Student Name:
FLEMING COUNTY ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
2014-2015
th
8 Grade Social Studies
2
nd
Benchmark
Fleming County Schools
Flemingsburg, KY
CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
Do Not Reproduce
DIRECTIONS
Read each question carefully. Determine the best answer to the question from the four answer choices
provided. Then fill in the answer on your answer document.
1.
The passage below was written by Thomas Paine in his 1776 book, Common Sense.
The powers of governing . . . in the hands of the king . . . himself
such an . . . enemy to liberty . . . is he . . . a proper person to say to
these colonies, “YOU SHALL MAKE NO LAWS BUT WHAT I PLEASE.”
Based on this passage, with which complaint against the king from the Declaration of
Independence would Thomas Paine agree?
A.
B.
C.
D.
persecuting immigrant groups
taking away religious rights
taking away political rights
persecuting racial groups
2. The table below shows the comparison of two different systems of government.
COMPARISON OF FEDERAL AND UNITARY SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT
Federal System
Canada and the United States
?
Unitary System
France and the United Kingdom
?
Which information completes the table?
A.
B.
C.
D.
power shared / power delegated
rule by a democracy / rule by a monarchy
role of government expanded / role of government limited
power divided among the branches / power held by one branch
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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3. Use the information in the box and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.




Travel time reduced
Western migration encouraged
Open range closed
Native Americans forced off their land
Which technological advance from the nineteenth century resulted in all the effects listed above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Cotton gin
Canals
Railroads
Telephone
4. Use the excerpt and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house
without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a
manner to be prescribed by law.
-
Third Amendment to the US Constitution
This amendment was included in the Bill of Rights as a reaction to
A.
B.
C.
D.
the payment of housing allowances to British officials.
the forced provision of shelter for British troops.
the fear of foreign invasion after the Revolutionary War.
the military draft enacted after the Revolutionary War.
5. Which belief do Jews and Muslims share?
A. Mecca is a holy city.
B. There is only one God.
C. Jesus is the son of God.
D. There are many paths to truth.
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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6. What was the basic structure of feudalism in Western Europe in the 8th and 9th centuries?
A. Nobles were given control of land in return for personal loyalty and specific services to the
king.
B. Kings sought support from the growing urban middle class as a way to limit the power of the
nobles.
C. The peasants who actually farmed the land gained political independence from the local
nobility.
D. Salaried officials and paid soldiers served the king directly and enforced common laws
throughout the kingdom.
7. The Spanish settled parts of North America in the 1500s and 1600s. What effect did this settlement
have on the American Indians?
A. The American Indians set up a profitable fur trade with the Spanish.
B. The American Indians prevented the Spanish from settling the best farm land.
C. The American Indians converted many Spanish settlers to their native religion.
D. The American Indians were forced by the Spanish to work on their farms and in their mines.
8. What were the natural resources and economic conditions that encouraged Southern planters to
develop a slave economy in the South before the American Civil War?
A. plentiful farmland and a greater need for labor
B. dense forests and northern demand for wood
C. available coal and industries needing heat
D. navigable rivers and good interior roads
9. What was a significant economic impact of the Crusades on European society?
A. The demand for goods from Muslim territories decreased throughout Europe.
B. Many areas of Europe adopted the use of printed money from the Middle East.
C. Merchants helped establish new trade routes between Europe and the Middle East.
D. Gold brought back from the Holy Land eliminated poverty in many parts of Europe.
10. What is one benefit of international trade?
A. Governments can ensure that unemployment stays low.
B. Workers can remain in the same job throughout their working lives.
C. Businesses can focus on providing limited products to customers.
D. Nations can specialize in goods and services that they produce most efficiently.
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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11. Which phrase describes all four factors listed below?
War
Trade
Writing systems
Transportation systems
A. factors that weaken democracy
B. factors that discourage entrepreneurship
C. factors that help lessen poverty and unemployment
D. factors that spread goods and ideas from place to place
12.
Which form of government typically maintains its power through force and fear?
A. monarchy
B. dictatorship
C. direct democracy
D. representative democracy
13.
The statements below are from a historical document.
He has refused his Assent to Laws
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone
He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing without the Consent of our
legislatures
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the
lives of our people
How does the modern political system in the United States uphold the principles expressed in these
statements?
A.
B.
C.
D.
by requiring voter registration laws for local elections
by causing elected officials to be responsible to citizen needs
by allowing federal judges to be appointed by elected officials
by making local governments responsible for monitoring elections
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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14. The diagram below shows some general eligibility requirements.
Read, write and
speak English
Be of good moral
Requirements For
character
?
Possess basic
knowledge of U.S.
history and
government
Which statement completes the diagram?
A. Joining a Military Service
B. Obtaining a Driver’s License
C. Becoming a Naturalized Citizen
D. Receiving a Social Security Card
15. Which is a primary source for evidence that Columbus sailed to find a new route to the Indies in
1492?
A.
B.
C.
D.
a television show about the explorations of Columbus
a letter from the current ambassador from Spain describing the voyage
a painting showing Columbus landing in the New World
a diary entry written by a crew member aboard Columbus’ ship
16. According to the law of supply and demand, farmers will obtain the highest price for their products
when
A.
B.
C.
D.
both supply and demand are high.
both supply and demand are low.
supply is high and demand is low.
supply is low and demand is high.
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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17. Which of the following best describes a major effect of the agricultural revolution on Neolithic
societies?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Population movement increased.
Productive tasks became more specialized.
Birth rates declined.
Communities became more geographically dispersed.
18. Use the photo above to answer the question. This portrayal of President Andrew Jackson reflects the
opinion of some of his opponents that the
A.
B.
C.
D.
executive branch had become too powerful
British had too much influence over the president
president had become too sympathetic to the common man
spoils system had failed to improve the government
19. In the late 1800s, the United States became an imperialist nation when it
A.
B.
C.
D.
acquired overseas territories
declared its neutrality
formed military alliances
reduced trade with other nation
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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20. During the 1840s, Americans used the idea of Manifest Destiny to justify the
A.
B.
C.
D.
expansion of women’s rights
acquiring of new territories
beginning of free public education
repeal of the Missouri Compromise
21. Mass production is a term that can best be defined as the
A.
B.
C.
D.
22.
number of hours employees are required to work
manufacture of large quantities of a product quickly and cheaply
profit made by a large business or corporation
formation of a business monopoly
Use the map above. The British government established the Proclamation Line of 1763 mainly to
A.
B.
C.
D.
avoid conflicts with Native American Indians
promote the fur trade
expand the thirteen colonies
provide access to the Mississippi River
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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23. Which event in colonial history is most closely associated with freedom of the press?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Salem witch trials
Boston Tea Party
formation of the Sons of Liberty
John Peter Zenger case
24. When census numbers show changes in a state’s total population, what is likely to be affected in the
state?
A.
B.
C.
D.
boundary lines
number of counties
representation in the United States House of Representatives
number of senators in the United States Senate
25. One major reason historians consider George Washington a great president is that he
A.
B.
C.
D.
created many important practices still used by the government
made the United States a world power
ended conflicts among the Native Americans
extended voting rights to most free males throughout the United States
26. Answer the question based on the chart below and your knowledge of social studies.
North
Industrial
More cities
Many factories
Slavery widely opposed
South
Agricultural
Mainly rural
Few factories
Slavery widely supported
Which conclusion related to the Civil War can be drawn from the information in this chart?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The South had more large cities than the North.
Sectionalism was based on social and economic differences.
The South was well prepared to win a war against the North.
Agriculture was no longer important to the United States economy.
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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27. Based on the photograph, this city was designed to serve as a center for
A.
B.
C.
D.
trade
religion
security
administration
28. The greater the country’s level of economic development, the
A.
B.
C.
D.
lower the cost of living
higher the agricultural labor force
lower the urban population
higher the quality of life
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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29. With which religion is the structure in this photograph associated?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Hinduism
Christianity
Judaism
Buddhism
30. What would a scientist probably study to predict where acid rain would fall?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the atomic structures of sulphur nitrogen and oxygen
mass-transit systems that serve major cities
wind patterns that prevail over major manufacturing areas
the location of sewage-treatment plants
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE
31. Read the following document.
CROSSING OVER THE GREAT PLAINS BY OX-WAGONS
"Altho I was but a girl of 11 years I distinctly remember many things connected with that far-off time
when all of our western country was a wilderness.
We were six months in crossing the plains in ox-wagons.
In our home, In Illinois, in the early fifties, there was much talk and excitement over the news of the
great gold discoveries in California and equally there was much talk concerning the wonderful fertile valleys
of Oregon Territory - an act of Congress giving to actual settlers 640 acres of land.
My father, John Tucker Scott, with much of the pioneer spirit in his blood, became so interested that
he decided to "go West"… The spring of 1852 ushered in so many preparations, great work of all kinds. I
remember relations coming to sew, of tearful partings, little gifts of remembrances exchanged, the sale of the
farm, the buying and breaking in of unruly oxen, the loud voices of the men, and the general confusion."
~Harriet Scott Palmer, 1852
Editor’s Note: Spelling reflects that which was used in the original documents.
According to the document, what were TWO reasons people wanted to move west?
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CASE 8th Grade Social Studies
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32. Read the excerpt to respond to the item below.
Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power,
jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to
the United States, in Congress assembled. . . . The said States hereby severally
enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common
defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare.
Articles of Confederation, 1777
Explain the degree to which the democratic ideal of states′ rights is evident in the Articles of
Confederation. Use one detail from the excerpt above to support your position.
STOP
This is the end of
the Social
Studies
Benchmark
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