TCA New Mexico HiSET Social Studies Paper Based
Test Exam
Question 1. What was the primary motivation for European exploration of the Americas in the 15th
and 16th centuries?
A) Desire to spread democracy
B) Search for new trade routes and wealth
C) Elimination of indigenous populations
D) Establishment of public schools
Answer: B
Explanation: European nations wanted to find faster trade routes to Asia and gain wealth from new
resources, leading to the exploration of the Americas.
Question 2. Which document formally declared the American colonies’ independence from Britain?
A) Bill of Rights
B) Magna Carta
C) Declaration of Independence
D) Constitution
Answer: C
Explanation: The Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776, proclaimed the colonies' separation
from Britain.
Question 3. What was the main cause of the U.S. Civil War?
A) Disagreements over tariffs
B) Conflict over slavery
C) Border disputes with Mexico
D) Expansion of railroads
Answer: B
Explanation: The Civil War was primarily fought over the issue of slavery and states' rights related to
it.
Question 4. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863
A) Ended the Revolutionary War
B) Freed slaves in Confederate states
C) Gave women the right to vote
D) Created the Bill of Rights
Answer: B
Explanation: The Emancipation Proclamation declared that slaves in Confederate-held territories
were free.
Question 5. Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery?
A) 1st
B) 13th
C) 19th
D) 22nd
Answer: B
Explanation: The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, made slavery illegal in the United States.
Question 6. Who was President of the United States during the Great Depression and World War II?
A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Franklin D. Roosevelt
C) Harry Truman
, TCA New Mexico HiSET Social Studies Paper Based
Test Exam
D) Dwight Eisenhower
Answer: B
Explanation: Franklin D. Roosevelt served as president during most of the Great Depression and
World War II.
Question 7. What was the main purpose of the Marshall Plan after World War II?
A) To punish Germany
B) To rebuild Europe’s economy
C) To start the United Nations
D) To spread communism
Answer: B
Explanation: The Marshall Plan provided U.S. financial aid to help rebuild European economies after
WWII.
Question 8. The “separate but equal” doctrine was established by which Supreme Court case?
A) Brown v. Board of Education
B) Plessy v. Ferguson
C) Miranda v. Arizona
D) Marbury v. Madison
Answer: B
Explanation: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld racial segregation under “separate but equal.”
Question 9. Which movement sought to end racial discrimination and gain equal rights for African
Americans in the 1950s and 1960s?
A) Progressive Movement
B) Civil Rights Movement
C) Labor Movement
D) Temperance Movement
Answer: B
Explanation: The Civil Rights Movement aimed to secure equal rights and end segregation.
Question 10. The Cold War was primarily a conflict between which two superpowers?
A) France and Germany
B) United States and Soviet Union
C) Britain and Japan
D) China and India
Answer: B
Explanation: The Cold War was a period of tension mainly between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Question 11. What event marked the start of the American Revolutionary War?
A) Boston Tea Party
B) Battle of Lexington and Concord
C) Signing of the Constitution
D) Louisiana Purchase
Answer: B
Explanation: The Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 marked the outbreak of armed conflict.
Question 12. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
A) George Washington
B) Benjamin Franklin
, TCA New Mexico HiSET Social Studies Paper Based
Test Exam
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) James Madison
Answer: C
Explanation: Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
Question 13. The Industrial Revolution began in which country before spreading to the United
States?
A) France
B) Germany
C) England
D) Russia
Answer: C
Explanation: The Industrial Revolution originated in England in the late 18th century.
Question 14. What was the main effect of the Louisiana Purchase?
A) Ended the Mexican-American War
B) Doubled the size of the United States
C) Created the Bill of Rights
D) Outlawed slavery
Answer: B
Explanation: The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the U.S. by acquiring land from
France.
Question 15. Which president issued the Gettysburg Address?
A) Abraham Lincoln
B) Ulysses S. Grant
C) Andrew Johnson
D) Thomas Jefferson
Answer: A
Explanation: Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address in 1863 to honor fallen soldiers.
Question 16. The “Trail of Tears” refers to
A) The path taken during the Gold Rush
B) Forced removal of Native Americans to the West
C) The Oregon Trail migration
D) The Underground Railroad
Answer: B
Explanation: The Trail of Tears was the forced relocation of Cherokee and other tribes to Indian
Territory.
Question 17. The New Deal was a series of programs and reforms designed to
A) End World War I
B) Address the Great Depression
C) Stop the spread of communism
D) Expand westward
Answer: B
Explanation: The New Deal, introduced by FDR, aimed to relieve, recover, and reform after the
Depression.
, TCA New Mexico HiSET Social Studies Paper Based
Test Exam
Question 18. Which international organization was created after WWII to promote peace and
cooperation?
A) League of Nations
B) United Nations
C) European Union
D) NATO
Answer: B
Explanation: The United Nations was formed in 1945 to prevent future conflicts.
Question 19. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
A) Abolished slavery
B) Allowed women to vote
C) Lowered the voting age to 18
D) Established income tax
Answer: B
Explanation: The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote.
Question 20. What is the main responsibility of the legislative branch of the U.S. government?
A) Enforce laws
B) Interpret laws
C) Make laws
D) Veto laws
Answer: C
Explanation: The legislative branch (Congress) creates and passes federal laws.
Question 21. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during most of the Cold War’s early years?
A) Vladimir Lenin
B) Joseph Stalin
C) Nikita Khrushchev
D) Boris Yeltsin
Answer: B
Explanation: Joseph Stalin led the Soviet Union from the 1920s to 1953.
Question 22. The U.S. Constitution was written in which year?
A) 1776
B) 1787
C) 1791
D) 1803
Answer: B
Explanation: The Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788.
Question 23. The Great Migration during the early 20th century involved
A) Westward expansion of settlers
B) Movement of African Americans to northern cities
C) Removal of Native Americans from the East
D) Immigration from Europe
Answer: B
Explanation: The Great Migration was the movement of African Americans from the rural South to
urban North.
Test Exam
Question 1. What was the primary motivation for European exploration of the Americas in the 15th
and 16th centuries?
A) Desire to spread democracy
B) Search for new trade routes and wealth
C) Elimination of indigenous populations
D) Establishment of public schools
Answer: B
Explanation: European nations wanted to find faster trade routes to Asia and gain wealth from new
resources, leading to the exploration of the Americas.
Question 2. Which document formally declared the American colonies’ independence from Britain?
A) Bill of Rights
B) Magna Carta
C) Declaration of Independence
D) Constitution
Answer: C
Explanation: The Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776, proclaimed the colonies' separation
from Britain.
Question 3. What was the main cause of the U.S. Civil War?
A) Disagreements over tariffs
B) Conflict over slavery
C) Border disputes with Mexico
D) Expansion of railroads
Answer: B
Explanation: The Civil War was primarily fought over the issue of slavery and states' rights related to
it.
Question 4. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863
A) Ended the Revolutionary War
B) Freed slaves in Confederate states
C) Gave women the right to vote
D) Created the Bill of Rights
Answer: B
Explanation: The Emancipation Proclamation declared that slaves in Confederate-held territories
were free.
Question 5. Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery?
A) 1st
B) 13th
C) 19th
D) 22nd
Answer: B
Explanation: The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, made slavery illegal in the United States.
Question 6. Who was President of the United States during the Great Depression and World War II?
A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Franklin D. Roosevelt
C) Harry Truman
, TCA New Mexico HiSET Social Studies Paper Based
Test Exam
D) Dwight Eisenhower
Answer: B
Explanation: Franklin D. Roosevelt served as president during most of the Great Depression and
World War II.
Question 7. What was the main purpose of the Marshall Plan after World War II?
A) To punish Germany
B) To rebuild Europe’s economy
C) To start the United Nations
D) To spread communism
Answer: B
Explanation: The Marshall Plan provided U.S. financial aid to help rebuild European economies after
WWII.
Question 8. The “separate but equal” doctrine was established by which Supreme Court case?
A) Brown v. Board of Education
B) Plessy v. Ferguson
C) Miranda v. Arizona
D) Marbury v. Madison
Answer: B
Explanation: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) upheld racial segregation under “separate but equal.”
Question 9. Which movement sought to end racial discrimination and gain equal rights for African
Americans in the 1950s and 1960s?
A) Progressive Movement
B) Civil Rights Movement
C) Labor Movement
D) Temperance Movement
Answer: B
Explanation: The Civil Rights Movement aimed to secure equal rights and end segregation.
Question 10. The Cold War was primarily a conflict between which two superpowers?
A) France and Germany
B) United States and Soviet Union
C) Britain and Japan
D) China and India
Answer: B
Explanation: The Cold War was a period of tension mainly between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Question 11. What event marked the start of the American Revolutionary War?
A) Boston Tea Party
B) Battle of Lexington and Concord
C) Signing of the Constitution
D) Louisiana Purchase
Answer: B
Explanation: The Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 marked the outbreak of armed conflict.
Question 12. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
A) George Washington
B) Benjamin Franklin
, TCA New Mexico HiSET Social Studies Paper Based
Test Exam
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) James Madison
Answer: C
Explanation: Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
Question 13. The Industrial Revolution began in which country before spreading to the United
States?
A) France
B) Germany
C) England
D) Russia
Answer: C
Explanation: The Industrial Revolution originated in England in the late 18th century.
Question 14. What was the main effect of the Louisiana Purchase?
A) Ended the Mexican-American War
B) Doubled the size of the United States
C) Created the Bill of Rights
D) Outlawed slavery
Answer: B
Explanation: The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the U.S. by acquiring land from
France.
Question 15. Which president issued the Gettysburg Address?
A) Abraham Lincoln
B) Ulysses S. Grant
C) Andrew Johnson
D) Thomas Jefferson
Answer: A
Explanation: Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address in 1863 to honor fallen soldiers.
Question 16. The “Trail of Tears” refers to
A) The path taken during the Gold Rush
B) Forced removal of Native Americans to the West
C) The Oregon Trail migration
D) The Underground Railroad
Answer: B
Explanation: The Trail of Tears was the forced relocation of Cherokee and other tribes to Indian
Territory.
Question 17. The New Deal was a series of programs and reforms designed to
A) End World War I
B) Address the Great Depression
C) Stop the spread of communism
D) Expand westward
Answer: B
Explanation: The New Deal, introduced by FDR, aimed to relieve, recover, and reform after the
Depression.
, TCA New Mexico HiSET Social Studies Paper Based
Test Exam
Question 18. Which international organization was created after WWII to promote peace and
cooperation?
A) League of Nations
B) United Nations
C) European Union
D) NATO
Answer: B
Explanation: The United Nations was formed in 1945 to prevent future conflicts.
Question 19. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
A) Abolished slavery
B) Allowed women to vote
C) Lowered the voting age to 18
D) Established income tax
Answer: B
Explanation: The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote.
Question 20. What is the main responsibility of the legislative branch of the U.S. government?
A) Enforce laws
B) Interpret laws
C) Make laws
D) Veto laws
Answer: C
Explanation: The legislative branch (Congress) creates and passes federal laws.
Question 21. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during most of the Cold War’s early years?
A) Vladimir Lenin
B) Joseph Stalin
C) Nikita Khrushchev
D) Boris Yeltsin
Answer: B
Explanation: Joseph Stalin led the Soviet Union from the 1920s to 1953.
Question 22. The U.S. Constitution was written in which year?
A) 1776
B) 1787
C) 1791
D) 1803
Answer: B
Explanation: The Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788.
Question 23. The Great Migration during the early 20th century involved
A) Westward expansion of settlers
B) Movement of African Americans to northern cities
C) Removal of Native Americans from the East
D) Immigration from Europe
Answer: B
Explanation: The Great Migration was the movement of African Americans from the rural South to
urban North.
