Test Information Guide
Field 06: History
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions
U.S. History
Objective 0001
Understand the characteristics of indigenous societies of North America, the causes
and course of European exploration, and the development of colonial societies to
1760.
1. The first English colonists in Massachusetts were most reliant on Native Americans for assistance in:
- learning how to cope with an unfamiliar environment.
- establishing commercial ties with settlers in New York.
- creating effective governmental institutions.
- defending the colony against French invaders from Canada.
- Answer
- Correct Response: A.
Correct Response: A.
Objective 0002
Understand the causes and key events of the Revolutionary War and major political,
economic, social, and cultural developments that shaped the course of U.S. history
through the Jacksonian era.
2. Use the map below to answer the question that follows.
Map of north america with five different regions marked is titled European Claims in North America. First region is the eastern coast of the modern day u s up through the eastern half of Canada. Second region is the western and central parts of the modern day u s the central southern part of Canada and all of mexico. Third region is the coastline of Alaska and the eastern coast of Canada. The fourth region is largely north east Canada away from the coastline including modern day Greenland and is marked the unclaimed territory. The fifth region is the modern day Haiti.
The map above best illustrates the distribution of European territorial claims in North America in the immediate after-math of which of the following events?
- the restoration of the Stuart monarchy in England (1660)
- King William's War (1689–1697)
- the death of King Louis XIV of France (1715)
- the French and Indian War (1754–1763)
- Answer
- Correct Response: D.
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0003
Understand the significance of historical events related to westward expansion,
the Civil War, and Reconstruction.
3. Read the excerpt below from an 1845 article in the Democratic Review by John O'Sullivan; then answer the question that follows.
California will probably be the next area to break away from Mexico. . . . Americans are already beginning to settle there. A population will soon occupy the region which Mexico cannot dream of dominating. These people will necessarily become independent. All this without the action of our government, without the responsibility of our people, is a natural course of events.
The excerpt above best represents an application of which of the following?
- the Monroe Doctrine
- the concept of popular sovereignty
- the American System
- the concept of Manifest Destiny
- Answer
- Correct Response: D.
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0004
Understand the major political, economic, social, and cultural developments that
have shaped the course of U.S. history from 1920 to the present.
4. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., the major aim of the civil rights movement between 1955 and 1964 was to:
- achieve racial equality through legal action against discriminatory laws.
- abolish racial segregation through the use of nonviolent civil disobedience.
- bolster group pride through the promotion of black nationalism.
- eliminate economic disparities through the encouragement of black enterprise.
- Answer
- Correct Response: B.
Correct Response: B.
World History
Objective 0007
Understand human beginnings, the characteristics of early human societies, and the
roots of Western civilization (prehistory to A.D. 500).
5. Which of the following excerpts from the Old Testament best illustrates a major difference between the religion created by the ancient Hebrews and the religions of other early Near Eastern civilizations?
- You shall not oppress a stranger; . . . for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
- Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.
- Whoever steals a man, whether he sells him or is found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
- I am the Lord your God. . . . You shall have no other gods before me.
- Answer
- Correct Response: D.
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0010
Understand the major political, economic, social, and cultural developments that
shaped the course of world history during the Age of Revolutionary Change (1700
to 1914).
6. Which of the following was the most important result of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century?
- Questions about terrestrial phenomena largely displaced investigation of the heavens as the main focus of scientific study.
- Science became universally accepted as the main force in the advancement of civilization and the primary engine of human progress.
- Science was subdivided into discrete areas of investigation, each with its own theories and methods of inquiry.
- Science supplanted religion as the principal means of understanding the structure and operation of the universe.
- Answer
- Correct Response: D.
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0012
Understand the major political, economic, social, and cultural developments that
shaped the course of world history from 1945 to the present.
7. Which of the following best describes a major geopolitical consequence of the two world wars of the twentieth century?
- The defeat of Germany and Japan created a political vacuum in Europe and Asia that was filled by Great Britain and China.
- Decolonization resulted in the creation of a new global balance of power based on the competing interests of industrial and developing nations.
- The emergence of two global superpowers ended the age of European dominance over international affairs.
- The creation of new international organizations significantly restrained national governments from acting unilaterally on foreign policy matters.
- Answer
- Correct Response: C.
Correct Response: C.
Geography, Government, and Economics
Objective 0014
Understand the major physical features of the world and the effects of geographic
factors on the development of human societies.
8. Which line on the chart below best connects a type of map with a particularly appropriate use of that type of map?
| Line | Type of Map | Use |
|---|---|---|
| A | consistent-scale map | to plot great-circle routes for aircraft |
| B | conformal map | to measure distances between two points |
| C | straight-line direction map | to set the course of a naval vessel |
| D | equal-area map | to compare the shape of two land areas |
- Line A
- Line B
- Line C
- Line D
- Answer
- Correct Response: C.
Correct Response: C.
Objective 0015
Understand basic political science terms, concepts, and theories and the characteristics,
organization, and development of various political systems.
9. Which of the following concepts can best be used to illustrate the difference between a parliamentary democracy and the presidential democracy of the United States?
- popular sovereignty
- constitutional supremacy
- due process of law
- separation of powers
- Answer
- Correct Response: D.
Correct Response: D.
Objective 0017
Understand fundamental economic concepts and theories, characteristics of major
economic systems, and the organization and operation of the U.S. economic system.
10. When the U.S. economy enters the contraction phase of the business cycle, a government that bases its actions on the Keynesian model of economic policy would most likely take steps to:
- increase the purchasing power of consumers.
- ensure that government spending does not exceed current revenue.
- increase the rate of taxation on large firms.
- limit the importation of products that compete with U.S. goods.
- Answer
- Correct Response: A.
Correct Response: A.