Texes Social Studies 4-8 Exam
Questions and Answers
Northwest Passage - Answer -Sought water route for faster travel to China, led to fur
trade and cash crops.
Gold - Answer -Main motive for exploration, led to search for wealth through minerals
and trade.
God - Answer -Motivation for spreading Christianity to North America, especially by
Spain and France.
Glory - Answer -Exploration brought prestige to countries, enhancing their reputation.
Columbus - Answer -Initiated European exploration in 1492, reaching the Caribbean.
Pilgrims - Answer -Fled religious persecution, contributing to the spread of Christianity
in North America.
Jamestown - Answer -First English settlement in Virginia, established in 1607.
St. Augustine - Answer -First settlement in North America, founded by Spain in present-
day Florida in 1565.
13 Colonies - Answer -British colonies in North America, divided into New England,
Middle, and Southern Colonies.
New England Colonies - Answer -Included Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut;
known for shipbuilding and manufacturing.
Middle Colonies - Answer -Included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware;
focused on trade and larger farms.
Southern Colonies - Answer -Included Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia; relied on cash crops and slavery.
,Mayflower Compact - Answer -Pilgrims' agreement in 1620 for self-governance based
on 'just and equal' laws.
Virginia House of Burgesses - Answer -First colonial legislative body established in
1619, modeled after British Parliament.
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut - Answer -Early written constitution broadening
voting rights and limiting government power.
William Bradford - Answer -Pilgrim leader who signed the Mayflower Compact and
served as governor of Plymouth Colony.
Anne Hutchinson - Answer -Advocate for women's role in the church, involved in
founding Rhode Island.
William Penn - Answer -Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, known for promoting
religious tolerance.
John Smith - Answer -Early leader of Jamestown settlement, played a significant role in
its survival.
French & Indian War - Answer -Conflict leading to political and economic tensions,
contributing to the American Revolution.
Colonial Self-Governance - Answer -Colonies largely managed their affairs, causing
resentment towards British control attempts.
Population Growth - Answer -By 1775, colonies had 2.5 million people, leading to
increased demands for self-rule.
Court Systems - Answer -Reflecting local beliefs, courts in colonies enforced laws
aligned with their communities.
British Control - Answer -Attempted greater authority over colonies, leading to
resistance and eventual revolution.
Colonial Resentment - Answer -Resulted from long-standing self-governance and
interference by the British crown.
Mercantilism - Answer -Economic system aiming to make money for the home country
by restricting colonies' trade.
Navigation Acts - Answer -Laws limiting colonial trade and shipping, enforcing England's
economic control over the colonies.
Sugar Act - Answer -1764 tax on imported sugar and molasses in the colonies.
,Stamp Act - Answer -1765 tax on legal documents, newspapers, and paper goods in the
colonies.
Townshend Acts - Answer -1767 taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea in the
colonies.
Sons of Liberty - Answer -Colonial group formed to protest British taxation and influence
the Revolutionary War.
Boston Massacre - Answer -1770 event where British troops killed civilians in Boston,
escalating tensions.
Tea Act - Answer -1773 law allowing the East India Trading Company to sell tea directly
to the colonies.
Boston Tea Party - Answer -1773 protest where colonists dumped tea into Boston
Harbor, leading to the Intolerable Acts.
Intolerable Acts - Answer -1774 British laws punishing Massachusetts for the Boston
Tea Party, escalating towards independence.
Revolutionary War - Answer -1775-1783 conflict between Patriots and British, leading to
American independence.
Common Sense - Answer -1776 influential pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating for
American independence.
Declaration of Independence - Answer -1776 document declaring American
independence from Great Britain.
Battle of Trenton - Answer -1776 victory where Washington crossed the Delaware River
to defeat Hessian soldiers.
Battle of Saratoga - Answer -1777 turning point battle where British General Burgoyne
surrendered to American forces.
Valley Forge - Answer -1777-1778 winter camp where Continental Army faced harsh
conditions but improved training.
Battle of Yorktown - Answer -1781 final major battle where American and French forces
defeated British General Cornwallis.
Treaty of Paris - Answer -1783 agreement where England recognized the United States
as an independent nation.
, Articles of Confederation - Answer -1777-1787 U.S. government structure with weak
central power, replaced by the Constitution.
Congressional Limitations - Answer -Congress couldn't tax, regulate trade, raise an
army, or protect citizens effectively.
Trade Restrictions - Answer -England imposed high tariffs, Spain closed the Mississippi
River to U.S. shipping.
Inflation - Answer -States printed money, had trade conflicts, and struggled with debt
and tax collection.
Shay's Rebellion - Answer -Farmer-led uprising due to court foreclosures, weak
Congress response.
Constitutional Formation - Answer -Delegates met in 1787 to revise Articles, ended up
drafting the Constitution.
Great Compromise - Answer -Balanced power between large and small states in
Congress through Senate and House representation.
Checks and Balances - Answer -Divided government into Executive, Legislative, and
Judicial branches to prevent power imbalance.
Federal System - Answer -Established power division among federal, state, and local
governments.
3/5 Compromise - Answer -Agreed to count 3/5 of a state's slave population for
representation purposes.
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists - Answer -Debate over central government power and
individual rights protection.
Bill of Rights - Answer -First 10 amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1789 to
protect individual rights.
Manifest Destiny - Answer -Phrase describing the U.S. Westward Expansion process
John O'Sullivan - Answer -Man who created the term 'Manifest Destiny' in 1845
Louisiana Purchase - Answer -Land bought from France by President Thomas Jefferson
in 1803
Red River Basin - Answer -Territory acquired from Great Britain in 1818
Republic of Texas - Answer -Former independent nation annexed by the U.S. in 1845