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Source for Questions 1–3—Adapted from John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity” (1630), a sermon delivered to Puritan settlers bound for Massachusetts Bay. “For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.” In this passage, what did Winthrop mean by describing the colony as “a city upon a hill”?
Winthrop's language most directly reflects which feature of Puritan society in New England?
A historian argues that Winthrop's sermon helped shape a lasting theme in American self-perception. Which later idea most directly echoes the “city upon a hill” image?
Before sustained European colonization, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy was best described as:
Bacon's Rebellion (1676) in Virginia is often cited by historians as a turning point because it:
The English Navigation Acts of the mid-1600s were designed chiefly to:
Source for Questions 7–8—Adapted from Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776). “There is something absurd in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island. In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet. Everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation; the weeping voice of nature cries that it is time to part.” What is Paine's central argument in this passage?
Common Sense is credited with a major effect on colonial opinion in 1776 chiefly because it:
Source for Question 9—Constructed passage in the voice of a colonial pamphleteer, about 1765. “The Americans yield to no one in loyalty to the Crown. They have always paid the ordinary charges of their own governments. Yet Parliament has begun to tax them although they send not one representative to it. To be taxed by a legislature in which one has no voice is to be taxed without one's consent. Only the assemblies that the colonists themselves elect have any rightful power to tax them.” Which sentence from the passage most directly states its central objection to the new taxes?
The Battle of Saratoga (1777) is considered a turning point of the Revolutionary War mainly because it:
The long list of grievances against King George III in the Declaration of Independence was included primarily to:
The Constitution drafted in 1787 created a national government far stronger than the one under the Articles of Confederation. Which TWO of the following were features of the new Constitution that strengthened the national government? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
Source for Questions 13–15—Constructed data table: growth of freedpeople's schools in a Southern state, 1866–1870. Read the headings before drawing a conclusion.
| Year | Schools | Students enrolled | Teachers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1866 | 250 | 12,000 | 320 |
| 1868 | 610 | 38,000 | 900 |
| 1870 | 940 | 61,000 | 1,450 |
Which conclusion is best supported by the table?
The expansion shown in the table was made possible largely by which Reconstruction-era institution?
A historian who uses this table to argue that Reconstruction expanded lasting opportunity for freedpeople would most need which additional piece of evidence?
After the Civil War, the sharecropping system that spread across the South most often resulted in:
The Civil Rights Act of 1875, passed by Congress near the close of Reconstruction, was intended chiefly to:
The Black Codes passed by Southern state legislatures immediately after the Civil War were laws designed to:
Source for Questions 19–20—Constructed diagram of the colonial triangular trade. Each arrow shows what moved along one leg of the route.
According to the diagram, what moved along the route from West Africa to the Americas?
The pattern of exchange shown in the diagram most directly contributed to which development in the American colonies?
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln in 1863, declared free the enslaved people in:
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 attempted to preserve the balance between free and slave states by:
The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 is best known as:
Which TWO of the following were major effects of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 on the United States? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
Source for Questions 25–27—Constructed timeline: the road to the American Revolution. Use the order of events to answer.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1765 | Stamp Act |
| 1770 | Boston Massacre |
| 1773 | Boston Tea Party |
| 1774 | Intolerable (Coercive) Acts |
| 1775 | Battles of Lexington and Concord |
| 1776 | Declaration of Independence |
According to the timeline, which event immediately preceded the Battles of Lexington and Concord?
The overall sequence shown in the timeline best illustrates which pattern in the years before 1776?
A student claims that the Boston Tea Party directly caused the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Using the timeline, the most accurate correction is that:
The Great Compromise reached at the 1787 Constitutional Convention resolved a dispute between large and small states by:
The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 declared that the United States would:
Eli Whitney's cotton gin (1793) had which major and unintended effect on the American South?
Source for Questions 31–32—Adapted from the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (ratified 1868). “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The citizenship clause quoted above was included in the amendment primarily to:
Together with the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, the Fourteenth is one of the “Reconstruction Amendments.” What did these three amendments collectively accomplish?
The completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 most directly contributed to:
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is commonly identified as the first significant federal law to:
During the Progressive Era, which TWO of the following were muckraking journalists who exposed abuses in business or government? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
Which TWO territories did the United States acquire from Spain by the treaty ending the Spanish-American War of 1898? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
The New Deal programs launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s were primarily intended to:
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, led most directly to:
The Marshall Plan, enacted by the United States in 1948, was designed to:
The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–1956 is significant in the civil rights movement because it:
Source for Questions 41–43—Adapted from Polybius, Histories, Book VI (c. 150 BCE). Read the passage before answering. “The three kinds of government—monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy—were all combined in the Roman constitution. The consuls exercise a power resembling that of kings; the Senate controls the treasury and directs public affairs like an aristocracy; and the people too have their share, for they alone grant honors and inflict punishments, and they ratify or reject the laws. Because each part can help or hinder the others, the whole remains in balance.” Which statement best expresses the central argument Polybius makes about Roman government?
In Polybius's account, which element of the constitution functioned in the manner of a monarchy?
Polybius presents this balance among the three parts chiefly in order to explain which feature of the Roman state?
The reforms of Cleisthenes in Athens around 508 BCE are best known for which achievement?
The Twelve Tables, published in Rome around 450 BCE, were significant chiefly because they did which of the following?
The conquests of Alexander the Great are most closely associated with which cultural development?
The Persian ruler Darius I maintained control over his vast empire primarily by which method?
Source for Questions 48–50—Adapted from Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War (Pericles' Funeral Oration, 431 BCE). Read the passage before answering. “Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are a model to others rather than imitators of them. Its administration favors the many instead of the few, and so it is called a democracy. The laws grant equal justice to all in private disputes, while advancement in public life falls to reputation for ability, and poverty is no bar. We are free and tolerant in our private lives, yet in public affairs we obey the law.” According to Pericles, which feature makes the Athenian government a democracy?
Pericles claims that advancement to public office in Athens depended chiefly on which of the following?
A historian would most reasonably note which limitation when using this speech as evidence about Athenian society?
The period known as the Pax Romana (roughly 27 BCE to 180 CE) is best characterized by which condition?
Historians generally attribute the decline of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century CE to which of the following?
Which ancient Greek philosopher is best known both for systematic observation of nature and for tutoring the young Alexander the Great?
The emperor Justinian (ruled 527–565 CE) is especially remembered for which accomplishment?
Source for Questions 55–57—Adapted from the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789; public domain). “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good. Law is the expression of the general will. All citizens have the right to take part, personally or through their representatives, in its formation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes.” Which principle is most directly expressed in the passage?
Which institution of prerevolutionary France was most directly challenged by the passage?
The principles in the passage most directly influenced which later development beyond France?
Which energy source was most important to the early Industrial Revolution in Britain because it powered steam engines and supported iron production?
Which TWO developments commonly accompanied nineteenth-century industrialization? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
European industrialization contributed to nineteenth-century imperial expansion most directly by doing which of the following?
Which event triggered the diplomatic crisis that led directly to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914?
The Treaty of Versailles imposed which major provision on Germany after the First World War?
Which TWO features characterized totalitarian states such as Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
The Munich Agreement of 1938 is commonly used as an example of appeasement because Britain and France did which of the following?
Which condition most directly accelerated decolonization in Asia and Africa after the Second World War?
The United States policy of containment during the Cold War was designed primarily to:
Why is the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 considered an especially dangerous Cold War confrontation?
Which development occurred as a direct result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991?
Which TWO developments most directly accelerated economic globalization in the late twentieth century? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
The attacks of September 11, 2001, most directly led the United States and its allies to launch military operations against which government for sheltering al-Qaeda leaders?
The 1994 genocide in Rwanda involved the mass killing primarily of which population?
Source for Questions 72–74—Constructed population pyramid for Country M. Male age bands extend left of the center line and female bands extend right; each bar shows that group's share of the total population.
Which statement about Country M's age structure is best supported by the pyramid?
Which challenge does Country M's age structure most directly predict for its government?
The shape of Country M's pyramid is most characteristic of a country in which stage of the demographic transition?
A topographic map is drawn at a scale of 1:50,000. Two ranger stations lie 8 centimeters apart on the map. What is the actual ground distance between them?
Source for Questions 76–78—Constructed climograph for Station K. Bars show mean monthly precipitation on the left axis; the line shows mean monthly temperature on the right axis.
Which climate type does the climograph most likely represent?
According to the climograph, during which set of months is precipitation lowest?
At Station K the warmest months are also the driest. Taken together, what does this pattern indicate about the station's location?
Source for Question 79—Constructed diagram of a geographic information system. Several thematic map layers for the same area are shown stacked and then merged into one composite map.
The stacked layers in the diagram illustrate which core capability of a geographic information system?
A field surveyor records the exact coordinates of a boundary marker using a handheld receiver that reads signals from orbiting satellites. Which technology is she using?
Which TWO statements about the Mercator projection are correct? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
Source for Questions 82–83—Constructed physical map of Region T. The map shows an ocean coast on the west, a river crossing the lowland, highlands on the east, and towns marked as numbered dots.
Most of Region T's towns lie along the river and the coast rather than in the eastern highlands. Which factor best explains this settlement pattern?
The eastern highlands on the map are set apart solely by their shared elevation and rugged terrain. This area is best described as which type of region?
Source for Question 84—Constructed contour map of a hill (contour interval 100 meters). Closed contour lines enclose the summit; the lines are packed closely on the west side and spread far apart on the east side.
Based on the spacing of the contour lines, which statement about the hill's slopes is correct?
A farming family abandons its home area after several years of severe drought and repeated crop failures. In the language of migration, the drought is best classified as which factor?
A country has a population of 24 million people spread over a land area of 300,000 square kilometers. What is its arithmetic population density?
Which TWO of the following are dimensions used to build the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI)? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
A restaurant company expands from its headquarters into the largest cities of many countries before reaching smaller towns. This spread best illustrates which type of diffusion?
Which description best fits a supranational organization such as the European Union?
Over several decades a country moves from most workers in farming, to most in manufacturing, and finally to most in services and information. This progression best illustrates which concept?
Source for Questions 91–93—Adapted from Chief Justice John Marshall's opinion in Marbury v. Madison (1803, public domain). It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. If two laws conflict, the courts must decide on the operation of each. So if a law is in opposition to the Constitution, the Court must determine which of these conflicting rules governs the case. A law repugnant to the Constitution is void, and courts are bound by the Constitution. Which constitutional principle does this passage most directly establish?
The reasoning in the passage rests most directly on which premise?
Which later action would be the clearest exercise of the power described in the passage?
In McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the Supreme Court held that Congress could charter a national bank even though the Constitution does not list that power. This holding rests most directly on which constitutional provision?
Which statement best describes the principle of federalism in the United States?
Source for Questions 96–97—Adapted from The Federalist No. 51 (James Madison, 1788, public domain). In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place oblige it to control itself. The interior structure of the government must be so contrived that its several parts may keep each other in their proper places. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. According to the passage, why should the several parts of government be arranged to keep each other in place?
Which modern arrangement best reflects the design described in the passage?
Which situation is an example of checks and balances rather than of federalism?
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution primarily to
Source for Questions 100–102—Adapted from the Declaration of Independence (1776, public domain). We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it. According to the passage, from what do governments derive their just powers?
The passage implies that a government may justly be replaced when it
The signers stated these principles primarily in order to
Under Article V, which TWO steps are part of adding an amendment to the Constitution? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
In Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), the Supreme Court struck down a state-granted steamboat monopoly. The decision established that Congress has broad authority to
In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated public schools are
Source for Questions 106–107—Adapted from the Preamble to the United States Constitution (1787, public domain). We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Which goal is explicitly stated in the Preamble?
The phrase “a more perfect Union” signaled a response to which weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
Constructed diagram—selected checks among the three branches of government. Each arrow points from the branch exercising a check toward the branch being checked.
Based on the diagram, which pairing correctly matches a branch with a check it exercises over another branch?
A defendant charged with a serious crime in state court cannot afford a lawyer and is denied one. Under Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), this denial violates the
Source for Questions 110–112—Constructed scenario describing the government of the fictional nation of Marovia. In Marovia, citizens elect the members of a national legislature. The party that wins a majority of the seats chooses the prime minister from among its own members. The prime minister and cabinet stay in office only as long as they keep the legislature's support; if they lose a vote of confidence, a new government must be formed or new elections must be held. Marovia's government is best classified as which type of system?
How does Marovia's method of selecting its chief executive differ from that of the United States?
Which outcome is likely under the system described but unlikely in a presidential system like that of the United States?
The requirement that police inform suspects in custody of their right to remain silent and to have an attorney comes from
Constructed flowchart—how a bill becomes a federal law. Follow the arrows from the introduction of a bill to the outcome after it reaches the president.
According to the flowchart, if the president vetoes the bill, what must happen for it to become law anyway?
In United States v. Nixon (1974), the Supreme Court ordered the president to release recorded conversations sought in a criminal case. The ruling most directly established that
A public school district directs teachers to lead students in an official daily prayer written by the state. Under Engel v. Vitale (1962), this practice
Which TWO statements about how the president of the United States is chosen are accurate? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
An organization that represents nurses meets with lawmakers, testifies at hearings, and urges its members to contact Congress about a health bill. This organization is acting as
In United States elections, a political action committee (PAC) is best described as an organization that
Which of the following is a legal responsibility, rather than a right, of United States citizens?
The doctrine of “incorporation” refers to the process by which the Supreme Court has
Source for Question 122—Constructed statement on the design of a free republic. “In a free republic the government is the servant of the people, not their master. Every officer, however high, holds only the powers the constitution grants and may do nothing that it forbids. The people keep certain rights that no majority and no official may lawfully take away. Regular elections allow citizens to replace officials who abuse the public trust placed in them.” Which sentence from the passage best expresses the principle of limited government?
Source for Questions 123–125—Constructed supply-and-demand graph for a competitive market. The graph shows weekly demand (solid) and supply (dashed) for a good, with equilibrium point E. Read the axis units before answering.
According to the graph, at what price and quantity does this market reach equilibrium?
Suppose the government imposes a price ceiling of $4 per unit in this market. Based on the graph, what is the most likely result?
If the government instead set a price floor of $9 per unit in this same market, which outcome would the graph predict?
Source for Questions 126–128—Constructed comparative-advantage data table. The table shows how much of each good one worker in each country can make in a day. Compare the figures before answering.
| Country | Wheat (tons per worker-day) | Cloth (bolts per worker-day) |
|---|---|---|
| Atland | 60 | 30 |
| Bency | 20 | 20 |
According to the table, which statement about absolute advantage is correct?
Using the table, what is Atland's opportunity cost of producing one ton of wheat?
If the two countries specialize according to comparative advantage and then trade, how should production be assigned?
Source for Questions 129–130—Constructed consumer-price-index chart. The chart plots a country's Consumer Price Index (CPI) for four years, with 2020 set equal to 100. Values are printed above each bar.
Between which two consecutive years was the rate of inflation the highest?
A worker's nominal salary rose from 50,000 in 2020 to 55,000 in 2023. Using the CPI in the chart, what happened to the worker's real (inflation-adjusted) salary?
The price of tea, a substitute for coffee, rises sharply. In the market for coffee, what is the most likely short-run effect?
Which of the following is a defining characteristic of a monopoly?
At a bakery, which of the following is an example of capital, the manufactured goods used to produce other goods?
A factory's production imposes pollution costs on nearby residents who are not part of the transaction. Which government action most directly addresses this negative externality?
A country imposes a protective tariff on imported steel. Which combination of effects is most consistent with standard economic analysis of the tariff?
Which TWO of the following transactions would be counted in a country's gross domestic product for the current year? Select the TWO that apply.
Select two answers.
A saver deposits $1,000 in an account that pays 5% simple annual interest. If nothing is added or withdrawn, how much interest is earned after three years?
A factory worker loses her job because automation permanently eliminates her position, and her existing skills no longer match the jobs available. Which type of unemployment does this best illustrate?
In a pure market economy, who primarily decides what goods are produced, how they are produced, and for whom?
A theater finds that when it lowers ticket prices by 10%, the number of tickets sold rises by 25% and total revenue increases. What does this reveal about the demand for its tickets?
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Use missed and guessed questions as a study map. Revisit the related chapter, explain the evidence or rule aloud, then solve a new example.