US History Literacy Pre-Test



US History Literacy Pre-Test

Name _______________________ Date _______________

1. The first permanent English settlement in US was in

a. Jamestown

b. Boston

c. New York

d. St. Augustine

2. The first permanent European settlement in US was in

a. Jamestown

b. Boston

c. New York

d. St. Augustine

3. The Declaration of Independence was signed in

a. 1492

b. 1640

c. 1776

d. 1861

4. The French and Indian War was fought between

a. The Americans and British

b. The English and the French

c. The French and Indians

d. The Americans and the English

5. The Civil War was fought

a. 1687 - 1691

b. 1776 - 1780

c. 1861 - 1865

d. 1917 - 1921

6. The President during the Civil War was

a. Washington

b. Lincoln

c. Jefferson

d. Jackson

7. The general in charge of the Confederate forces was

a. Jackson

b. Lincoln

c. Jefferson

d. Lee

8. A person who wanted to end slavery in the US was called a

a. Nullifier

b. Freedom Fighter

c. Lincolner

d. Abolitionist

9. Women received the right to vote in federal elections in

a. 1776

b. 1820

c. 1920

d. 1963

10. Who spoke out against taxation without representation by saying, "Give me liberty or give me death!"?

a. King George III

b. Thomas Jefferson

c. Patrick Henry

d. Benjamin Franklin

11. He wrote the Declaration of Independence

a. Thomas Jefferson

b. Thomas Paine

c. John Hancock

d. George Washington

12. The Korean War started in

a. 1861

b. 1914

c. 1939

d. 1950

13. World War II started in

a. 1861

b. 1914

c. 1939

d. 1950

14. What event in the early 1900's sparked a tremendous wave of Mexican immigration into the United States?

a. An influenza outbreak in Mexico City

b. The Mexican Revolution

c. Famine

d. a depression

15. The Revolutionary War Started in

a. 1678

b. 1756

c. 1775

d. 1861

e. 1914

16. 22 men, including five African Americans, seized the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, hoping to ignite a slave rebellion. Who was their leader?

a. Nat Turner

b. Gabriel Prosser

c. John Brown

d. O.J. Simpson

17. The Spanish American War was fought in

a. 1497

b. 1598

c. 1780

d. 1898

e. 1935

18. The Mormons were persecuted because they believed :

a. There was more than one god.

b. Everyone should be armed.

c. Everyone should have slaves.

d. You could have more than one wife.

19. Who was the first Black American woman Secretary of State, appointed in 2005?

a. Condoleezza Rice

b. Roberta Weaver

c. Patricia Harris

d. Colleen Powell

20. The anti-slavery novel written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe was

a. Huckleberry Finn

b. Tom Sawyer

c. Uncle Tom’s Cabin

d. Gone with the Wind

21. The Pilgrims came in

a. 1492

b. 1520

c. 1620

d. 1720

22. The Emancipation Proclamation, freeing some of the slaves, was issued in

a. 1776

b. 1640

c. 1863

d. 1917

23. The president of the Confederacy was

a. Robert E. Lee

b. Jefferson Davis

c. Stonewall Jackson

d. Thomas Jefferson

24. The Union general who later became president was

a. Robert E. Lee

b. George Custer

c. Benjamin Franklin

d. Ulysses S. Grant

25. The future American President who was a hero during the Spanish-American war was

a. John F. Kennedy

b. Teddy Roosevelt

c. Herbert Hoover

d. Dwight Eisenhower

26. Former slave who helped lead the fight for freedom

a. Robert E. Lee

b. Patrick Henry

c. Frederick Douglass

d. Uncle Tom

27. The invention that made slavery more profitable

a. Steam Engine

b. Cotton Gin

c. Planting turbine

d. The Reaping Machine

28. During World War II we fought against

a. Japan, Germany and France

b. France, Germany and England

c. Germany, Italy and Japan

d. Italy, England and Japan

29. Before the Europeans arrived there were about how many different Indian tribes in North America?

a. 7

b. 20

c. 500

d. 3000

30. The Pilgrims came to America

a. to hunt for gold

b. for religious freedom

c. to farm

d. to escaped from wars

31. The famous American witch trial took place in

a. Boston

b. Philadelphia

c. Salem

d. Fairfield

32. In U.S. history, Prohibition meant

a. the closing of U.S. borders to new immigrants

b. the outlawing of slavery

c. laws forbidding the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages

d. state regulations against collective bargaining

33. The American senator who said that there were Communists in our government was

a. Sen. Lawrence

b. Sen. McCarthy

c. Sen. Einstein

d. Sen. Lenin

34. On what country did the US drop atomic bombs?

a. France

b. Korea

c. Viet Nam

d. Japan

35. The Viet Nam war ended in

a. 1937

b. 1973

c. 1996

36. Famous American inventor who signed the Declaration of Independence (and is on 100 dollar bill)

a. Jefferson

b. Washington

c. Franklin

d. Lincoln

37. First man on the moon was

a. John Glenn

b. Peter Shepard

c. Neil Armstrong

d. John Marcietta

38. We first landed on the moon in

a. 1917

b. 1937

c. 1948

d. 1969

39. The president who was forced to resign was

a. Lincoln

b. Bush

c. Clinton

d. Nixon

40. The World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorists in

a. 1968

b. 1983

c. 1992

d. 2001

41. A famous American Muslim leader who was assassinated was

a. Gandhi

b. Malcolm X

c. Martin Luther King

d. Robert Kennedy

42. A Supreme Court ruling that said separate but equal was unfair was

a. Brown vs. the Board of Education

b. Marbury vs. Madison

c. Kellerman vs. State of Mississippi

d. Lawrence vs. State of Georgia

43. The Cuban Missile Crisis involved the US and

a. France

b. Iraq

c. Russia

d. Korea

44. A big portion of the US fleet was sunk in WWII at

a. Gettysburg

b. Pearl Harbor

c. Iowa Jima

d. Cape Canaveral

45. He was elected President four times

a. Washington

b. Lincoln

c. Roosevelt

d. Bush

46. The Great Depression started in

a. 1829

b. 1879

c. 1929

d. 1959

47. The ship on which the Pilgrims came

a. Santa Maria

b. Mayflower

c. Amistad

48. The ship on which Columbus came

a. Santa Maria

b. Mayflower

c. Amistad

d. GoodShip Hope

49. The ship on which the slaves revolted

a. Santa Maria

b. Mayflower

c. Amistad

50. Who were the first three presidents of the United States?

a. Washington, Adams, Jefferson

b. Washington, Jefferson, Franklin

c. Washington, Hamilton, Madison

d. Washington, Madison, Jackson

51. To pay for the French & Indian War, the British government made a law that said the colonists had to _______________

a. drink tea.

b. close the seaport to Boston.

c. send tax money to Great Britain.

d. come back to Great Britain.

52. The war between the colonies and Great Britain was called the ______

a. American Revolution.

b. French & Indian War.

c. Seven Years War.

d. Civil War.

53. The colony of Connecticut was founded by ____________

a. William Hutchinson.

b. King Philip.

c. Thomas Hooker

d. John Winthrop.

54. To keep their people from leaving the Communists built a wall across what city?

a. Paris

b. Berlin

c. Prague

d. Quebec

55. In colonial government, all the following groups were restricted from voting EXCEPT ____________

a. enslaved persons.

b. Native Americans.

c. women property owners.

d. white male property owners over the age of 21.

56. The Southern slave codes did all of the following EXCEPT ____________

a. forbid enslaved persons to carry weapons.

b. prohibit enslaved persons from holding meetings

c. require enslaved Africans to learn to read.

d. treat enslaved people as both persons and property.

57. The term "Middle Passage" refers to the ____________

a. banks of a number of slow-flowing rivers in Virginia.

b. lower class Southern farmers who worked for big planters.

c. route of slave trips between Africa and America.

d. raids made by slave traders in Africa.

58. We think the first Europeans to reach the New World were :

a. Columbus and his crew

b. Marco Polo and his camels

c. The Vikings

d. Vasco de Gama and his mates

59. Who was the youngest US president when his term began in 1901?

a. John Kennedy

b. Theodore Roosevelt

c. Bill Clinton

d. Ben Franklin

60. Which famous frontiersman died at the Alamo?

a. Daniel Boone

b. Jerimiah Johnson

c. Davy Crockett

d. William Tell

61. The Indian people of the _________________ built their homes out of a type of sun-dried mud bricks called adobe.

a. Southwest

b. Plains

c. East

d. North

62. The scandal that helped bring down President Nixon was

a. Teapot Dome

b. Pentagon Papers

c. Waterworld

d. Watergate

63. The Russian satellite that was launched in 1957 was

a. Sputnik

b. Apotivak

c. Malinivik

d. Lenin I

64. Who made the "Midnight Ride" to alarm the country side that British troops were landing at Cambridge, Massachusetts during the American Revolution?

a. Franklin

b. Jefferson

c. Revere

d. Johnson

65. Puerto Rico became a territory of the US because of

a. World War I

b. World War II

c. The Spanish-American War

d. The US-Mexican War

66. About what percentage of Americans are black?

a. 5%

b. 12%

c. 40%

d. 50%

67. The ___________________, expressed in 1823, proclaimed the United States' opinion that European powers should no longer colonize or interfere in the Americas.

a. Truman Doctrine

b. Monroe Doctrine

c. Kennedy Doctrine

d. Jackson Doctrine

68. The period between 1945 and 1980 in which the US and Russia both tried to expand their influence in the world is known as

a. The Domino War

b. The Berlin War

c. The Candy War

d. The Cold War

69. Which president was not assassinated?

a. Lincoln

b. McKinley

c. Johnson

d. Kennedy

70. In what state is the White House located in?

a. New York

b. Virginia

c. No State

d. Washington

71. Which of the following was an American traitor?

a. Thomas Lawrence

b. John Paul Jones

c. Paul Revere

d. Benedict Arnold

72. What state did the Mormons finally settle in?

a. Connecticut

b. Utah

c. California

d. Montana

73. What were the last two states added to the United States.

a. Montana and Utah

b. Alaska and Maine

c. Hawaii and Alaska

d. Hawaii and Utah

74. How many stripes are there on the flag?

a. 7

b. 9

c. 11

d. 13

75. In the War of 1812 we fought against?

a. France

b. Spain

c. England

d. Germany

76. When did the foreign slave trade end in the United States?

a. 1776

b. 1808.

c. 1863.

d. 1880

77. The United States bought Alaska from

a. France

b. Russia

c. England

d. Canada

78. What do we call the period following the Civil War?

a. post-War years

b. The golden years

c. Reconstruction

d. the twilight years

79. When did Chinese workers begin to build the Transcontinental Railroad?

a. 1865

b. 1900

c. 1915

d. 1935

80. What state is home to nearly two-thirds of all Cuban Americans?

a. New York

b. Florida

c. California

d. Utah

e. Texas

81. Who established the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, and later led a successful nationwide boycott of grapes?

a. Romana Acosta Banuelos

b. Cesar Estrada Chavez

c. Henry Gabriel Cisneros

d. Steve Campos

82. The 1925 trial of John Scopes involved a conflict between

a. communists and industrialists

b. science and religion

c. the Ku Klux Klan and civil rights advocates

d. supporters and opponents of a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages

83. What European nation originally colonized Florida?

a. England

b. Spain

c. France

d. Portugal

84. Who has traditionally been given credit for sewing the first American flag?

a. Betsy Ross

b. Martha Washington

c. Francis Hopkins

d. Dolly Madison

85. "The Battle of Normandy" took place during what war?

a. World War I

b. World War II

c. The Korean War

d. The Vietnam War

86. The Bay of Pigs episode took place when

a. Cuban exiles from Florida landed in Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro

b. U.S. troops invaded Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa

c. UN forces undertook an amphibious landing behind enemy lines in Korea

d. U.S. marines were sent by President Lyndon Johnson to the Dominican Republic

87. The term "Seward's Folly" refers to

a. the purchase of Alaska negotiated by Secretary of State William Seward

b. the impeachment of Andrew Johnson urged by Secretary of State William Seward

c. the cornering of gold by financier George Seward, which led to the stock market crash of 1869

d. the Great Fire of Chicago, which started in Seward's Tavern

88. Who is traditionally known as "The Father of the United States Constitution"?

a. Benjamin Franklin

b. James Madison

c. John Hancock

d. Thomas Jefferson

89. Who contributed to the Revolutionary War by providing military leadership as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army?

a. George Washington

b. Richard Henry Lee

c. Benedict Arnold

d. John Paul Jones

90. "The shot heard 'round the world" happened here.

a. Lexington, Massachusetts

b. Boston, Massachusetts

c. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

d. Jamestown, Virginia

91. This document states that "all men are created equal," everyone has the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," and that the colonies were "free and independent states."

a. The Declaration of Independence

b. The Bill of Rights

c. The Constitution

d. The Stamp Act

92. One of the most famous residents of Jamestown, Virginia, was

a. William Penn

b. Pocahontas

c. Lord Baltimore

d. James I

93. The New Deal was the name given to

a. Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy

b. Harry S. Truman's domestic programs

c. Franklin D. Roosevelt's social and economic reforms

d. Lyndon B. Johnson's social programs

94. Valley Forge was the site of an encampment by

a. Union troops under Grant during the winter of 1863

b. federal troops under Lee preceding the Harpers Ferry raid

c. British forces under Cornwallis in 1783

d. the Continental army under Washington in 1777-1778

95. An oil reserve called Teapot Dome gave its name to

a. a scandal involving bribery during the Harding administration

b. a corrupt group of New York City Democrats under Boss Tweed

c. an energy commission set up by Jimmy Carter

d. an act of rebellion by Boston colonists

96. Aided by an Indian woman named Sacajawea, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark

a. led a party of explorers to the fountain of youth

b. defeated Chief Sitting Bull at Little Bighorn

c. charted a route from Missouri to the Pacific

d. helped defeat the Apaches

97. What important event took place in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848?

a. Women met to call for their rights as citizens.

b. The Johnstown Flood killed over two thousand people.

c. A revolution led Joseph Smith to create the Book of Mormon.

d. The Erie Canal was completed.

98. Gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California in 1848 by James Marshall and it

a. justified the purchase of Alaska

b. ensured the conversion of paper money to gold

c. brought 100,000 settlers into a new territory

d. made millionaires of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller

99. Harriet Tubman is primarily known for

a. founding the first college for black students

b. spying for Confederate forces during the Civil War

c. leading slaves north on the Underground Railroad

d. her work with the suffragist movement

100. Through the Marshall Plan, the United States

a. aided European economies after World War II

b. supplied arms to developing nations in the 1970s

c. allied with France and Great Britian in 1917

d. developed plans for the League of Nations

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