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This page shows a list of test questions in the 8th Grade Social Studies public release collection at MSDE. 8th Grade Social Studies
Standard "1.0 Civics," Indicator "AR.2 …"

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Expand All Official Practice Test

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Information about the Question.

Study the image.

“The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor,” 1773

Image. The figure shows a black and white image titled “‘The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor,’ 1773.” Two ships are anchored in the harbor. A building is next to one of two piers. Several people on the ship that is in the foreground are throwing crates of tea overboard into the harbor. Many people standing on the pier are observing the event and protesting. End figure description.

Which situation prompted the event shown in this image?

  1. A.
    attacks on white settlements in the West by American Indians
  2. B.
    colonial frustration with the British government’s policies
  3. C.
    British merchants limiting the types of products sold in colonial ports
  4. D.
    American Indian tribes frustrated with unfair trade practices

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Read the excerpt.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

— Declaration of Independence, 1776


Which principle of government is described in this excerpt?

  1. A.
    rule of law
  2. B.
    consent of the governed
  3. C.
    natural rights
  4. D.
    representative government

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Study the poster.

The image shows a poster with text that reads as follows: William Jackson, an importer; at the Brazen Head, North Side of the townhouse, and opposite the town-pump, in Corn-hill, Boston. It is desired that the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, would not buy any one thing of him, for in so doing they will bring disgrace upon themselves, and their posterity, for ever and ever, amen. Posterity is defined as future generations. Source: Library of Congress.

What was the desired impact of the actions described in this poster?

  1. A.
    to raise the price of imported goods
  2. B.
    to increase the number of British merchants
  3. C.
    to allow more colonists to import goods
  4. D.
    to convince the British Parliament to repeal taxes

This is a test question that allows you to select a spot or region on a graphic.

Read the newspaper headlines.

The figure shows two headlines from a newspaper titled Daily Herald. First headline: British Search Homes Without Warrants! Second headline: British Taxes Imposed Without Colonial Representation!

Which two principles in the Declaration of Independence addressed the British actions in the newspaper headlines?

This is a question with 2 parts, including a drag and drop question that allows you to select objects and place them in an appropriate answer space.

Study the diagram.

Select two events related to colonial resistance and move them to the correct boxes to complete the sequence diagram.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Information about the question.

Multiple-choice question with one correct answer choice.

Which of the following actions is an example of colonists protesting British policies?

  1. A.
    refusing to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains
  2. B.
    following British laws rather than colonial laws
  3. C.
    dumping of British tea into Boston Harbor
  4. D.
    helping enslaved African Americans escape to Canada

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Information about the question.

Multiple-choice question with one correct answer choice.

According to the Declaration of Independence, people are able to alter or abolish the government when the government

  1. A.
    no longer protects the natural rights of the people.
  2. B.
    stops collecting taxes from people.
  3. C.
    no longer allows the quartering of soldiers.
  4. D.
    stops trading with foreign countries.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

Which action best supports the principle of “consent of the governed” found in the Declaration of Independence?

  1. A.
    An 18-year-old votes in a local election.
  2. B.
    A person hires a lawyer to represent them in court.
  3. C.
    A 45-year-old takes a civics class at a community college.
  4. D.
    A man signs a petition to grant equal pay to employees.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

What is one principle that is directly stated in the Declaration of Independence?

  1. A.
    the right to due process
  2. B.
    consent of the governed
  3. C.
    freedom of speech
  4. D.
    the right to practice religion