the spread of communism so he committed American troops to
two fronts: in Vietnam and in China.
E) He was worried about domestic unrest in the United States, so he decided he could
not commit more than 10,000 troops to the effort.
How did the question of slavery impact the Constitutional Convention?
A) It caused few real problems.
B) It generally saw northerners willing to support southern concerns.
C) It threatened to disrupt and destroy the work of the convention.
D) It found the southern delegates eager to compromise on most significant arguments.
E) It was resolved, but left the South at a disadvantage.
Belief in a national bank, high tariffs, and federally financed internal improvements best
describes the policies of which party in the 1830s?
A) Democrats
B) Republicans
C) Masons
D) Whigs
E) Federalists
Why did the original boundaries of Maryland present a problem to colonists?
A) They were vaguely defined.
B) They accidentally crossed into Virginia.
C) They did not extend to the coast.
D) They cut through territory of the Algonquin.
E) They extended much further than Charles I had planned.
What was the role of the Office of Economic Stabilization?
A) It provided lucrative contracts for urgently needed goods.
B) It rationed scarce goods, such as sugar and canned foods.
C) It settled disputes between different federal agencies.
D) It withheld income tax from workers’ wages.
E) It provided federal incentives to the manufacturing industry.
Why would most slaves typically prefer living and working on a plantation rather than a
small farm?
A) Plantation owners often worked alongside their slaves.
B) There were often better living conditions on plantations, and more possibilities for
social interaction.
C) Slaves often enjoyed a sense of camaraderie with plantation owners.
D) Rich planters usually avoided breaking up families on their plantations.
E) Working hours were always shorter on plantations than on small farms.
In the period of the rise of the colonial assembly, which of these changes took place in
colonial law?
A) A unique colonial legal system emerged.
B) Colonial courts disappeared.
C) Colonial law increasingly reflected German law.
D) Legal practices increasingly resembled those of England.
E) Legal issues were increasingly decided in England.
The most famous disclosure of espionage activities in the U.S. government in the late
1940s involved the case of _______.
A) Alger Hiss
B) Dean Acheson
C) George C. Marshall
D) Thomas E. Dewey
E) Henry A. Wallace
What explains why Irish immigrants were unlikely to protest poor labor conditions?
A) Labor protests were very unpopular at the time.
B) They had low economic expectations and conservative attitudes.
C) They were afraid of violent retribution from native-born Americans.
D) The Catholic Church strictly forbade all forms of protest.
E) They tended to find jobs with good working conditions.
Which of the following novels was so original in form and conception that it was
considered the ideal Young American novel?
A) The Scarlet Letter
B) Moby-Dick
C) Uncle Tom’s Cabin
D) Pride and Prejudice
E) Jane Eyre
Followers of the Great Awakening, who emphasized a powerful, emotional religion,
were known as ________.
A) “Old Lights”
B) “New Lights”
C) Presbyterians
D) deists
E) evangelicals
The Trail of Tears refers to ________.
A) the destruction of the national bank
B) passage of the “tariff of abominations”
C) the forced relocation of the Cherokees to Oklahoma
D) the nullification controversy
E) the Oregon Trail and westward expansion
The major source of Anglo-French conflict in the colonies was ________.
A) slavery
B) international naval supremacy
C) arguments over relations and treaties with Native Americans
D) political grievances
E) control of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys
How does Jackson’s interpretation of the ‘spoils system” compare to that of earlier
presidents?
A) He condemned it in theory and practice.
B) Jackson condemned Jefferson for using the system, but himself continued its use.
C) Jackson had been an outspoken opponent of the practice, but used it when in office.
D) Jackson spoke of the system as democratic in principle.
E) Jackson rejected the system, believing it maintained inherited privilege.
Following the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, ________.
A) the executive office became weaker in relation to Congress
B) the executive office asserted its authority
C) the Supreme Court gained in power
D) the Supreme Court became less influential
E) power was equally divided between the president and Congress
Why were many professionals attracted to the progressive movement?
A) They wanted to bar the lower classes from joining their professions.
B) They hoped to discourage women from entering the workforce.
C) They wanted to set educational requirements for their professions.
D) They were interested in asserting influence in the southern United States.
E) Many professionals were NOT attracted to the progressive movement.
During the presidential election of 1856, what did the Republican Party platform call
for?
A) popular sovereignty in the territories
B) prohibition of slavery in the territories
C) election of Fillmore, who opposed Buchanan
D) secession from the United States
E) election of Buchanan, who opposed Fillmore
American prosperity in the early 1800s was based on ________.
A) an industrial economy
B) manufacturing
C) monetary supplies
D) agriculture and commerce
E) the slave system
Where do the largest single group of Asian Americans come from?
A) Cambodia
B) China
C) Laos
D) Thailand
E) Vietnam
In 1865, about how many Native Americans were living in the western half of the
United States?
A) 10,000
B) 250,000
C) 500,000
D) 750,000
E) 1,000,000
What did Native Americans and African Americans have in common in the early
nineteenth century?
A) Both were enslaved by white Americans and used as cheap agricultural labor.
B) Both successfully resisted white American dominance with peaceful protests and
lobbying.
C) Both successfully resisted white American dominance with violence, often joining
together to do so.
D) Both were denied their citizenship and freedom in most areas of the United States.
E) Both successfully obtained their citizenship and freedom in most areas of the United
States.
What triggered Thomas Jefferson’s decision to make the Louisiana Purchase?
A) Spain closed the port of New Orleans to American commerce.
B) Great Britain invaded Cuba.
C) The citizens of New Orleans petitioned him to do so.
D) Napoleon sent troops to the Dominican Republic.
E) Jefferson realized that the U.S. would gain Florida as well.
Which of the following was NOT a consequence of the depression of 1893?
A) It changed American ideas about government.
B) It created a bitter fight over currency.
C) It brought about an interest in activism around the country.
D) It led to the dominance of the Democratic Party.
E) It produced widespread business failures.