Prior Knowledge Test Survey of United States History Mitchell Fall 2013 Choose the letter of the best answer. (4 points each) 1. Early migration to the Americas from Asia ended about 10,000 years ago because A. living conditions in Asia improved. B. the game that supported life disappeared. C. climatic changes made North America inhospitable. D. access to North America was no longer possible on foot. 2. How did the first people to arrive in the Americas support themselves? A. by fishing B. by gathering C. by hunting big animals D. by hunting small animals 3. Columbus's voyages to the Americas led to all of the following in Europe except: A. support for democratic ideals in government. B. increased rivalry among nations. C. the availability of new sources of food. D. interest in migrating to the Americas. 4. After the Europeans arrived in the Caribbean, what caused the deaths of countless Native Americans? A. wars B. diseases C. hurricanes D. droughts 5. The model of using West African slaves as the labor force on plantations was developed by the
A. Portuguese. B. Spanish. C. Bakongo. D. Iroquois. 6. Jamestown's most serious problems during its first year were caused by A. infectious diseases. B. severe weather conditions. C. the settlers' attitudes and impracticality. D. Native Americans' hostility toward European settlement. 7. As a result of England's policy of "salutary neglect," the colonies developed A. a desire for fine British goods. B. a self-sufficient economy. C. a disloyal attitude toward Britain. D. a desire for self-government. 8. The "middle passage" refers to the part of the transatlantic trade network that carried A. rum from the West Indies to New England. B. raw materials from the colonies to England. C. Africans from the West Indies to North America. D. Africans from Africa to the West Indies and North America. 9. The Enlightenment was a movement that emphasized the value of A. reason. B. religion. C. miracles. D. emotions.
10. The Great Awakening caused some colonists to A. seek spirituality through the use of reason. B. shift their loyalty from England to America. C. pay more attention to the scientific method. D. abandon their Puritan and Anglican congregations. 11. During the French and Indian War, Native Americans fought on the side of A. the British. B. the French. C. both the British and the French. D. neither the British nor the French. 12. The Sugar Act was an effort by the British Parliament to A. reduce colonial smuggling. B. boost the colonial shipbuilding industry. C. limit the colonists' use of tea. D. raise money to carry on war with France. 13. Who wrote a pamphlet called <i>common Sense</i>, arguing that the time had come for American independence? A. General Thomas Gage B. John Locke C. Samuel Adams D. Thomas Paine 14. Whose concepts did Jefferson draw upon as he drafted the Declaration of Independence? A. John Locke's B. Benjamin Franklin's
C. Samuel Adams's D. Marquis de Lafayette's 15. Under the Articles of Confederation, each state's power in Congress was based on A. one vote per state. B. the state's size. C. the state's total population. D. the state's voting population. 16. All of the following were problems under the Articles of Confederation except A. states did not show support for national issues, such as foreign relations. B. Congress lacked the power to tax, to help pay down the national debt. C. representation in Congress was not proportional to state population. D. there was no way to divide western lands into territories. 17. Shays's Rebellion was a protest by farmers who faced problems from A. an oversupply of paper currency. B. debts they owed to creditors. C. debts owed to them by Congress. D. debts owed to them by the state of Massachusetts. 18. The Great Compromise was an agreement about how to A. ratify the Constitution. B. count slaves in determining population. C. determine a state's representation in Congress. D. divide powers between the states and the central government. 19. Adding a bill of rights to the Constitution was largely supported by the A. small states.
B. large states. C. Federalists. D. Antifederalists. 20. The office of president of the United States was first established in the A. Constitution. B. Bill of Rights. C. Articles of Confederation. D. Declaration of Independence. 21. Which event was a response to an unpopular excise tax imposed by the federal government? A. the Whiskey Rebellion B. the XYZ Affair C. Marbury v. Madison D. the British blockade of the eastern seacoast 22. During John Adams's presidency, why were Democratic-Republicans outraged by the Alien and Sedition Acts? A. They believed the laws would draw the United States into foreign wars. B. They believed the laws violated freedom of speech. C. They believed the laws would open the gates to French immigrants. D. They believed the laws would give too much power to the courts. 23. What principle was affirmed in the Supreme Court case of <i>marbury v. Madison</i>? A. the right of the citizens to criticize their government B. the right of the Supreme Court to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional C. the right of Congress to declare war D. the right of states to nullify an act of Congress that they deem unconstitutional
24. Who was president when the United States acquired and began to explore the Louisiana Territory? A. George Washington B. John Adams C. Thomas Jefferson D. James Madison 25. Why did the United States go to war against Britain in 1812? A. Britain was trying to buy the Louisiana Territory. B. Britain was interfering with U.S. foreign trade. C. Britain refused to give up its forts in the Northwest Territory. D. Britain was becoming too friendly with France. 26. Who attempted to unite Native Americans into a confederacy to protect their homeland against white intruders? A. Tecumseh B. Little Turtle C. Mad Anthony Wayne D. the war hawks 27. Thomas Jefferson was a supporter of all of the following <b>except</b> A. farmers. B. free trade. C. the French Revolution. D. large government. 28. All of the following occurred during the War of 1812 except A. British ships blockaded the eastern seacoast. B. the White House and the Capitol were burned. C. New Orleans was lost to the British.
D. Andrew Jackson became a national hero. 29. Which group was forcibly relocated by means of the "Trail of Tears"? A. Mexicans B. Shoshone C. African slaves D. Cherokee 30. Which area did the Monroe Doctrine aim to free from European influence? A. the Oregon territory B. the Western Hemisphere C. North America D. Texas 31. Which development led to a sharp rise in the number of slaves imported to the southern United States? A. the cotton gin B. interchangeable parts C. steam-powered machinery D. the canal system 32. The concept of states' rights was enthusiastically supported by A. John Marshall. B. Daniel Webster. C. Andrew Jackson. D. John C. Calhoun. 33. For which action is Nat Turner well known? A. leading a violent slave revolt
B. fighting in the American Revolution C. publishing an antislavery newspaper D. promoting a nonviolent end to slavery 34. What term refers to the 19th-century belief that married women's activities should be limited to housework and family? A. feminism B. temperance C. the cult of sentiments D. the cult of domesticity 35. Which of the following did Frederick Douglass not do? A. emigrate to Africa B. publish a newspaper C. work as an urban slave D. lecture on the evils of slavery 36. Which of the following was not a problem faced by "mill girls" in Massachusetts? A. wage cuts B. increased workloads C. lack of safe places to stay D. unhealthy working conditions 37. At the Seneca Falls Convention, a resolution that women should receive the right to vote was A. voted down. B. not even presented. C. only narrowly approved. D. approved unanimously.
38. Under Mexican rule, the main appeal Texas held for American settlers was A. cheap land. B. legalized slavery. C. religious freedom. D. government protection from Native Americans. 39. Which event was most responsible for creating a diverse population in California? A. the gold rush B. the Treaty of Fort Laramie C. the invention of the steel plow D. the war with Mexico 40. One of the most active conductors on the Underground Railroad was A. Harriet Beecher Stowe. B. Harriet Tubman. C. Horace Greeley. D. Abraham Lincoln. 41. The topic of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was A. the Missouri Compromise. B. secession. C. the Wilmot Proviso. D. slavery in the territories. 42. The Dred Scott decision did all of the following except: A. please Southerners. B. rule that slaves did not have rights. C. declare the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.
D. guarantee that slavery would not be allowed in future states. 43. When the Civil War began, what was Abraham Lincoln's main goal? A. to abolish slavery B. to punish the South C. to restore the Union D. to bring an end to the war 44. In which area did the South have an advantage over the North in the Civil War? A. food production B. civilian leadership C. industrial capacity D. military leadership 45. Why is the Battle of Gettysburg considered a turning point in the Civil War? A. It made the South give up the idea of invading the North. B. It divided the Confederacy. C. It convinced the Confederacy to surrender. D. It marked the first Union victory on the battlefield. 46. The Fourteenth Amendment was passed to provide a constitutional basis for the A. black codes. B. Compromise of 1877. C. Thirteenth Amendment. D. Civil Rights Act of 1866. 47. Hiram Revels was the first African-American A. U.S. senator. B. army general.
C. cabinet member. D. Supreme Court justice. 48. During Reconstruction, the system of sharecropping was least beneficial to A. bankers. B. merchants. C. landowners. D. sharecroppers. 49. During Reconstruction, all of the following increased in the South except A. taxes. B. per capita income. C. public works programs. D. populations of towns and cities. 50. Which of the following was not a requirement of former Confederate states under the Reconstruction Act of 1867? A. They would be divided into military districts headed by Union generals. B. Voters, including African Americans, would elect delegates to draft new constitutions. C. They had to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment to be readmitted to the Union. D. All African-American families would receive 40 acres and a mule.