8th Grade STAR Review

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Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

The main reason the French founded colonies in North America was to

a.	make money from fur trading.	c.	find silver and gold.
b.	establish missions.	d.	find religious freedom.

The House of Burgesses in Virginia was significant because it

a.	continued the rule of the English king in the colonies.
b.	ended the creation of other English colonies in the Americas.
c.	created a charter for establishing the Virginia colony.
d.	set an example for representative government.

The Declaration of Independence drew on the ideas found in the Magna Carta and the

a.	Mayflower Compact.	c.	Great Awakening.
b.	Proclamation Act.	d.	English Bill of Rights.

Which of the following describes the extent of citizen participation in colonial government?

a.	All men had the right to vote.
b.	Women had the right to vote.
c.	Only white men who owned property had the right to vote.
d.	Fewer people participated in colonial government than anywhere else in the world.

The first constitution of the United States of America was the

a.	Declaration of Independence.	c.	Mayflower Compact.
b.	Articles of Confederation.	d.	Bill of Rights.

Who is called the Father of the Constitution?

a.	George Washington	c.	James Madison
b.	Edmund Randolph	d.	Thomas Jefferson

The Constitution created a federal system of government, in which

a.	the national government has all the power.
b.	power is divided between the national and state governments.
c.	the states have more power than the national government.
d.	the legislative branch is made up of one house.

Under the Constitution, concurrent powers are

a.	shared by the state and federal governments.
b.	retained by state governments.
c.	reserved only by the federal government.
d.	reserved only by the state governments.

What part of the Constitution protects people’s basic rights and freedoms?

a.	the first 10 amendments	c.	the last 10 amendments
b.	Article I	d.	Article II

Checks and Balances
Legislative Branch Congress Makes the Law		Judicial Branch Supreme Court Interprets Law		Executive Branch President Carries Out Law
Checks on the Judicial Branch	Checks on the Executive Branch	Checks on the Legislative Branch	Checks on the Executive Branch	Checks on the Judicial Branch	Checks on the Legislative Branch
Can impeach judges	Can override presidential veto	Can declare laws unconstitutional	Can declare acts of the president unconstitutional	Appoints judges	Can propose and veto laws
Can reject appointment of judges	Can impeach president
	Can reject presidential appointments and refuse to approve treaties

10.

The judicial branch checks the power of the legislative branch by

a.	appointing judges.	c.	declaring laws unconstitutional.
b.	overriding presidential vetoes.	d.	impeaching judges.

11.

By declaring acts of the president unconstitutional, the Supreme Court

a.	checks the Congress.	c.	is checked by the executive branch.
b.	checks the executive branch.	d.	is checked by the legislative branch.

12.

How can Congress check the power of the Supreme Court?

a.	It can impeach the president.	c.	It can refuse to approve treaties.
b.	It can declare laws unconstitutional.	d.	It can impeach judges.

13.

Shays’s Rebellion reflected the discontent of

a.	merchants towards the Confederation government.
b.	farmers towards the Confederation government.
c.	the state legislatures towards the citizens.
d.	government leaders toward Britain.

14.

The right to publish facts, ideas, and opinions without government interference is protected by the Constitution in

a.	Article I.	c.	Article II.
b.	the First Amendment.	d.	the Fourth Amendment.

15.

A bill becomes a law after

a.	both houses of Congress approve it.	c.	the Senate refers it to a committee.
b.	the president signs it.	d.	the House refers it to a committee.

16.

In the new state governments, the chief executive was

a.	the governor.	c.	a judge.
b.	the president.	d.	a king.

17.

Who was the founder of the Federalist Party?

a.	George Washington	c.	John Adams
b.	Alexander Hamilton	d.	Thomas Jefferson

18.

Because cotton became a major cash crop in the South,

a.	the demand for enslaved people decreased.
b.	the demand for enslaved people increased.
c.	large cities increased in the South.
d.	slavery increased in other regions.

19.

How did the purchase of the Louisiana Territory affect the size of the United States in 1803?

a.	It extended it to the present-day size.	c.	It increased it slightly.
b.	It did not affect the size at all.	d.	It doubled the size.

20.

On what river did Lewis and Clark start their exploration?

a.	the Missouri River	c.	the Red River
b.	the Mississippi River	d.	the Columbia River

21.

Why did Lewis and Clark travel a route that was longer than the straight-line distance between St. Louis and the Pacific coast?

a.	They did not know where they were going.
b.	They wanted to avoid the Spanish Territory.
c.	They wanted to explore the Mississippi River.
d.	They had to go around the mountainous terrain.

22.

The Treaty of 1846 divided Oregon

a.	between Spain and the United States.	c.	into Spanish and British portions.
b.	into American and British portions.	d.	among three countries.

23.

President James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine to

a.	work with European nations in developing Latin American countries.
b.	make the United States as powerful as European nations.
c.	establish ties with the Quadruple Alliance.
d.	prevent European involvement in the Americas.

24.

Which of the following describes the United States in 1824?

a.	Texas was part of the United States.
b.	The Rocky Mountains were part of the United States.
c.	The Oregon Country was not part of the United States.
d.	Canada was part of the United States.

25.

The region that was claimed by both the United States and Britain in 1824 was

a.	Canada.	c.	the Oregon Country.
b.	the Arkansas Territory.	d.	Texas.

26.

In 1824, the land that is present-day California was a region belonging to

a.	Mexico.	c.	the United States.
b.	Britain.	d.	Canada.

27.

In which region of the United States did the Industrial Revolution begin?

a.	the Midwest	c.	New England
b.	the West	d.	the South

28.

The invention of the cotton gin led to

a.	an increase in the use of enslaved labor.
b.	a decrease in the use of enslaved labor.
c.	a decrease in cotton production in the South.
d.	an increase in cotton production in New England.

29.

The main crop of the Deep South was

a.	cotton.	c.	tobacco.
b.	indigo.	d.	wheat.

30.

Most free African Americans in the South lived

a.	in the Southern cities.	c.	in the Southern rural communities.
b.	on Southern plantations.	d.	along the Southern coasts.

31.

Which group made up the largest group of whites in the South before 1860?

a.	tenant farmers	c.	yeomen
b.	rural poor	d.	slaveholders

32.

Southern states passed slave codes to

a.	increase legal rights for enslaved people.
b.	regulate plantation owners’ treatment of enslaved people.
c.	prevent slave rebellions.
d.	unite enslaved people with their family members.

33.

One person who helped runaway slaves escape to free states in the North was

a.	Frederick Douglass.	c.	Nat Turner.
b.	Harriet Tubman.	d.	Denmark Vesey.

34.

One reason President Jackson opposed the National Bank was that he

a.	thought it was controlled by ordinary people.
b.	believed the Bank had no control over the country’s money supply.
c.	was a friend of Nicholas Biddle.
d.	believed it was unconstitutional.

35.

How did most people travel to Oregon in the early 1840s?

a.	by train	c.	by canoe
b.	along the Oregon Trail	d.	around South America

36.

Which of the following was a provision of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

a.	The Nueces River was the border between Texas and Mexico.
b.	The United States gave up all claims to Texas.
c.	Mexico gave up all claims to Texas.
d.	California was returned to Spain.

37.

What group of people settled Utah in the 1850s?

a.	the forty-niners	c.	Mexicans
b.	the Mormons	d.	fur traders

38.

The goal of the American Colonization Society was to

a.	move all African Americans to Northern cities.
b.	resettle African Americans in Africa or the Caribbean.
c.	increase the use of enslaved labor in the United States.
d.	call for an immediate end to slavery in the United States.

39.

The American Anti-Slavery Society was founded by

a.	Angelina Grimké.	c.	David Walker.
b.	Sojourner Truth.	d.	William Lloyd Garrison.

40.

The Compromise of 1850 included a provision to

a.	prohibit slavery in the New Mexico Territory.
b.	continue the slave trade in the District of Columbia.
c.	double the fines against those who rescued slaves.
d.	admit California as a free state.

41.

Part of the Dred Scott decision included the idea that

a.	the Fifth Amendment did not apply to slaves.
b.	enslaved people were like any other form of property.
c.	people in a territory could prohibit slavery before statehood had been reached.
d.	Congress had the power to prohibit slavery in any territory.

42.

To justify their plans to secede, Southerners used the idea of

a.	nullification.	c.	constitutionality.
b.	states’ rights.	d.	judicial review.

43.

The president of the Confederacy who ordered the attack on Fort Sumter was

a.	John C. Calhoun.	c.	Robert E. Lee.
b.	Ulysses S. Grant.	d.	Jefferson Davis.

44.

Which of the following describes the Union army?

a.	Most soldiers were farmers.
b.	African Americans were never allowed to enlist.
c.	It was smaller than the Confederate Army.
d.	Most soldiers were African Americans.

45.

The first major battle of the Civil War was the

a.	Battle of Shiloh.	c.	First Battle of Bull Run.
b.	Battle of Antietam.	d.	Battle at Gettysburg.

46.

What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

a.	It freed all enslaved African Americans in the South.
b.	It abolished slavery in the United States.
c.	It freed all African Americans in the United States.
d.	It allowed enslaved people to leave the South.

47.

By percentage, how much bigger was the population of the North than that of the South?

a.	by about 36 percent	c.	by about 42 percent
b.	by about 68 percent	d.	by about 84 percent

48.

In dollars, how much greater was the value of Northern manufactured goods?

a.	by about $1.75 billion	c.	by about $1.52 billion
b.	by about $152 million	d.	by about $1.9 billion

49.

Which factor shown in the graphs would have most helped the South deliver supplies to its troops?

a.	an increase in the number of states
b.	a lower value of exports
c.	an increase in manufactured goods
d.	an increase in the miles of railroad tracks

50.

The Radical Republican plan for Reconstruction called for

a.	milder treatment of the South than President Lincoln’s plan.
b.	former Confederates to take office in the new state governments.
c.	all Southerners to vote for delegates to their state’s constitutional convention.
d.	harsher treatment of the South than President Lincoln’s plan.

51.

To reenter the Union, Southern states had to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, which

a.	granted citizenship to African Americans.
b.	abolished slavery.
c.	guaranteed voting rights to African Americans.
d.	guaranteed the right to trial by jury for African Americans.

52.

African Americans received full citizenship with the passage of

a.	the Fifteenth Amendment.	c.	the Fourteenth Amendment.
b.	the Sixteenth Amendment.	d.	the Thirteenth Amendment.

53.

Southern states promoted segregation through the passage of

a.	Jim Crow laws.	c.	slave codes.
b.	the Fifteenth Amendment.	d.	black codes.

54.

Which political party gained power in the South after the end of Reconstruction?

a.	Whig Party	c.	Republican Party
b.	Democratic Party	d.	Liberty Party

55.

What led to the start of many boomtowns in the West?

a.	the growth of farming	c.	the growing fur trade
b.	the discovery of gold or silver	d.	the development of ranching

56.

An increase in railroad construction after 1865 was partly due to

a.	the open range.	c.	new inventions.
b.	decreasing farmland.	d.	government subsidies.

57.

Railroads stimulated the economy by

a.	helping other industries to thrive.	c.	limiting the growth of other industries.
b.	moving people westward.	d.	limiting other forms of transportation.

58.

Most immigrants to the United States after 1865 came from

a.	Ireland.	c.	northern and western Europe.
b.	eastern and southern Europe.	d.	China.

59.

Which state or territory had the largest area of Native American reservations in 1890?

a.	Utah Territory	c.	Nevada
b.	Indian Territory	d.	California

60.

Which statement best describes why reservations were established?

a.	to allow Native Americans to keep their traditional lifestyle
b.	to have Native Americans assimilate to the American lifestyle
c.	to provide land for white settlement
d.	to benefit Native Americans

61.

Which Enlightenment thinker advocated the idea of separation of powers in government?

a.	Jean-Jacques Rousseau	c.	John Locke
b.	Charles de Montesquieu	d.	John Calvin

Reasons for Voyage	Explorer	Results of Voyage
search for better trade routes	Bartholomeu Dias	a route to Asia
gain converts to Christianity	Vasco da Gama	coconuts and spices in Africa and India; era of increased trade in Portugal begins
find a western route to Asia	Christopher Columbus	founded the Americas
search for gold	Ponce de León	present-day Florida
search for gold	Vasco Núñez de Balboa	Pacific Ocean
search for gold	Hernando de Soto	Mississippi River
search for treasure	Francisco Coronado	Grand Canyon
find a western route to Asia	Ferdinand Magellan	circumnavigated the world
find a Northwest Passage	John Cabot	Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
find a Northwest Passage	Giovanni de Verrazano	Atlantic coast of North America from North Carolina to New York
find a Northwest Passage	Jacques Cartier	St. Lawrence River

62.

Whose voyage led to the discovery of present-day Florida?

a.	Giovanni de Verrazano	c.	Ferdinand Magellan
b.	Ponce de León	d.	Hernando de Soto

63.

Whose voyage was not undertaken for economic reasons?

a.	Jacques Cartier’s	c.	Francisco Coronado’s
b.	Hernando de Soto’s	d.	Vasco da Gama’s

64.

Searching for wealth was not a major reason for the voyage of

a.	Ponce de León.	c.	Jacques Cartier.
b.	Vasco Núñez de Balboa.	d.	Hernando de Soto.