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MCAP, Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program

This page shows a list of standards in the 8th Grade Social Studies public release collection at MSDE. 8th Grade Social Studies
Released Questions in Standard "4.0 Economics"

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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.

Read the lyrics.

Young Ladies in town, and those that live round,
Let a friend at this season* advise you,
Since money’s so scarce and times growing worse
Strange things may soon hap** and surprise you.

First, then throw aside your topknots*** of pride,
Wear none but your own country linen;
Of economy boast, let your pride be the most,
To show clothes of your own make and spinning.  . . . 

—Massachusetts Gazette, 1767

* at this season: during these times
** hap: happen
*** topknots: headwraps

The main goal of the Homespun Movement described in the excerpt was to

  1. A.
    make clothes for colonial soldiers.
  2. B.
    decrease the nation’s debt.
  3. C.
    boycott British goods.
  4. D.
    obtain suffrage for women.

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 actions that complete the diagram about the convict labor lease system and move them to the correct boxes.

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

Information about the Paper Booklet.

Information about the Question.

Study the graph.

Graph. The figure shows a bar graph titled “Miles of Railroad in the United States, 1840 to 1860.” The vertical axis is labeled “Miles,” and the numbers 0 through 40,000, in increments of 10,000, are indicated. The horizontal axis is labeled “Year” with 1840, 1845, 1850, 1855, and 1860 indicated. A bar is graphed for each year, and the data are approximately as follows. 1840: 2,000 miles. 1845: 4,000 miles. 1850: 10,000 miles. 1855: 17,000 miles. 1860: 31,000 miles. End figure description.

What was an economic result of the development in transportation shown on this graph?

  1. A.
    More people started using canals to ship goods.
  2. B.
    Businesses began to expand to the West.
  3. C.
    Discrimination against immigrants decreased.
  4. D.
    The cotton industry began to dominate cities in the North.

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

Information about the Paper Booklet.

Information about the Question.

Study the map.

United States, 1803

Map. The figure shows a map of the United States titled “United States, 1803.” A central region on the map is shaded, and it encompasses most of the territory between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. End figure description.

How did the addition of the shaded territory in the middle of the map impact the United States?

  1. A.
    prevented the spread of slavery
  2. B.
    avoided conflict with European powers
  3. C.
    increased trade relations with American Indians
  4. D.
    decreased access to ports along the coast

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

Information about the Question.

One result of the War of 1812 was that the United States

  1. A.
    required Great Britain to reduce the size of its military.
  2. B.
    increased its domestic manufacturing of goods.
  3. C.
    agreed to protect American Indian lands from white settlement.
  4. D.
    acquired territory in the Southwest from Mexico.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select several options.

Select two goals of the naval blockade during the Civil War.

  1. A.
    to prevent enslaved African Americans from escaping
  2. B.
    to prevent the exportation of cotton
  3. C.
    to prevent foreign countries from impressing sailors
  4. D.
    to prevent the importation of slaves
  5. E.
    to prevent the smuggling of weapons

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select several options.

Select two colonial responses to the Townshend Acts.

  1. A.
    petitioned Parliament for the repeal of taxes
  2. B.
    sent troops to take control of Boston
  3. C.
    established new customs offices in the ports
  4. D.
    repealed all taxes except the tax on tea
  5. E.
    spread letters urging protests against taxation

This is a drag and drop question that allows you to select text and place it in an appropriate answer space.

Study the table.

Select each political parties’ perspective about the debate over the creation of a national bank and move each to the correct box in the table.

The Constitution gives the states the power to coin money. A national bank would provide a safe place for the government to deposit money. The Constitution gives the federal government the power to tax. A national bank would hurt the power of state banks. The Constitution gives the states the right to borrow money.
Federalist Party Democratic-Republican Party

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

What was the main goal of the naval blockade during the Civil War?

  1. A.
    to force the South to abolish the practice of slavery
  2. B.
    to prevent the escape of Confederate leaders
  3. C.
    to discourage draft and bread riots in the North
  4. D.
    to prevent trade between the Confederacy and Great Britain

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

Read the excerpt.

Well, I will tell you something of the scene which I witnessed today. The women, said to be soldiers’ wives, met this morning at 8 o’clock . . .  They then went on Main Street to a shoe shop, cut and pried, broke down windows’ frames, broke out glass and went in at the windows, got large quantities of shoes, calicoes, shawls and any and everything they could get and went on a great many streets and done the same.

—Excerpt from a letter written by a Georgia soldier, April, 1863

What obstacle faced by civilians during the Civil War is described in this excerpt?

  1. A.
    Most men were drafted to serve as Confederate soldiers.
  2. B.
    Congress established an income tax and import tariffs.
  3. C.
    Resources were scarce and prices were inflated.
  4. D.
    Confederate women managed farms and plantations.

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

Information about the Question.

Read the excerpt.

[The South with] the finest soil, the most delightful climate, whose staple productions none of those [European] countries can grow  . . . But the strength of a nation depends in a great measure upon its wealth, and the wealth of a nation, like that of a man, is to be estimated by its surplus production . . . If I am right in my calculations . . . there is not a nation on the face of the earth . . . that can compete with us in produce per capita [how much is made per person].

—South Carolina Senator James Hammond, 1858

What Confederate strategy is reflected in this excerpt?

  1. A.
    Anaconda Plan
  2. B.
    Congressional Reconstruction
  3. C.
    Great Compromise
  4. D.
    King Cotton Diplomacy

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

What was one economic impact of the Intolerable Acts on the American colonists?

  1. A.
    widespread inflation in New England
  2. B.
    fewer taxes paid to Parliament
  3. C.
    closure of the port of Boston
  4. D.
    greater job opportunities in Philadelphia

This is a question with 3 parts, including a test question that allows you to select a spot or region on a graphic, and, a drag and drop question that allows you to select text and place it in an appropriate answer space, and, a matching question that allows you to match elements from one list with those on another list.

Read the excerpt.

The communications now made, [showing] the great and increasing dangers with which our vessels [ships], our [sailors] and merchandize are threatened  . . .  from the belligerent [hostile] powers of Europe  . . .  I deem [determine] it my duty to recommend the  . . .  inhibition [prevention] of the departure of our vessels from the ports of the United States.

—President Thomas Jefferson, address to Congress, 1807


Part A

Select one danger to sailors that President Jefferson is discussing in this excerpt.


Part B

Select one action taken by President Jefferson and one result of that action and drag them to the correct boxes.

passed the Judiciary Act passed the Embargo Act increased conflicts with immigrants damaged the economy
Action Result

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

Information about the Question.

Study the diagram.

Venn Diagram titled North American Relationships, 1750s. Two overlapping circles are labelled Europeans and American Indians. The Europeans circle says competed with other Europeans for influence and power. The American Indians circle says competed with other American Indians for territory. The overlapping area between the two circles contains a question mark.

Which phrase completes this diagram?

  1. A.
    demanded citizenship
  2. B.
    sought a water route to Asia
  3. C.
    forced to convert to Christianity
  4. D.
    fought over trade

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

Information about the Question.

Read the excerpt.

 . . . Napoleon was watching his dreams of a French empire in North America crumble . . . American diplomats offered an alternative which [Napoleon] initially ignored but eventually accepted . . . Napoleon’s failure in Louisiana and his renewed interest in fighting England compelled [forced] him to accept an alternative . . . and the Louisiana Purchase was negotiated.

—“The Role of American Diplomacy in the Louisiana Purchase,” 1976

Which alternative did Napoleon accept from the United States in the early 1800s?

  1. A.
    tobacco crops in exchange for cotton crops
  2. B.
    money in exchange for territory
  3. C.
    peace treaties in exchange for prisoners of war
  4. D.
    textiles in exchange for slaves

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 effects of the factory system and move them to complete the 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.

What was one effect of the Civil War on the Northern economy?

  1. A.
    Agricultural production decreased.
  2. B.
    Factory production increased.
  3. C.
    Inflation decreased.
  4. D.
    Unemployment increased.

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

Select two statements that best reflect the main goals of the Homespun Movement during the American Revolution.

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.

What was the goal of King Cotton Diplomacy?

  1. A.
    to negotiate terms of surrender for the Civil War
  2. B.
    to force Great Britain into an alliance with the Confederacy
  3. C.
    to allow southern states to nullify federal laws
  4. D.
    to prevent northern states from exporting manufactured goods

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

Information about the paper booklet.

This question is based on a table. If you are using a paper supplement, you may refer to it now.

Information about the question.

Multiple-choice question with one correct answer choice. Additional information needed to answer the question is provided.

Study the table.

Resources of the Union and Confederacy
Resource Union Confederacy
Population 21 million free and 500,000 enslaved 5.5 million free and 3.5 million enslaved
Number of Factories 110,000 21,000
Miles of Railroad 21,700 9,000
Source: National Park Service
 Source: National Park Service

Which conclusion is supported by the table?

  1. A.
    The Confederacy had a larger army and a greater number of weapons than the Union.
  2. B.
    The Union had a greater ability to move troops and supplies than the Confederacy.
  3. C.
    The Confederacy had a greater number of factories that employed the majority of its citizens.
  4. D.
    The Union had a larger number of enslaved people that could work in the factories.

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.

Why was the Louisiana Territory important to France, the United States, and Spain?

  1. A.
    increased access to farmland
  2. B.
    reduced conflict with American Indians
  3. C.
    increased access to trade routes
  4. D.
    decreased reliance on British goods

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

Information about the Question.

Read the list.

  • The Quartering Act required colonists to provide living quarters for British soldiers in America.
  • The Currency Act made it more difficult for colonists to pay debts and taxes.
  • The Stamp Act required colonists to pay taxes on legal documents and paper goods.

Why did the British government pass the laws described in this list?

  1. A.
    to pay for the costs of impressing sailors
  2. B.
    to punish colonists for the Boston Tea Party
  3. C.
    to pay for the costs of the French and Indian War
  4. D.
    to punish colonists for meeting in the First Continental Congress

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

Information about the Question.

What caused the expansion of economic opportunities for young, white women in the 1800s?

  1. A.
    the growth of the factory system
  2. B.
    the expansion of sharecropping
  3. C.
    the introduction of the Nullification Crisis
  4. D.
    the establishment of the National Bank

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 situation prompted the use of the convict labor lease system?

  1. A.
    Northern states needed people to harvest cash crops.
  2. B.
    Northern states needed people to work in factories.
  3. C.
    Southern states needed money to establish sharecropping.
  4. D.
    Southern states needed money to rebuild infrastructure.

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

Information about the Question.

Trade contributed to the French and Indian War because the French wanted to

  1. A.
    expand trade with the American colonists on the Atlantic coast.
  2. B.
    expand trade with the Spanish Empire in Mexico.
  3. C.
    control trade with American Indians in the Ohio River Valley.
  4. D.
    control trade with American colonists in New England.

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.

How did President Andrew Jackson’s veto of the Second Bank of the United States demonstrate the ideals of Jacksonian Democracy?

  1. A.
    by giving more economic power to northern industrial states
  2. B.
    by increasing the political influence of wealthy citizens
  3. C.
    by strengthening southern and western agricultural states
  4. D.
    by increasing the profits and production levels of factories

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

Which of the following had the greatest influence on the factory system in the United States during the 1800s?

  1. A.
    the introduction of the mechanical reaper
  2. B.
    the development of interchangeable parts
  3. C.
    the expanded use of antiseptics
  4. D.
    the invention of the telegraph

This is a drag and drop question that allows you to select text and place it in an appropriate answer space.

What were two goals of the Sugar Act of 1764 and one colonial response to the act? Move the answers to the correct boxes to complete the table.

boycotted British goods dumped food into a harbor stopped illegal smuggling established new courts in America forced the quartering of soldiers lowered taxes raised money for the British
Goals of the Sugar Act Colonial Response to the Sugar Act

This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.

Read the excerpt and use it to answer the constructed response question.

After freedom  . . .  we couldn't make nothing, just overalls and something to eat. Half [your crop] went to the [farm owner]. . . .  A man that didn't know how to count would always lose . . . .  No matter how good account you kept, you had to go by their account .  . . .  If you didn't make no money  . . .  they would advance [give] you more. But  . . .  you better not try to leave and get caught. They'd keep you in debt.

Henry Blake, former enslaved African American, oral interview, 1936 to 1938

  • Identify the system described in this excerpt.
  • Explain how the system denied economic freedoms to African Americans after the Civil War.
  • Use details and examples from the excerpt to support your response.

Enter your answer in the space provided.

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.

What effect did the invention of the cotton gin have on agriculture in the United States?

  1. A.
    It increased the demand for enslaved African Americans to harvest cotton.
  2. B.
    It allowed cotton to be grown in the North.
  3. C.
    It decreased the demand for cotton in foreign countries.
  4. D.
    It reduced the amount of land needed to grow cotton on plantations.

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

Select three challenges that civilians faced during the Civil War.

This is a drag and drop question that allows you to select text and place it in an appropriate answer space.

Select two outcomes of the Whiskey Tax debate and move them to complete the table.

The debate led to sectional polarization in the United States. The National Bank was vetoed. The power of the Federalist Party increased. The debate led to rebellion. George Washington was elected president.
Outcomes of the Whiskey Tax Debate