Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions
TX PACT: Social Studies: Grades 4–8 (718)
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This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam.
The correct answer is provided for each sample exam question. The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam.
Domain I—History
Competency 001—Understand historical concepts, terms, sources, perspectives, and research skills.
1. Which of the following sources would a historian most likely use to obtain information about the social and occupational structure of Atlanta, Georgia, during the late nineteenth century?
- mayoral addresses
- census data
- newspaper editorials
- city directories
Competency 002—Understand major developments in world history from the beginnings of human society to 1350 CE.
2. Which of the following geographic factors had the greatest influence on economic life in ancient Egyptian culture?
- the aquatic resources of the Mediterranean Sea
- the annual flooding of the Nile River
- the mineral resources of the Eastern Desert and the Sinai Peninsula
- the natural harbors along the Red Sea
Competency 003—Understand major developments in world history from 1350 to 1850.
3. Which of the following accurately lists four major historical events between 1600 and 1825 in the order in which they occurred?
- 1. the emergence of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan
2. Peter the Great's reign as tsar of Russia
3. England's defeat of France in the Seven Years' War
4. the liberation of Mexico from Spanish rule - 1.
England's defeat of France in the Seven Years' War
2. the emergence of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan
3. the liberation of Mexico from Spanish rule
4. Peter the Great's reign as tsar of Russia - 1. Peter the Great's reign as tsar of Russia
2. the liberation of Mexico from Spanish rule
3. England's defeat of France in the Seven Years' War
4. the emergence of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan - 1.
the liberation of Mexico from Spanish rule
2. Peter the Great's reign as tsar of Russia
3. the emergence of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan
4. England's defeat of France in the Seven Years' War
Competency 004—Understand major developments in world history from 1850 to the present.
4. World War 2 most influenced the movement for African independence by:
- creating severe economic hardship for European colonies in Africa.
- provoking demands for an Africa-wide confederation of colonial states.
- weakening European nations with colonial holdings in Africa.
- providing African nationalists with access to modern military weapons and tactics.
Competency 005—Understand major developments in early U.S. history from the precontact period to 1789.
5. Which of the following best describes a major effect of the American Revolution on U.S. society?
- It removed most barriers to White male participation in the political process.
- It advanced efforts to abolish slavery in the northern states.
- It enabled White women to secure the same legal rights as White men.
- It reinforced the South's commitment to plantation agriculture.
Competency 006—Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1789 to 1877.
6. During the first half of the nineteenth century, reformers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton most often based their demands for women's rights on the:
- political ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
- constitutional principles stated in the Federalist Papers.
- guarantee of republican government affirmed in the U.S. Constitution.
- legal protections contained in the Bill of Rights.
Competency 007—Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1877 to 1929.
7. Which of the following late nineteenth-century developments most influenced the emergence of a national market for the exchange of goods and services in the United States?
- the arrival of millions of European immigrants
- the growth of the electrical industry
- the increasing urbanization of U.S. society
- the expansion of the railroad system
Competency 008—Understand major developments in U.S. history from 1929 to the present.
8. Which of the following best describes a major reason for the unprecedented economic affluence of U.S. society in the two decades after World War 2?
- the absence of major competitors in global markets
- the removal of wartime price and wage controls
- the federal government's commitment to balancing the budget
- the shift in population from the Northeast to the Southwest
Domain II—Geography and Culture
Competency 009—Understand geographic terms, concepts, sources, and research skills.
9. Which of the following statements best illustrates the geographic theme of movement?
- Mexico City lies in a basin, surrounded by mountains, at an altitude of over 7,000 feet.
- New York City is the financial center of the United States; Tokyo is the financial center of Japan.
- Turkey is an important source of labor for business and industry in Germany.
- Christianity is the dominant religion practiced in both Venezuela and the Republic of Ireland.
Competency 010—Understand physical features, physical systems, and the interaction between the environment and human societies.
10. Which of the following patterns of global resource distribution had the greatest influence on international relations during the twentieth century?
- the distribution of forest resources in Asia and Latin America
- the distribution of petroleum resources in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East
- the distribution of iron ore resources in North America and Central Europe
- the distribution of gold and diamond resources in Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America
Competency 011—Understand human systems.
11. In 1800, most of the world's population lived in rural areas. By 2000, the overwhelming majority of people in developed countries lived in towns and cities. This change was primarily a consequence of the:
- consolidation of nation-states.
- modernization of transportation networks.
- industrialization of national economies.
- globalization of trade.
Domain III—Government
Competency 012—Understand political science concepts, terms, perspectives, and research skills.
12. The term gerrymandering refers to which of the following practices in the U.S. political system?
- using negative advertisements to attack political opponents
- returning a bill to committee to prevent its enactment
- funding political campaigns with money from special interest groups
- redrawing congressional districts for political advantage
Competency 013—Understand the foundations of U.S. government, the U.S. political process, and the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship.
13. The ten amendments contained in the Bill of Rights can best be used to illustrate the meaning of which of the following principles of the U.S. Constitution?
- checks and balances
- judicial review
- constitutional supremacy
- limited government
Competency 014—Understand the structure, organization, and operation of different levels of government in the United States.
14. Which of the following best illustrates how the principle of separation of powers operates in the U.S. system of government?
- The Senate proposes amendments to a bill that originated in the House of Representatives.
- The president dismisses a cabinet member.
- Members of the Senate conduct a filibuster to prevent the chamber from voting on a bill.
- The U.S. Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional.
Domain IV—Economics
Competency 015—Understand basic economic concepts, microeconomics, and consumer economics and personal finance.
15. A young woman is trying to decide whether she should return to college full time and complete her bachelor's degree or accept an entry-level management position at a local company. Which of the following economic concepts applies most directly to the decision this person is trying to make?
- opportunity cost
- scarcity
- economic incentives
- productivity
Competency 016—Understand macroeconomics and international economics.
16. Which of the following best describes an important role of the Federal Reserve in the U.S. economy?
- ensuring the safety of checking and savings accounts in the U.S. banks
- regulating the operation of U.S. security and commodity exchanges
- managing the nation's money supply
- maintaining consumer demand
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