Practice Test 2 - AP U.S. History

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

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1. In the mid-1850s, both the North and South claimed to defend "liberty," but they defined it differently: Northern free-soil advocates argued that slavery threatened the opportunity for white laborers in western territories, while many Southern leaders argued that slavery protected property rights and social order. Which option best compares these sectional ideologies in Period 5 (1844–1877)?
2. A historian of the American Revolution (1775–1783) claims that British strategy changed over time: after failing to suppress resistance in New England, British leaders increasingly sought to exploit Loyalist support and enslaved laborers' flight to British lines in the South. Which evidence best supports this interpretation?
3. Progressive Era activists often used investigative journalism to expose corruption and unsafe conditions, publishing widely read articles and books that influenced public opinion. These writers helped build momentum for regulation. Which circumstance most directly explains why muckraking journalism was effective in the early 1900s?
4. Secondary-source excerpt (1783–1800): Although the Constitution protected slavery in several ways, the Northwest Ordinance barred slavery in the Northwest Territory. This created an early geographic boundary between free and slave regions, influencing later sectional politics. Which statement accurately describes the Northwest Ordinance's stance on slavery?
5. A historian notes that the UN played a role in the early Arab-Israeli conflict by appointing mediators and attempting cease-fires, though enforcement was difficult. Which broader limitation does this example best illustrate about postwar diplomacy?
6. A secondary source about the nullification crisis argues that the episode revealed deep sectional anxieties about the future of slavery, even though the immediate issue was tariffs. The author notes that South Carolinians feared a strong federal government might someday restrict slavery. Which leader most closely linked nullification arguments to long-term defense of slavery and Southern minority rights?
7. Secondary source excerpt (Gilded Age politics, 1865–1898): "By the 1890s, many states adopted the 'Australian ballot,' a government-printed ballot cast in secret. Reformers believed secrecy would weaken intimidation and vote-buying. Party organizations opposed the change because it reduced their ability to monitor loyal voting." What was the primary intended effect of the reform described?
8. A secondary source excerpt argues that the Market Revolution (1800–1848) did not affect all Americans equally: while some white families used new markets to build wealth, many wage workers faced insecurity, and African Americans in the North often encountered job discrimination that confined them to low-paying work. Which statement best describes a social consequence implied by this account?
9. A secondary-source analysis claims that the Soviet Union's collapse forced the United States to reconsider the purpose of large nuclear stockpiles. Which policy outcome best reflects this reconsideration in the early 1990s?
10. A historian argues that the Cold War ended in Europe before it ended in the Soviet Union itself, as Eastern European regimes fell in 1989 while the USSR survived until late 1991. Which pair of events best matches this timeline?
11. Secondary-source excerpt (1607–1754): European missionaries sometimes learned Native languages and produced dictionaries or translated religious texts, seeking more effective conversion. Native speakers, in turn, used these interactions to negotiate material aid, mediate disputes, or gain access to literacy for diplomatic purposes. Yet language learning could also enable deeper colonial surveillance and control, as officials gathered intelligence about rival groups and frontier conditions. Which dual effect of missionary language work is most supported?
12. Secondary-source excerpt (about 90 words): Some historians argue that the Mexican-American War reflected a broader pattern of U.S. expansion in the 1840s, in which diplomacy and force worked together. The annexation of Texas signaled a willingness to absorb contested borderlands, while the desire for Pacific ports made California especially attractive. When negotiations failed, military victory enabled U.S. diplomats to demand a large cession rather than a narrow border settlement. Critics at the time warned that such actions would damage republican ideals by encouraging aggressive war-making for land. Which idea from the 1840s is most closely associated with the expansionist outlook described in the excerpt?​
13. A secondary source excerpt explains that Parliament tried to strengthen enforcement of customs duties and reduce smuggling, prompting colonists to fear the erosion of traditional English liberties. Which enforcement tool most closely matches this description and became a major grievance in the 1760s?
14. A 1920s secondary-source excerpt explains that many urban Americans saw the "New Woman" and flapper style as symbols of personal freedom, while critics denounced them as signs of moral decline. This controversy most directly reflected tensions over
15. Secondary-source context (Period 3, 1754–1800): After the Seven Years' War, Britain stationed troops in North America and expected colonial cooperation. Many colonists saw standing armies in peacetime as a threat to liberty and a tool of coercion. Which event best contextualizes colonial fears about a standing army in Boston?
16. Secondary-source excerpt (1800–1848): Entrepreneurs used new sources of power—water wheels, then steam—to drive multiple machines at once, multiplying output per worker. Higher productivity could lower prices, but it also required capital investment and steady access to markets for sales. Which choice best identifies an economic development described in the excerpt?
17. A secondary-source excerpt explains that the postwar era's expanding middle class was not evenly shared, as many African Americans and Latinos faced barriers in housing, education, and employment, contributing to frustration and unrest in some cities during the 1960s. Which event best exemplifies this urban unrest?
18. Secondary source excerpt (1968–1980): Environmental legislation in the 1970s often relied on cooperative federalism: the federal government set standards, while states implemented plans and enforced rules under federal oversight. Historians argue this structure reflected both national priorities and local administrative capacity. Which arrangement best matches the excerpt's description?
19. Secondary source excerpt (Civil War military conflict, 1861–1865): Historians of the early war note that Kentucky's position along major rivers made it strategically crucial, and both sides sought influence there. Which statement best reflects Kentucky's military importance?
20. A historian writes that African American Christians during the Second Great Awakening (1800–1848) formed independent congregations and denominations, sometimes in response to discrimination in white churches. Which religious development does this describe?

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