Practice Test 6 - 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. A 110-word secondary-source excerpt argues that U.S. diplomacy changed in the 1970s as leaders pursued détente with the Soviet Union and opened relations with China, while continuity remained in the overarching goal of containing communism. Which development best illustrates change in Cold War diplomacy during 1945–1980?
2. The Proclamation of 1763, issued immediately after British victory in the Seven Years' War, attempted to address multiple competing interests simultaneously. Which analysis best explains why this policy ultimately failed to achieve its intended objectives?
3. A historian notes that by the 1890s, industrial capitalism's critics increasingly targeted "robber barons" for using unfair practices like rebates and discriminatory rates, especially in transportation. Which industry was most closely tied to these complaints? (Embedded excerpt: Shippers alleged that powerful carriers granted secret discounts to favored clients, squeezing competitors and shaping markets.)
4. Secondary-source excerpt: A scholar contends that the Mexican-American War increased U.S. confidence in its military and national mission, but also provoked debate about whether republican institutions could coexist with territorial conquest. The author notes that some critics feared empire would corrupt the republic. Which earlier American debate most closely parallels the concern about conquest corrupting republican government?
5. A historian argues that between 1763 and 1776, colonial resistance shifted from seeking repeal of specific taxes to challenging Parliament's authority itself, especially after violence and punitive legislation. Which development best illustrates this escalation toward open conflict?
6. A 1975 secondary-source excerpt claims that environmental policy in the 1970s reflected the broader expansion of federal administrative capacity seen since the New Deal: Congress set national goals, and specialized agencies wrote rules and enforced compliance. Which comparison best supports the excerpt's argument about continuity in governance?​
7. A historian explains that Spanish settlers sought wealth from silver and agricultural exports, relying on coerced labor and a racial hierarchy to control workers. Which choice best describes the relationship between labor exploitation and the casta system?
8. Secondary source excerpt (1968–1980): The environmental movement of the 1970s often used striking images—smoke-choked skylines, oil-coated birds, and polluted waterways—to argue that industrial prosperity carried hidden costs. Historians note that such imagery helped translate scientific concerns into popular politics. Which event is most commonly cited as an iconic example of the kind of environmental crisis imagery described?
9. Secondary-source excerpt (1890–1945): Historians contrast Progressive Era domestic reform with Progressive Era foreign policy. At home, Progressives pushed regulation, democratization (initiative, referendum, direct election of senators), and social reforms. Abroad, many Progressives supported an assertive U.S. role, from Theodore Roosevelt's "big stick" diplomacy and the Panama Canal to Woodrow Wilson's interventions in Latin America and promotion of moral diplomacy. Which option best captures the relationship between Progressive domestic and foreign policies?
10. Secondary-source excerpt (Period 4, 1800–1848): The Second Great Awakening encouraged many Americans to believe that individuals could choose salvation and that society could be improved through moral action. Revivals inspired reformers to organize voluntary associations addressing temperance, education, prisons, and slavery. By insisting that social problems were not fixed or inevitable, these movements broadened civic participation, especially for women, who often led local organizing even when they lacked formal political rights. Which reform effort was most directly encouraged by the religious and social impulses described in the excerpt?
11. Secondary-source context (1492-1607): Historians note that Spain's early empire was concentrated in the Caribbean and Mesoamerica before expanding into South America. Which geographic statement best matches this pattern?
12. Secondary source context (Period 1, 1491–1607): European legal and religious doctrines, including ideas about "discovery" and Christian dominion, shaped how empires justified claims over lands inhabited by non-Christian peoples. These frameworks influenced diplomacy, colonization charters, and conflicts among European rivals. Which choice best provides broader historical context for European justifications of territorial claims in the Americas?
13. A secondary source argues that much of the ratification fight (1787–1788) turned on fears that the new national government would swallow state authority, especially through the "necessary and proper" clause and the supremacy clause. The author notes Federalists replied that enumerated powers and inter-branch checks would limit abuses. Which constitutional principle is most directly at issue in this debate?
14. Secondary-source excerpt (1783–1800): Critics of the Alien and Sedition Acts argued that states could respond when the federal government exceeded its constitutional authority. In 1798–1799, two state legislatures issued resolutions asserting the compact theory of the Union and proposing remedies against unconstitutional federal laws. Which documents advanced this states'-rights argument?
15. Secondary source excerpt (1890–1945): "Reformers in the Progressive Era promoted democratic participation through direct-election measures, while New Deal reformers, facing economic emergency, were more likely to expand the administrative state and executive power to implement relief and recovery." Which choice best compares political reforms in the Progressive Era with New Deal governance?
16. A historian notes that Jackson's opponents argued the Bank War damaged the economy by destabilizing currency and credit, while Jacksonians claimed it liberated the nation from elite control. Which institution was at the center of this struggle over federal power and economic policy?
17. A secondary source excerpt states that western settlement intensified debates over the role of the federal government because settlers demanded postal routes, land surveys, military protection, and infrastructure. The author concludes that western development expanded federal administrative capacity. Which example best supports this conclusion?
18. A historian argues that Jackson's use of the veto differed from earlier presidents by making it a routine political weapon rather than a rare constitutional safeguard. The author cites major legislation blocked on grounds of policy and social impact. Which example best supports this claim in the Jackson era?
19. Secondary-source context (Period 1, 1491–1607): European exploration occurred alongside religious upheaval in Europe, including the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. Competing Christian states linked imperial expansion to evangelization, while printed accounts of voyages fueled popular interest and investment. These forces intersected with economic motives and strategic rivalry in shaping overseas ventures. Which option best identifies the broader historical context connecting European religion to colonization efforts in the Americas before 1607?
20. Secondary-source excerpt (embedded): In the Gilded Age, critics of laissez-faire complained that federal inaction allowed railroads and trusts to shape markets and politics. Yet defenders of limited government argued that regulation threatened economic growth and violated freedom of contract. The resulting controversies produced modest federal interventions that were often constrained by courts and unevenly enforced. Which federal action most directly reflects the "modest federal interventions" described?

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