Grade 8:
Comprehensive TAKS Practice Test
1.
The right to petition means that ____.
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.20B
a.
Americans can gather in groups for any reason
b.
Americans can express their ideas to the government
c.
the government is prohibited from establishing an official religion
d.
accused persons may not be forced to testify against themselves
2.
Which of the following statements completes the diagram?
Obj 2:
TEKS 8.6E
a.
Purchase of the Louisiana Territory
b.
Gadsden Purchase
c.
Purchase of Alaska from Russia
d.
Treaty of Paris of 1763
3.
Historians study materials from both primary and secondary sources in order to increase their understanding of what happened in the past. Which of these sources are secondary sources?
Obj 5:
TEKS 8.30A
a.
1 and 2
b.
2 and 3
c.
2 and 4
d.
1 and 4
4.
Which of the following events is an appropriate entry in this time line?
Obj 5:
TEKS 8.30C
a.
South Carolina secedes
b.
Jefferson Davis chosen as president of the Confederate States of America
c.
First Battle of Bull Run
d.
Confederacy votes on its Constitution
5.
The ideas of ____, that all people were born with certain natural rights and that government was a contract between the governed and the government, deeply influenced the American colonists.
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.3A
a.
William and Mary
b.
James II
c.
Jonathan Edwards
d.
John Locke
6.
Study the flowchart on events leading up to the announcement of the Monroe Doctrine. Which answer completes the missing information?
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.5E
a.
Spain asks European nations to help put down revolution in South America
b.
France goes to war with Spain over South American policies
c.
The United States participates in an international conference to settle South American policies
d.
Great Britain warns the United States of its intent to support Spain
7.
The map shows major industries in the Northeast at the end of the 1800s. What city was located closest to both oil fields and iron and steel mills?
Obj 2:
TEKS 8.12A
a.
Chicago
b.
Boston
c.
Pittsburgh
d.
New York City
8.
Madison’s statement in this passage indicates a bias against ____.
Obj 5:
TEKS 8.30F
a.
citizens having a strong role in government
b.
the citizen’s right to personal property
c.
the republic form of government
d.
a representative form of government
9.
Why was Slater’s bringing of Arkwright’s machines to the United States a significant development in the growth of industry?
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.28D
a.
Machines for spinning thread were used in the United States for the first time.
b.
All stages of cloth making were done under one roof for the first time in the United States.
c.
The steam engine was used for the first time in the United States.
d.
Cotton mills were built for the first time in the United States.
10.
Place the events listed in the correct chronological order.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.1B
a.
a, d, b, c
b.
c, b, d, a
c.
b, c, d, a
d.
a, c, b, d
11.
The graph compares the resources of the Union and the Confederacy at the beginning of the Civil War. In which of the resources listed below did the Union have the greatest advantage over the Confederacy?
Obj 2:
TEKS 8.11C
a.
farms
b.
population
c.
iron production
d.
exports
12.
Which case represented the first time the Supreme Court reviewed and ruled on acts of the other branches of government?
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.19A
a.
Jefferson
v.
Madison
b.
Marshall
v.
Madison
c.
Adams
v.
Jefferson
d.
Marbury
v.
Madison
13.
Based on the table of party differences, an accurate statement is that ____.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.5C
a.
Federalists wanted a strict interpretation of the Constitution
b.
Democratic-Republicans supported the interests of the merchant elite
c.
tariffs were in the interest of manufacturers
d.
the parties showed equal support for agriculture
14.
Which of the following states was less dependent on slave labor in 1860 than it was in 1820?
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.13B
a.
Mississippi
b.
Maryland
c.
North Carolina
d.
South Carolina
15.
Increased industrialization led to the movement of people from rural areas to the cities. Which of the following was one of the challenges they faced in their new urban surroundings?
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.29C
a.
gap between the rich and the poor
b.
little emphasis on politics
c.
lack of diversity in the urban population
d.
famine
16.
The quotation upholds the idea that ____.
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.18B
a.
Kentucky is an exception to other states
b.
the federal government always acts like a tyrant
c.
because the states existed before the federal government, they should have the last word on federal laws and actions
d.
the federal government should be the sole judge of its own powers
17.
How many years passed between the introduction of horsecars and cable cars?
Obj 5:
TEKS 8.30C
a.
15 years
b.
27 years
c.
56 years
d.
35 years
18.
Compare the two statements and decide which individual is supportive of the actions of carpetbaggers.
Obj 5:
TEKS 8.30B
a.
Morton
b.
Lowe
c.
both men
d.
neither man
19.
Information presented in the table shows that ___.
Obj 2:
TEKS 8.10B
a.
more workers were employed in manufacturing in New England than in any other region
b.
Southern states contained about 16,000 more manufacturing establishments than did Western states
c.
nearly one-half of all manufacturing workers resided in the Western states
d.
more than one-third of all workers in manufacturing resided in the Middle states
20.
Which of the following is a characteristic of the free enterprise system?
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.15A
a.
Government controls banks and other lending institutions
b.
Government and business work together to produce a five-year economic plan
c.
Citizens receive social security benefits
d.
People can buy, sell, or produce whatever they want
21.
Settlers in Jamestown saved the colony when they began planting large quantities of ____, which sold for a good price.
Obj 2:
TEKS 8.11B
a.
tobacco
b.
indigo
c.
sugar
d.
coffee
22.
Which of the following factors was most responsible for the economic changes shown in this graph?
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.14B
a.
increased immigration that boosted the rural labor force
b.
inventions and new farming methods that allowed farmers to increase production
c.
cuts in taxes that enabled farmers to buy more seed and plant more acreage
d.
increases in government subsidies to farmers
23.
Which statement
best
describes why the Pilgrims wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact?
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.3B
a.
It reduced the power of the King of England.
b.
It promoted the idea that rebellion is justified if a ruler violates the contract between the people and the government.
c.
It transferred power from the king to Parliament.
d.
It reflected the idea that government should be based on a consensus of the entire community.
24.
Why did the invention of the cotton gin increase cotton production in the South during the first half of the 1800s?
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.28A
a.
It speeded up the harvesting of cotton.
b.
It quickly separated the seeds from cotton fibers.
c.
It quickly separated the grain from the stalk.
d.
It packed cotton in bales for shipment.
25.
In this passage, Jefferson is describing the importance of ____.
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.22B
a.
a free press
b.
freedom of assembly
c.
freedom of religion
d.
the right to petition
26.
Which of the following was an action largely taken by abolitionists to free enslaved people?
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.25A
a.
investing money in Southern industry to eliminate the region’s reliance on slavery
b.
staging armed attacks against Southern plantations
c.
buying enslaved workers and relocating them
d.
encouraging a free state to secede, creating a safe haven outside the United States
27.
Reconstruction ended with the ____.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.1A
a.
Amnesty Act
b.
Compromise of 1877
c.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
d.
Fifteenth Amendment
28.
Which of the following is the correct cause of the items shown here?
Obj 5:
TEKS 8.30B
a.
the War of 1812
b.
the Civil War
c.
the election of Thomas Jefferson
d.
the Great Awakening
29.
Jeremiah Jeter’s bias against enslaved people is demonstrated when he writes that ____.
Obj 5:
TEKS 8.30F
a.
they should want to move to Liberia
b.
they should be willing to leave behind their families to achieve their freedom
c.
they would not be prepared to live a free life
d.
he won’t free his slaves because state law forbids it
30.
The provisions that are listed are from the ____.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.6A
a.
Proclamation of 1763
b.
Treaty of Paris of 1783
c.
Monroe Doctrine
d.
Northwest Ordinance
31.
The statement that
best
interprets this passage is that ____.
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.20A
a.
unalienable rights come from the government
b.
only a majority vote can take away unalienable rights
c.
unalienable rights are permanent and lasting
d.
Congress enacts unalienable rights
32.
According to the excerpt, Northern industries favored tariffs because ____.
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.5B
a.
their industries would be protected from foreign competition
b.
the government would receive more revenue from foreign trade
c.
the South would be able to sell agricultural produce in the North
d.
their region’s agriculture would be protected from imported food products
33.
In debates over the proposed Constitution in 1787, the Three-Fifths Compromise concerned ____.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.4D
a.
the number of senators from each state
b.
the percent of African Americans to be counted in a state’s population
c.
the percent of votes necessary to override a presidential veto
d.
the percent of Senate votes necessary to override the House of Representatives
34.
The Proclamation of 1763 established ____.
Obj 2:
TEKS 8.11A
a.
the Hudson’s Bay Company
b.
a western boundary for the colonies
c.
the Northwest Territory
d.
a boundary between Spanish and British territory
35.
Study the table and fill in the missing economic activity.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.2B
a.
wheat farming
b.
logging
c.
rice farming
d.
tobacco farming
36.
The Tariff of Abominations was strongly opposed in most of the South and led directly to the concept of nullification, the idea that ____.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.7A
a.
the nation should forbid all tariffs
b.
individual states could decide for themselves if acts of the federal government were constitutional
c.
a national election should decide tariff rates
d.
the president should not have the right to veto acts of Congress
37.
One major weakness of the Confederation was its inability to deal with ____.
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.16B
a.
drawing maps
b.
new states
c.
Native Americans
d.
the nation’s finances
38.
In 1860, enslaved people made up about ____ percent of the population of the South.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.7B
a.
10
b.
20
c.
30
d.
50
39.
Which is the best title for the chart?
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.4C
a.
The Fight to Ratify the Constitution
b.
Events Leading to the Revolutionary War
c.
Military Conflicts of the Colonial Era
d.
Early Constitutional Crises in the United States
40.
The events described in this passage took place in the ____.
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.6D
a.
1790s
b.
1810s
c.
1840s
d.
1860s
41.
Whom did President Lincoln name the military commander of the Union in March 1864?
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.8A
a.
George Pickett
b.
George Meade
c.
Ulysses Grant
d.
Jeb Stuart
42.
Which of the events listed will fill the blank in the diagram above?
Obj 1:
TEKS 8.8B
a.
The Upper South secedes
b.
President Lincoln calls for volunteers
c.
The Confederate Congress moves the capital to the city of Richmond, Virginia
d.
7 Deep South states secede
43.
Which word best fills in the blanks for this passage of the Constitution?
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.17A
a.
laws
b.
amendments
c.
states
d.
branches
44.
What is the frame of reference for Patrick Henry’s criticism of the writers of the Constitution?
Obj 5:
TEKS 8.30D
a.
The members of the Constitutional Convention had been authorized only to discuss ways of improving the Articles of Confederation. Instead they designed a new form of government.
b.
Henry hoped the United States’s government would operate more like Great Britain’s government.
c.
Henry was not asked to edit the draft of the Constitution. He disagreed with the way in which the Preamble was written.
d.
Henry did not want the United States to begin ruling a colonial empire.
45.
President James Monroe proclaimed the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. What is the main point of the Doctrine, a passage from which is excerpted here?
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.23B
a.
The United States pledges to avoid all involvement in European affairs.
b.
The United States is determined to conquer and rule the nations of the Western Hemisphere.
c.
Only the United States, Canada, and Mexico should have influence in the Western Hemisphere.
d.
European oppression upon the newly independent nations of the Western Hemisphere will be treated as oppression upon the United States itself.
46.
This passage, written by James Madison, argues that a small body of elected officials, which we today call ____, will ensure that public opinion in government does not overwhelm common sense.
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.18A
a.
the executive branch
b.
the Congress
c.
the Supreme Court
d.
the Appeals Court
47.
Which of the following issues was discussed at the Seneca Falls Convention?
Obj 3:
TEKS 8.24E
a.
passage of an Equal Rights Amendment
b.
improving African American civil rights
c.
the right of women to enter the all-male world of business and professions
d.
granting 18-year-olds the right to vote
48.
Based on the chart, what check or control does the executive branch have over the judicial branch?
Obj 4:
TEKS 8.16D
a.
None
b.
The president can appeal to the people to remove Supreme Court justices.
c.
The president appoints justices to the Supreme Court.
d.
The president may remove Supreme Court justices from office.
