Study Island
Copyright © 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 04/03/2014
Generated By: Cheryl Shelton
Title: Grade 8 Geography
1. In 1803, the United States acquired the area labeled number 5 on the map from which
country?
A. Russia
B. France
C. Great Britain
D. Mexico
2. Which number on the map labels the area the U.S. acquired in the Gadsden Purchase?
A. 6
B. 1
C. 3
D. 2
Top Ten Countries of Origin of Foreign Born U.S. Population in 1960
3. In 1960, the largest number of foreign-born Americans were from which country?
A. Germany
B. Mexico
C. Italy
D. United Kingdom
4. According to the graph, which of the following statements about the demographics of foreignborn Americans in the middle of the 20th century is true?
A. They were primarily from South America.
B. They were primarily from Africa.
C. They were primarily from Asia.
D. They were primarily from Europe.
5. Since World War II, Americans have been on the move to the suburbs. In contrast to cities in
Latin America where the wealthiest people live in the city centers and the poor live in slums at
the city's edge, the reverse is generally true in the United States. As people became wealthier,
they moved farther away from the downtown areas, leaving behind the inner city poor. Which of
the following was a factor in changing America's urban areas in the second half of the twentieth
century?
A. the high cost of mass transportation and limited access to jobs
B. the movement of jobs out of urban areas and into rural regions
C. the popularity of the automobile and the expansion of roadways
D. the availability of cheap land in the high density downtown areas
6. In the years following the Civil War, why did so few people choose to settle in the Rocky
Mountain area?
A. It was too hard to farm the land.
B. There was no place to fish or hunt.
C. The weather was too cold and rainy.
D. France owned the land in that area.
7. In May, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark started their journey to the
unknown West. Their goal was to find an easy route to the Pacific. On December 5,
1805, Lewis and Clark finally reached the coast. They believed that they had found a
good passage across the continent. However, wagons could not follow the path that
they took. The point where Lewis and Clark crossed the Rocky Mountains, called Lolo
Pass, was too rough for wagons to travel.
In 1810, a man named John Jacob Astor wanted to set up a fur-trading post at the
mouth of the Columbia River. He sent his men west to set up the enterprise. During that
journey, a man named Robert Stuart came across a wide, low pass through the
Rockies. It was perfect for wagons to get through. This crossing became known as
South Pass. A half-million immigrants eventually made their way through South Pass to
settle in the West.
The physical shape of the land is called "topography." Which statement best describes how
topography influenced exploration?
A. Topography only influenced where people settled and found food.
B. Explorers worked to change the topography to best suit their needs.
C. Topography influenced how people traveled and where they settled.
D. Explorers paid little attention to topography and geography.
8. The North American colonies experienced a steady increase in population since the first
settlement in Jamestown in 1607. By 1775, the colonies' population was around 2,500,000, and
most of the colonists lived east of the Allegheny Mountains.
How did geography influence the settlement of America's first colonies?
A. The mountains provided easy passage to the West.
B. The mountains provided food and shelter to the early settlers.
C. The mountains presented a barrier to the early settlers.
D. The mountains were easily crossed by the early settlers.
9. Settlers moved farther west after the Civil War for which of these reasons?
A. Eastern cities were becoming crowded.
B. Water was more plentiful in the West.
C. There were no more natural resources left.
D. The British were chasing them out of the East.
10. The New England colonies exported many goods to Europe. Fur was one of these goods.
Why did the New England colonies export fur to Europe?
A. The people in New England had no need for fur.
B. There was a high demand in Europe for fur.
C. The price of fur in Europe was quite low.
D. The people in New England could not afford to buy fur.
11. The United States is one of the most urbanized countries on Earth. More than 81% of all
Americans live in an urban area, in contrast with a worldwide urban rate of 49%. This is because
A. American agriculture is failing and people are moving to cities to find work.
B. the United States does not provide enough support to small, rural communities.
C. economic activity is spread evenly throughout the nation among rural communities.
D. the cities are technological and cultural centers providing millions of jobs.
12. Which of these American colonies had a large number of plantations?
A. Virginia
B. Connecticut
C. New Hampshire
D. Massachusetts
13. Cities are in a state of constant change. Influences such as altered weather patterns or
economic instability can have disastrous results if not properly managed. Which of the following
processes can result in significant change in the demographics and culture of an urban area over
time?
A. foreign immigration
B. new schools
C. stable job market
D. changes in weather
14. In the 1950s, the United States added its 49th and 50th states. What were they?
A. Washington and Oregon
B. Alaska and Guam
C. New Mexico and Hawaii
D. Alaska and Hawaii
15. In the late 19th century, most northern states supported the Republican Party in elections
while most southern states tended to vote for the Democratic Party. What is the trend today?
A. Most northern states vote Independent while most southern states vote Democrat.
B. Most northern states vote Democrat while most southern states vote Republican.
C. Most northern states vote Republican while most southern states votes Independent.
D. Most northern states vote Republican while most southern states vote Democrat.
16. Which of the following was one of the differences between the economy of the New England
colonies and the economy of the Southern colonies?
A. The Southern colonies were very dependent on slave labor.
B. The New England colonies had more plantations than the Southern colonies.
C. The New England colonies exported more of their crops to England.
D. The Southern colonies did not export goods to England.
17. By 1870, thousands of settlers had moved to the West, but most of the population was still in
the eastern half of the country. The most likely reason more settlers had not reached western
states like Colorado and Utah was that
A. no one had explored beyond the Rockies.
B. travel across the land was difficult.
C. the United States did not reach that far.
D. Native American tribes claimed the land.
18. Many waves of European immigrants and others came west after the Civil War. Which of
these most influenced settlers who traveled through New Orleans?
A. jazz music
B. jobs in factories
C. mountain landscape
D. the Mississippi River
19. How many immigrants came into the United States from Latin America in 1970?
A. 1.5 million
B. 16.1 million
C. 5.7 million
D. 8.4 million
20. How have the demographics of America's foreign-born population changed in the last forty
years?
A. The foreign-born population is increasingly Eastern European.
B. The foreign-born population is increasingly Asian and Latin American.
C. The foreign-born population is less and less Asian and Latin American.
D. The foreign-born population is increasingly Western European.