GED Social Studies
Paper I
Date – 25th January 2024
Total marks – 50
Time allowed – 1 hour and 10 minutes
Choose the best answer to each of the following questions.
1. Who was the commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War?
(a) William Tecumseh Sherman
(b) Robert E. Lee
(c) Jefferson Davis
(d) Stonewall Jackson
2. Whose Presidential veto overturned the Wade-Davis Bill?
(a) Ulysses S. Grant's
(b) Andrew Johnson's
(c) Andrew Jackson's
(d) Abraham Lincoln's
3. The battles of Lexington and Concord occurred at the beginning of __________.
(a) The Revolutionary War
(b) The War of 1812
(c) World War Two
(d) World War One
4. Which of these English laws most directly led to the First Continental Congress?
(a) The Intolerable Acts
(b) The Sugar Act
(c) The Impressment Acts
(d) The Stamp Act
For Questions 5 and 6, use the following excerpt from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
famous “Day of Infamy” speech to Congress in 1941.
“December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was
suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United
States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation
with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific… .
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was
deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese
Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and
expressions of hope for continued peace. The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has
caused severe damage to American naval and military forces… . As Commander-in-Chief of the
Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense… . Hostilities exist.
There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounded determination of our people, we will
gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God. I ask that the Congress declare that because the
unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, a state of war has existed
between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”
— President Franklin D. Roosevelt
5. Based on the excerpt, what had just happened the day before Roosevelt’s speech to
Congress?
(a) The United States had launched an unprovoked attack on the Japanese at Pearl
Harbor.
(b) The Japanese had launched an unprovoked attack on the United States at Pearl
Harbor.
(c) The ongoing war between the United States and Japan had suddenly intensified.
(d) The Japanese invaded the continental United States.
6. Based on the excerpt, why was the attack on Pearl Harbor so surprising?
(a) Pearl Harbor was a peaceful place with no strategic significance in the war.
(b) The United States and Japan were in the process of discussing a peace treaty at the
time of the attack.
(c) The Japanese had warned the United States about the dangers of an imminent attack,
but Roosevelt had ignored their warning.
(d) Pearl Harbor is so close to Washington, DC, that Roosevelt had thought it was safe
from attack.
Use the following information for Question no. 7.
”The Founding Fathers introduced a system of checks and balances to the Constitution
and split the federal government into three separate branches: the legislative branch, the
executive branch, and the judicial branch. The goal of this separation of power was to
prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.”
7. Which of the following is one of the provisions of this system of checks and balances?
(a) The president cannot be removed from office by the other branches of government
under any circumstances.
(b) The decisions of the Supreme Court can be vetoed by the president.
(c) The president does not need the approval of the other branches of government to
declare war on other nations.
(d) New Supreme Court Justices must be appointed by the president and confirmed by
the Senate.
U.S.A Electoral Vote by Senate
Use the following information for Questions 8 and 9.
“To become president of the United States, a candidate must win at least 270 electoral votes.
This map shows the electoral votes by state for the presidential election.
The Twelfth Amendment requires that each elector cast one vote for president. In each state,
electors are chosen every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Congress certifies the Electoral College vote in January, which allows the new president to take
office on January 20. There are a total of 538 electors, corresponding to the 435 representatives
and 100 senators, plus the three electors of the District of Columbia. The number of
representatives per state depends on the population of that state, whereas each state is given two
senators.
The Electoral College has elected the candidate who received the most popular votes nationwide,
except in five elections: 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016.
If no person receives an absolute majority of electoral votes for president, the Twelfth
Amendment provides that the House of Representatives will select the president, with each of the
50 state delegations casting one vote. If no person receives a majority of electoral votes for vice
president, then the Senate will select the vice president, with each of the 100 senators having one
vote.
8. What does a candidate need to do before he or she becomes president of the United
States?
(a) win the televised debates
(b) win the popular vote
(c) win the electoral vote
(d) have the most Americans vote for him or her
9. Why do some states like California (with 55 electors) and Texas (34) have a lot more
electors than states like Utah (5) or Montana (3)?
(a) California and Texas are simply better states than Utah or Montana.
(b) The electoral vote is biased against states like Utah and Montana.
(c) People from California and Texas are more important and deserve more say in who
becomes president.
(d) The number of electors that a state has depends on the population of that state.
The quote below is from Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers.
“Constitutions should consist only of general provisions; the reason is that they must
necessarily be permanent, and that they cannot calculate for the possible change of
things.”
10. How does the Constitution of the United States “calculate for the possible change of
things”?
(a) It does not contain any provisions that allow for change.
(b) It protects the Supreme Court from having to explain their decisions.
(c) It states that the powers of the president will not be questioned.
(d) It allows for amendments to be made when necessary.
11. The Balfour Declaration proposed to __________.
(a) assure American troops would remain out of conflict during World War One.
(b) create the United Nations.
(c) create a Jewish state in the territory of Palestine.
(d) abolish the League of Nations.
12. Decolonization primarily took place __________.
(a) during the Great Depression.
(b) in the aftermath of World War One.
(c) during the later years of the Cold War.
(d) in the aftermath of World War Two.
13. Which of the following is a true statement regarding the Boston Massacre?
(a) British troops attacked the peaceful, unarmed crowd without provocation.
(b) Paul Revere’s engraving is an accurate depiction of the actual events of the Boston
Massacre.
(c) More people were killed during the Boston Massacre than during the entire Civil
War.
(d) British troops were attacked by an unruly crowd, and shots were fired during the
ensuing chaos, leading to the death of several civilians.
14. According to the United States Declaration of Independence, a government derives its
"just Powers" from what? (Question)
“The opening text of the Declaration of Independence reads:
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of
the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government...
The Declaration of Independence was inspired by the burgeoning liberal tradition which
held that it was nobody's natural right to rule over a people regardless of their wishes.
Political legitimacy, instead of being based upon divine right or noble birth, is a matter of
self-determination among those who consent to being governed.”
(a) The "Right of the Governors Birth"
(b) The "Authority of God"
(c) The "Wishes of the Elite"
(d) The "Consent of the Governed"
15. The Free Exercise Clause in the Constitution is related to __________.
(a) freedom of the press
(b) freedom of assembly
(c) freedom of religion
(d) freedom of speech
16. Which of these men did not contribute to the Federalist Papers?
(a) Thomas Jefferson
(b) John Jay
(c) James Madison
(d) Alexander Hamilton
17. In the system of alliances that arose immediately prior to World War I, which group of
countries formed the Triple Entente?
(a) Germany, Italy, and Japan
(b) Germany, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire
(c) The United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States
(d) Russia, France, and the United Kingdom
18. Everyone deserves to enjoy certain freedoms and to have the opportunity to obtain a
reasonable quality of life.
(a) limited government
(b) minority rights
(c) popular sovereignty
(d) natural rights philosophy
19. The Constitution specifies the wording of the oath of office of the President of the
United States. Read the following excerpts from the Constitution.
“Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or
Affirmation: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of
President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and
defend the Constitution of the United States.”
What is the central idea of the oath of office? The president will ………….
(a) protect the people of the United States.
(b) support the U.S. Constitution.
(c) work to preserve the land of the United States.
(d) amend the U.S. Constitution as he or she finds it necessary.
20. In New England, town meetings are held. All of the citizens who are of voting age gather
to discuss political issues. The citizens then vote, and decisions are made by majority
rule. This is an example of which concept?
(a) Monarchy
(b) Aristocracy
(c) Direct democracy
(d) Representative democracy
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
