Mid-term 8 th Grade American History Rutledge/Jones

Mid-term 8th Grade American History Rutledge/Jones Units 1 - 4

1. Which of the following was MOST responsible for the spread of knowledge during the Renaissance? SS 08-4.2.2 DOK 2 • The rediscovery of the classical thinkers of Greece and Rome. • The rapid growth of scientific study and discoveries. • The movement of scholars from the Byzantine Empire to Europe. • The development of the printing press and movable type. :10

2. Which of the following statements BEST describes the cause of increase trade between Europe and Asia in the late Middle Ages? SS 08-5.1.2 DOK 2 • Marco Polo’s stories of Asia’s great wealth led many Europeans to seek out Asian goods. • European merchants traded with Asia due to a lack of valuable natural resources in Europe. • The growth of towns during the Middle Ages led to an increase demand for Asian trade goods. • The interruption of trade caused by the Crusades led many merchants to travel to Asia in search of trade partners. :10

3. What was the MAIN reason European merchants began searching for a sea route to Asia in the 1400s? SS 08-5.1.2 DOK 2 • They wanted to bypass merchants who had a monopoly on Asian products. • Overland trade routes had become more dangerous than they had been. • Many educated Asians had become interested in European cultures. • Direct access to African goods would have increased profits. :10

4. How do scientists think people first migrated to the Americas? SS 08-5.1.2 DOK 2 • After the Ice Age, glaciers melted and people crossed by land. • After the Ice Age, glaciers melted and people came in large boats. • During the Ice Age, the sea froze and people crossed the ice. • During the Ice Age, the sea level dropped and people crossed by land. :10

5. Why did the ways of life of Native Americans change forever in the 1500s? SS 08-4.3.2 & SS 08-5.2.1 DOK 2 • Because of the climate. • Because of the wars between nations. • Because of the arrival of the Europeans. • Because of the lack of food. :10

6. Christopher Columbus’s four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean...SS 08-5.1.2 & SS 08-5.2.1 DOK 2 • Led to an exchange of people, foods, and germs between Europe and the Americas. • Led to a decline in Europe’s population because of new diseases. • Led to the introduction of slavery to Spain and other parts of Europe. • Led to a race between Spain and India to claim large parts of the Americas. :10

7. Why did European diseases in the Americas help create the slave trade?SS 08-3.2.1 & SS 08-5.2.1 DOK 2 • Because European disease frightened native laborers, who refused to work for the colonists. • Because European diseases killed so many Native Americans that a new labor force was needed. • Because European colonists became too ill to work, so another source of labor had to be found. • Because Africans were not immune to European diseases, they had to be forced to work as slaves for the colonists. :10

8. Why did the French treat Native Americans with more respect than some other European settler?SS 08-2.3.1 & SS 08-3.2.1 DOK 2 • Because of their close trading relationships. • Because of the greater attraction of settlements in Canada. • Because religious wars in France distracted French colonists. • Because of the absence of a flourishing fur trade. :10

9. Which generalization best sums up the founding of the English colonies?SS 08-2.3.1 DOK 2 • The English colonies were founded by people with different goals ranging from making money to following their faith. • The English colonies were founded by business people who planned to make money by selling land to settlers. • The English colonies were founded by Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics who wanted a place to worship in peace. • The English colonies were founded to provide a new start to poor people throughout Europe. :10

10. In European nations, the practice of carefully controlling trade to create and maintain wealth was called...SS 08-2.3.1 DOK 2 • Brokering • Capitalism • Profiteering • Mercantilism :10

11. Which of the following is an example of mercantilism?SS 08-3.2.1 DOK 2 • The English colonist could only trade its natural resources to European countries. • The English colonists could only trade its iron ore and other valuable natural resources with England. • The English colonists were free to trade with any country as long as England received the profits. • The English colonists were free to trade with any country and keep the profits. :10

12. Why are the Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental Orders, and town meetings created by the colonists’ examples of a democratic government? SS 08-5.2.2 DOK 2 • It showed the determination of colonists to build societies based on religious freedom. • It showed the determination of colonists to solve conflicts with Native Americans peacefully. • It showed the determination of colonists to govern themselves and solve their own problems. • It showed the determination of colonists to stop indentured servants from coming to America. :10

13. Why was the Stamp Act of 1765 upsetting to the colonists? SS 08-2.3.1 DOK 2 • To enforce it, Britain placed its own judges on the benches of colonial courts. • To enforce it, Britain’s standing army used violence to frighten taxpayers. • It was the first attempt by Parliament to tax exports, not just imports. • It was the first time Parliament had tried to tax colonists directly. :10

14. Why did the colonists send the Olive Branch Petition to Great Britain? SS 08-2.3.2 DOK 2 • To persuade volunteers to join the Continental Army. • To persuade Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act. • To persuade King George III to make peace with the colonies. • To persuade British troops to leave Boston. :10

15. Why was the Declaration of Independence written? SS 08-1.3.1 DOK 2 • To explain why the colonists thought “taxation without representation” was unfair. • To explain what Britain needed to do to win back the loyalty of the colonies. • To explain what other nations could do to help the colonies win their freedom. • To explain why it was time for the colonies to separate from Great Britain. :10

16. Why did Thomas Jefferson feel the colonists had the right to break away from Great Britain? SS 08-5.2.2 DOK 2 • Jefferson did not believe in any form of government. • Jefferson did not agree that social contracts should be obeyed. • Great Britain did not protect the rights of the colonists. • Great Britain no longer showed a desire to govern the colonists. :10

17. Why was winning the battle at Trenton, New Jersey so important to George Washington? SS 08-5.1.2 DOK 2 • His soldiers’ contracts were due to end, and he knew soldiers would not join a losing army. • Colonial money was running low, and the German forces were threatening to leave. • He had retreated into Pennsylvania, and if he didn’t win the war his political career would be over. • He was afraid that the losses he had suffered made him look like a poor leader. :10

18. Why was an American victory at the Battle of Saratoga a turning point in the Revolution? SS 08-5.1.2 DOK 2 • It forced the British to leave Canada. • It brought France into the war as an American ally. • It ended General Burgoyne’s career. • It liberated Georgia from British control. :10

19. How did the American government respond to Shays’ Rebellion? SS 08-5.1.2 DOK 2 • It forced states to provide soldiers for a national army. • It planned to hold a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. • It gave the Confederation Congress supreme power in the U.S. • It executed all the rebels who participated in the rebellion. :10

20. What was the significance of the Articles of Confederation? SS 08-5.1.1 DOK 2 • It established America’s independence from Great Britain. • It created the first national court system in the United States. • It created a government for the United States that was very similar to Great Britain’s. • It established the first national government of the United States. :10

21. How did the Articles of Confederation add to the economic problems of the United States in the late 1700s? SS 08-3.4.1 DOK 2 • The Articles gave Congress little power to enforce or pass nationwide laws and tariffs, which led to increased U.S. debt. • The Articles banned trade with foreign nations, which caused American businesses to suffer. • The Articles gave Congress the power to print limitless amounts of paper money, which caused inflation in Britain. • The Articles included a section stating that the U.S. would pay back all debt owed to Britain, which increased the U.S. debt. :10

22. Monarchies derive their power from: SS 08-1.1.1 DOK 2 • Citizens • Military • Heredity • Representatives :10

23. The type of government in which citizens vote for representatives to make decisions for them is known as ...SS 08-1.1.1 DOK 2 • A monarchy • A republic • A direct democracy • A dictatorship :10

24. Which of the following was the decision to divide Congress into two houses, with equal representation in one and proportional representation in the other? SS 08-2.3.2 DOK 2 • The Virginia Plan • The Great Compromise • The New Jersey Plan • The New York Compromise :10

25. Why is the Electoral College important? SS 08-1.1.2 DOK 2 • It is a body of delegates who casts the deciding votes for the president. • It is a group chosen for cabinet positions by the president-elect. • It is a school for the study of voting practices in politics. • It is a name given to all voters who cast ballots in an election. :10

Mid-term 8 th Grade American History Rutledge/Jones