Grade 8 Ohio Achievement Test for Social Studies – May 2007
Annotated Item 9
Standard and Benchmark Assessed:
Standard: History
Benchmark: E. Explain the causes and consequences of the American Revolution, with
emphasis on both Colonial and British perspectives.
Multiple Choice Question:
Which phrase is directly associated with the American colonists’ reaction to the Stamp Act?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Live free or die
All men are created equal
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
No taxation without representation
Commentary:
This multiple-choice question requires students to show understanding of how the American
colonists reacted to the Stamp Act passed by Great Britain by selecting the phrase that best
explains the colonists' response. Option D is correct because the American colonists’ were
concerned about not being represented in the British Parliament and, after the Stamp Act was
passed, the colonists began to say “no taxation without representation” to show that they
believed it was unfair to be taxed by a government in which they were not represented. Option
A, live free or die, is a phrase from a toast given in 1809 by General John Stark, which was not
a direct reaction to the Stamp Act. This phrase was later adopted as the state motto of New
Hampshire. Options B and C are quotations from the Declaration of Independence and do not
directly address taxation.
Performance Data:
The percent of public school students selecting answer choice D for question 9 on the May 2007
Ohio Achievement Test was 79%.
Keywords: American Revolution, Stamp Act, perspectives
Source: Ohio Department of Education
July 07