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. Show
For each sample exam question, there is a correct answer and a rationale for each answer option. 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—Social Studies ContentCompetency 001—(History): The teacher understands and applies knowledge of significant historical events and developments, multiple historical interpretations and ideas and relationships between the past, the present and the future, as defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).1. Which of the following was an effect of the Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford?
2. Which of the following best describes the primary claim of the Monroe Doctrine?
3. In which of the following ways did the British government respond to increasing protests of British colonial policy during the early 1770s?
4. The Connecticut Compromise of 1787, also known as the Great Compromise, established which of the following?
5. Which of the following resulted from the passage of the Law of April 6, 1830, by the government of Mexico?
6. Which of the following best describes the opposition in the United States to the admission of Texas to the Union?
7. Which of the following was an achievement of the United States government under the Articles of Confederation?
8. For which of the following reasons did Southern plantation owners oppose the Missouri Compromise (1820) ?
Competency 002—(Geography): The teacher understands and applies knowledge of geographic relationships involving people, places and environments in Texas, the United States and the world, as defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).9. Which of the following tectonic plate movements occurred to form the Rocky Mountains?
10. Which of the following is a correct statement about how settlement patterns in Texas have been affected by the state’s geography?
11. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s occurred in which geographic region of the United States?
12. Which of the following is the geographic term for an area of relatively flat or level terrain at a high elevation?
The image displays the state of Texas labelled with four numbered regions. Region number one begins on the furthest right side of Texas, and extends from the upper right side of the state, down along the right side, and encompasses the bottom-most point of Texas. Region number two is centered in the upper middle area of the state and extends down to approximately the center-most point of the state. Region number three begins in the furthest northern point of Texas and extends down along the left side of region two until it ends below region two in the approximate center of Texas. Region number four encompasses the furthest Western region of Texas. 13. Which of the regions labeled on the above map is characterized by physical features ranging from rolling hills with pines and hardwood trees to alluvial soils that support vast agricultural output?
14. Which TWO of the following demographic indicators are more likely to characterize less developed countries in comparison to more developed countries?
Competency 003—(Economics): The teacher understands and applies knowledge of economic systems and how people organize economic systems to produce, distribute and consume goods and services, as defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).15. Which of the following is a factor of production?
16. The North American Free Trade Agreement (1994) did most to stimulate which of the following in Texas?
17. Which of the following best represents the potential opportunity cost of local officials cutting their town’s education budget to increase spending for local roads?
18. Which of the following best describes the role of businesses in a free enterprise system?
19. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which was a machine that extracted the sticky seeds from short-staple cotton and greatly increased the amount of harvested cotton that could be produced in a day. Which of the following reflects another effect of the cotton gin?
20. Which of the following policy actions will most contribute to economic growth?
Competency 004—(Government and Citizenship): The teacher understands and applies knowledge of government, democracy and citizenship, including ways in which individuals and groups achieve their goals through political systems, as defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).21. The system of government in the United States is most closely related to that of which of the following classical civilizations?
22. Which of the following represents the largest source of funding for Texas public schools?
23. In which of the following ways did the Magna Carta influence the subsequent development of governmental power in England and North America?
24. The United States electoral college is often criticized by voters for which of the following reasons?
25. Which of the following is the earliest example of a representative assembly in the American colonies?
26. Which of the following is a constitutional principle intended to prevent the abuse of power by one of the branches of United States government?
27. Which of the following is a characteristic of authoritarian forms of government?
28. For which of the following reasons are political action committees (PACs) often considered to be controversial?
Competency 005—(Culture; Science, Technology and Society): The teacher understands and applies knowledge of cultural development, adaptation and diversity, and understands and applies knowledge of interactions among science, technology and society, as defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).29. Which of the following institutions in the United States can most effectively improve the standard of living and reduce the crime rate in a community?
30. Which of the following best describes why most of the Spanish expeditions in Texas during the 1690s took place in eastern Texas?
31. Which of the following is an accurate statement about the demographics of Texas since the year 2000?
32. Which of the following shared values in U.S. society is embodied by the motto on the Seal of the United States, E Pluribus Unum, which means “out of the many, one”?
Domain II—Social Studies Foundations, Skills and InstructionCompetency 006—(Social Studies Foundations and Skills): The teacher understands the foundations of social studies education and applies knowledge of skills used in the social sciences.Use the excerpt from the letter of William Travis, Texan commander at the Alamo, to answer the question that follows. To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world-- Fellow citizens & compatriots — I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna — I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man — The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken — I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls — I shall never surrender or retreat. 33. A teacher in a seventh-grade Texas history class could best use the excerpt as a source to help students understand the
34. Which TWO of the following could be used as primary sources for a research assignment on the Civil War?
35. Which of the following classroom activities best reflects an interdisciplinary approach to Social Studies education?
36. Use of a population pyramid of the United States would be most effective in answering which of the following questions?
Competency 007—(Social Studies Instruction and Assessment): The teacher plans and implements effective instruction and assessment in social studies.37. Which of the following activities would best demonstrate students’ ability to translate geographic data into visual formats?
38. A fifth-grade social studies teacher is teaching a lesson on the various types of governments. The teacher decides to split the class into groups and perform a jigsaw activity where groups of students learn about a form of government. The students in each group then disperse to teach what they learned to other students. Which of the following benefits does a jigsaw activity provide?
39. Which of the following should teachers consider when choosing a new technological tool to use in classroom instruction?
40. A seventh-grade teacher is planning a unit on American Indian cultures. Indicate in the chart below whether each planned activity would best serve as a formative assessment or a summative assessment. For each row, select one assessment.
What is the main purpose of the taxing power quizlet?The main purpose of the taxing power is to: raise revenue for the federal government. The exercise of the power of judicial review depends on the court's reading of the Constitution.
Which of the following statements best explains federalism?Which of the following statements best explains federalism? It is a system of government in which the authority to govern is divided between federal and state governments.
Which of the following is included in the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution quizlet?What are the rights and protections included in the fifth amendment? Grand jury indictment, double jeopardy, due process, protection against self incrimination, and takings clause.
Do corporations have protection under the First Amendment for political speech quizlet?d. Corporate political speech is not protected by the First Amendment.
|