8 th Grade History Semester Exam December 2014

1.According to the theory of mercantilism, the principal purpose of the thirteen American colonies was to provide Great Britain with---? a.naval basesc.manufactured goods b.b. raw materials and markets d.d. an economist 2.Which of the following is the prevailing view about how people first reached the Americas? a.They crossed a land bridge from Africa. b.They traveled by boat from Asia. c.They traveled by boat from Europe. d.They crossed a land bridge from Asia. 3.Which of the following is the earliest known civilization in the Americas? a. Incac.Aztec b. Olmecd.Maya 4.Which of the following helped Spanish conquistadors defeat the Aztec empire? 5.Which of the following statements is true about the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney? a. it increased the demand for slave labor b. it did not affect the demand for slave labor c. it decreased the demand for slave labor d. it caused less production cotton 6. What assembly established a tradition of representative government in the English colonies? a.a. the Great Councilc.the House of Burgesses b. the House of Commonsd.the House of Lords a. The conquistadors outnumbered the Aztecs. b. The Aztecs were weak from fighting among themselves. c. A large number of Aztecs died from European diseases. d. A large number of Aztecs fled the empire.

7.Which of the following is one reason that the Plymouth Colony succeeded? a. The colonists had brought large stores of food with them. b. Squanto taught them how to grow native food crops. c. Friends in England sent them new supplies of food. d. The colonists knew how to catch eels in nearby rivers. 8.Which of these groups settled in Pennsylvania under the leadership of William Penn? a. Pilgrimsc.Puritans b. Quakersd.d. Catholics 9.What was the purpose of colonial New England town meetings? a. to play music and dance b. to sell livestock and trade goods c. to pray and rest d. to discuss important community issues 10.What was one difference between slaves and indentured servants in 1700s colonial society? a. Slaves had many rights, and indentured servants did not. b. Indentured servants received “freedom” dues for their work, and slaves were treated as property. c. Slaves received “freedom dues” when they completed their contracts, and indentured servants remained servants. d. Indentured servants often moved up to become part of the gentry, and slaves managed to rise only into the middle class.

11.Which of these acts caused soldiers to eat and sleep in the colonist's homes? a. Sugar Act b. Stamp Act c. Townshend Act d. Quartering Act 12.What is one way that Britain punished Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party? 15.What was the historical significance of the Battles of Lexington and Concord? a. Parliament passed the Tea Act of b. Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts. c. Parliament imposed new taxes on glass, paper, and paint. d. Parliament outlawed the formation of colonial militias. 13. Which new colonial leaders emerged as tensions with Britain grew? a. Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, George Grenville b. John Adams, Charles Townshend, Henry Clay c. Samuel Adams, John Adams, Patrick Henry d. Benjamin Franklin, Charles Townshend, Daniel Boone 14.What reason did Parliament give for raising taxes in the colonies after 1763? a. Colonists were ignoring the Proclamation Line. b. Colonists did not live in England but did enjoy English rights. c. Colonists should help pay for the costs of the French and Indian War. d. Colonists should be punished for protesting against taxes. a. The fighting ended colonists’ resistance to British authority. b. The outcome proved that militias were no match for British troops. c. Britain gave up any attempt to keep its North American colonies. d. The fighting signaled the start of the American Revolution. 16.What was the purpose of the Proclamation of 1763? a. to avoid conflicts with French traders in the Ohio Valley b. to avoid conflicts with Native Americans in the Ohio Valley and keep settlers in the 13 colonies c. to prevent the smuggling of molasses into the British colonies d. to collect taxes on documents printed in the British colonies

17.Which list identifies the three main ideas in the Declaration of Independence? a. Natural Rights, Limits on Trade, Unjust Taxes b. British Wrongs, the Need for Separation, Ideas of how to run the government c. Natural Rights, British Wrongs, Independence d. Ideas of how to run the government, Independence, Future Security 18.Which of these restates a main idea of the Declaration of Independence? a. A king has little more to do than make war. b. Subjects are not created equal to a king. c. Everyone has the right to life and libertyand the pursuit of happiness. d. Citizens have a duty to obey their government. 19.How did John Paul Jones become a Patriot hero? a. by seizing British forts in the Ohio Valley b. by capturing British forts in Mexico c. by raiding Loyalist settlements in New York d. by defeating the British warship Serapis 20.The British army was trapped at Yorktown during the Revolutionary War by a. an army led by Friedrich von Steuben. b. a fleet of Spanish warships. c. a fleet of French warships. d. guerrilla fighters led by Francis Marion.

21.Which branch of the government "carries out the laws"? a. Judiciary Branch b. Executive Branch c. Legislative Branch d. All of the above 22.Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation? a. Congress could not declare war. b. The central government had too much power. c. No court system existed to settle disputes between states. d. Congress lacked the power to coin money. 23.To become a state according to the Northwest Ordinance, a territory had to have a. a population of 60,000 free settlers. b. permission from surrounding states. c. a functioning education system. d. a bill of rights. 24.What area was bought by President Jefferson in 1803 and explored by Lewis and Clark? 25.Which of the following was part of the Great Compromise? a. Every state would have equal representation in Congress. b. The Virginia Plan was approved. c. A slave would count as three fifths of a person in a state’s population count. d. Seats in the House of Representatives would be awarded according to population. 26. In the Constitution, what fraction of the slaves in a state were counted as population when determining representation in Congress? a. one quarter compromise c. three fifths compromise b. one half compromise d. one tenth compromise

27.Which statement BEST expresses President Washington’s beliefs about foreign policy? a. The United States should use force when aiding allies in international disputes. b. The United States should support permanent alliances with other nations. c. The United States should take a more active role in international affairs. d. The United States should remain independent from disputes between other nations. 28.What did many people fear would happen if political parties formed in the United States? a. George Washington would have too much control over the nation. b. Political divisions would threaten national unity. c. Party leaders would abolish states’ rights. d. Factions would seek to reunite the nation with Britain.

29.From which foreign nation did the United States purchase Louisiana? a. Spainc. France b. Great Britaind. Haiti 30.Who was the leader of the "Sons of Liberty" and also formed the "Committee of Correspondence"? a. George Washington b. Thomas Jefferson c. John Paul Jones d. Samuel Adams 31.Which of the following BEST summarizes the goal of Tecumseh’s Indian confederation? a. to return to the old ways and to unite the nations to resist white settlers b. to get money for Indian lands instead of losing them in battles c. to use trade with white settlers to improve the Native Americans’ lives d. to get all the Native American nations to convert to Christianity 32.What formed the route that most western farmers used to ship goods in 1803? a. the Appalachian Mountainsc. the continental divide b. the Mississippi Riverd. the Atlantic Ocean

33.What decision establishing the principle of judicial review? a. Clay vs Marbury c. Meriwether vs Lewis b. Adams vs Smith d. Marbury vs Madison 34.Which of the following statements about water transportation is TRUE? a. Steamboats experienced few operational problems. b. It was too expensive for merchants to ship goods by steamboat. c. The first steamboat was an instant success. d. Steamboats allowed farmers to ship goods more quickly and cheaply. 35.Which of the following statements describes the Industrial Revolution? a. It was quick and violent and produced few results. b. It took place mostly in rural areas. c. It depended largely on the development of the factory system. d. It occurred because of years of planning in the United States in the mid-1700s. 36.The first successful factory of the Industrial Revolution made a. guns.c. hand tools. b. clocks. d. textiles.

37.Which of the following was a reason why President Monroe announced the Monroe Doctrine? a. to protect American industry from European imports b. to gain possession of Florida c. to protect Latin American republics from European attack d. to provoke a war with Great Britain

Boston Colonists, December 16, 1773 “Boston harbor is a teapot tonight! The Mohawks are come!” APPLYING MAIN IDEAS 38.To what historical event does this quotation refer? a.the Boston Massacrec.the Battle of Lexington b.the Boston Tea Partyd.Pontiac’s War 39.Why did the colonists say “The Mohawks are come!” a.Native Americans of the Mohawk nation were attacking Boston. b.Mohawks dumped British tea into Boston Harbor. c.Colonists disguised as Mohawks dumped tea into Boston Harbor. d.Mohawks had joined the colonists’ boycott of British tea.

APPLYING MAIN IDEAS 40.Which information below could be printed under “Both” in the Venn diagram? a. one vote per statec. two branches of government b. three branches of governmentd. no votes for individual states 41.Which of these resolved the conflict between the two plans of government shown in the diagram? a. the Three-Fifths Compromisec. the Bill of Rights b. the Great Compromised. the Northwest Ordinance

APPLYING MAIN IDEAS THE BILL OF RIGHTS GUARANTEES freedom of speech _________________________ 42.Which of the following could NOT be added to the chart? a. right of President to veto lawsc. freedom of the press b. right to meet peacefullyd. freedom of religion 43.The "Clermont" helped introduce the --- a. Era of Good Feelingsc. age of the steamboats b. era of sectionalismd. canal boom 44.The War of 1812 and the French and Indian War share which common feature? a.Native American groups joined the fight on both sides. b.The British gained control of Canada. c.The French gained control of America. d.The Americans won both victories. 45.The establishment of the executive, judicial, and legislative branch of government is based on which principle? a. Seperation of powersc. Individual rights b. Limited governmentd. Republicanism

Matching a. Interchangible partsd. Manifest Destiny b. Impressmente. Middle Passage c. laissez faire ____46.practice of forcing people into military service on ships ____47.voyage of slave ships from Africa to the Americas ____48.invented by Eli Whitney that helped start the Industrial Revolution ____49.settlers had the right and duty to spread west across America to the Pacific ____50.idea that government should play a small role in economic affairs