U.S. Fabulous Fifty

Mr. Rea’s Fabulous Fifty Multiple Choice Questions for U.S. History

 

The following are fifty multiple choice questions that you are likely to find on the U.S. History Regents. You should know these to the point where you can recognize them no matter how they are asked. The questions are somewhat predictable, they are just presented in various ways. You will also receive an Answer Key and Explanation Sheet. You should do these questions first and then refer to the Answer Key and fully read and understand why the correct answer is the correct answer. This is by no means a complete representation of all the things you need to do well on the Regents but it should be very useful.

 

1. In which area did good harbors, abundant forests, rocky soil, and a short growing season most influence the colonial economy?

 

1. Southern colonies                                3. Northwest Territory
2. Middle Atlantic region        4. New England Colonies

 

2. The Mayflower Compact and the Virginia House of Burgesses are most closely associated with

 

1. abuses by absolute monarchs
2. establishment of religious tolerance
3. steps toward colonial self-government
4. adoption of universal suffrage

 

3. In the pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine urged American colonists to

 

1. oppose French colonization of North America
2. compromise with the British
3. reaffirm their loyalty to King George III
4. declare their independence from Great Britain

 

4. The authors of the Declaration of Independence used the phrase “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” to identify

 

1. natural rights                                        3. States rights
2. legal rights                                             4. economic rights

 

5. In order to win ratification of the United States Constitution, supporters agreed to

 

1. add a bill of rights
2. admit new states to the Union
3. establish an electoral college
4. give the Senate the power to ratify treaties

 

6.  A major criticism of the Articles of Confederation was that too much power had been given to the

 

1. British monarchy
2. House of Burgesses
3. state governments
4. national government

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. A primary goal of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to

 

1. prevent European intervention in Latin America
2. create an opportunity for the annexation of Canada
3. protect the site of a canal across Central America
4. help European nations establish new Western Hemisphere colonies

 

8. Which action did Alexander Hamilton support during the 1790s?

 

1. restrictions on trade with England
2. distribution of free land
3. creation of the national bank
4. elimination of the whiskey tax

 

9. The Great Compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention resulted in the

 

1. formation of the Supreme Court
2. creation of a bicameral legislature
3. development of a two-party system
4. ban on the importation of enslaved Africans

 

10. Which Presidential action is an example of the unwritten constitution?

 

1. appointing Justices to the Supreme Court
2. granting pardons for Federal crimes
3. submitting a treaty to the Senate for ratification
4. consulting with the Cabinet

 

11. In the United States, the use of implied powers, the amending process, the Supreme Court interpretations have resulted in

 

1. a general loss of individual rights
2. a strengthening of the principle of separation of powers
3. the Constitution being adapted to fit changing times
4. the limiting of Presidential power in domestic affairs

 

12. The main purpose of lobbying is to

 

1. influence legislation on behalf of special interest groups
2. strengthen the power of political parties
3. increase the speed and efficiency of the law-making process
4. reduce the number of candidates in political elections

 

13. The United States Government is considered a federal system because

 

1. the people elect national officials
2. both national and state governments exist within the nation
3. foreign policy is handled by state governments
4. each state has equal representation in the United States Senate

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. The adoption of the Bill of Rights (1791) addressed Antifederalist criticism of the new Constitution by

 

1. providing for an indirect method of electing the president
2. protecting citizens from abuses of power by the national government
3. allowing the national government to coin money
4. establishing a process for impeaching federal officials

 

15. A major criticism of the electoral college is that it

 

1. limits the influence of the two-party political system
2. allows a president to be elected without a majority of the popular vote
3. forces each political candidate to campaign in every state
4. makes the federal election process too expensive

 

16. The United States Constitution requires that a national census be taken every ten years to

 

1. provide the government with information about voter registration
2. establish a standard for setting income tax rates
3. determine the number of members each state has in the House of Representatives
4. decide who can vote in presidential elections

 

17. The Louisiana Purchase was important to the United States because it

 

1. expanded the nation’s boundary to the Pacific Ocean
2. removed the Spanish from North America
3. closed the western territories to slavery
4. secured control of the Mississippi River

 

18. In the 1840s, the term Manifest Destiny was used by many Americans to justify

 

1. the extension of slavery into the territories
2. war with Russia over the Oregon territory
3. the acquisition of colonies in Latin America
4. westward expansion into lands claimed by other nations

 

19. The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 is often viewed as the beginning of the

 

1. temperance movement                      3. antislavery movement
2. women’s rights movement                                4. Populist movement

 

20. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin Stirs Controversy”

        “Kansas Rocked by Bloody Conflict”

        “John Brown’s Raid Angers South”

 

Which statement about the United States in the 1850s is best supported by these headlines?

 

1. The nation had grown increasingly divided over the future of slavery
2. Americans had lost confidence in the plan for Reconstruction
3. Northern and Southern voters were united in support of popular sovereignty
4. Support for the abolitionist movement decreased during this period

 

 

 

 

 

21. The Homestead Act (1862) attempted to promote development of western lands by

 

1. creating a system of dams for irrigation
2. providing free land to western settlers
3. removing all restrictions on immigration
4. placing Native American Indians on reservations

 

22. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses were adopted in Southern States primarily to

 

1. enforce the terms of the 15^th amendment
2. keep African Americans from exercising their right to vote
3. stop criminals and immigrants from voting
4. eliminate bribery and corruption at polling places

 

23.  What was a major reason the United States entered World War I (1917)?

 

1. The Japanese had occupied Manchuria
2. Foreign troops had landed on American soil
3. The Austro-Hungarian Empire had invaded Belgium
4. Germany had resumed unrestricted submarine warfare

 

24. The Harlem Renaissance promoted African American culture by

 

1. Increasing factory employment opportunities for minorities
2. Encouraging immigration from Africa
3. Focusing attention on artistic contributions
4. Bringing an end to legalized racial segregation

 

25. Today the Federal Reserve System attempts to stabilize the economy of the United States by

 

1. Requiring federal budgets be prepared and presented to Congress
2. Levying and collecting income taxes
3. Regulating interest rtes and the money supply
4. Backing all currency with silver and gold

 

26. Which characteristic of the 1920s is illustrated by the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti?

 

1. Hostility toward women’s suffrage
2. Support for segregation
3. Opposition to separation of church and state
4. Intolerance toward immigration

 

27. The national income tax, free and unlimited coinage of silver, and the direct election of senators were proposals that were included in the

 

1. Declaration of Independence
2. Republican plan for Reconstruction
3. Populist Party platform
4. Federal Reserve System

 

 

 

 

 

 

28. What was the primary reason for the great migration of African Americans to northern cities during World War II?

 

1. Jim Crow laws in the south had been repealed
2. Voting rights laws had been passed in northern states
3. The federal government had guaranteed an end to discrimination
4. Job opportunities were available in northern factories

 

29. In 1906, the publication of The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, led Congress to

 

1. Enact stronger prohibition laws
2. Support the conservation movement
3. Establish a system for meat inspection
4. Legalize strikes and boycotts by labor union

 

30. In the United States, the Red Scare of 1919 and the McCarthy Era of the early 1950’s were periods of

 

1. Severe economic depression
2. Widespread support for groups promoting international anarchy
3. Great growth in art, literature, and music
4. Persecution of people suspected of holding anti-American political views

 

31. Which statement best describes President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy position toward Latin America in the early 1900’s?

 

1. The United States should reduce its involvement in Latin American affairs
2. The Monroe Doctrine permits the United States to intervene actively in the affairs of Latin American nations
3. Latin American nations should form an organization to help them achieve political and economic stability
4. The United States should give large amounts of financial aid to help the poor of Latin America

 

32. A significant cause of the Great Depression of the 1930’s was that

 

1. Some banking policies were unsound and led to the overexpansion of credit
2. A decrease in protective tariffs had opened American business to competition from abroad
3. A wave of violent strikes had paralyzed the major industries
4. Consumer goods were relatively inexpensive

 

33. Critics charges that President Frank Roosevelt’s plan to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices was clearly in conflict with

 

1. The Supreme Court’s practice of judicial restraint
2. The constitutional principle of checks and balances
3. Attempts of Congress to limit judicial responsibilities
4. Efforts to restrict the number of terms a President could serve

 

34. At times, the United States Government has passed protective tariffs to

 

1. Encourage foreign trade
2. Help the nation’s manufacturers
3. Reduce the cost of consumer goods
4. Improve the quality of goods

 

35. After the Civil War, Southern state legislatures attempted to restrict the rights of formerly enslaved persons by

 

1. passing Black Codes
2. ratifying the 15^th amendment
3. supporting the goals of the Radical Republicans
4. enacting legislation to strengthen the Freedmen’s Bureau

 

 

 

36. The New Deal changed American political thinking because it was based on the principle that the

 

1. economy will fix itself if left alone
2. federal government should attempt to solve social and economic problems
3. political parties must work together to deal with national problems
4. states should take a leadership position in solving social issues

 

37. The primary purpose for the creation of the United Nations was to

 

1. maintain an international army
2. promote peace through international agreements
3. free Eastern European countries from communism
4. supply food to all member countries

 

38. The major reason the United States became involved in the Korean War was the

 

1. threat of communism spreading throughout Asia
2. need to prevent war between China and the Soviet Union
3. demand by the United States for Korean natural resources
4. desire to limit Japanese expansion

 

39. During the 1950s and 1960s, the main goal of the civil rights movement was to

 

1. create separate African American economic and social institutions
2. eliminate legal segregation from American life
3. establish affirmative action programs to compensate for past wrongs
4. form a new nation for African Americans

 

40. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union (EU) both seek to expand trade within their organizations by

 

1. prohibiting imports from nonmember nations
2. creating a common currency and parliament
3. lowering tariffs and eliminating import quotas between member nations
4. forming military alliances

 

41. The Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) and the Interstate Commerce Act (1887) are similar in that they were intended to

 

1. reaffirm the federal government’s laissez-faire attitude toward big business
2. increase the federal government’s power to regulate business practices
3. authorize the breakup of labor unions
4. reject the use of trustbusting

 

42. The conflict between science and religion in the 1920s was most clearly shown in the

 

1. arrest of Sacco and Vanzetti
2. nativist reactions to immigration
3. poetry of the Harlem Renaissance
4. trial of John Scopes

 

43. The policy of détente pursued by President Richard Nixon was an effort to

 

1. increase foreign aid to African nations
2. maintain access to East Asian markets
3. reduce conflict with the Soviet Union
4. end trade barriers among Western Hemisphere nations

 

44. The Camp David Accords negotiated by President Jimmy Carter were important because they

 

1. renewed diplomatic relations between the United States and China
2. slowed the pace of the nuclear arms race
3. provided for cooperation with the Soviet Union in the exploration of outer space
4. reduced tensions in the Middle East

 

45. The primary reason for the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 was to

 

1. maintain peace in the Middle East
2. block the German Nazi threat in Europe
3. protect Western Europe from the Soviet Union
4. increase United States influence in Asia

 

46.  The significance of the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison is that the decision

 

1. advanced civil rights for minorities
2. upheld the constitutionality of a national bank
3. limited Presidential control of foreign policy
4. established the power of judicial review

 

47. The Dred Scott decision on the issue of slavery upheld the Southern viewpoint that

 

1. the power of the Supreme Court does not extend to cases of race
2. Congress could not pass a law depriving territorial residents of their property
3. a national vote should be held to decide the legality of slavery
4. the economic well-being of the western states depended on slave labor

 

48. Which idea is illustrated by the Supreme Court cases Schenck v. United States and Korematsu v. United States?

 

1. The free speech rights of Communists have often been violated
2. During wartime, limitations on civil rights have been upheld by judicial action
3. The rights of protesters have been preserved even in times of national stress
4. Economic interests of foreign nations are frequently upheld in United States courts

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” – Brown v. Board of Education

 

49. The effect of this Supreme Court ruling was to

 

1. establish affirmative action programs in higher education
2. require the integration of public schools
3. desegregate the armed forces and the military academies
4. force states to spend an equal amount on each public school student

 

50. The decisions of the United States Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Escobedo v. Illinois all advanced

 

1. voting rights of minorities
2. guarantees of free speech and press
3. principle of separation of church and state
4. rights of accused persons

 

 

Mr. Rea’s Fabulous Fifty Answer Key and Explanation Sheet for U.S. History

Bold Letters Indicates Topic and Key Word Connections

1.       4 - This is a frequent Regents question. Always match up:  New England Colonies = Rocky Soil, Middle Atlantic Colonies = Good Harbors, Southern Colonies = Plantations. The one you are most likely to see is New England.

 

2.       3 - Any question that mentions the Mayflower Compact, Virginia House of Burgesses, or New England Town Hall Meetings, will always be about colonial self-government or representative government.

 

3.       4- Questions about Thomas Paine or Common Sense will always be about seeking independence from England.

 

4.       1 -Any question about the Declaration of Independence will have John Locke and/or natural rights in the answer.

 

5.       1 - The Anti-federalists feared that America would fall under the rule of another king like the one they just got rid of during the Revolution. The Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments to the Constitution) was added to guarantee that the government could not engage in abuses of power which is another common answer for questions about the Bill of Rights.

 

6.       3 – The Articles of Confederation did not provide for a central government that was strong enough to respond to emergencies, such as Shay’s Rebellion, nor did it have enough central authority to do things like declare war, print money, etc.

 

7.       1 – any question about the Monroe Doctrine will be about Europe staying out of Latin American or not having the right to further colonize in the Western Hemisphere.

 

8.       3 – always link Alexander Hamilton with the National Bank. You can also identify him as a Federalist (wrote many of the Federalist Papers supporting ratification of the Constitution), and a loose constructionist (wanted to stretch the powers granted in the Constitution).

 

9.       2 – The Great Compromise created a bicameral (two house) legislature to satisfy both the small states (New Jersey Plan) who wanted equal representation in Congress (The Senate) and the large states (Virginia Plan) who wanted representation based on population (House of Representatives). Many times any question about the Great Compromise or Three-Fifths Compromise will have the word representation in the correct answer.

 

10.    4 – The Constitution does not mention anything about a President’s Cabinet or Political Parties, therefore they are part of the Unwritten Constitution. The Constitution also does not say anything about Congressional Committees or Judicial Review, but the President’s Cabinet or Political Parties are the most likely ones you will see.

 

11.    3 - There are three ways in which the Constitution can be changed to fit specific needs or changing times. They are the use of implied powers (the elastic clause), amendments, and Supreme Court interpretations (Judicial Review). The elastic clause is when the government can do “whatever is necessary and proper” to carry out their responsibilities.

 

 

12.    1 – to “lobby” is to persuade or to seek influence. The word influence will be in most correct answers or the phrase “special interest groups.”

 

13.    2 – A federal system or federalism is very simply that the U.S. Government splits power between Federal (national) and state governments.

 

14.    2 -Antifederalists (those against ratification of the Constitution) feared a government that would not protect the rights of the people that were fought for during the Revolution. They feared that they would, once again, be ruled by a king. The Bill of Rights guaranteed personal liberties and protections from abuses of power by the government.

 

15.    2 – The two criticisms of the Electoral College is that sometimes a President can be elected when another candidate received more popular votes and that it is an indirect system (electors actually vote for the President rather than the people themselves).

 

16.    3 – any question about the national census will always be about determining how many members of the House of Representatives each state will have.

 

17.    4 – Most all of the correct answers about the Louisiana Purchase will be about securing control of the Mississippi River.

 

18.    4 – always look for the term “westward expansion” when you see any question about Manifest Destiny.

 

19.    2 – very simple. Any question about the Seneca Falls Convention will have the word women in the correct answer.

 

20.    1 – Any questions that include “John Brown’s Raid,”  Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or “Bloody Kansas” will be about the issues that divided this country over slavery. You will also see headlines like these such “Kansas-Nebraska Act” that will be about the extension of slavery as the country expanded westward. In either case the word slavery will be in the correct answer. Sectionalism (putting a region’s self-interest over that of the nation as a whole) was what divided the country and slavery was the issue that most Northerners and Southerners disagreed upon

 

21.    2 – Any question about the Homestead Act will be about western settlement or the government providing free land to encourage western settlement.

 

22.   2 – this is a frequent Regents question. All of these things are what Southerners used to keep African Americans from exercising their right to vote.

 

23.    4 – the two answers you should look for when you see questions about why the United States entered World War I are 1) Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare and 2) America wanted to protect its freedom of the seas. Also remember that America’s policy from the days of George Washington to World War II was neutrality/isolationism. You may also see a question about how we maintained that policy by passage of neutrality legislation forbidding arms sales to warring nations during World War II.

 

24.    3 – Question about the Harlem Renaissance will always be about cultural achievements (art, literature, music) of African Americans or they will refer to a name of one of the contributors with the most frequent being Langston Hughes, Bessie Smith, or Duke Ellington.

 

25.    3 – this is always a straightforward question. The Federal Reserve regulates interest rates and the money supply.

 

26.    4 – Any questions about Sacco and Vanzetti will be about nativism or intolerance toward immigration. The answer may also refer to how they were convicted for who they were as much as for what they did.

 

27.    3 – These were all the issues that were most important to the Populist Party. You will also sometimes see questions about how the Populist Party or the Progressive Party had ideas or issues that were merged into larger parties (Populist – Democratic Party and Progressive – Republican Party). The Populists also wanted to switch the silver standard for money and pushed for direct election of Senators. Their candidate for President was always William Jennings Bryan.

 

28.    4 – The Great Migrations of both World War I and World War II will always be about African Americans seeking available jobs

 

29.    3 – There is usually a question about the muckrakers (writers who wanted the government to regulate big business or address various social issues during the Progressive Era). They are typically The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis, Ida Tarbell wrote The History of the Standard Oil Company, and Lincoln Steffens wrote The Shame of the Cities.

 

30.    4 – The Red Scare of 1919 (Palmer Raids) and the McCarthy Era were both about Americans worrying that anti-American ideas would destroy this country. The Palmer Raids were designed to root out anarchists, socialists, and Bolsheviks, and the McCarthy Era wanted to destroy communism in this country.

 

31.    2 – The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine expressed the idea that America needed to be the policeman of the Western Hemisphere and keep things in order. Later America would employ Dollar Diplomacy in which we would take action to protect our economic interests in the Western Hemisphere.

 

32.    1 – whenever you see a question about the causes of the Great Depression, look for the “overs.” They would be overexpansion of credit and overproduction of crops and consumer goods. Remember – these are the causes of the Great Depression, not the Stock Market Crash of 1929. The cause of that was people buying stocks on margin.

 

33.    2 – Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Court Packing Plan was an attempt to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices from 9 to 15. This would have given him much more control over the Judicial Branch and would have weakened the principles of checks and balances (the ability of each branch to limit the power of the others) and separation of powers. Also remember that any question that asks you what an example of checks and balances is, will have to include at least two branches of government (Legislative/Congress, Judicial/Supreme Court, Executive/President) in the correct answer.

 

34.    2 – Protective Tariffs are always about helping the nation’s manufacturers.

 

35.    Black Codes and the Jim Crow Laws were the two things used by Southern State Legislatures (lawmakers) to restrict the rights of African Americans.

 

36.    2 – Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal transformed the relationship between American citizens and their government or expansion of the power of the federal government. Before the New Deal, the only time you interacted with the Federal Government was when you mailed a letter. After the New Deal, there was Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, many Federal Programs to put people to work (TVA and CCC for example). It is often compared with Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society which brought us Medicair/Medicaid, etc.

 

37.    2 – the primary purpose of the United Nations is always to promote peace internationally.

 

38.    1 – both the Korean War and the Vietnam War were fought to halt the spread of communism (containment). The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan were also designed to halt the spread of communism.

 

39.    2 – any question you see about the Civil Rights Movement will be about the effort to end segregation or achieve racial equality.

 

40.    3 – Both the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) and the European Union (EU) will always be about encouraging free trade between member nations – lowering of tariffs, eliminating import quotas.

 

41.    2 – questions about the Sherman Anti-trust Act and Interstate Commerce Act will always be about the government regulating business. Look for the word monopolies in any questions that includes the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

 

42.    4 – The Scopes (Monkey) Trial will always be about the conflict between science (Darwin’s Theory of Evolution) and religion (creationism).

 

43.    3 – Richard Nixon’s policy of Détente was designed to establish more friendly relations with the Soviet Union or to ease tensions

 

44.    The Camp David Accords (involving Israel and Egypt) reduced tensions in the Middle East and/or showed that former enemies can make peace.

 

45.    NATO was an alliance of free nations that formed to protect nations from the spread of communism (Containment) in Western and Southern Europe.

 

46.    Don’t miss this. Marbury v. Madison is simply about Judicial Review or the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.

 

 

47.    The Dred Scott Decision ruled that slaves are property and they could be taken to any state without risk of their owners losing them even if it was a free state. This Court decision effectively did away with the Missouri Compromise which attempted to divide the number of free and slave states as the country moved westward.

 

48.    Both Schenck  and Korematsu deal with a person’s civil rights during wartime. The Supreme Court ruled that even rights guaranteed to us in the Bill of Rights are not absolute (you cannot yell fire in a crowded theater) in times of national crisis.

 

49.    The ruling in Brown v. Board of Education ruled that segregation was unconstitutional in schools(court rulings immediately following this case banned segregation in all public facilities) It overruled the earlier decision in Plessey v. Ferguson that ruled that “separate but equal” facilities were constitutional.

 

50.    All of these cases deal with the “rights of the accused.” Remember your Miranda Rights – “You have the right to remain silent.”

 

You also have the right to leave the U.S. History Regents after two hours but always remember that right is better than rapid and the reason why you are there. Answer all questions, including DBQ’s (don’t overcomplicate them), and do both essays.