Middle Grades Social Science 5–9 5 to 9 

Test Format and Sample Questions

The Middle Grades Social Science 5–9 5 to 9  subject area test consists of approximately 80 multiple-choice questions. You will have two and one-half hours to complete the test.

Each question will contain four response options, and you will indicate your answer by selecting A, B, C, or D.

The table below presents types of questions on the exam and directs you to examples of these formats among the sample items that follow.

Table of Question Formats

Type of Question	Sample Question
Sentence Completion Select the response option that best completes the sentence.	Question 1
Charts, Graphs, and Maps Identify or interpret a diagram by choosing the response option that best answers the question.	Question 11
Direct Question Choose the response option that best answers the question.	Question 18
Command Select the best response option.	Question 27

Sample Questions

The following questions represent both the form and content of questions on the examination. These questions will acquaint you with the general format of the examination; however, these sample questions do not cover all of the competencies and skills that are tested and will only approximate the degree of examination difficulty.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

As a result of the Neolithic Revolution, societies became more dependent on

Choose an answer

1. farming.
2. hunting.
3. fishing.
4. gathering.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following events facilitated the rise of fascist governments, thus contributing to the outbreak of the Second World War?

Choose an answer

1. the Fashoda Incident
2. the Great Depression
3. the creation of Israel
4. the Long March of Mao Zedong

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The Columbian Exchange occurred when people crossed which of the following geographic barriers?

Choose an answer

1. the Himalayan Mountains
2. the Bering Strait
3. the Sahara Desert
4. the Atlantic Ocean

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The Magna Carta was significant to English society because it

Choose an answer

1. denied property rights to peasants.
2. led to a representative government.
3. established religious freedom.
4. gave voting rights to male property owners.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

William Penn encouraged self-government by

Choose an answer

1. adopting a plan of government called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.
2. creating a formal document called the Mayflower Compact.
3. granting settlers the right to elect representatives to the legislative assembly.
4. inviting burgesses to an assembly to make local laws for the colony.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

People across Africa share many common languages, skills, and religious practices as a result of

Choose an answer

1. the slave trade.
2. Bantu migrations.
3. the salt trade.
4. Berber conquests.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

W.E.B. Du Bois, a member of the Niagara Movement, led the creation of which of the following civil rights organizations?

Choose an answer

1. Urban League
2. Congress of Racial Equality
3. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
4. NAACP

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

As a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government

Choose an answer

1. granted statehood to Hawaii.
2. interned Japanese American citizens.
3. developed the nuclear submarine.
4. implemented Fair Deal programs.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 1—Knowledge of history

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following was a result of draining the Everglades?

Choose an answer

1. lawsuits filed by the Seminole Nation
2. inability to use land for farming
3. protection of animal habitats
4. harm to the ecosystem

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of geography

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which mountain range is located between France and Spain?

Choose an answer

1. Carpathian Mountains
2. the Pyrenees
3. Caucasus Mountains
4. the Apennines

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of geography

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Use the table to answer the question that follows.

Religions of Four Countries

Country	Total Population	Hindu Population
A	1,130,434,783	780,000,000
B	1,153,846	600,000
C	18,666,667	2,800,000
D	21,348,315	19,000,000

Which of these countries has the greatest percentage of people who practice Hinduism?

Choose an answer

1. Country A
2. Country B
3. Country C
4. Country D

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of geography

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The ability of companies to market their products worldwide is a direct result of

Choose an answer

1. assembly line production.
2. Global Positioning Systems.
3. e-commerce.
4. rapid transit.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of geography

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The Celts fled southeastern Britain as a result of an invasion by the

Choose an answer

1. Franks.
2. Anglo-Saxons.
3. Magyar Muslims.
4. Vikings.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of geography

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following factors most encouraged the migration of Chinese peasants from rural farms to cities and towns during the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries?

Choose an answer

1. natural disasters
2. ethnic cleansing
3. industrial development
4. political reorganization

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of geography

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following U.S. regions has the greatest potential for the production of solar power?

Choose an answer

1. Northeast
2. Midwest
3. Southwest
4. Northwest

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of geography

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The agricultural practice of cutting horizontal ridges into steep hillsides to prevent soil loss and to maintain soil fertility is known as

Choose an answer

1. multiple cropping.
2. crop rotation.
3. land terracing.
4. resting the land.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 2—Knowledge of geography

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

In the early 7^th century, Mecca grew into one of Arabia's largest cities because it was a

Choose an answer

1. haven from tribal persecution.
2. place of worship and a trading center.
3. region with many natural resources.
4. highly industrialized area and an oil-producing center.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

What part of the U.S. government plays the dominant role in the passage of new federal laws?

Choose an answer

1. executive branch
2. Congress
3. Department of State
4. Supreme Court

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The main function of lobbyists in a democratic government is to

Choose an answer

1. ensure that senators and representatives obey the rules.
2. coordinate the efforts of major political parties in congress.
3. influence legislation in favor of special interest groups.
4. provide citizens with free access to government documents.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following political systems involves total control of the economy by the government?

Choose an answer

1. democracy
2. communism
3. monarchy
4. socialism

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following political systems of the 20^th century allowed for free and open elections?

Choose an answer

1. Italian fascism
2. British constitutional monarchy
3. Soviet socialism
4. North Korean communism

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

To be eligible to become president of the United States, an individual must have attained the age of

Choose an answer

1. 30.
2. 35.
3. 40.
4. 45.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

In the 2000 presidential election, George W. Bush was elected by a majority of the

Choose an answer

1. national popular vote.
2. superdelegate vote.
3. general runoff vote.
4. electoral college vote.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The U.S. Constitution gives the power to impeach a U.S. president to the

Choose an answer

1. Supreme Court.
2. National Security Council.
3. House of Representatives.
4. Senate.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

An individual who suspects that a corporation is involved in price fixing should contact which of the following government agencies?

Choose an answer

1. Federal Trade Commission
2. Securities and Exchange Commission
3. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
4. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 3—Knowledge of civics and government

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The concept of legal precedence in the United States is derived from which of the following systems?

Choose an answer

1. the Code of Hammurabi
2. Hebrew law
3. English common law
4. the Justinian Code

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of economics

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Select the term that refers to a product sold to another country.

Choose an answer

1. embargo
2. export
3. import
4. deficit

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of economics

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following is most likely to occur as a result of increasing crude oil prices?

Choose an answer

1. Demand for gasoline will decrease.
2. Production of large automobiles will increase.
3. Federal interest rates will increase.
4. State excise taxes will decrease.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of economics

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The decline in value of a new car over time best illustrates which of the following economic concepts?

Choose an answer

1. appreciation
2. depreciation
3. production
4. speculation

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of social science curriculum and instruction

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A study of urban renewal in the late 20^th century would best integrate which of the following pairs of subjects?

Choose an answer

1. economics and psychology
2. history and sociology
3. psychology and anthropology
4. sociology and anthropology

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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