GED Social Studies Preparation Course: United States history

1. Question 1 of 18

   What was one major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

   • AThe president had too much power
   • BThe Supreme Court could cancel state laws
   • CThe central government could not collect taxes
   • DLarge states had more votes in Congress than small states
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   Answer: C. The central government could not collect taxes

   Under the Articles, the central government could not tax and had little power to regulate trade, so it was always short of money.

2. Question 2 of 18

   Under the Articles of Confederation, how were states represented in Congress?

   • AOnly the largest states could vote
   • BEach state had one vote
   • CEach state had two senators and some representatives
   • DEach state had votes based on its population
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   Answer: B. Each state had one vote

   The Articles said "each state shall have one vote," no matter how many people lived there.

3. Question 3 of 18

   In what year did delegates meet in Philadelphia and write the Constitution?

   • A1787
   • B1781
   • C1776
   • D1791
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   Answer: A. 1787

   The Constitutional Convention met in May 1787 to revise the Articles, then wrote a new plan instead. 1776 is the Declaration, 1781 the Articles taking effect, 1791 the Bill of Rights.

4. Question 4 of 18

   Which statement best describes the Louisiana Purchase of 1803?

   • AThe U.S. won the Louisiana territory from Spain at the end of a long war
   • BFrance bought land in North America from the U.S. to pay its war debts
   • CThe U.S. bought land from France that roughly doubled the nation's size
   • DBritain gave Louisiana to the U.S. as part of the peace after the War of 1812
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   Answer: C. The U.S. bought land from France that roughly doubled the nation's size

   In 1803, under President Jefferson, the U.S. paid France $15 million for about 828,000 square miles west of the Mississippi River.

5. Question 5 of 18

   What was the main idea of the Monroe Doctrine (1823)?

   • ASlavery would end in all new states
   • BThe Americas were closed to new European colonies
   • CThe United States would join Europe's wars as an ally
   • DNative nations would be moved west
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   Answer: B. The Americas were closed to new European colonies

   President Monroe said the American continents were not open to future European colonization, and the U.S. would stay out of European affairs.

6. Question 6 of 18

   What was "Manifest Destiny"?

   • AThe belief that the U.S. was meant to spread across the continent
   • BA plan to end slavery slowly, one state at a time, over fifty years
   • CA law that gave land to formerly enslaved people
   • DA treaty that ended the War of 1812
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   Answer: A. The belief that the U.S. was meant to spread across the continent

   Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century idea that the U.S. was destined to spread west. It was used to justify expansion, often at the expense of Native nations.

7. Question 7 of 18

   On the Trail of Tears (1838–39), about 4,000 of 16,000 Cherokee people died. About what fraction is that?

   • A1 in 16
   • B1 in 4
   • C1 in 2
   • D1 in 40
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   Answer: B. 1 in 4

   4,000 ÷ 16,000 = 0.25, which is 1 out of every 4 people.

8. Question 8 of 18

   Under the Homestead Act of 1862, what could a settler get?

   • AA cash payment for moving to a city
   • B640 acres of free land in exchange for one year of service in the army
   • CFree passage on a railroad to the West
   • D160 acres of public land for living on and farming it for five years
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   Answer: D. 160 acres of public land for living on and farming it for five years

   The Homestead Act offered 160 acres to settlers who lived on and improved the land for five years.

9. Question 9 of 18

   Which statement about the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) is accurate?

   • AIt declared enslaved people free only in areas still in rebellion
   • BIt ended slavery in every state, including the loyal border states
   • CIt gave formerly enslaved men the right to vote
   • DIt was passed by Congress as a constitutional amendment
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   Answer: A. It declared enslaved people free only in areas still in rebellion

   Lincoln's proclamation freed enslaved people in Confederate areas in rebellion. It did not cover loyal border states. The 13th Amendment later ended slavery nationwide.

10. Question 10 of 18

    Which amendment ended slavery throughout the United States?

    • AThe 14th Amendment (1868)
    • BThe 13th Amendment (1865)
    • CThe 15th Amendment (1870)
    • DThe 19th Amendment (1920)
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    Answer: B. The 13th Amendment (1865)

    The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, says neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist, except as punishment for a crime.

11. Question 11 of 18

    Which amendment made all persons born or naturalized in the United States citizens and promised "equal protection of the laws"?

    • AThe 15th Amendment
    • BThe 14th Amendment
    • CThe 13th Amendment
    • DThe 10th Amendment
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    Answer: B. The 14th Amendment

    The 14th Amendment (1868) defines citizenship and requires states to give equal protection and due process.

12. Question 12 of 18

    After the 15th Amendment, how did some Southern states keep most Black citizens from voting?

    • AThey moved elections to Washington, D.C.
    • BThey raised the voting age to 30 for all elections
    • CThey required every voter to own a business or a farm
    • DThey used literacy tests and "grandfather clauses"
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    Answer: D. They used literacy tests and "grandfather clauses"

    Starting in the 1890s, Southern states used literacy tests and grandfather clauses to get around the 15th Amendment.

13. Question 13 of 18

    This 1954 ruling rejected the idea that the Court had accepted in which earlier case?

    We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.

    — Brown v. Board of Education, U.S. Supreme Court, 1954

    • AMarbury v. Madison
    • BPlessy v. Ferguson
    • CDred Scott v. Sandford
    • DGibbons v. Ogden
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    Answer: B. Plessy v. Ferguson

    In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson upheld "equal but separate" railway cars. Brown v. Board of Education ruled that separate schools are inherently unequal.

14. Question 14 of 18

    What did the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, guarantee?

    • AThe right of all citizens aged 18 or older to vote
    • BDirect election of senators
    • CThe right to vote cannot be denied because of sex
    • DThe end of poll taxes in federal elections
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    Answer: C. The right to vote cannot be denied because of sex

    The 19th Amendment says the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged "on account of sex." Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify it.

15. Question 15 of 18

    Which law outlawed literacy tests as a requirement for voting?

    • AThe Homestead Act of 1862
    • BThe Civil Rights Act of 1964
    • CThe Voting Rights Act of 1965
    • DThe Social Security Act of 1935
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    Answer: C. The Voting Rights Act of 1965

    The Voting Rights Act of 1965 enforced the 15th Amendment and outlawed literacy tests for voting. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 mainly banned discrimination in public places and jobs.

16. Question 16 of 18

    What happened to President Wilson's plan for a League of Nations in the United States?

    • AThe U.S. joined right away and soon became the League's most powerful member
    • BThe Supreme Court ruled the League unconstitutional
    • CThe Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles, and the U.S. never joined
    • DCongress joined the League but left after one year
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    Answer: C. The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles, and the U.S. never joined

    Wilson attached the League to the Treaty of Versailles, but the Senate refused to ratify it in 1920. The U.S. never joined the League.

17. Question 17 of 18

    Executive Order 9066 (1942) led to the removal of about 122,000 people of Japanese ancestry. Nearly 70,000 of them were U.S. citizens. About what percent were citizens?

    • AAbout 43%
    • BAbout 17%
    • CAbout 57%
    • DAbout 70%
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    Answer: C. About 57%

    70,000 ÷ 122,000 ≈ 0.57, or about 57%. More than half of the people removed were American citizens.

18. Question 18 of 18

    Which list puts these Cold War events in the correct order, from earliest to latest?

    • ABerlin Airlift, Soviet Union dissolves, Truman Doctrine, NATO founded
    • BTruman Doctrine, NATO founded, Soviet Union dissolves, Berlin Airlift
    • CTruman Doctrine, Berlin Airlift, NATO founded, Soviet Union dissolves
    • DNATO founded, Truman Doctrine, Soviet Union dissolves, Berlin Airlift
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Truman Doctrine, Berlin Airlift, NATO founded, Soviet Union dissolves

    Truman Doctrine 1947, Berlin Airlift 1948–49, NATO 1949, and the Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991.

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