Pre-Test American Revolution
1. On the night of April 18, 1775, a force of 700
British soldiers left Boston in search of a major
colonial weapons storehouse rumored to be
located where?
A. Cambridge
B. Bunker Hill
C. Lexington
D. Concord
2. Which event led to the meeting of the First
Continental Congress?
A. the publication of Common Sense
B. the “shot heard round the world”
C. the closing of the port of Boston
D. the rejection of the Olive Branch
Petition
3. Who were the Sons of Liberty?
A. a society of colonists who did not wish to break from
Britain
B. a group of patriots who protested British laws
C. a society of scholars who wrote pamphlets
D. a group of diplomats who tried to gain foreign support
14. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable Rights . . .
A. Natural laws valued a shared sense of humanity over
written legislation.
B. Natural laws relied on a more complicated system of
government to function.
C. Natural laws allowed a nation’s citizens to obtain
power quickly and easily.
D. Natural laws did not restrict a government from taxing
people without consent.
According to this passage from the Declaration
of Independence, how were natural laws
different from the laws imposed by Great
Britain?
5. What effect did Thomas Paine’s pamphlet
Common Sense have on colonial leaders?
A. It caused them to reject Enlightenment ideas.
B. It inspired them to challenge British authority.
C. It explained to them the good sense of monarchy.
D. It persuaded them to modify British laws.
6. Why did Thomas Jefferson feel the colonists
had the right to break away from Great
Britain?
A. Jefferson did not believe in any form of government.
B. Great Britain did not protect the rights of the colonists.
C. Jefferson did not agree that social contracts should be
obeyed.
D. Great Britain no longer showed a desire to govern the
colonists.
7. What set- backs did the Patriots face in the
West?
A. They had never explored the area and did not know the
lay of the land.
B. They had not managed to capture Britain’s major
frontier base.
C. They had difficulty following the orders of an
inexperienced leader.
D. They had trouble persuading Indian leaders to remain
neutral.
Pre-Test American Revolution
8. What is the likely reason that Spain became
an ally to the Patriots?
A. Spain wanted to gain control of the colonies.
B. It appeared that the Patriots were losing the war.
C. Spain wished to regain Florida from Britain.
D. No other foreign nation believed in the Patriot cause.
9. When the Minutemen faced the British
Redcoats at the start of the Battle of
Lexington, why did their captain yell, “Don’t
fire unless fired upon”?
A. He wanted to hear the “shot heard round the world.”
B. He wanted to defend against attack, not start a war.
C. He wanted to reserve ammunition for future conflicts.
D. He wanted to lure his enemies peaceably back to
Boston.
10. Why was winning the battle in New Jersey so
important to George Washington?
A. The one-year contract many of his soldiers were
fighting under was due to expire, and he knew
soldiers would not reenlist in a losing army.
B. The supply of cash Congress had given him was running
low, and mercenaries from the German state of Hesse
were threatening to flee.
C. He had retreated across the Delaware into
Pennsylvania, and if he didn’t come through with a
victory his political career would be over.
D. He had chosen a defensive approach to war, and the
fact that he’d suffered severe losses as a result made
him look like a poor leader.
11. Why did thousands of African American
slaves sign on with the British Army?
A. George Washington would not pay them for service to
the revolutionary army.
B. The British offered freedom to any slave who served in
their army.
C. British forces were better trained and equipped than
American forces.
D. British forces pledged to put an end to the institution
of slavery in America.
12. Who was Bernardo de Gálvez?
A. a Patriot ally who organized troops to attack British
posts in the Southeast
B. a Patriot foe who helped increase the British presence
in Spanish Louisiana
C. a Spanish nobleman who was inspired by the ideas of
the American Revolution
D. a Spanish defector who served in the British Army and
was wounded in battle
13. Among colonists, which group made the
greatest contribution to the war effort?
A. soldiers
B. mercenaries
C. spies
D militia men
Pre-Test American Revolution
14. Who was nicknamed “the Swamp Fox,” and
why?
A. John Paul Jones, because his wiliness in capturing the
British warship Serapis reminded his crew of a fox
B. George Rogers Clark, because he led wet troops
through the Wabash River to victory at the
Battle of Vincennes
C. George Washington, because his red hair shone like a
fox’s coat as he led his men across the Delaware River
D. Francis Marion, because of his stealth and lightning
speed in carrying out guerrilla warfare in the South
15. The Battle of Trenton was different from
previous battles because the Patriots
A. emerged victorious.
B. went on the offensive.
C. took prisoners.
D. fought at night.
16. Which of the following did not happen in
reaction to the signing of the Declaration of
Independence?
A. More than 50,000 Loyalists fled the colonies as a result
of conflicts with Patriots.
B. Benjamin Franklin became separated from his Loyalist
son William.
C. The question of why slavery existed in a land where
personal freedom was valued came up.
D. Native Americans successfully stopped the colonists
from expanding further west.
17. How did the Second Continental
Congress decide to handle the
British?
A. They would create the Continental Army to fight the
British.
B. They would pay George Washington to negotiate with
the British.
C. They would mint a new currency to pay off the British.
D. They would gather foreign allies to help attack the
British.
18. What challenges did the Patriots
face at sea?
A. They had too few ships to fight large battles against the
British.
B. Their sailors were malnourished and many were sick.
C. Their naval fleet was old and in disrepair.
D. Their sailors were brave but had difficulty following
orders.
19. Which of these groups was most divided in
its support of the Patriots’ war effort?
A. African Americans
B. wealthy farmers
C. American Indians
D. women
Pre-Test American Revolution
20. Before the battle in New Jersey, why did
many Patriot leaders favor a defensive war?
A. Their actions could then be justified.
B. Their supplies would last longer.
C. They could make a quicker retreat.
D. They could exhaust the enemy sooner.
21. Who said, "I know not what course others
may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or
give me death!"?
A.
B.
C.
D.
John Adams
Patrick Henry
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
22. Who was chosen by the Second Continental
Congress to command the new Continental
Army?
A.
B.
C.
D.
John Adams
William Howe
Henry Knox
George Washington
23. The British withdrew from Boston in 1776
after
A. seeing cannons aimed down on them from nearby
Dorchester Heights.
B. hearing that the colonists had formed the Continental
Army.
C. clashing with colonial militias at Lexington and
Concord.
D. losing more than 1,000 men during the battle of
Bunker Hill.
24. The purpose of the Olive Branch Petition was
to persuade
A.
B.
C.
D.
British troops to leave Boston.
Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act.
King George to make peace with the colonies.
Volunteers to join the Continental Army.
25. The Declaration of Independence states that
all people are born with certain rights that
include the
A.
B.
C.
D.
right to elect leaders who represent the people.
rights to speak freely and to worship in peace.
right to feel safe and secure in one's home.
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
26. The day on which the Declaration of
Independence was approved in 1776 is
celebrated today as
A.
B.
C.
D.
Thanksgiving Day.
Independence Day.
Memorial Day.
Veterans Day.
27. The American victory at the Battle of
Saratoga was a turning point in the
Revolutionary War because it...
A.
B.
C.
D.
forced the British to leave Canada.
brought France into the war as an American ally.
ended General Burgoyne’s career.
liberated Georgia from British control.