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How to use this practice test. Read each source carefully, then answer the questions that follow. Choose the
best answer and write its letter on the answer line.
- Try each question on your own first. Every question has a Nudge — a hint about how to find and check the answer. It never gives the answer away; read it only if you get stuck.
- After each answer, write why you picked it in your own words. Naming your reason is how you catch a right answer for the wrong reason.
- Then review everything with your mentor. Accuracy and reasoning matter more than speed.
SOURCE 1The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
— Preamble to the United States Constitution, 1787
Questions 1–5 are based on Source 1.
1.According to the Preamble, from whom does the authority to establish the Constitution come?
- A. The individual state legislatures acting alone.
- B. The people of the United States.
- C. The Continental Army and its officers.
- D. The governments of allied European nations.
Nudge — The answer is the very first phrase of the text. Read it literally rather than recalling what you know about 1787 generally.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
2.Which stated purpose of the Constitution most directly concerns relations with other countries?
- A. Establish Justice.
- B. Insure domestic Tranquility.
- C. Promote the general Welfare.
- D. Provide for the common defence.
Nudge — Sort the listed purposes into things happening inside the country and things involving the world outside it. Only one is outward-facing.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
3.The phrase “to ourselves and our Posterity” indicates that the framers intended the Constitution to:
- A. Serve future generations as well as the people living at the time.
- B. Apply only to the men who signed it.
- C. Expire once the war with Britain had formally ended.
- D. Bind only those states that had already ratified it.
Nudge — “Posterity” means descendants — the people who come after. Ask what that adds beyond the people alive in 1787.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
4.A historian argues that the Preamble states goals rather than granting specific powers. Which detail best supports that argument?
- A. It names the year the document was written.
- B. It lists the thirteen original states by name.
- C. It describes broad aims such as justice, tranquility, and liberty without saying how they will be achieved.
- D. It assigns the power to declare war to Congress.
Nudge — Look for the option describing what the text actually does. Two options mention things the Preamble never says at all — rule those out first.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
5.The principle expressed in the opening words “We the People” is best described as:
- A. Federalism.
- B. Popular sovereignty.
- C. Judicial review.
- D. Separation of powers.
Nudge — Match the term to the idea that government's authority rests with the governed. The other three terms describe how power is divided or checked, not where it originates.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
SOURCE 2Immigration to the United States, 1880–1920
Immigration to the United States, 1880–1920
Between 1880 and 1920, roughly 20 million people immigrated to the United States, most of them from southern and eastern Europe. Many arrived through Ellis Island in New York Harbor. They came for a mixture of reasons: farmland was scarce at home, factory work was expanding in American cities, and some fled religious persecution or compulsory military service.
Most settled in cities, where housing was cheap and factory jobs were close together. Neighborhoods formed around shared language, religion, and food. These communities eased the transition, but they also drew criticism from people who believed newcomers were failing to assimilate.
Public reaction was divided. Employers welcomed the labor supply; some workers resented competition for jobs and downward pressure on wages. Congress responded over time with restrictions, culminating in quota laws in the 1920s that sharply limited immigration from the regions that had supplied the largest numbers.
Questions 6–10 are based on Source 2.
6.According to the passage, most immigrants in this period came from which region?
- A. Southern and eastern Europe.
- B. Sub-Saharan Africa.
- C. Southeast Asia.
- D. Central America.
Nudge — This is stated outright in the first paragraph. Match the wording rather than reasoning from what you already know about later periods of immigration.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
7.Which of the following is NOT given in the passage as a reason people emigrated?
- A. Scarcity of farmland at home.
- B. Expanding factory work in American cities.
- C. Free land grants promised by the U.S. government to all arrivals.
- D. Escape from religious persecution.
Nudge — Three of these appear in the first paragraph. Find the one that does not — a NOT question is answered by elimination, so tick off the ones you can locate.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
8.The passage suggests that immigrant neighborhoods formed mainly because they:
- A. Were required by federal housing law.
- B. Offered shared language, religion, and food that eased the transition.
- C. Had been built specifically for new arrivals by employers.
- D. Were the only areas where immigrants were legally permitted to live.
Nudge — The passage gives a reason directly. Watch for options that state a legal requirement the text never mentions — those are stronger claims than the source supports.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
9.Why does the passage describe public reaction as “divided”?
- A. Because Congress could not agree on which ports to open.
- B. Because immigrants themselves disagreed about where to settle.
- C. Because employers welcomed the new labor while some workers resented the competition.
- D. Because northern and southern states had opposite immigration laws.
Nudge — Find the sentence that names two groups reacting differently. The correct option should name both sides of that split, not just one.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
10.The quota laws of the 1920s are best understood as:
- A. An agreement among employers to raise factory wages.
- B. A program to recruit additional workers from southern Europe.
- C. A court ruling that struck down earlier immigration restrictions.
- D. A policy response that restricted immigration from the regions supplying the most newcomers.
Nudge — The last sentence tells you what the quota laws did. Check the direction of the policy — did it open immigration up, or close it down?
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
SOURCE 3Supply, Demand, and Price
Supply, Demand, and Price
In a market economy, the price of most goods is set by the interaction of supply and demand. Supply is the quantity producers are willing to sell at a given price; demand is the quantity buyers are willing to purchase at that price. When demand rises and supply stays the same, prices tend to rise. When supply rises and demand stays the same, prices tend to fall.
Prices act as signals. A rising price tells producers that making more of something may be profitable, and tells buyers to consider alternatives. A falling price does the reverse. Because these signals reach everyone at once, markets can adjust without any central authority directing them.
Governments sometimes intervene. A price ceiling sets a legal maximum, often to keep necessities affordable; a price floor sets a legal minimum, such as a minimum wage. Both can produce effects beyond the intended one: a ceiling below the market price tends to create shortages, while a floor above it tends to create surpluses.
Questions 11–15 are based on Source 3.
11.According to the passage, what happens to price when demand rises while supply stays the same?
- A. Price tends to fall.
- B. Price is unaffected by demand.
- C. Price tends to rise.
- D. Price becomes fixed by the government.
Nudge — This relationship is stated directly in the first paragraph. Read the sentence carefully — one option reverses the direction it describes.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
12.The passage describes prices as “signals” mainly because they:
- A. Communicate information to producers and buyers about what to do next.
- B. Are printed on labels where everyone can see them.
- C. Are set in advance by a central authority.
- D. Change only once per year.
Nudge — Ask what a signal does. The second paragraph explains what rising and falling prices tell each group.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
13.Based on the passage, a price ceiling set below the market price would most likely lead to:
- A. A surplus of the good.
- B. A shortage of the good.
- C. No change in the quantity available.
- D. An immediate rise in supply.
Nudge — The last sentence pairs each policy with its typical effect. Be careful not to swap the two — a ceiling and a floor produce opposite outcomes.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
14.A minimum wage is an example of which policy described in the passage?
- A. A price ceiling.
- B. A supply signal.
- C. A market adjustment.
- D. A price floor.
Nudge — Reread the definitions: one sets a legal maximum, the other a legal minimum. Decide which one a wage floor matches.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
15.Which statement best captures the passage's overall point about markets?
- A. Prices coordinate the decisions of buyers and sellers, though policy can alter the outcome.
- B. Prices are arbitrary and carry no useful information.
- C. Markets function without any need for rules of any kind.
- D. Government intervention is always harmful to a market economy.
Nudge — A main-point answer must cover the whole passage, including the part about government. Watch for absolute words like always and no — the passage is more measured than that.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
SOURCE 4Civics and Geography — Mixed Review
Civics and Geography — Mixed Review
The remaining questions are not tied to a single source. They review core civics and geography knowledge that appears throughout social studies testing: the structure of government, the rights of citizens, and the way physical geography shapes settlement and economic activity.
Questions 16–20 review civics and geography content covered across this test.
16.Which document lists the first ten amendments protecting individual rights?
- A. The Articles of Confederation.
- B. The Bill of Rights.
- C. The Emancipation Proclamation.
- D. The Federalist Papers.
Nudge — Two of these are not amendments to anything, and one freed enslaved people in rebelling states. Eliminate on what each document actually is.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
17.The power to interpret laws and decide whether they are constitutional belongs to:
- A. The Executive Branch.
- B. State governors.
- C. The Legislative Branch.
- D. The Judicial Branch.
Nudge — Match each branch to its verb: one makes laws, one carries them out, one interprets them. The question's verb tells you which.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
18.Which geographic feature most encouraged the growth of early industrial cities in the American Northeast?
- A. Fast-flowing rivers that could power mills.
- B. Extensive desert basins suitable for grazing.
- C. Year-round tropical growing seasons.
- D. Deep natural harbors located far inland.
Nudge — Think about what early factories physically needed before electricity existed. Two options describe climates the Northeast does not have.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
19.A citizen who wishes to challenge a state law as violating the U.S. Constitution would most directly:
- A. Petition a foreign government for relief.
- B. Ask the President to repeal the law by executive order.
- C. Bring a case through the court system.
- D. Request that a neighboring state overturn it.
Nudge — Constitutional challenges travel through one particular branch. Rule out any option that asks a body without authority over another state's laws.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
20.Which statement best describes the relationship between federal and state governments under federalism?
- A. The federal government holds every governing power.
- B. States may ignore federal law whenever they disagree with it.
- C. Local city governments hold authority over both.
- D. Power is divided, with some powers national, some state, and some shared.
Nudge — Federalism is about division rather than dominance. Three options place all the power in one place — the correct answer will not.
My answer:
Why I picked this (in my own words):
Editing Task
21. Read the paragraph below. Rewrite it correctly on the lines. Fix any grammar, punctuation, spelling, or sentence-structure errors.
“Between 1880 and 1920 millions of people immigrates to the United States. Many of them settles in cities where factory work was close together. Some americans welcomed the new workers others resented the competition for jobs. Congress eventually pass quota laws that limits how many people could arrive.”
Nudge — Read it aloud one sentence at a time and check three things: subject–verb agreement (does each verb match its subject?), capitalisation of proper adjectives, and run-on sentences where two complete thoughts are joined with no punctuation.
Corrected paragraph:
Extended Response Writing Task
22. In a well-organized essay of 4–6 paragraphs, explain how the sources in this test show that a country's rules and its economy both shape people's opportunities. Use specific evidence from at least two sources.
Nudge — Plan before you write. (1) State your thesis in one sentence. (2) Choose which two sources you will quote, and mark the exact lines before drafting. (3) Give each body paragraph one point and back it with a source detail. (4) Close by restating your thesis in fresh words — no new evidence in the conclusion.
Paragraph 1 — Introduction (include your thesis statement)
Paragraph 2 — Body Paragraph (evidence from your first source)
Paragraph 3 — Body Paragraph (evidence from your second source)
Paragraph 4 — Body Paragraph (connect the two — optional)
Paragraph 5 or 6 — Conclusion (summarize your main points)
Reflection / Self-Assessment
Which part was most challenging? Which questions did you need the nudge for? Name one skill you want to practice more before your next test.
— End of Practice Test —
You did a great job practicing these important skills.