TeXes Social Studies 4-8 (118) Prep

The Dust Bowl of the 1930s occurred in which geographic region of the United States? A. The Great Plains B. The Pacific Northwest C. New England D. The Southeast

Option A is correct. In the 1930s the Dust Bowl, caused by a combination of drought and poor farming practices, developed in the Great Plains region of the United States. Parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and Colorado were the most strongly affected.

Which of the following best describes why most of the Spanish expeditions in Texas during the 1690s took place in eastern Texas? A. The Spanish were attempting to prevent any further settlement of eastern Texas by the French. B. Spanish Roman Catholic missionaries sought to convert the American Indian tribes in Louisiana. C. The Spanish built presidios along the newly discovered Mississippi River to maintain ownership of the waterway. D. Spanish colonists settled as closely as possible to French colonial settlements to facilitate trade.

Option A is correct because although the Spanish had abandoned colonization of the Gulf Coast of Texas for over a century, the threat of encroachment into Texas by French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle pushed the Spanish to begin exploring the eastern region of Texas.

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the demographics of Texas since the year 2000? A. The percentage of the population of Texas that is Hispanic is more than twice the national percentage. B. The average age of the Texan population is much greater than the average age of the national population. C. The rural population is growing more rapidly than the urban population in Texas. D. American Indians are the fastest growing ethnic or racial group in Texas.

Option A is correct because in 2006 more than 35 percent of the population of Texas was Hispanic, while in the United States as a whole, less than 15 percent of the total population was Hispanic.

Which of the following represents the largest source of funding for Texas public schools? A. Local property taxes B. Local bonds C. Federal grants D. Lottery proceeds

Option A is correct because local property taxes account for almost 50 percent of all public school funding in Texas.

Which of the following institutions in the United States can most effectively improve the standard of living and reduce the crime rate in a community? A. Schools B. Prisons C. Hospitals D. Businesses

Option A is correct because research has shown that educational attainment is closely associated with increases in both the standard of living for individuals and reduced crime rates in communities.

In which of the following ways did the Magna Carta influence the subsequent development of governmental power in England and North America? A. It placed limitations on the executive branch of government. B. It mandated the separation of government among three distinct branches. C. It expanded the power of the executive branch of government. D. It limited religious practices not sponsored by the government.

Option A is correct because the Magna Carta required King John of England to proclaim that his power was not absolute and that English nobles had certain civil liberties that he could not violate; that is, he could not deprive them of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. The restrictions on governmental power and guarantee of civil liberties provided a basis for the United States Constitution and later governmental reforms in England.

Which of the following classroom activities best reflects an interdisciplinary approach to Social Studies education? A. Students research the American Indian cultures in Texas and their relation to the natural resources available in each region. B. Students determine and compare the gross domestic products of developing countries like Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia. C. Students create pie charts of the ethnicity, age range, and employment of the population of Texas. D. Students search for similarities between the United States Constitution and the constitutions of other democratic countries.

Option A is correct because the activity encompasses the disciplines of historical and anthropological research with the geographic study of available natural resources in Texas.

Which of the following best describes the primary claim of the Monroe Doctrine? A. It declared that the United States had the right to defend the Western Hemisphere from European interference. B. It warned United States leaders against participating in entangling foreign alliances. C. It argued that acquiring Asian colonies was an effective means of opening new markets for American goods. D. It encouraged the mass movement of American Indians off of their land and onto Indian reservations.

Option A is correct because the proclamation issued by President James Monroe in 1823 stated that it was in the interest of the United States to ensure that the newly independent states in the Americas maintain their independence and that European states engage in no further colonization efforts in the Americas.

Which of the following is a characteristic of authoritarian forms of government? A. Efficiency in policy making B. Protections for the press C. Protections for individual privacy D. Equal representation for political minorities

Option A is correct. In authoritarian regimes the executive office holds much more power than any other branches of government, allowing for swift political decisions that could positively or negatively affect the population.

For which of the following reasons did Southern plantation owners oppose the Missouri Compromise (1820) ? A. It prevented the expansion of slavery into Northern territories. B. It allowed residents of new territories to vote on whether to allow slavery. C. It introduced stronger legislation for pursuing fugitive slaves. D. It outlawed the practice of slavery in Missouri.

Option A is correct. The Missouri Compromise established that the use of slave labor could not take place in territories established in the Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30′ north.

Which of the following resulted from the passage of the Law of April 6, 1830, by the government of Mexico? A. Mexico gave up its claim to the Anahuac region and other Aztec lands near the Mexico Basin. B. Mexican law prohibited slavery in Texas and closed the borders to United States immigration. C. Stephen F. Austin brought 300 families to Texas and established the Austin colony. D. The Fredonian Rebellion began in an effort to secede Texas from Mexico.

Option B is correct because Mexican Army General José Manuel Rafael Simeón de Mier y Terán issued a report for the Texas Boundary Commission arguing that resistance to United States expansion would require more Mexican and European settlement in Texas. His recommendations were enacted in the Law of April 6, 1830, which prohibited slavery in Texas and closed the borders to legal United States immigration.

Which of the following is the geographic term for an area of relatively flat or level terrain at a high elevation? A. Summit B. Plateau C. Foothill D. Watershed

Option B is correct because a plateau is an area of highland that has relatively flat or level terrain.

A fifth-grade social studies teacher is teaching a lesson on the various types of governments. The teacher decides to split the class into groups and perform a jigsaw activity where groups of students learn about a form of government. The students in each group then disperse to teach what they learned to other students. Which of the following benefits does a jigsaw activity provide? A. It allows students to independently learn the content of the lesson. B. It allows the teacher to assess students' ability to summarize and synthesize content C. It ensures that students with special needs can fully participate. D. It provides an opportunity for students to interact with teachers one-on-one.

Option B is correct because during a jigsaw activity student groups are required to share what they have learned about a particular topic with other student groups, which demonstrates the ability to synthesize and summarize information.

Which of the following should teachers consider when choosing a new technological tool to use in classroom instruction? A. Whether students would be able to take the technology home with them B. Whether the technology is accessible to students with disabilities C. Whether the technology can be used for every future classroom activity D. Whether the teacher requires instructional training before properly using the technology

Option B is correct because it is most important that technological tools in the classroom be accessible to students with learning or physical disabilities to ensure safety and fair instruction.

In which of the following ways did the British government respond to increasing protests of British colonial policy during the early 1770s? A. It forced sailors from New England to serve in the Royal Navy. B. It sent troops to occupy cities in New England and enforce laws. C. It allowed colonists to vote on representatives in Parliament. D. It encouraged the mass movement of American Indians off of their land and onto Indian reservations.

Option B is correct because the colonial resistance to British taxes led to the British government sending troops to the colonies to enforce laws

Which of the following tectonic plate movements occurred to form the Rocky Mountains? A. Drifting hot spot B. Convergent subduction C. Divergent spreading D. Transform faulting

Option B is correct because the formation of the Rocky Mountains is the result of convergence between the North American Plate and the Farallon Plate. The Farallon Plate has been completely subducted underneath the North American continent, resulting in the uplift of the Rocky Mountains.

Which of the following is a correct statement about how settlement patterns in Texas have been affected by the state's geography? A. The population of southern Texas is in decline due to a drop in average temperature. B. The western region of Texas is the least populated because of its dry climate and rocky terrain. C. The highest population concentrations are in the Panhandle, where cities have grown along rivers. D. The population of northeastern Texas has been limited by its isolation and mountainous terrain.

Option B is correct because the western region of Texas is the driest and least populous region in Texas.

Which of the following policy actions will most contribute to economic growth? A. Eliminating health insurance and training for workers B. Decreasing income taxes on households and businesses C. Decreasing funding for public education D. Increasing government regulation of businesses

Option B is correct. Decreasing income taxes increases income, savings, and investment for households and businesses, which will contribute to economic growth.

Use of a population pyramid of the United States would be most effective in answering which of the following questions? A. Where do immigrants most often settle in the United States? B. How much of the United States population might retire in the next twenty years? C. How many people might immigrate to the United States in the next twenty years? D. What is the current unemployment rate in the United States?

Option B is correct. Population pyramids show the distribution of defined age groups in a population. Organizing population information in this way is helpful in determining the future needs of certain age groups, such as how many teachers might need to be hired to educate a large population of children or how many people might reach retirement age in the future.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (1994) did most to stimulate which of the following in Texas? A. Automobile production B. Trucking and distribution C. Oil refining D. Textile manufacturing

Option B is correct. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) lowered trade barriers between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The lowering of trade barriers led to increases in Mexican manufacturing through lower labor costs and a subsequent increase in trucking, warehousing, and distribution in Texas, through which many of the goods produced in the new Mexican facilities are transported

The system of government in the United States is most closely related to that of which of the following classical civilizations? A. The Han dynasty B. The Aztec Empire C. Athens D. Egypt

Option C is correct because even though Athenian government was a direct democracy, the representative democratic functions of the United States federal government are most closely related to the system of government developed and used by the ancient Greek city-state of Athens.

Which of the following is a factor of production? A. State banks B. Consumers C. Entrepreneurs D. Computers

Option C is correct because factors of production can be understood as the resources of production, which are required to create a commodity. Entrepreneurs are one of the basic factors of production. Other factors of production include land, labor, and capital.

Which of the following best describes the role of businesses in a free enterprise system? A. They adhere to government-mandated prices of goods and services. B. They regulate consumer demand for goods and services. C. They produce goods and services as they see fit to maximize profits. D. They determine economic policies for international and domestic trade.

Option C is correct because in a free enterprise system, businesses seek to provide goods and services to consumers at a price determined by the free market. Businesses seek to control the cost of production and price of goods or services provided to generate the maximum possible profits.

The Connecticut Compromise of 1787, also known as the Great Compromise, established which of the following? A. The practice of counting only three-fifths of a state's enslaved people in apportioning representation and taxation B. The separation of the federal government into the three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial C. The congressional apportionment to each state for two senators and a number of House representatives based on state population D. The addition of the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution to protect individual liberties and limit the power of the government

Option C is correct because the Constitutional Convention of 1787 enabled the agreement among representatives of small and large states.

Which of the following is the earliest example of a representative assembly in the American colonies? A. The Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly B. The First Continental Congress C. The Virginia House of Burgesses D. The Georgia Board of Trustees

Option C is correct because the Virginia House of Burgesses, which first convened in 1619, was a legislative assembly created to make conditions in the Virginia colony more agreeable for its inhabitants and to encourage further immigration to the colony.

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which was a machine that extracted the sticky seeds from short-staple cotton and greatly increased the amount of harvested cotton that could be produced in a day. Which of the following reflects another effect of the cotton gin? A. The demand for slaves decreased. B. The price of slaves decreased. C. The use of slave labor increased. D. The freeing of slaves increased.

Option C is correct because the invention of the cotton gin resulted in greater demand for cotton to be grown in the southern United States. As a result, the demand for labor on cotton farms increased the demand for slaves to plant, tend, harvest, and transport cotton to then be processed by ginning devices.

Which of the following shared values in U.S. society is embodied by the motto on the Seal of the United States, E Pluribus Unum, which means "out of the many, one"? A. Liberty for all B. Freedom of speech C. Diversity within unity D. Importance of individuality

Option C is correct because the motto on the seal refers to the different states coming together to form one Union.

Which of the following was an achievement of the United States government under the Articles of Confederation? A. Creating a strong national military force B. Abolishing United States participation in the Atlantic slave trade C. Establishing a process for the admission of new states and territories D. Enforcing the collection of taxes to pay off Revolutionary War debts

Option C is correct. The Articles of Confederation, drafted in 1776-1777, was written partially to legitimize the new government of the United States. Under the Articles of Confederation, the United States government established protocols for the admission of new states and a precedent for westward expansion.

Which of the following best describes the opposition in the United States to the admission of Texas to the Union? A. Southern planters believed that Texas would contribute little to the national economy. B. Southern politicians worried that Texas would support the Republican Party. C. Northern economists believed that Texas banks were responsible for economic depressions. D. Northern politicians did not want to upset the balance between free states and slave states in the Union.

Option D is correct because Northern politicians (such as former president Martin Van Buren) believed that the admission of Texas to the Union as a slave state posed a threat to the balance between slave states and free states established by the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Which of the following activities would best demonstrate students' ability to translate geographic data into visual formats? A. Writing an article on the changes in population distribution of local wildlife over the past twenty years B. Color-coding landforms and bodies of water on a black-and-white map of Texas C. Using a handheld GPS receiver to record the coordinates of neighborhood locations on a spreadsheet D. Creating a line graph of population growth in the five largest Texas cities since 1850

Option D is correct because converting numerical city population data into line graphs is an effective means of demonstrating the functional ability of students to convert and visually display geographic data.

Which of the following was an effect of the Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford? A. The decision increased the number of congressional representatives to include the Wisconsin territory. B. The decision required the United States government to regulate the interstate travel of enslaved people. C. The decision preserved the balance of representative power between free states and slave states. D. The decision denied citizenship status to all African Americans, whether free or enslaved.

Option D is correct because the court ruled in the Dred Scott case that African Americans were not citizens. The decision was overturned after the Civil War by passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which granted citizenship to all people born in the United States.

Which of the following best represents the potential opportunity cost of local officials cutting their town's education budget to increase spending for local roads? A. Better transportation systems B. Fewer high school graduates C. Lower local taxes D. Lower class sizes

Option D is correct because the decision to increase spending on roads by cutting education spending would likely result in officials losing the opportunity to use those resources to reduce class sizes.

The United States electoral college is often criticized by voters for which of the following reasons? A. It encourages the formation of radical political parties. B. It normally favors the incumbent candidate. C. It is influenced by money generated by political parties. D. It gives more political power to heavily populated states.

Option D is correct because the number of electors assigned to a state is equal to the number of representatives that state has in Congress. Since the number of representatives in the House of Representatives is proportionate to a state's population, states with large populations will have more representation in the electoral college than states with smaller populations.

Which of the following is a constitutional principle intended to prevent the abuse of power by one of the branches of United States government? A. Sovereignty B. Federalism C. Nullification D. Checks and balances

Option D is correct because the system of checks and balances put in place by the United States Constitution is meant to prevent any one of the three branches of the federal government from abusing its power or from becoming more powerful than the other branches.

For which of the following reasons are political action committees (PACs) often considered to be controversial? A. They are the first to review proposed legislation in Congress. B. They appoint people to serve as part of the Electoral College. C. They directly communicate with foreign leaders to confirm treaties. D. They influence public officials by making campaign contributions.

Option D is correct. Political action committees sometimes evoke controversy by using monetary campaign contributions to influence candidates' positions on key issues.

Which TWO of the following demographic indicators are more likely to characterize less developed countries in comparison to more developed countries? A. Higher population growth rates B. Higher average life expectancies C. Higher infant mortality rates D. Higher college graduation rates

Options A and C are correct. Less developed countries commonly experience high population growth because they often have higher total fertility rates and younger populations than more developed countries. Infant mortality rates in less developed countries are often high due to limited access to health care.

Which TWO of the following could be used as primary sources for a research assignment on the Civil War? A. A Texas history textbook B. Letters from Confederate soldiers to their families C. An encyclopedia entry on the battle of Antietam D. The Texas Declaration of Secession E. A scholarly article about Abraham Lincoln's presidency

Options B and D are correct. Primary sources are documents or objects that were created during a specific time period. They may offer a contemporaneous perspective of events as they occurred. Letters from Confederate soldiers could offer personal views about the war from the soldiers' perspective, while the Texas Declaration of Secession would reflect the popular views of Texas residents at the beginning of the Civil War.