Social Studies Exam # 2 - Middle Grades
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions
Student Instructions:
 Write your complete ID code on your answer sheet.
 For each question, choose the BEST answer. If you change your answer, erase well.
1.
He served as president of Egypt for one year, from June 2012 to July 2013. Who made history as the
country’s first democratically elected head of state?
A.
Mohamed Morsi
B.
Hosni Mubarak
C.
Anwar Sadat
D.
Gamal Nasser
2.
On September 11, 2012, Islamic militants killed two CIA contractors, a U.S. Foreign Service Information
Management Officer, and a U.S. Diplomat. The attack occurred in Benghazi, a city in what nation?
A.
Nigeria
B.
Egypt
C.
Somalia
D.
Libya
3.
As part of the Caucasian Riviera, it experiences warm summers and mild winters. What Russian city below
hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics, and will be one of the host cities for 2018’s FIFA World Cup?
A.
Vladivostok
B.
Sochi
C.
Moscow
D.
St. Petersburg
4.
The Okefenokee Swamp, a group of sandy ridges, grassy savannas, and marsh-surrounded islands, lies
predominantly within what U.S. state?
A.
Virginia
B.
Tennessee
C.
North Carolina
D.
Georgia
5.
The Mason-Dixon Line, an original boundary between slave and free states, forms which U.S. state’s
southern border?
A.
Maryland
B.
New Hampshire
C.
Pennsylvania
D.
Connecticut
6.
Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, and Mount St. Helens all lie within what range, part of the Pacific mountain
system?
A.
Cascade
B.
Adirondack
C.
Sierra Nevada
D.
Catskill
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions - Page 1
7.
It comprises its namesake island, Stonecutters Island, the New Territories, and the southern part of Kowloon
Peninsula. Which special administrative region of China was under British rule until 1997?
A.
Hong Kong
B.
Singapore
C.
Taiwan
D.
Tibet
8.
It is Earth’s oldest existing freshwater lake, as well as the deepest continental body of water. Which of the
following lakes contains about 20% of the planet’s freshwater?
A.
Lake Victoria
B.
Lake Baikal
C.
Lake Tanganyika
D.
Lake Titicaca
9.
Australia mines almost one-third of the world’s supply of bauxite, the ore that produces what metal?
A.
gold
B.
aluminum
C.
silver
D.
lead
10.
Match each desert with the country in which it is located.
x. Negev
y. Gobi
z. Atacama
A.
B.
C.
D.
1. Chile
2. Mongolia
3. Israel
x-1, y-2, z-3
x-2, y-1, z-3
x-2, y-3, z-1
x-3, y-2, z-1
11.
Which of the following choices gives an absolute location?
A.
15 blocks from Central Park
B.
20 miles south of the equator
C.
31.62° N, 81.24° W
D.
east of the Mississippi River
12.
It includes landforms like rivers, mountains, and lakes. What kind of map depicts bodies of water in blue,
lower elevations in green, and higher elevations in orange or brown?
A.
physical
B.
climate
C.
political
D.
topographic
13.
His reign greatly expanded Buddhism’s influence in India. Who was the last major emperor of the Mauryan
dynasty?
A.
Chandra Gupta
B.
Ashoka
C.
Babur
D.
Xerxes
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions - Page 2
14.
They were a Semitic-Asiatic tribe who settled in Egypt in the 18th century BC. Who introduced the
compound bow, improved battle-axes, and horses and chariots into Egyptian society?
A.
Mycenaeans
B.
Chaldeans
C.
Assyrians
D.
Hyksos
15.
This dynasty saw the rise of Confucianism and Daoism, and the advent of the Spring and Autumn and
Warring States Periods. Which dynasty’s rule introduced chopsticks, ox-drawn plows, and horseback riding?
A.
Shang
B.
Han
C.
Qin
D.
Zhou
16.
Which word below names the ancient African kingdom that lay within the region of Nubia, and flourished
between 1000 BC and 350 AD?
A.
Sudan
B.
Massina
C.
Kush
D.
Sokoto
17.
In Greek mythology, it is the site of Hero and Leander’s drowning. What body of water, now called the
Dardanelles, did Xerxes I cross using a bridge of boats?
A.
Hellespont
B.
Ionian
C.
Tyrrhenian
D.
Caspian
18.
Its Bronze Age culture led the Aegean region. What city, which archaeologists consider Europe’s oldest,
dominated the Minoan culture of Crete until 1400 BC?
A.
Ephesus
B.
Knossos
C.
Heliopolis
D.
Troy
19.
At what naval battle did Octavian defeat Mark Antony, thereby becoming the single ruler of the Roman
Empire?
A.
Marathon
B.
Corinth
C.
Actium
D.
Salamis
20.
Match each English monarch with the house to which he or she belonged.
x. Henry IV
y. Mary I
z. Edward III
A.
B.
C.
D.
1. Tudor
2. Plantagenet
3. Lancaster
x-1, y-2, z-3
x-2, y-3, z-1
x-3, y-1, z-2
x-3, y-2, z-1
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions - Page 3
21.
Which French city housed a papal enclave from 1309 to 1377, an era some Catholics referred to as the
“Babylonian captivity” of the papacy?
A.
Marseille
B.
Lyon
C.
Nice
D.
Avignon
22.
Which of the following tools from the Middle Ages was used for navigation?
A.
astrolabe
B.
longbow
C.
stirrup
D.
trebuchet
23.
Which explorer below claimed Brazil for Portugal when he sighted South America in April 1500?
A.
Vasco da Gama
B.
Pedro Cabral
C.
Ferdinand Magellan
D.
Bartolomeu Dias
24.
In 1688, England experienced a bloodless regime change nicknamed the “Glorious Revolution.” Mary II and
her husband, William of Orange, ascended to the throne after deposing what ruler?
A.
James II
B.
Edward VI
C.
Elizabeth I
D.
Richard I
25.
Most of his expeditions searched in vain for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. Whose explorations of the
American Southwest discovered the Grand Canyon and the mouth of the Colorado River?
A.
Vasco de Balboa
B.
Francisco Pizarro
C.
Alvar Cabeza de Vaca
D.
Francisco Coronado
26.
They originally lived near present-day Green Bay, Wisconsin, but moved into western Ohio, southwest
Michigan, and Indiana. Which Algonquian-speaking tribe once led by Little Turtle used the Grand Medicine
Society to cure illnesses?
A.
Cherokee
B.
Shawnee
C.
Miami
D.
Choctaw
27.
In 1520, his subjects threw stones and arrows that fatally wounded him. Which Aztec leader did Cortés take
prisoner?
A.
Montezuma II
B.
Túpac
C.
Quetzalcoatl
D.
Atahualpa
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions - Page 4
28.
The Seminoles, who engaged in wars to prevent colonial seizure of their lands, settled in which of the
following states?
A.
New York
B.
Florida
C.
South Carolina
D.
Virginia
29.
It began when white settlers executed three Wampanoags. What 1675-1676 war led by Metacom devastated
New England frontier towns before the Narragansett were wiped out?
A.
First Seminole War
B.
King Philip’s War
C.
War of 1812
D.
Black Hawk War
30.
Match each colonial American to the religious group with which he or she is most closely associated.
x. Anne Hutchinson
y. William Penn
z. George Calvert
A.
B.
C.
D.
1. Catholics
2. Quakers
3. Puritans
x-1, y-2, z-3
x-2, y-3, z-1
x-3, y-1, z-2
x-3, y-2, z-1
31.
Her grandfather was governor of the Roanoke colony. Who became the first English child born in the
Americas on August 18, 1587?
A.
Phillis Wheatley
B.
Molly Pitcher
C.
Virginia Dare
D.
Betsy Ross
32.
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, written by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, protested the
limits on civil liberties included in what piece of legislation?
A.
Alien and Sedition Acts
B.
Intolerable Acts
C.
Stamp Act
D.
Embargo Act
33.
In this rebellion, several armed men forced the Supreme Court of Springfield, Massachusetts to close. What
1786 uprising encouraged the legislature to pass laws easing debtors’ economic hardships?
A.
Whiskey Rebellion
B.
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
C.
Shays’ Rebellion
D.
Bacon’s Rebellion
34.
For twelve years, he served as chief of all British forces in North America. Who shaped the Intolerable Acts
while serving as military governor of Massachusetts from 1774 to 1775?
A.
John Burgoyne
B.
William Howe
C.
Joseph Warren
D.
Thomas Gage
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions - Page 5
35.
It successfully defended Baltimore harbor against a British attack during the War of 1812. Which fort
inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner”?
A.
Fort Necessity
B.
Fort McHenry
C.
Fort Sumter
D.
Fort Duquesne
36.
Which of the following statements about the Compromise of 1850 is FALSE?
A.
It admitted California as a free state.
B.
It admitted Missouri as a slave state.
C.
It banned slave trade in the District of Columbia.
D.
It granted popular sovereignty to the New Mexico and Utah Territories regarding slavery.
37.
Senator William Marcy popularized the term “spoils system” when he defended one of this president’s
appointments. Whose group of advisors was nicknamed the “kitchen cabinet”?
A.
Martin Van Buren
B.
Abraham Lincoln
C.
Andrew Jackson
D.
William Henry Harrison
38.
His namesake charge saw about 15,000 Confederate troops descend on Cemetery Ridge during the Battle of
Gettysburg. Which general was forced to retreat after suffering heavy casualties?
A.
George Pickett
B.
Albert Johnston
C.
James Longstreet
D.
Stonewall Jackson
39.
The Compromise of 1877 pulled troops out of Southern states and effectively ended Reconstruction. In
return, Democrat Samuel J. Tilden lost the presidency to what man?
A.
William McKinley
B.
Benjamin Harrison
C.
Andrew Johnson
D.
Rutherford B. Hayes
40.
Match each Reconstruction Amendment with its function.
x. 13th
y. 14th
z. 15th
A.
B.
C.
D.
41.
1. guaranteed African-American men the right to vote
2. abolished slavery
3. granted African-Americans citizenship
x-1, y-3, z-2
x-2, y-1, z-3
x-2, y-3, z-1
x-3, y-2, z-1
He was America’s first admiral. Who issued the command, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead,” during
the Battle of Mobile Bay?
A.
George McClellan
B.
John Paul Jones
C.
George Dewey
D.
David Farragut
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions - Page 6
42.
The “Free Exercise Clause” and “Establishment Clause” deal with which of the following first amendment
freedoms?
A.
petition
B.
speech
C.
religion
D.
assembly
43.
Which Supreme Court case below established the principle of judicial review—the court’s power to deem a
law or government action unconstitutional?
A.
Marbury v. Madison
B.
Miranda v. Arizona
C.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
D.
Brown v. Board of Education
44.
Which of the following political works did Thomas Paine NOT write?
A.
The American Crisis
B.
Common Sense
C.
The Federalist Papers
D.
The Age of Reason
45.
Which term below refers to paper currency that a government law makes legal tender, rather than money that
has intrinsic value, like gold or silver?
A.
fiat
B.
commodity
C.
collateral
D.
stock
46.
He formulated the “invisible hand” theory, which states that an unseen force guides people to benefit society
by pursuing their individual interests. Who was this early proponent of laissez-faire economic policies?
A.
Karl Marx
B.
Adam Smith
C.
John Maynard Keynes
D.
David Ricardo
47.
Communism and socialism are both examples of which of the following economic categories?
A.
market
B.
gift
C.
planned
D.
barter
48.
Born in Garrard County, she established her reputation in Kansas. Which temperance movement leader used
a hatchet to destroy barrooms?
A.
Jane Addams
B.
Carry Nation
C.
Lucretia Mott
D.
Jeannette Rankin
49.
He pioneered the vertical integration manufacturing style, and donated some of his millions to construct over
3,500 libraries. Who was this Scottish-born American steel magnate?
A.
J. P. Morgan
B.
Cornelius Vanderbilt
C.
John D. Rockefeller
D.
Andrew Carnegie
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions - Page 7
50.
Match each assassin with the political figure he killed.
x. Lee Harvey Oswald
y. James Earl Ray
z. Sirhan Sirhan
A.
B.
C.
D.
1. John F. Kennedy
2. Martin Luther King, Jr.
3. Robert F. Kennedy
x-1, y-2, z-3
x-1, y-3, z-2
x-2, y-3, z-1
x-3, y-2, z-1
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions - Page 8
Social Studies- Middle Grades - Exam # 2
2014-15 Governor’s Cup Practice Questions
1. A
26. C
2. D
27. A
3. B
28. B
4. D
29. B
5. C
30. D
6. A
31. C
7. A
32. A
8. B
33. C
9. B
34. D
10. D
35. B
11. C
36. B
12. A
37. C
13. B
38. A
14. D
39. D
15. D
40. C
16. C
41. D
17. A
42. C
18. B
43. A
19. C
44. C
20. C
45. A
21. D
46. B
22. A
47. C
23. B
48. B
24. A
49. D
25. D
50. A