GED Social Studies : Content Areas
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GED Social Studies
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Other Historic Documents
Who wrote the pamphlet, Common Sense?
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Franklin
James Madison
Thomas Paine
John Jay
Thomas Paine
The revolutionary pamphlet, Common Sense, was written by Thomas Paine in 1776. It is considered to be the most important document for galvanizing public support for the cause of the Revolutionary War that was published in the early years of the American War for Independence.
Example Question #2 : Other Historic Documents
The pamphlet, Common Sense, primarily argued __________
that America needed to protect democratic and capitalist interest by intervening in World War Two on the side of the Allies.
that America should remain out of the Vietnam War.
against the revolutionary war and in support of the British Empire.
in favor of American involvement in the Spanish-American War.
in favor of American independence from the British Empire.
in favor of American independence from the British Empire.
Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine during the early stages of the Revolutionary War with Britain. The pamphlet argued that America had both the right to seek independence from Britain and the means to achieve this goal. It was important for swaying countless individuals to side with the revolutionaries and for convincing common Americans that their goal could be achieved.
Example Question #111 : Content Areas
The Gettysburg Address was delivered by __________
Alexander Hamilton.
Andrew Jackson.
Robert E. Lee.
Abraham Lincoln.
George Washington.
Abraham Lincoln.
The Gettysburg Address was a speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, during the height of the Civil War conflict. It is generally considered one of the greatest speeches in American history.
Example Question #112 : Content Areas
The Gettysburg Address speech primarily focused on __________
improving American morale in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack during World War Two.
arguing in favor of American independence from Britain and convincing skeptics that victory could be achieved.
reaffirming the American principles of universal equality and framing the Civil War as a conflict to preserve the unity of the American republic.
arguing in favor of abolition, but also trying to avoid direct conflict and separation from the American states in the South.
outlining the benefits for increased American imperial action in the years immediately before the Spanish-American War.
reaffirming the American principles of universal equality and framing the Civil War as a conflict to preserve the unity of the American republic.
The Gettysburg Address was a speech given in the middle of the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln. It is a very short speech, but one that focuses on reaffirming the ideas of universal equality that are espoused in the American Constitution, while also framing the Civil War as a conflict to protect these rights and to preserve the unity of the young American republic.
Example Question #113 : Content Areas
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions primarily asserted that __________
slavery should not be allowed to spread into newly acquired territories.
the United States government can make no law establishing an official state religion.
the states have the right to nullify Federal laws they deem unconstitutional.
factionalism was the most dangerous threat to the maintenance of American democracy.
America should remain out of any European conflict.
the states have the right to nullify Federal laws they deem unconstitutional.
The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions were written, in secret, by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, in response to the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798 and 1799. What they essentially stated was that the states have the right to nullify Federal laws they deem unconstitutional. Many American politicians at the time, including George Washington, considered this to be a very dangerous precedent, and although the nullification issue continued to be problematic in the early years of the American republic, it is now considered not to be right reserved for the states.
Example Question #6 : Other Historic Documents
The Federalist Papers were written to __________
undermine the Articles of Confederation.
advocate the ratification of the United States’ Constitution.
encourage a declaration of war against Britain prior to the War of 1812.
demand an inclusion of a Bill of Rights in the United States’ Constitution.
argue that states have the right to nullify Federal laws they deem unconstitutional.
advocate the ratification of the United States’ Constitution.
The Federalist Papers is the name given to a collection of essays, written in 1787 and 1788, advocating the ratification of the United States’ Constitution. Many of the essays are considered of great historical importance, including Federalist No. 10 and Federalist No. 51.
Example Question #111 : Content Areas
Which of these men did not contribute to the Federalist Papers?
John Jay
Alexander Hamilton
All of these men contributed to the Federalist Papers.
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
Thomas Jefferson
The Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Thomas Jefferson, as a leading anti-federalist, cannot be expected to have contributed to the Federalist Papers.
Example Question #1 : Revolutionary Era
The battles of Lexington and Concord occurred at the beginning of __________.
World War One
World War Two
The War of 1812
The Revolutionary War
The Mexican-American War
The Revolutionary War
The battles of Lexington and Concord occurred in 1775, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. They were the first two battles of the war.
Example Question #1 : Revolutionary Era
Which of these American Presidents presided over the Louisiana Purchase?
Andrew Jackson
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
George Washington
Martin Van Buren
Thomas Jefferson
The Louisiana Purchase took place in 1803, during the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson purchased the massive Louisiana territory from Napoleon and the French Empire for the sum of fifteen million dollars. Interestingly, given Jefferson’s stance on limiting the power of the Federal government and the President, it established a precedent that the President and the government had greater power than that which was accorded in the Constitution.
Example Question #2 : Revolutionary Era
The First Barbary War was fought by which American President?
George Washington
William Henry Harrison
Andrew Jackson
Thomas Jefferson
Martin Van Buren
Thomas Jefferson
The First Barbary War was fought by the American navy against the pirate forces of the Barbary States in North Africa. The war was the first major foreign militaristic action taken by the young United States from 1801 to 1805. It was fought during the administration of Thomas Jefferson.
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