Prepare for the Texas US History STAAR exam with these practice questions and answers. This comprehensive guide covers colonization, revolution, Civil War, industrialization, and modern America.
Q: Constitution
Answer: lays out a framework for the country as well as certain protected rights.
Q: Bill of Rights
Answer: The first ten amendments to the Constitution. Protects & enshrines fundamental rights.
Q: 1st Amendment
Answer: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition
Q: 4th Amendment
Answer: Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Must have a warrant to search.
Q: 5th Amendment
Answer: The Right to Remain Silent/Double Jeopardy, right to due process. No person can be deprived of life. liberty, or property w/o due process.
Q: 6th Amendment
Answer: Right to a jury trial & a lawyer to defend you.
Q: 10th Amendment
Answer: “Federalism amendment” -power not given to the national gov, belongs to the states or the ppl.
Q: 13th Amendment
Answer: Abolished slavery as an institution in all U.S. states and territories.
Q: 14th Amendment
Answer: Granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War.
Q: 15th Amendment
Answer: States cannot deny any person the right to vote because of race.
Q: 16th Amendment
Answer: Amendment to the United States Constitution (1913) gave Congress the power to tax income.
Q: 17th Amendment
Answer: Direct election of senators.
Q: 18th Amendment
Answer: Prohibition of alcohol.
Q: 19th Amendment
Answer: Women’s suffrage- gave women the right to vote.
Q: 20th Amendment
Answer: Designed to remove the excessively long period of time a defeated president or member of Congress would continue to serve after his/her failed bid for reelection.
Q: 21th Amendment
Answer: Repeal of prohibition of alcohol.
Q: 22th Amendment
Answer: Limit on number of President’s terms.
Q: 23rd Amendment
Answer: Gave residents of Washington DC the right to vote.
Q: 24th Amendment
Answer: Abolishes poll taxes.
Q: 25th Amendment
Answer: Presidential succession. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
Q: 26th Amendment
Answer: Lowered the voting age to 18.
Q: Separation of Powers
Answer: each branch of the government (executive, legislative, judicial) that have separate powers & make the Constitution.
Q: Checks and Balances
Answer: A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power.
Q: Federalism
Answer: Division of power between the states & nation gov. (10th amendment)
Q: Alexis de Tocqueville
Answer: Studied Americanism (american society), and came up w/ 5 values.
Q: Populism
Answer: Regular ppl participate & have a voice.
Q: Egalitarianism
Answer: Ppl are treated as equals.
Q: Individualism
Answer: Individuals working towards interests works for the collective good.
Q: Laissez-Faire
Answer: Gov takes a “hands off” approach to the country.
Q: liberty
Answer: Ppl’s rights are protected & can act freely.
Q: What do citizen have to do for this form of gov to work?
Answer: Complete civic responsibilities.
Q: Jury duty
Answer: Serving on a jury.
Q: Gilded Age
Answer: A name coined by Mark Twain warning that the wealth created was masking issues of poverty & corruption.
Q: Industrialization
Answer: The transition of handmade, limited products, & local markets to factory made, mass production, & a national market.
Q: Robber Barons
Answer: A negative term associated w/ big businesses (corrupt businesses).
Q: Captains of Industry
Answer: A positive term associated w/ individuals for the important role they played creating the modern world & economy. (good businesses)
Q: John D. Rockefeller
Answer: Standard Oil.
Q: Andrew Carnegie
Answer: Carnegie Steel.
Q: What did Andrew Carnegie do when he donated $300 million to?
Answer: To universities & libraries.
Q: Gospel of Wealth
Answer: This was a book written by Carnegie that described that placing ladders for ppl it would help them climb to the best way to contribute to society.
Q: What are the ladders?
Answer: Schools & libraries.
Q: Cornelius Vanderbilt
Answer: Railroads connected the nation.
Q: Free Enterprise System
Answer: Allows entrepreneurs to operate w/ minimal gov interference.
Q: What was the light bulb created for?
Answer: Thomas Edison created the light bulb to be able to work during nighttime.
Q: Monopolies
Answer: Generally considered bad. Began to form as companies like Rockefeller’s Standard Oil crushed any competition.
Q: Amer Federation of Labor
Answer: Founded by Samuel Gompers earliest large labor union to experience some success.
Q: Urbanization
Answer: Cities grew rapidly as a result of industrialization & immigration.
Q: Political machines
Answer: Corrupt organized groups that controlled political parties in the cities. A boss leads the machine and attempts to grab more votes for his party.
Q: Immigration
Answer: Large numbers of immigrants were admitted to the US during the Gilded Age to fill jobs created by industrialization.
Q: Nativism
Answer: Hostility towards immigrants.
Q: Chinese Exclusion Act
Answer: Limited the number of Chinese immigrants entering the US (1882).
Q: Westward Expansion
Answer: Amers moved westward towards the interior of the country.
Q: Homestead Act
Answer: Any citizen could claim 160 acres of land in certain interior parts of the country.
Q: Transcontinental Railroad
Answer: Railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental US.
Q: Dawes act
Answer: Law that attempted to “Americanized” the Native Amers.
Q: Assimilation
Answer: The process of taking in and fully understanding information or ideas.