3rd Quarter Benchmark
8th Grade EWMS
Name _________________________
Answer the following questions on the sheet provided by your teacher.
____ 1. What was the last major battle of the American Revolution?
a. Battle of Lexington
c. Battle of Yorktown
b. Battle of Guilford Court House
d. Battle of Bunker Hill
____ 2. American colonists who supported British rule were called which of the following?
a. Loyalists
c. Patriots
b. Sons of Liberty
d. Redcoats
____ 3. Which of the following is NOT a form of civil disobedience by the American
colonists toward British taxation?
a. the Boston Tea party
b. boycotts of British goods
c. formation of the Sons of Liberty
d. the closing of the Boston Harbor
____ 4. Which of the following is an accurate description of the settlement of North
Carolina?
a. The first settlers in North Carolina entered the state through their numerous
deepwater ports.
b. The first settlers in North Carolina came along the Great Wagon Road and set up
towns in the Piedmont.
c. The first settlers in North Carolina migrated north from South Carolina in search
of fertile farmland.
d. The first settlers in North Carolina migrated south from Virginia in search of
fertile farmland.
____ 5. Who was the leader of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War?
a. George Washington
c. Benjamin Franklin
b. Nathaniel Greene
d. Thomas Jefferson
____ 6. What battle of the Revolution prevented the British Army from controlling the
Southern colonies during the early stages of the war?
a. Battle of Yorktown
c. Battle of Guilford Courthouse
b. Battle of Saratoga
d. Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge
____ 7. What Framer is considered the Father of the Constitution?
a. George Washington
c. Alexander Hamilton
b. James Madison
d. Benjamin Franklin
____ 8. The ____ created America’s first national government.
a. the United States Constitution
c. the Declaration of Independence
b. the Articles of Confederation
d. the Sons of Liberty
____ 9. Archibald Murphey wrote a report to the N.C. General Assembly in 1816 titled
“Report on Education” about the problems of North Carolina education. His report
resulted in the creation of a literary fund to establish a public school system.
Which phrase accurately describes Murphey’s efforts?
a. civil disobedience
c. popular sovereignty
b. constitutional monarchy
d. civic engagement
For questions 10 and 11, read the following primary documents from James Madison, a leading Federalist,
and Patrick Henry, a leading Anti-Federalist.
The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are
few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and
indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace,
negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part,
be connected.
James Madison, Federalist Papers No. 45
If your. . . [President] be a man of ambition and abilities, how easy is it for him to
render himself absolute: The army is in his hands, and if he be a man of address, it
will be attached to him; and it will be the subject of long mediation with him to
seize the first auspicious moment to accomplish his design.
Patrick Henry, Anti-Federalist
____10. Which statement exemplifies the Anti-Federalists’ point of view?
a. The Constitution divided power equally among the branches of government.
b. The Constitution gave too much power to the executive branch.
c. The Constitution needed to increase the power of the legislative branch.
d. The Constitution guaranteed the protection of individual rights.
In order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of
government, which to a certain extent is admitted on all hands to be essential to the preservation
of liberty, it is evident that each department should have a will of its own . . . the great security
against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to
those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to
resist encroachments of the others.
James Madison, Federalist Papers No. 51
____ 11. The U.S. Constitution established a federal government based upon certain
democratic ideals. Which one of these ideals was James Madison describing in
Federalist No. 51?
a. rule of law
c. checks and balances
b. popular sovereignty
d. limited government
____ 12. Which of the following is NOT guaranteed in the Bill of Rights?
a. the freedom of speech
c. the freedom of the press
b. the freedom of religion
d. the freedom of marriage
____ 13. Which branch of the federal government has the power to declare laws
unconstitutional?
a. the Legislative Branch
c. the Judicial Branch
b. the Executive Branch
d. the Olive Branch
____ 14. Which of the following powers is a “check” the Executive Branch has over the
Legislative Branch?
a. the power to veto a law
c. the power to appoint Supreme Court justices
b. the power to impeach
d. the power to enter into treaties
____ 15. The first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution are collectively known as
what?
a. the Preamble
c. the Federalist Papers
b. the Declaration
d. the Bill of Rights
____ 16. The forced movement of the Cherokee Indian Nation from the southeastern
United States is known as ___.
a. the Trail of Sorrow
c. Andrew Jackson’s March
b. the Trail of Tears
d. the Cherokee Trail
____ 17. ___ is the nickname given to North Carolina during its sleep of indifference.
a. the Rip Van Winkle state
c. the Sleeping Dog state
b. the Tar Heel state
d. the Old North state
____ 18. Archibald Murphey’s plan for reforming North Carolina included all of the
following EXCEPT which one?
a. public education
c. new government officials
b. internal improvements
d. constitutional reform in the state
____ 19. Since colonial times, North Carolina had political problems for what main reason?
a. eastern landowners controlled the legislature
b. the population was uneven throughout the state
c. western farmers elected all government officials
d. the “common people” were not interested in their government
____ 20. This issue proved to be the most controversial at the Constitutional Convention
in Philadelphia..
a. the abolition of slavery
b. determining representation in the legislature
c. the creation of a strong national government
d. the creation of a protective tariff
____ 21. The main reason North Carolina delayed the ratification of the Constitution is?
a. The Constitution did not contain a Bill of Rights.
b. The Constitution allowed slavery.
c. The Constitution gave too much power to the national government.
d. North Carolina did not want to be part of the union.
____ 22. The Regulator Movement involved a conflict between settlers in western North
Carolina and which governor?
a. William Tryon
c. Thomas Cary
b. Josiah Martin
d. Arthur Dobbs
____ 23. Some women in North Carolina agreed to boycott England’s goods at the ____.
a. Boston Tea Party
c. Mecklenburg Tea Party
b. Halifax Tea Party
d. Edenton Tea Party
____ 24. Which of the following documents is the first colonial call for independence
from Britain?
a. Mecklenburg Resolves
c. Declaration of Independence
b. Halifax Resolves
d. Articles of Confederation
____ 25. Which of the following are examples of natural rights stated by philosopher
John Locke and accepted by many of the founding fathers?
a. Peace, love, and happiness
b. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
c. Wealth, health, and long life
d. Freedom of religion, speech, and press
____ 26. Where did Robert E. Lee surrender to bring an end to the Civil War?
a. Appomattox Court House
c. Battle of Bull Run
b. Battle of Gettysburg
d. Fort Sumter
____ 27. What battle is the bloodiest of the entire Civil War?
a. Battle of Vicksburg
c. Battle of Bull Run
b. Battle of Gettysburg
d. Battle of Antietam
____ 28. This nickname referred to the territory where violent clashes took place
between slave supporters and abolitionists who opposed slavery.
a. Bleeding Kansas
c. Kansas-Nebraska Act
b. Bleeding Nebraska
d. Bloody Kansas
____ 29. This invention impacted the slave trade in the United States creating an
increased demand for workers on Southern plantations.
a. the steam engine
c. the boll weevil
b. the cotton gin
d. the telegraph
____ 30. This document freed the slaves in the rebellious Southern states.
a. the Gettysburg Address
c. the Emancipation Proclamation
b. the 13th Amendment
d. the Bill of Rights
____ 31. This man was the President during the Mexican War; he added more land to the
United States than any other.
a. Ulysses S. Grant
c. Abraham Lincoln
b. Andrew Jackson
d. James K. Polk
____ 32. Which of the following was not a prominent abolitionist during the 19th Century?
a. John C. Calhoun
c. Harriet Beecher Stowe
b. John Brown
d. Levi Coffin
____ 33. Popular sovereignty is the political principle that all political authority within a
society is derived from the will or consent of its people. Which idea is expressed in
the concept of popular sovereignty?
a. The most popular candidates represent the people.
b. The federal government has supreme authority over the states.
c. The power of the government comes from its citizens.
d. The educated are uniquely qualified to control the political system.
____ 34. According to the excerpt, how did the Kansas-Nebraska Act address the issue
of slavery?
That the Constitution, and all laws of the United States which are not locally inapplicable, shall have the
same force and effect within the said Territory of Kansas as elsewhere within the United States, except
the [Missouri Compromise], which . . . is hereby declared inoperative and void; it being the true intent and
meaning of this act not to legislate slavery into any Territory or State, nor to exclude it . . . but to leave
the people perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only
to the Constitution of the United States.
Section 32 from the Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854
a. It declared slavery legal in every state west of the Mississippi River.
b. It made slavery an issue to be decided by residents of the states.
c. It gave Congress the power to regulate slavery in the states.
d. It provided no guidance on the issue of slavery in the states.
____ 35. Which statement explains the dominance of slavery in the coastal region of
colonial North Carolina?
a. The first slaves to arrive in North Carolina were brought from other colonies.
b. Rocky terrain coupled with a mild climate supported the establishment of
plantations.
c. The climate was similar to a tropical climate, giving African slaves a better
chance at survival.
d. Slave ships arrived at the ports of Wilmington, Edenton, and Bath.
____ 36. All of the following were advantages of the North during the Civil War EXCEPT
which one?
a. The North was fighting to protect their home territory.
b. Had more railroads than the South.
c. Had a larger population than the South.
d. The North had an established federal government to lead the war effort.
____ 37. This man was the governor of North Carolina during the Civil War.
a. Jefferson Davis
c. William Sherman
b. Zebulon Vance
d. Stonewall Jackson
____ 38. This important structure protected the port of Wilmington and allowed supplies
to enter the Confederacy.
a. Fort Fisher
c. Fort Bragg
b. Fort Sumter
d. Fort Macon
____ 39. Which of the following is NOT a prominent industry that developed in North
Carolina during the late 19th Century?
a. Steel production
c. Tobacco
b. Textiles
d. Furniture
____ 40. How did the location of High Point, North Carolina contribute to the growth of
the furniture industry?
a. High Point was near coastal ports, making it easy to export products.
b. High Point was near a wealthy client base in the Piedmont.
c. High Point was near railroads, hardwood forests, and a plentiful labor force.
d. High Point was near the Research Triangle for training of its furniture makers.
____ 41. Which of the following amendments to the Constitution stated that
African-Americans are citizens and guarantees them “equal protection”
under the law?
a. 12th
c. 14th
th
b. 13
d. 15th
____ 42. The term “scalawag” was an unflattering term for whom?
a. A Conservative who was opposed to Reconstruction.
b. An African-American Republican leader.
c. A Southerner who worked for the new government.
d. A Northerner who came to the South after the war.
____ 43. The period of time following the Civil War is known as ___.
a. Reconstruction
c. Emancipation
b. Rebuilding
d. Occupation
____ 44. All of the following were Southern responses to attempts to force
changes in Southern society EXCEPT which one?
a. the Ku Klux Klan
c. Jim Crow Laws
b. Black Codes
d. the Freedmen’s Bureau
____ 45. Which of the following groups resorted to acts of terrorism to restore
political power to white men?
a. the Radical Republicans
c. the carpetbaggers
b. the Ku Klux Klan
d. the Conservatives
____ 46. Which of the following wanted to most severely punish the South after
the Civil War?
a. Moderate Republicans
c. Abraham Lincoln
b. Radical Republicans
d. Andrew Johnson
____ 47. R. J. Reynolds and Washington Duke made their fortune in what industry?
a. tobacco
c. textiles
b. furniture
d. banking
____48. What object proved to be a necessity for the Industrial Revolution in North
Carolina?
a. gold
c. timber
b. tobacco
d. the railroad
____ 49. How did the “captains of industry” like J. P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller
attempt to control their own economic destiny in their industry?
a. By creating monopolies and trusts to control the competition in their industry.
b. By selling shares in their companies to the public at low prices.
c. They were willing to take higher risks than their competitors.
d. They worked with the railroad leaders to ship their goods at lower prices.
____ 50. Two political movements during the late 19th Century that sought to protect the
rights of the “common” people were ___.
a. Populism and republicanism
c. Socialism and trust
b. Populism and progressivism
d. Socialism and republicanism