2016 STAAR Grade 8 Social Studies

By Huntsville ISD
Last updated over 2 years ago
52 Questions
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1.

Which region’s primary economic activity in 1861 was the cultivation of cotton?

8.12A
2.

Which of these occurred as a result of the Fifteenth Amendment?

8.16B
3.

Who made this statement?

8.23E
4.

During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, George Mason argued —

8.17A
5.

Which of these characteristics also describes these two states?

8.10B
6.

What was one result of the Treaty of Paris of 1783?

8.4C
7.

Which shaded state was the main destination of American Indians forced to relocate as part of the Trail of Tears?

8.10A
8.

Which of the following was an argument made against slavery in the Thirteen Colonies?

8.24A
9.

How did the War of 1812 most affect the U.S. economy?

8.13A
10.


How did this invention contribute to the expansion of the plantation system?

8.27A
11.

Which of these occurred during early U.S. industrialization?

8.28B
12.

What was one reason James K. Polk won the presidential election of 1844?

8.6B
13.

8.24B
14.

Which of these correctly describes an effect of the Compromise of 1850 on escaped slaves and freedmen?

8.7B
15.

8.3A
16.

The Northwest Ordinance established guidelines for the orderly expansion of the United States by instituting a —

8.6A
17.

8.2B
18.

19.

This information was included in a slide-show presentation to a high school history class.

Which document was the focus of this presentation?

8.15B
20.

After the Civil War, southern states adopted Black Codes to —

8.9C
21.

How did the loss of its control of the Mississippi River contribute to the defeat of the Confederacy?

22.

8.19B
23.

8.12B
24.

Which excerpt from the U.S. Constitution best illustrates the principle of popular sovereignty?

8.15D
25.

8.15A
26.

Between 1846 and 1855 the population of Ireland decreased by a third, including the approximately 1.5 million Irish immigrants who left for the United States. What was the primary reason for this migration?

8.23A
27.

8.4A
28.

Many historians argue that the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln changed the course of Reconstruction. Which of the following is usually cited as an aspect of that change?

8.8B
29.

During the 1830s public servants and officials were widely perceived to be unqualified. What practice reinforced that perception?

8.5F
30.

8.19A
31.

8.2A
32.

The Twelfth Amendment established a new process for choosing a president and a vice president. The purpose of this amendment was to —

8.16A
33.

8.11A
34.

One effect of the Dawes Act was that it —

35.

8.17B
36.

37.

The first political parties in the United States formed mainly in response to disagreements over —

8.5C
38.

A historian is writing an article for a history website. The article is divided into the following topics:

Which era in U.S. history is the focus of this article?

8.1A
39.

40.

The Hudson River School artists were influenced by the —

8.26A
41.

42.

8.11B
43.

What was a major result of the Missouri Compromise?

44.

8.5E
45.

Which of these is a guarantee in the First Amendment?

8.25C
46.

8.13B
47.

8.15C
48.

In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court established a principle that would eventually be used by all courts to —

8.18A
49.

8.5A
50.

8.3B
51.

Which of these was a goal shared by many advocates of Manifest Destiny?

8.6C
52.

8.28A