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# GED® SOCIAL STUDIES PRACTICE TEST
## COMPLETE QUESTION BANK (150+
QUESTIONS WITH PASSAGES, ANSWERS &
RATIONALES)
### 2026-2027 EDITION | BASED ON GED
TESTING SERVICE & OFFICIAL TEST
SPECIFICATIONS
## SECTION 1: CIVICS & GOVERNMENT
**Question 1**
Which of the following is generally unique to presidential democracy?
A) Citizens participate in voting.
B) The executive power is separate from the legislature.
C) The executive power is a part of the legislature.
D) The head of the state is not directly elected by the people.
**Correct Answer: B**
**Rationale:** In a presidential democracy, the executive branch is separate from
the legislative branch. This is a key distinguishing feature from parliamentary
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systems where the executive is drawn from the legislature. The separation of
powers creates checks and balances between branches .
---
**Question 2**
What specific type of democracy is the United States?
A) Direct democracy
B) Representative democracy
C) Parliamentary democracy
D) Presidential democracy
**Correct Answer: B**
**Rationale:** The United States is a representative democracy, meaning citizens
elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf. Direct democracy involves
citizens voting directly on laws. The U.S. has both representative democracy and a
presidential system.
---
**Question 3**
What are the branches of government?
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A) House of Representatives and the Senate
B) House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Supreme Court
C) President and Vice President
D) Legislative, executive, and judicial
**Correct Answer: D**
**Rationale:** The three branches of government are the legislative (makes laws),
executive (enforces laws), and judicial (interprets laws). This separation of powers
is a fundamental principle of the U.S. Constitution .
---
**Question 4**
The ________ branch interprets and applies the law.
A) Executive
B) Legislative
C) Judicial
D) Administrative
**Correct Answer: C**
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**Rationale:** The judicial branch interprets and applies the law. The Supreme
Court and lower federal courts make up the judicial branch. They determine the
constitutionality of laws and resolve legal disputes .
---
**Question 5**
Read the following excerpt from the Declaration of Independence:
"Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned
them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable
jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our
emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and
magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to
disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and
correspondence."
**What can the reader most reasonably infer from this information?**
A) The colonists are impatient and unwilling to put up with the king's laws.
B) The colonists tried many other things before declaring independence, all to no
avail.
C) The colonists feel no kinship with the king and Britain.
D) The colonists find British rule magnanimous.
**Correct Answer: B**
# GED® SOCIAL STUDIES PRACTICE TEST
## COMPLETE QUESTION BANK (150+
QUESTIONS WITH PASSAGES, ANSWERS &
RATIONALES)
### 2026-2027 EDITION | BASED ON GED
TESTING SERVICE & OFFICIAL TEST
SPECIFICATIONS
## SECTION 1: CIVICS & GOVERNMENT
**Question 1**
Which of the following is generally unique to presidential democracy?
A) Citizens participate in voting.
B) The executive power is separate from the legislature.
C) The executive power is a part of the legislature.
D) The head of the state is not directly elected by the people.
**Correct Answer: B**
**Rationale:** In a presidential democracy, the executive branch is separate from
the legislative branch. This is a key distinguishing feature from parliamentary
,2|Page
systems where the executive is drawn from the legislature. The separation of
powers creates checks and balances between branches .
---
**Question 2**
What specific type of democracy is the United States?
A) Direct democracy
B) Representative democracy
C) Parliamentary democracy
D) Presidential democracy
**Correct Answer: B**
**Rationale:** The United States is a representative democracy, meaning citizens
elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf. Direct democracy involves
citizens voting directly on laws. The U.S. has both representative democracy and a
presidential system.
---
**Question 3**
What are the branches of government?
,3|Page
A) House of Representatives and the Senate
B) House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Supreme Court
C) President and Vice President
D) Legislative, executive, and judicial
**Correct Answer: D**
**Rationale:** The three branches of government are the legislative (makes laws),
executive (enforces laws), and judicial (interprets laws). This separation of powers
is a fundamental principle of the U.S. Constitution .
---
**Question 4**
The ________ branch interprets and applies the law.
A) Executive
B) Legislative
C) Judicial
D) Administrative
**Correct Answer: C**
, 4|Page
**Rationale:** The judicial branch interprets and applies the law. The Supreme
Court and lower federal courts make up the judicial branch. They determine the
constitutionality of laws and resolve legal disputes .
---
**Question 5**
Read the following excerpt from the Declaration of Independence:
"Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned
them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable
jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our
emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and
magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to
disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and
correspondence."
**What can the reader most reasonably infer from this information?**
A) The colonists are impatient and unwilling to put up with the king's laws.
B) The colonists tried many other things before declaring independence, all to no
avail.
C) The colonists feel no kinship with the king and Britain.
D) The colonists find British rule magnanimous.
**Correct Answer: B**
