History 121: N. America to 1877 (Fall 2013)
Sample Examination
NOTE: THIS IS A SAMPLE ONLY
Examples here were intentionally chosen from eras outside the scope of
this course.
PLEDGE: It is the desire of Furman University to unite its members in a collective commitment to integrity. In so doing, Furman
University strives to teach its members to live lives of humility, respect, and responsibility. Therefore, it is the expectation that all
members of the Furman University community will conduct themselves with integrity in all endeavors. In honoring these values and
ideals as Furman University's foundation, it is with utmost faithfulness and dignity that I will subscribe to them.
I have neither given nor received unfair assistance on this examination.
I have read and understood the academic policies for this course and for Furman University.
The work presented here has been completed by me alone.
I will not disclose its contents.
____________________________________
Legible Signature
Part One: Essay (Choice of 1 of 2 essays, approx. 25 minutes, 60 percent)
Instructions:
Please select and respond to ONE of the two following essay questions. Be as precise and as chronological as possible.
Support your argument using examples from assigned documents, texts, and presentations. Include historians and
historiography where relevant. Avoid excessive duplication of items elsewhere on the test. Please limit your essay to no
more than four paragraphs.
3.1 Using our course emphasis on the transformations of citizenship in the period from 1900 to 2000, discuss at least three
specific landmark events or turning points in the expansion of voting rights and civil rights.
3.2 Using our course theme of State-Federal relations, consider the role of America's wars in expanding the scope and
force of the federal government after 1914. To what extent did the success of this expansion complement the
expansion of state and local authority over this same period, and to what extent did it reduce state and local influence?
Give at least three specific events or policy examples.
Part Two: Missing item Answers (20 questions, Approx. 10 minutes, 15 percent)
Instructions:
Please supply the missing date, name, concept, list of factors, or other facts. In the interest of time you should be as brief
in your response as possible, using abbreviations, phrases rather than sentences and anything else that will speed your
progress. (Sample answers shown in red.)
1.
2.
3.
The Sherman Antitrust Act was passed in the year ____[1890]___________.
The first francophone Prime Minister of Canada was the individual named: _____[Laurier]__________
According to the Guarneri text, the process of decolonization spread through southern Asia and the Middle East starting in the
decade of the 19_[40]___s.
4. The historian named ______[Goodwin]______ is well-known for her interpretation of Lyndon B. Johnson's domestic and foreign
policies being rooted in his childhood experiences and relationships with his parents.
5. The historiographical approach emphasizing techniques such as statistical exploration of popular voting behavior, investigation of
social, religious, and cultural factors, legislative roll call analysis, and collective biography is known as the _["New" Political]___
history.
Part Three: Two Sentence Answers (4 of 5 items; 15 minutes, 25 percent)
Instructions: Choose FOUR of five. Please supply a BRIEF response, of two to three sentences. (There will be no scoring
advantage in longer responses.) Answer completely but very concisely. You may optionally write your responses on a separate sheet.
Please mark the one question you are skipping by writing the word OMIT in the blanks. Try to answer as many of the others as well
as you can. You will not be graded on grammar. Keep it short but complete.
2.1 Key facts and takeaways from After the Fact: "Dust Bowl Odyssey" [Study focus: After the Fact; class discussions]
2.2 National Security Administration Policy NSC-47 [Study focus: assigned source; Guarneri text; class discussion]
2.3 John Muir, The Mountains of California [Study focus: Outline of U.S. History text, Wikipedia summaries]
2.4 Election of 1980 [Study focus: Guarneri text; Wikipedia summaries]
2.5 Nixon's Vietnamization Policy [Study focus: film clips, class discussion; Outline of U.S. History text]
Part Four: Bonus Question (3 sentences, up to three points)