APUSH Daily Question2015-16

Question 1: Topic – Indian Civilizations

When Columbus arrived in the New World, the most advanced Indian civilizations existed in which region(s)?

A) the Caribbean IslandsB) the eastern woodlands of North AmericaC) Mexico and PeruD) the Pacific NorthwestE) the Southwest desert of what is now the U.S

Answer: C) Mexico and Peru

Explanation: The Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru had developed the most advanced Indian civilizations when Spanish explorers arrived. Each used monumental architecture in cities with large stone buildings. The Aztecs used pictographic writing while the Incas utilized a knot-tying system called quipus for accounting and perhaps communication.

Question 2: Topic – North American Indians

All but which of the following statements are true about North American Indian cultures before the arrival of Europeans?

A) the Indians of the Great Plains used horses to follow buffalo herdsB) there was great diversity in diet depending on the regionC) some Indian cultures in the Southwest desert built stone dwellings in cliffsD) some cultures placed decision-making power in the hands of the women of the tribeE) Mississippi Valley civilizations built large dirt mounds, probably for ceremonial purposes

Answer: A) the Indians of the Great Plains used horses to follow buffalo herds

Explanation: Until the arrival of the Spanish and their horses, Plains Indians followed buffalo herds on foot.

Question 3: Topic: Virginia and Plymouth Colonies

Which of the following did the 17th century settlers in both Virginia and Plymouth have in common?

A) both sought religious freedomB) both developed self-governing practices early on in their settlementC) both were seeking economic wealth as their prime motivationD) both utilized indentured servants as a major part of their economic modelE) both had more female than male settlers

Answer: B) both developed self-governing practices early on in their settlement

Explanation: While quite different in many ways, the early settlements in both Virginia and Plymouth developed self-government early on in their existence. The House of Burgesses was established in Virginia in 1619, while the Mayflower Compact was agreed to by Plymouth's settlers even before they reached land in 1620.

Question 4 Topic: New England Puritans

All but which of the following are accurate statements about the Puritans who settled in New England in the 17th century?

A) they still considered themselves EnglishB) they looked primarily to the Bible for guidance in daily affairsC) while non-Puritans were sometimes tolerated in their midst,

behavioral expectations were still strictD) their houses of worship were plain with no stain-glassed windows

or organsE) they rejected the Calvinist doctrines of predestination and election

Answer: E) they rejected the Calvinist doctrines of predestination and election

Explanation: Puritans firmly believed in the Calvinist doctrines of predestination and election and as characterized in John Winthrop's "City Upon a Hill" sermon, saw themselves as God's light in a sinful world.

Question 5 Topic: Slaves and servants

Which of the following best characterizes the position of indentured servants and slaves in the American colonies in the 17th century?

A) their legal rights were identicalB) both slaves and indentured servants could usually end their

service to masters after a set periodC) both assisted in the economic advancement of Southern coloniesD) both were more common in urban than rural settingsE) both came to the colonies against their will

Answer: C) both assisted in the economic advancement of Southern colonies

Explanation: The American Southern colonies became sources of wealth for English investors mainly because of the profitability of tobacco, the cultivation of which required many laborers. Both indentured servants and slaves were employed in the South, though eventually slavery became the dominant source of cheap labor in most colonies.

Question 6 Topic: Great Awakening

During the Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s

A) the Roman Catholic Church increased its influence in the colonies

B) clergymen, particularly Anglicans, were universal in their support for the revivals, which were often emotional and had both blacks and whites in the audiences

C) preachers rejected the traditional Puritan notion that sinful men were totally dependent for salvation on the mercy of a pure, all-powerful God

D) a new emphasis on personal piety (religious reverence) was featured in sermons

E) the witch-hunting of the 1690s was condemned vigorously

Answer: D) a new emphasis on personal piety (religious reverence) was featured in sermons

Explanation: The Great Awakening was the first of many American religious revivals and was most prominent among Congregational, Presbyterian, and Baptist congregations throughout the American colonies. Emotional preachers, including George Whitefield, emphasized personal piety while maintaining virtually all of the theology of previous Puritan ministers. Critics, many in Anglican churches, were troubled by both the emotional appeals of the revivals and the integrated audiences that followed the preachers. The Great Awakening resulted in the creation of new colleges, including Princeton. With its itinerant, independent preachers who were not ordained by any official church hierarchy, two long-term results were a weakening of respect for religious authority and more democratic churches. Both factors became important during the American Revolution.

Question 7 Topic: French and Indian War

All but which are true of the French and Indian War?

A) Britain won the crucial final battleB) one cause of concern for Britain was French aid provided to Indians in

raids on colonists in the Ohio River ValleyC) as a result of the war, Britain received a vast amount of North

American territoryD) George Washington became famous in the colonies for his military

leadership, though at one point he was captured by the French in a British defeat

E) the British victory resulted in lower taxes for American colonists

Answer: E) the British victory resulted in lower taxes for American colonists

Explanation:  While success in the French & Indian War led to a massive amount of new territory to Britain, the war also brought a huge debt, for which Parliament turned to the American colonies to help defray with new taxes. This increased tension between Britain and the colonists, who increasingly saw the acts of Parliament as unfair and punitive.

Question 8 Topic: Sugar Act

The 1764 Sugar Act stated "... it is just and necessary that a revenue should be raised ... for defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same [colonies]." Which of the following is NOT true of the Sugar Act?

A) it replaced the earlier Molasses Act which was not enforced effectivelyB) its purpose of raising revenue was not common for British acts impacting the coloniesC) its impact was felt equally throughout the colonies as all imported molassesD) some colonists became concerned about Parliament's goal in authorizing this type of taxE) it actually lowered the tax on molasses but had stronger enforcement

measures

Answer: C) its impact was felt equally throughout the colonies as all imported molasses

Explanation: New England especially suffered losses from the Sugar Act because the stricter enforcement made it riskier to smuggle molasses. The relative non-enforcement of the earlier Molasses Act was an example of the benign neglect which made it difficult for British authorities to collect taxes. The Sugar Act's purpose of raising revenue concerned many colonists who feared an increase in colonial restrictions by Parliament.

Question 9 Topic: Stamp Act Disagreements

Which of the following best characterizes the debate that emerged as a result of the tensions caused by the imposition of the Stamp Act?

A) virtual vs. actual representation in ParliamentB) separation of powers vs. dictatorial ruleC) monarchs vs. legislatives bodiesD) town meeting democracy vs. republican democracyE) church vs. state

Answer: A) virtual vs. actual representation in Parliament

Explanation: The Stamp Act crisis helped focus the question of whether the colonists were represented in Parliament and thus participated in the decision to pass the Stamp Act in 1765. According to those who supported the concept of virtual representation, the colonists' interests were present in Parliament as they were residents of the British Empire. Those supporting actual representation contended that only those who had chosen members of Parliament were truly represented. This became an important constitutional issue as anti-British attitudes hardened in the American colonies.

Question 10 Topic: Intolerable Acts

Which of the following were parts of the Coercive (or Intolerable Acts) that Parliament passed to punish Massachusetts?

I. Quebec Act, effectively establishing Roman Catholicism as the state religion of Quebec 

II. Tea Act, which actually lowered the cost of British tea III. Quartering Act, which allowed British soldiers to be housed in colonial homes IV. Boston Port Bill, which closed Boston Harbor V. Massachusetts Government Act, which annulled the colonial charter

A) I, II, III and IV onlyB) I, III, IV, and V onlyC) II, IV, and V onlyD) I, II, IV and V onlyE) all were part of the Coercive Acts

Answer: C) II, IV, and V only

Explanation: The British passed the Coercive Acts (known as the Intolerable Acts in the colonies) to punish the residents of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, which in turn was a response to the Tea Act of 1773. One result was the closing of the port until damages had been paid, and another was the suspension of Massachusetts's charter, which gave the crown royal authority over colonists. The Coercive Acts resulted in a wave of support for Bostonians from other colonists.

Question 11 Topic: Stamp Act The Stamp Act…

A) had its greatest impact on farmers and backcountry residentsB) was designed to raise duties on imported goodsC) fees could be paid in colonial paper currencyD) provided the basis for the first significant joint colonial response to any British measureE) remained in force until the Tea Act was passed in 1773

Answer: D) provided the basis for the first significant joint colonial response to any British measure

Explanation: Parliament passed the Stamp Act to reduce the debt incurred during the French & Indian War and to pay for soldiers in the colonies. Most importantly, it provided a basis for a combined colonial response to the new policy of taxing the colonists directly to pay for services. A Stamp Act Congress was called and boycotts took place throughout the colonies.

Question 12 Topic: Common Sense

What is the main theme of this passage from Thomas Paine's Common Sense?

I have heard it asserted by some, that as America hath flourished under her former connection with Great Britain, that the same connection is necessary towards her future happiness, and will always have the same effect. Nothing can be more fallacious than this kind of argument. We may as well assert, that because a child has thrived upon milk, that it is never to have meat; or that the first twenty years of our lives is to become a precedent for the next twenty. But even this is admitting more than is true, for I answer roundly, that America would have flourished as much, and probably much more, had no European power had any thing to do with her.

A) a continent should not be ruled by an islandB) King George III is a tyrantC) the American colonies are an asylum for mankindD) monarchical government is incompatible with democracyE) while the colonies may have benefited from British control at one time, that time has past

Question 12 contd. Topic: Common Sense

Answer: E) while the colonies may have benefited from British control at one time, that time has past

Explanation: When Common Sense was published in 1776, it helped those urging separation from Britain by presenting a number of arguments. Paine logically described the reasons why the American colonies would be better off if they were free from British control.

Question 13 Topic: Revolutionary War

Which of the following statements about the Revolutionary War is NOT accurate?

A) Boston remained under the control of the colonial forces for most of the war

B) major cities, such as New York and Philadelphia, were occupied by British forces during the war

C) British strategy focused on controlling the South following the debacle at Saratoga

D) French assistance was limited and too late to provide significant help for the colonial troops

E) the Continental Congress proved inconsistent and ineffective in financing Washington's efforts

Answer: D) French assistance was limited and too late to provide significant help for the colonial troops

Explanation: French support, in money, naval strength, and troops provided enormous help to the American colonist cause, particularly in the final battle of Yorktown.

Question 14 Topic: Declaration of Independence

Which of the following is NOT from the Declaration of Independence?

A) "these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States"

B) "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"C) "there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be

perpetually governed by an island"D) "A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a

Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."E) "The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries

and usurpations“

Answer: C) "there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island“

Explanation: The Second Continental Congress asked Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence. Building on the thinking of John Locke ("life, liberty, and property") and Thomas Paine, Jefferson crafted a reasoned and logical set of arguments for American independence. Jefferson particularly focused on the abuses of King George III, rather than those of Parliament. Option C is from Common Sense.