8th Grade US History May Benchmark
This is the WCSD Benchmark exam for all 8th grade US History students.
- 1.What Hemisphere is the United States located in?
- A.
The Northern Hemisphere
- B.
The Southern Hemisphere
- C.
The Southwestern Hemisphere
- D.
The United States is not a hemisphere.
- 2.
Use this map for questions 2-4 What basic map tool is included on this map?- A.
Compass Rose
- B.
Legend
- C.
Scale
- D.
Title
- 3.
Type question here For which of the following reasons would you use this map?
- A.
To know the number of people living in Washington
- B.
To know how many people make a living in Nevada
- C.
To locate mountains
- D.
To locate states
- 4.
What is Idaho's location relative to California
- A.
Southeast
- B.
Northeast
- C.
Southwest
- D.
Northwest
- 5.Which of the following best illustrates the process known as the Columbian Exchange?
- A.
Advances in technology allowed sailors to better navigate the open seas.
- B.
Asian goods moved long distances along the Silk Road to reach Europe.
- C.
Christopher Columbus sailed west to reach Asia and encountered the Americas.
- D.
Corn was introduced to Europe from the Americas; Europe introduced cattle to the Americas.
- 6.Europeans sent men to explore the New World for all of the following reasons except:
- A.
Convert Native Americans to Christianity.
- B.
Discover new lands.
- C.
Explore new routes to the Indies.
- D.
Find new diseases.
- 7.Triangular trade is defined as:
- A.
A gathering of trade in which the three colonies bartered agricultural goods.
- B.
A political gathering at which people make decisions on local issues.
- C.
A system in which goods and slaves were traded among the Americas, Britain, and Africa.
- D.
A system of trade between the Americas, the Silk Road, and Australia.
- 8.What was the major cause of death among Native Americans during the 1500 and 1600s?
- A.
Changing climatic conditions
- B.
Infections and diseases brought by Europeans
- C.
Warfare among tribes
- D.
Warfare between Native Americans and Europeans
- 9.The Southern Colonies depended on an agricultural economy of cash crops such as:
- A.
Oranges, apples, and grapefruit.
- B.
Tobacco, rice, and indigo.
- C.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn.
- D.
Wheat, rye, and oats.
- 10.What was main the reason the Pilgrims and Puritans came to America?
- A.
To build a democratic government
- B.
To expand control of the King of England
- C.
To make more money
- D.
To practice their religion freely
- 11.What did indentured servants provide for the development of the English colonies?
- A.
Officials for British government
- B.
Leadership for religious organizations
- C.
Soldiers for the continental Army
- D.
Workers for farming and business
- 12.Which country settled the greatest number of colonies along the eastern coast of North America?
- A.
England
- B.
Portugal
- C.
Spain
- D.
Sweden
- 13.The French and Indian War resulted in
- A.
Britain gaining French lands in North America
- B.
The Albany Plan of Union
- C.
The defeat of all Indians
- D.
The end of British power in North America
- 14.What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
- A.
Establish peace with Britain
- B.
Officially separate from Britain
- C.
To create a bill of rights
- D.
To remain loyal to Britain
- 15.Why did Massachusetts colonists hold the Boston Tea Party?
- A.
To force leaders to hold a Continental Congress
- B.
To protest British tax on teas
- C.
To protest the repeal of taxes
- D.
To support the Boston Massacre
- 16.One way colonist demonstrated their opposition to British actions was to
- A.
Boycott British goods
- B.
Leave the colonies and move westward
- C.
Pass the Proclamation of 1763
- D.
Vote out their representatives in Parliament
- 17.“We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” Declaration of Independence-1776 What idea is expressed in the above quote?
- A.
Checks and balances
- B.
Common law
- C.
Individual rights
- D.
Limited government
- 18.What advantage did the Patriots have over the British in the Revolutionary War?
- A.
They had a well-trained army
- B.
They had fought several wars together already.
- C.
They were defending their own lands.
- D.
They were wealthier
- 19.What was a problem with the Articles of Confederation?
- A.
A weak national government
- B.
It had four branches of government
- C.
Had a strong court system
- D.
The president had too much power
- 20.Why did the framers of the Constitution insist on dividing state representation into a bicameral, or two-house, Congress?
- A.
To allow one side to have more power than the other side.
- B.
To create conflict between the majority and minority parties
- C.
To grant each state no less than three federal representatives.
- D.
To represent interests of all states and allow each side to keep the power of the other side in check.
- 21.What is the role of the Judicial Branch of government?
- A.
Declare War for the United States
- B.
Interprets the Constitution and other laws
- C.
Make the laws for the United States.
- D.
Veto bills for the President.
- 22.What is the role of the Legislative Branch of government?
- A.
Declare laws unconstitutional
- B.
\Interprets the Constitution and other laws
- C.
Make the laws for the United States
- D.
Veto bills for the President.
- 23.Who is the head of the Executive Branch of government?
- A.
Secretary of State
- B.
Secretary of Treasury
- C.
President
- D.
Vice President
- 24.Many Anti-federalists refused to ratify the constitution until what occurred?
- A.
A national religion was established
- B.
A slavery clause was included
- C.
Protection against taxation was established
- D.
The promise of a bill of rights
- 25.The Great Compromise was an agreement on which of the following?
- A.
How states would determine representation in Congress
- B.
The order of the amendments in the Bill of Rights
- C.
The powers of citizens of the United States
- D.
The way in which slaves in southern states would be counted
.png "Use this map for questions 2-4
What basic map tool is included on this map?")
.png "Type question here
For which of the following reasons would you use this map?")
.png "What is Idaho's location relative to California")
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