Staar-Testsocstudies-G8 2
Staar-Testsocstudies-G8 2
Social Studies
Administered April 2013
RELEASED
Copyright 2013, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express
written permission from the Texas Education Agency.
SOCIAL STUDIES
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Read each question carefully. Determine the best answer to the question
from the four answer choices provided. Then fill in the answer on your
answer document.
Texas
California
Texas Revolution
Cotton cultivation
U.S. statehood, 1845
Gold mining
U.S. statehood, 1850
Which of the following best replaces the question mark in the diagram above?
A
Dependent on slavery
Settled by Mormons
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Virginia
Plan
New Jersey
Plan
Which of the following should replace the question mark in this diagram?
A
Direct democracy
Great Compromise
D Missouri Compromise
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4
Black Codes was a name given to laws passed by southern governments established
during the presidency of Andrew Johnson. These laws imposed severe restrictions on
freedmen, such as prohibiting their right to vote, forbidding them to sit on juries, and
limiting their right to testify against white men. They were also forbidden from carrying
weapons in public places and working in certain occupations.
National Archives and Records Administration,
http://www.archives.gov (accessed July 14, 2010)
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5
Resolved, That our title to the whole of the Territory of Oregon is clear and
unquestionable; that no portion of the same ought to be ceded to England or any other
power, and that the re-occupation of Oregon and the re-annexation of Texas at the
earliest practicable period are great American measures, which this Convention
recommends to the cordial support of the Democracy of the Union.
Democratic Party Platform of 1844
D prohibiting the expansion of slavery into new areas of the United States
G The United States had large debts from the American Revolution.
H Great Britain was refusing to trade with the United States.
J
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How did geography influence the early economic development of New York, Boston, and
Charleston?
A
During the early 1800s many young women in New England were employed outside their
homes as
F
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Due Process
of Law
Guarantee of a
speedy trial
Freedom from
unreasonable
search
and seizure
10 After the end of the Revolutionary War, states were eager to expand into newly available
territory. The states of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia argued over
competing claims to land west of the Appalachian Mountains. This conflict was addressed
by the
F
Missouri Compromise
G Wilmot Proviso
H Northwest Ordinance
J
Kansas-Nebraska Act
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11
G did not want to share control of the fur trade with France
H resented the limits it imposed on westward expansion
J
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14
Gold was
discovered on
Cherokee land.
Georgia annexed
Cherokee land
and abolished
the Cherokee
government and
its laws.
The Cherokees
refused to move
from their land.
One attempt to resolve this issue without violence involved which action?
F
The Cherokee Nation challenged Georgias anti-Cherokee laws before the U.S. Supreme
Court.
G Georgia asked the federal government for funds to purchase Cherokee land.
H The Cherokee Nation asked President Andrew Jackson to negotiate with Georgia.
J
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15 When citizens report for jury duty, they are helping uphold a constitutional right guaranteed
by the
A
First Amendment
Second Amendment
Sixth Amendment
D Ninth Amendment
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16
Anne Hutchinson
was expelled from the
Massachusetts
Bay Colony for
dissenting against
church doctrine.
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17
Speaker 1: A state has the right to overrule an act passed by Congress. After all, the
national government is supposed to share power with the states.
Speaker 2: I believe that you are wrong. The states do share power with the national
government, but the Constitution says the national government has
supremacy.
These speakers are debating an issue that eventually became known as the
A
Monroe Doctrine
Nullification Crisis
Missouri Compromise
D Three-Fifths Compromise
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escape persecution
19 Which of the following reversed the Supreme Court ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford?
A
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20
U.S. annexation of
Border disputes
between the United
States and Mexico
U.S.-Mexican War
California
G Nevada
H Texas
J
Florida
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21 In the 1840s, thousands of Irish immigrants came to the United States seeking to escape
A
22 What was one major effect of the opening of the Erie Canal?
F
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24 Patrick Henry opposed ratifying the U.S. Constitution because he believed that under it
F
the states would surrender too much power to the federal government
individuals would exercise too much power over the federal government
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25
We, reposing special trust and confidence in your patriotism, valor, conduct, and fidelity,
do, by these presents, constitute and appoint you to be General and Commander in chief,
of the army of the United Colonies, and of all the forces now raised, or to be raised, by
them, and of all others who shall voluntarily offer their service. . . .
Commission from the Continental Congress, June 17, 1775
Benedict Arnold
Alexander Hamilton
John Hancock
D George Washington
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The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it
to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Tenth Amendment, U.S. Constitution
26 Which principle of U.S. government is most clearly reflected in the amendment above?
F
G Federalism
H Separation of powers
J
Due process
27 Which of these was an effect of the Industrial Revolution on U.S. women in the early
nineteenth century?
A
The government passed laws to improve safety for women in the workplace.
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G Kansas entered the Union as a slave state through popular sovereignty in 1856.
H Nebraskan settlers who supported abolition moved to Kansas.
J
The boundary established by the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was extended farther
south.
29 Which precedent was established by the Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison?
A
The federal government has the power to regulate trade among the states.
D State courts lack the authority to hear cases challenging federal law.
30 After General Robert E. Lees surrender at Appomattox Court House, the main priority of the
United States was to
F
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31
Seneca Falls
N
W
E
S
A tourist would most likely go to the location shown on the map to visit
A
the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House in Womens Rights National Historical Park
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32
BERWYN, Pennsylvania: A new mosque recently opened in this . . . suburb of
Philadelphia. . . .
[The] leaders . . . did not seek publicity for the happy occasion, only continued peace
with their neighbors: a Jewish synagogue next door and Baptist church across the street.
Kathy Matheson, Associated Press, September 10, 2010
This event best demonstrates which feature of the American way of life?
F
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33
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34 In 1787 the United States was at a crossroads. Farmers in western Massachusetts had
rebelled the year before over property taxes. The state struggled to end the rebellion. Events
such as this one contributed to the decision to
F
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36
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. . . .
Declaration of Independence, 1776
37 In 1787, Congress awarded John Paul Jones the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of his
valor and brilliant services during the Revolutionary War. Which accomplishment was
Congress recognizing?
A
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We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our
bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and
patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell
the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels
of our nature.
Abraham Lincoln,
first inaugural address, 1861
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39 After the War of 1812, thousands of settlers and immigrants moved to the western frontiers
of the United States in search of farming and business opportunities. In response, the
government began building roads. This transportation network was intended to
A
eight-hour workday
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41
British support of
American Indians
in the
Northwest Territory
Treaty of
Ghent
British impressment
of American sailors
War of 1812
American Revolution
D Civil War
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43 George Mason refused to sign the Constitution and opposed its ratification because he
believed that it
A
did not give the executive branch enough power to oversee the military
D prevented the judicial branch from using judicial review to overturn acts of the
legislature
44 The first political parties in the United States were established in the 1790s largely because of
political differences between
F
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45
For the well Governeing of this Province and Territories there shall be an Assembly
yearly Chosen by the Freemen thereof to Consist of foure persons out of each County. . . .
William Penn, Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges, 1701
Direct democracy
An elected legislature
Separation of powers
46 Which of the following was a defining characteristic of the Era of Good Feelings?
F
The United States ceded territory to Great Britain in an attempt to avoid war.
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Distance
from Great
Britain
Need for
lawmaking
structure
Traditional
rights of
Englishmen
American
colonists
?
47 Which of the following best replaces the question mark in the diagram above?
A
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48
How do we finance a war?
Who has the power to negotiate treaties?
What prevents the executive from becoming too
powerful?
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49 The Bessemer steel process affected westward expansion in the United States by enabling
A
clipper ships to be built in order to transport passengers from the East Coast to the
West Coast
interstate canal systems to be built in order to transport agricultural goods from west
to east
Conestoga wagons to be built in order to carry people and goods to the West
50 How did the plantation system influence the economic development of the United States?
F
G It turned the South into a major producer of the cotton used in northern mills.
H It restricted agricultural expansion in the western territories.
J
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Congress
passes a bill.
The president
vetoes the bill.
Congress
overrides the
presidential
veto.
Judicial review
Popular sovereignty
D Federalism
52 The growth of railroads during the nineteenth century affected U.S. businesses by
F
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STAAR
GRADE 8
Social Studies
April 2013
545599
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ISD4717