HIST 17A Final
HIST 17A Final Quiz
Test your knowledge of early American history with our comprehensive 75-question quiz. Designed for those interested in the events surrounding the development of colonial America, this quiz covers pivotal moments, influential figures, and cultural shifts.
- Multiple choice format for quick and easy answering
- Ideal for students and history enthusiasts
- Assess your understanding of key historical events
1. How do historians study the past?
A) They mainly concentrate on written documents to determine the attitudes of a people.
B) They privilege physical artifacts, such as bones and buildings, over written documents.
They use the same methods as archaeologists to obtain information.
D) They study only public writings and ignore biased personal writings.
2. Why were humans absent from the Western Hemisphere for most of early human history?
A) The warm climate of Africa attracted most of the earth's population.
B) Large herds of mammoths made migration to the Americas too dangerous.
C) North and South America had become detached from the common landmass known as Pangaea.
D) Plentiful food made it unnecessary for northern European tribes to seek a different home.
3. Archaic Northwest peoples took advantage of which plentiful resource for sustenance and for trade?
A) Fish
B) Acorns
C) Bison
D) Deer
4. Early Woodland Indians obtained food by
A) hunting deer.
B) harvesting wild corn.
C) fishing for salmon.
D) growing a variety of crops.
5. Which group held the most exalted position in Mexican society?
A) Priests
B) Traders
C) Warriors
D) Merchants
6. Which European group first crossed the Atlantic in 1000 AD to build a short-lived fishing outpost in Newfoundland?
A) Normans
B) Norsemen
C) Franks
D) Anglo-Saxons
7. Until the fifteenth century, cities in which European nation dominated trade with the Far East?
A) Spain
B) Italy
C) Portugal
D) England
8. Which country's government sponsored Christopher Columbus's 1492 exploration?
A) Italy
B) France
C) Spain
D) Portugal
9. How did Malinali provide invaluable assistance to Hernán Cortés?
A) She helped kidnap Montezuma.
B) She taught the Spanish to avoid smallpox.
C) She saved John Smith from execution.
D) She served as an interpreter for Cortés.
10. How did Powhatan help the English stave off starvation?
A) He taught them to grow tobacco for trade.
B) He showed them how to hunt big game.
C) He brought corn to the colony for barter.
D) He gave the colonists wheat for cooking.
11. The majority of the original settlers who came to Jamestown and the Virginia colony were
A) soldiers and their families.
B) gentlemen and their servants.
C) artisans and laborers.
D) planters and ex-convicts.
12. After a servant completed an indenture, the employer was required to give that servant
A) a share of the master's crop.
B) free land.
C) freedom dues.
D) nothing.
13. Most indentured servants in the Chesapeake came from which group?
A) American-born men
B) Poor men from England
C) Young women from England
D) English prisoners
14. Indentured servants in the Chesapeake could have their servitude extended by years if they
A) committed a crime.
B) did not sign a contract.
C) failed to work hard.
D) did not have children.
15. By 1700, the British Caribbean annually exported nearly fifty million pounds of
A) rice.
B) sugar.
C) tobacco.
D) indigo.
16. Although King James I was antagonistic to Puritanism, he sponsored which innovation that contributed to the spread of their ideals?
A) The invention of the printing press
B) An edict that required use of the vernacular in church
C) An English translation of the Bible
D) The revocation of the vows of chastity for priests
17. Unlike most other immigrant groups in American history, the migration to Puritan New England included
A) a mostly unhealthy population.
B) a great number of complete families.
C) mostly women and children.
D) a high proportion of servants and slaves.
18. According to the Puritan doctrine of predestination, how could one achieve salvation after death?
A) Puritans could do nothing to alter God's ruling on their fate.
B) Salvation was guaranteed through God's love for humankind.
C) Puritans who prayed daily and worked hard were eligible for salvation.
D) Wealth, success, and good health led to salvation.
19. Seventeenth-century New England's most important export was
A) rice.
B) fish.
C) tobacco.
D) cotton.
20. Which factor allowed New England's population to continue to grow steadily during the seventeenth century?
A) The continuing flood of immigrants from England.
B) An influx of settlers from colonies farther south.
C) A new source of immigrants from continental Europe.
D) The cold weather minimized the spread of life-threatening illnesses.
21. Why did Charles II make William Penn the proprietor of a new colony?
A) Charles Il wanted to spread the system of Quaker beliefs.
B) Charles II wanted to keep Penn quiet about political corruption.
C) Charles I hoped to rid England of Quakers.
D) Charles II wanted to prove his religious tolerance.
22. Why did the Wampanoag Indians attack New England settlements in 1675?
A) A longstanding feud over the kidnapping of a Puritan woman finally erupted into warfare.
B) The Indians were tired of the Puritans violently trying to convert them to Christianity.
C) A new Wampanoag spiritual leader commanded the Indians to drive the whites from their homeland.
D) New Englanders had been steadily encroaching on land the Indians needed to survive.
23. In the seventeenth century, how did New England families subdivide land under the policy of partible inheritance?
A) About equally among all the children
B) About equally among all the sons
C) Between the eldest and youngest males
D) Among the wife and three oldest children
24. Which industry accounted for three-fourths of the exports from the middle colonies?
A) Timber
B) Flour milling
C) Fishing
D) Shipbuilding
25. Most slaves brought to the southern colonies were
A) young women from the West Indies.
B) older women from Africa.
C) older men from the West Indies.
D) young men from Africa.
26. The Stono Rebellion of 1739 proved that eighteenth-century enslaved people
A) were dangerous in large, organized numbers.
B) could arm themselves and achieve freedom.
C) could not overturn slavery by themselves.
D) could not organize against their armed masters.
27. How did newly imported African slaves develop kinship relationships in the existing slave communities?
A) Established slave families often adopted new arrivals as fictive kin.
B) New arrivals used sign language because they did not speak the same dialect.
C) White women and children helped slaves feel comfortable in their new home.
D) The plantation owner assigned new arrivals to seasoned slaves in kinship units.
28. While the eighteenth-century southern gentry privately looked down on poor whites, they publicly acknowledged them as
A) necessary to the growth of the southern economy.
B) their equals by virtue of belonging to the white race.
C) a contemptible group of lost souls
D) the future heirs of the gentry.
29. Why did Spanish officials decide to build forts and missions on New Spain's northern frontier during the eighteenth century?
A) To improve relations with Indians in the region
B) To convert California Indians to Protestantism
C) To disrupt competition from French fur traders
D) To block Russian access to present-day California
30. What did the attack at Fort Necessity reveal about the French commitment to the Ohio territory?
A) The French lacked the manpower to hold the territory.
B) The French had no intention of departing the disputed territory.
C) The French could not defeat General George Washington.
D) The French could not win without the help of the Mingo Indians.
31. How did William Pitt turn the Seven Years' War in favor of the British?
A) He held successful negotiations with the Iroquois.
B) He captured the French fortress city of Quebec.
C) He committed massive resources to the war.
D) He adopted the tactics of guerrilla warfare.
32. Which role did the Indians play in the Treaty of Paris?
A) They negotiated protection for their land in the Ohio Valley.
B) They were invited to the negotiations but won no concessions.
C) The chief Minavavana negotiated on behalf of the Indians.
D) The major European powers did not consult the Indians at all.
33. The purpose of the Proclamation of 1763 was to
A) establish a permanent boundary line between Indians and colonists.
B) protect the French fur trade from assaults by colonists or Indians.
C) identify western lands that belonged to the Indians.
D) prevent colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.
34. Why did King George III seek to extract more money from the colonists?
A) He was displeased with the profits from colonial exports.
B) His policies were an extension of his aggressive personality.
C) He thought the colonists should help pay England's war debt.
D) He wanted to punish colonists who called for independence.
35. In an effort to generate income for England, in 1764 George Grenville initiated the
A) Currency Act.
B) Sugar Act.
C) Molasses Act.
D) Proclamation Act.
36. George Grenville claimed that Americans had "virtual representation" because
A) the colonists were allowed to send delegates to the House of Commons.
B) each American colony had its own colonial assembly for governance.
C) the House of Commons represented all British subjects, wherever they were.
D) the colonists were represented in the Continental Congress.
37. The first street demonstrations against the Stamp Act occurred in which colony?
A) Massachusetts
B) Rhode Island
C) Pennsylvania
D) Virginia
38. How did Massachusetts protestors target Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson?
A) Protestors ransacked his house until only the exterior walls stood.
B) Colonists attempted to assassinate him after he supported the Stamp Act.
C) Gangs of seamen in Boston tarred and feathered him.
D) A congressional meeting in Philadelphia called for his resignation.
39. The Daughters of Liberty suggested that women participate in public affairs and protest the Townshend duties by
A) participating in boycotts.
B) growing their own tea plants.
C) joining men in street protests.
D) marching on the governor's mansion.
40. Which statement describes the result of the anti-British boycotts of the late 1760s?
A) British merchants made more money.
B) Imports fell by 40 percent.
C) Anti-British sentiment decreased.
D) The Sons of Liberty ceased to exist.
41. Which definition describes the Boston Massacre?
A) A riot that killed two hundred people
B) A confrontation which left a customs official dead
C) A skirmish in which five people were killed
D) A mutiny aboard British ships carrying tea
42. Lord North removed all the Townshend duties except for the tax on
A) tea.
B) glass.
C) lead.
D) paper.
43. The Coercive Acts, passed by Parliament to punish Massachusetts for the destruction of tea, included
A) a law closing Boston harbor until the tea was paid for.
B) a new set of high internal and external tax laws.
C) a law stipulating criminals would be tried in Canada.
D) the end of spring elections of town selectmen
44. The "powder alarm" of September 1774 convinced Thomas Gage that
A) colonial rebellions were led by a small cadre of radicals.
B) colonists were not prepared to fight for their demands.
C) Britain had complete control over the colonies.
D) ordinary colonists would unite for armed conflict.
45. Who fired the first shot at Lexington?
A) A British soldier
B) An American militiaman
C) A member of the Continental army
D) An unknown person
46. Following the battles of Lexington and Concord, Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, issued a proclamation
A) promising freedom to defecting, able-bodied slaves who would fight for the British
B) stating that he would free any slave who volunteered to fight for the British.
C) calling for Virginians to join him in freeing their slaves to fight.
D) stating that any slave caught fighting for the British would be hanged immediately.
47. The delegates to the Second Continental Congress chose George Washington as commander in chief because
A) they wanted to reward his radical and outspoken advocacy for independence.
B) he had distinguished himself as a brilliant strategist during the Seven Years' War.
C) they wanted to show England that there was commitment to war outside of New England.
D) he had curried favor with many of the most influential delegates.
48. Which statement describes the actions of the British general William Howe after the victory at Bunker Hill?
A) He pursued the Americans fleeing from Boston.
B) He retreated to Boston.
C) He abandoned Boston.
D) He attacked Boston directly.
49. Which colony was generally against independence?
A) Massachusetts
B) New York
C) Virginia
D) South Carolina
50. In their revisions to the Declaration of Independence, Georgia and South Carolina removed
A) any mention of the issue of slavery.
B) the phrase "give me liberty or give me death."
C) any mention of the natural equality of "all men."
D) the theory that the king staged Pontiac's Rebellion.
51. Which obstacle did the British army face in the Revolutionary War?
A) Most soldiers feared the fighting prowess of the Americans.
B) No British loyalists lived in the southern colonies.
C) It was difficult to supply their army with food and supplies.
D) The British had too many inexperienced generals.
52. High-profile colonists who remained loyal to the British crown were also known as
A) Redcoats.
B) Hessians.
C) Whigs.
D) Tories.
53. After capturing Philadelphia in September 1777, the British government
A) offered independence to the Americans if they released all prisoners of war.
B) convinced France and Spain to join the war on the side of the British.
C) proposed a negotiated settlement that did not include American independence.
D) offered increased monarchical protection if the patriots surrendered.
54. Relationships between Americans and Indians during the war were increasingly characterized by
A) violent anti-Indian campaigns.
B) cooperation in fighting the British
C) mutual respect forged through difficult battles.
D) cooperation because the Indians allied with the French.
55. Why did France ally with the Americans after the battle of Saratoga?
A) It saw an opportunity to defeat England.
B) It wanted to gain a foothold in Canada.
C) It wanted to link the colonies with Quebec.
D) It feared losing the West Indies.
56. How did news of Benedict Arnold's treason affect the Revolutionary War?
A) It ended rebel support in the South for good.
B) It caused the French to withdraw their support from the Americans.
C) It caused American morale to sink to an all-time low.
D) It inspired renewed patriotism in America.
57. Which statement describes the content of the first article of the Treaty of Paris?
A) The king recognized the independence of the United States.
B) The Indians retained their land in the Ohio Valley.
C) Loyalists' land was to be returned to them as soon as possible.
D) The Americans were given Florida and half of Louisiana.
58. In 1776, members of the Continental Congress agreed that a federal government should have the power to
A) raise taxes.
B) overrule state law.
C) punish criminals.
D) run a postal service.
59. Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government lacked
A) an executive and a judicial branch.
B) the ability to raise money to finance the war.
C) a way to amend the articles.
D) the ability to conduct foreign relations.
60. Why were some states reluctant to include "equality language" in their bills of rights and constitutions?
A) They were afraid the words could be construed to apply to enslaved people.
B) Such language could spark slave rebellions in the North
C) Women might believe they were equal to men.
D) Children as young as twelve might believe they could vote.
61. Why did Massachusetts African Americans Paul and John Cuffe refuse to pay taxes in 1779?
A) They remained loyal to the British crown.
B) They had recently lost their jobs as mariners.
C) They were slaves.
D) They were protesting the fact that they could not vote.
62. How did General George Washington disarm the soldiers responsible for plotting the Newburgh Conspiracy?
A) He delivered an emotional speech convincing the soldiers to have faith in Congress.
B) He secured full back pay for the officers, making military action unnecessary.
C) He told the soldiers that he would lead government forces to put down their revolt.
D) He refused to sign the initial petition to Congress, making the revolt unlikely to succeed.
63. Congress summoned the Iroquois to Fort Stanwix in 1784 to
A) obtain their land.
B) establish the individual states' authority to negotiate.
C) reward them for their help during the war.
D) return Iroquois prisoners of war.
64. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
A) prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory.
B) funded an exploratory party to locate the Northwest Passage.
C) provided for the creation of eight to ten new states.
D) required compulsory elementary education in each new township.
65. Which of these threatened to prevent American settlement in the Northwest Territory?
A) Heavy tree growth that inhibited easy farming
B) Taxation imposed by the government on industrial development
C) The lack of government policy on slavery in the area
D) Clashes with the Indian tribes occupying the land
66. How did Massachusetts respond to Shays's Rebellion?
A) The governor dispatched a private army.
B) It declared a moratorium on private debt.
C) It issued paper money.
D) The governor called for a reduction of taxes.
67. As a part of the Great Compromise, delegates at the Philadelphia convention agreed
A) that voters would directly elect the members of the upper house, the Senate.
B) on the Supreme Court and a system of lower national courts.
C) that the lower house would be apportioned by population of the states.
D) on a procedure for direct election of a chief executive
68. How did delegates decide to count slaves when determining the apportionment of representatives?
A) Slaves were counted under the three-fifths clause.
B) Slaves were not to be counted as persons.
C) Slaves would count the same as Indians.
D) Slaves were counted the same as whites.
69. Pro-Constitution forces called themselves
A) Republicans.
B) Constitutionalists.
C) Federalists
D) Patriots.
70. What was the first state to ratify the Constitution?
A) Delaware
B) New York
C) Virginia
D) Massachusetts
71. Why was George Washington quickly and unanimously elected president in Februaty 1789?
A) He had demonstrated his brilliant intellect.
B) Many Americans shared his commitment to religious values.
C) He expressed his devotion to egalitarian and democratic values.
D) He personified the republican ideal of leadership.
72. Why did critics oppose the federal government's assuming the states' old Revolutionary War debt?
A) The federal government planned to charge a hefty service fee.
B) The government was only going to assume the debt, not pay it.
C) Such action could subordinate the states to federal power.
D) State governments earned their revenue through debt repayment.
73. How did President Washington respond to the Whiskey Rebellion?
A) He suggested that Congress repeal the tax.
B) He demanded that the governor of Pennsylvania enforce the national law.
C) He nationalized the Pennsylvania militia.
D) He waited until the rebellion died down before acting.
74. Who did Washington send to negotiate with Creek Indians in the Southwest?
A) Thomas Jefferson
B) Alexander McGillivrav
C) Henry Knox
D) Alexander Hamilton
75. The 1790 Treaty of New York prohibited the Creek Indians from trading with
A) the Iroquois.
B) the English.
C) Canadians.
D) the Spanish.
{"name":"HIST 17A Final", "url":"https://www.quiz-maker.com/QPREVIEW","txt":"Test your knowledge of early American history with our comprehensive 75-question quiz. Designed for those interested in the events surrounding the development of colonial America, this quiz covers pivotal moments, influential figures, and cultural shifts.Multiple choice format for quick and easy answeringIdeal for students and history enthusiastsAssess your understanding of key historical events","img":"https:/images/course1.png"}