United States History

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GED Social Studies › United States History

Questions 1 - 10
1

The Magna Carta was __________

signed between the King and English nobles in the thirteenth century.

signed between the King and English nobles in the seventeenth century.

signed between English nobles and the common man in the fifteenth century.

signed between the English government and the American colonies to protect colonial independence in the eighteenth century.

signed between the English government and the common man in the eighteenth century.

Explanation

The Magna Carta was a document signed between King John II and the English nobility in the thirteenth century. It was intended to prevent the King from abusing his power and aimed to protect certain rights of the nobility. It is often considered the beginning of English democracy and thus American democracy.

2

The pilgrims who signed the Mayflower Compact travelled to America to __________

flee religious persecution in Europe.

establish a free and fully democratic society.

make their fortune and achieve economic autonomy.

colonize the continent of America for the British crown.

establish a military base in the war between England and France.

Explanation

The pilgrims who arrived in Massachusetts from Europe were fleeing religious persecution in England under King James I. They signed the Mayflower Compact which essentially stated they were an autonomous and self-governing people.

3

In Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court found that segregation violated __________.

the Fourteenth Amendment

the Necessary and Proper Clause

the Free Exercise Clause

the Second Amendment

the Tenth Amendment

Explanation

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) is one of the most famous Supreme Court cases in American history. Certainly it is the most famous case of the civil rights era. It overturned the 1896 decision of Plessy v. Ferguson, which had originally ruled that segregation was legal under the "separate, but equal" idea. The Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that "separate but equal" segregation was inherently not equal and violated the Equal Protection Clause established in the Fourteenth Amendment.

4

The deliberate and organized killing of a social, national, religious, or ethnic group is called __________.

genocide

heresy

speculation

ostracize

excommunication

Explanation

A government or military policy of deliberately killing a group of people based on social, religious, ethnic, or national reasons is called genocide. Genocides have occurred throughout human history but were particularly prominent in the twentieth century. The Holocaust was a genocide of Europe's Jews and Romani perpetrated by Nazi Germany. Hersey is speaking out against organized religious doctrine; to be ostracized means to be banished or sent away from a community; excommunication is a form of banishment carried out by the Catholic Church where individuals, or whole communities, can be shut off from the salvation provided by and through the Church.

5

For what accomplishment, primarily, was Woodrow Wilson awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

Founding the League of Nations

Founding the United Nations

The Geneva Convention

Establishing the Red Cross

Signing a nuclear non-proliferation pact with the Soviet Union

Explanation

In 1919, Woodrow Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work founding the League of Nations, although the League was hampered by the refusal of Wilson’s Congress to ratify American participation in the it.

6

The provision in the Fourteenth Amendment which forbids the states from discrimination on the grounds of race in their legal practices is called __________.

The Equal Protection Clause

The Double Jeopardy Clause

The Due Process Clause

Federalist No. 10

Federalist No. 51

Explanation

The Equal Protection clause states that no state within the union can deny any person the full and equal protection of its laws, particularly on the basis of race or other "arbitrary distinctions." It was passed in 1868, as part of the Fourteenth Amendment.

7

The Magna Carta was __________

signed between the King and English nobles in the thirteenth century.

signed between the King and English nobles in the seventeenth century.

signed between English nobles and the common man in the fifteenth century.

signed between the English government and the American colonies to protect colonial independence in the eighteenth century.

signed between the English government and the common man in the eighteenth century.

Explanation

The Magna Carta was a document signed between King John II and the English nobility in the thirteenth century. It was intended to prevent the King from abusing his power and aimed to protect certain rights of the nobility. It is often considered the beginning of English democracy and thus American democracy.

8

The deliberate and organized killing of a social, national, religious, or ethnic group is called __________.

genocide

heresy

speculation

ostracize

excommunication

Explanation

A government or military policy of deliberately killing a group of people based on social, religious, ethnic, or national reasons is called genocide. Genocides have occurred throughout human history but were particularly prominent in the twentieth century. The Holocaust was a genocide of Europe's Jews and Romani perpetrated by Nazi Germany. Hersey is speaking out against organized religious doctrine; to be ostracized means to be banished or sent away from a community; excommunication is a form of banishment carried out by the Catholic Church where individuals, or whole communities, can be shut off from the salvation provided by and through the Church.

9

The provision in the Fourteenth Amendment which forbids the states from discrimination on the grounds of race in their legal practices is called __________.

The Equal Protection Clause

The Double Jeopardy Clause

The Due Process Clause

Federalist No. 10

Federalist No. 51

Explanation

The Equal Protection clause states that no state within the union can deny any person the full and equal protection of its laws, particularly on the basis of race or other "arbitrary distinctions." It was passed in 1868, as part of the Fourteenth Amendment.

10

In Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court found that segregation violated __________.

the Fourteenth Amendment

the Necessary and Proper Clause

the Free Exercise Clause

the Second Amendment

the Tenth Amendment

Explanation

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) is one of the most famous Supreme Court cases in American history. Certainly it is the most famous case of the civil rights era. It overturned the 1896 decision of Plessy v. Ferguson, which had originally ruled that segregation was legal under the "separate, but equal" idea. The Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that "separate but equal" segregation was inherently not equal and violated the Equal Protection Clause established in the Fourteenth Amendment.

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