The United States
I. Choose the correct answer.
1. In area, the United States is the largest country in the world.
a. 2nd
b. 3rd
c. 4th
d. 5th
2. The Midwest in the US refers to the region .
a. west of the Mississippi V alley
b. west of the Appalachian Mountains
c. east of the Rocky Mountains
d. around the Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi V alley.
3. The Backbone of North America refers to the .
a. Appalachian Mountains
b. Rocky Mountains
c. the Rocky Mountains
d. Sierra Nevada Mountains
4. Death V alley is on the western edge of .
a. the Great Basin
b. California
c. the Rocky Mountains
d. the Sierra Nevada Mountains
5. Which region might have a dust storm in summer?
a. The Deep South.
b. The Middle West.
c. The Great Plains
d. The Central V alley of California.
6. Which area has the highest rainfall in the US?
a. The region around the Great Lakes.
b. The western part of Washington State.
c. The Middle Atlantic states.
d. The Central V alley of California.
7. The US primary suppliers of foreign oil are the following countries except .
a. Canada
b. Japan
c. V enezuela
d. Saudi Arabia
8. The US largest open-pit copper-mining center is in .
a. California
b. Utah
c. Montana
d. South Dakota
9. The over 3 million of early Americans in 1790 were mostly of ancestry.
a. Spanish
b. French
c. British
d. Dutch
10. How many immigrants were legally received by the US each year during the 1980s?
a. About 270,000.
b. About 700,000.
c. About 675,000.
d. About 800,000
11. The official racial segregation continued to be the law of the US until .
a. 1860
b. 1863
c. 1918
d. 1954
12. American Indians now mainly live in the .
a. South
b. West
c. Midwest
d. Northeast
13. The majority of American Hispanics are from the following countries except .
a. Mexico
b. Cuba
c. Spain
d. Puerto Rico
14. According to the text, which region now leads in percentage increase in population?
a. The Northeast.
b. The Great Plains.
c. The South.
d. The West.
15. According to the 1994 US census, the second most populous state in the US is .
a. California
b. New Y ork
c. Texas
d. Washington
16. The trend in migration from cities to suburbs now prevailed in all region except .
a. the Northeast
b. the South
c. the Midwest
d. the West
17. According to the text, the ancestors of the present American Indians came from .
a. Europe
b. Africa
c. Asia
d. Mongolia
18. Which is not correct to explain the reasons for the sudden daring exploration of the unknown in the mid-15th century?
a. The ambition for the cast lands.
b. The strong desire for Eastern goods.
c. The improvements in navigation and naval architecture.
d. The great spirit of adventure started by the Renaissanc
e.
19. On his voyage of 1492, Columbus expected to reach .
a. the New world
b. the West Indies
c. India
d. America
20 Among the following navigators who discovered the route to India?
a. Christopher Columbus.
b. V asco da Gama.
c. Bartholoneu Diaz.
d. Ferdinand Magellan.
21. Who was sent by the English King to explore the new way to the East?
a. Jacques Cartier.
b. John Cabot.
c. Bartholeneu Diaz.
d. Ferdinand Magellan.
22. Which colony in the following was not founded first by the English?
a. V irginia.
b. Massachusetts.
c. New Y ork
d. Georgia.
23. The breadbasket colonies include the following ones except .
a. New Y ork
b. Pennsylvania
c. Maryland
d. V irginia
24. The last one fo the 13 colonies was , which was established in 1733.
a. North Carolina
b. South Carolina
c. Georgia
d. Maryland
25. There was a great change in British policy towards the 13 colonies after .
a. 1760
b. 1763
c. 1764
d. 1767
26. Which Act first set a large scale of opposition in the colonies?
a. The Sugar Act of 1764.
b. The Stamp Act of 1765.
c. The Quartering Act of 1765.
d. The Tea Act
27. The Tea Act of 1773 was passed by the British Parliament in order to .
a. get more money from the colonies
b. provide cheap tea for the American consumers
c. help the British East India Company
d. monopolize the American tea business
28. The First Continental Congress was attended by the representatives from all the colonies except .
a. Delaware
b. Pennsylvania
c. Massachusetts
d, Georgia
29. The first shot of the American War of Independence was fired in .
a. Concord
b. Lexington
c. Philadelphia
d. Boston
30. Thomas Paine?s Common Sense urged the American colonists to .
a. abolish slavery in the colonies
b. continue a shipping trade with England
c. win independence through peaceful means
d. declare their independence
31. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence was .
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. George Washington
d. John Adams
32. Which victory was considered as the turning point of the War of Independence?
a. The victory at Trenton.
b. The victory at Boston.
c. The victory at Saratoga.
d. The victory at Y orktown.
33. The Confederation created in 1781 was a .
a. very loose union of states
b. very powerful central government
c. very firm league of states
d. weak government without the legislative power
34. Who was called the Father of the US Constitution?
a. George Washington.
b. Benjamin Franklin.
c. Alexander Hamilton.
d. James Madison.
35. According to the text, the Constitution was framed on the following ideas except that .
a. there should be three branches of government: one to make laws, another to execute them, and a third to settle questions of law
b. the three branches should be able to check and balance the other
c. the national government is a government of the people, and not of states alone
d. the new government should impose its authority on the people through states
36. Those who supported the Constitution and preferred a strong national government were called .
a. Democrats
b. Republicans
c. Federalists
d. Antifederalists
37. How many states were needed to ratify the Constitution?
a. Eight
b. Nine
c. Eleven
d. Thirteen
38. Which is incorrect to comment on the Federalist Papers?
a. They support the ratification of the Constitution
b. The defend the principles of the Constitution
c. They help dispel the fears of a national authority
d. They spell out the people?s right
39. The amendment of the Constitution requires the approval of at least of the states.
a. one-third
b. two-thirds
c. three-fourths
d. three-fifths
40. When the Second War of Independence broke out in 1812, the US president was .
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. John Adams
d. James Monroe
41. The Monroe Doctrine had the following features or ideas except .
a. non-colonization
b. America for Americans
c. non-intervention
d. Latin America for Europeans
42. The US continental expansion was almost complete by .
a. 1840
b. 1845
c. 1846
d. 1848
43. Cotton became the most profitable crop in the South mainly because of the .
a. use of irrigation on plantation
b. Whitney?s cotton gin
c. slave labour
d. improved agricultural techniques
44. in 1854, the Republican Party was founded by some .
a. slaveholders
b. abolitionists
c. democrats
d. proslavery persons
45. In his inaugural address in 1861, Lincoln showed clearly that he .
a. would abolish slavery in the South
b. would not abolish slavery immediately but to preserve the Union
c. would wage a war against slavery
d. had no idea to abolish slavery in the South
46. Which of the following statements about the Emancipation Proclamation is not accurate?
a. It immediately freed all slaves living in the United States.
b. It freed slaves only in the Confederacy.
c. It brought many blacks to serve in the Union Army.
d. It gave the North a high moral reason for continuing the war.
47. the most important advantage the North had over the South in the Civil War was its .
a. manpower
b. superior military leadership
c. European allies
d. industrial superiority
48. An advantage the South had over the North was its .
a. great mineral resources
b. great number of railroads
c. manpower
d. superior military leadership
49. The first US president who faced impeachment proceedings was .
a. James Buchanan
b. Andrew Johnson
c. Ulysses S. Grant
d. Rutherford B. Hays
50. The radical Reconstruction was ended under President .
a. Abraham Lincoln
b. Andrew Johnson
c. Ulysses S. Grant
d. Rutherford B. Hays
51. Gold was discovered in California in .
a. 1828
b. 1838
c. 1848
d. 1858
52. The first transcontinental railroad in the US was completed in .
a. 1850
b. 1859
c. 1869
d. 1890
53. Telephone was invented in 1876 by .
a. Thomas B. Edison
b. Alexander D. Bell
c. Guglielmo Marconi
d. George Westinghouse
54. According to the text the value of manufactured goods in the US was worth twice as that of her agricultural products by .
a. 1860
b. 1890
c. 1894
d. 1900
55. The first imperialist, the US-Spanish War, broke out in .
a. 1886
b. 1890
c. 1898
d. 1900
56. After US-Spanish War, the US acquired all the following areas except .
a. Puerto Rico
b. Guam
c. the Philippines
d. Cuba
57. By the beginning of the 20th century the country that took the first place in economy in Europe was .
a. Germany
b. France
c. Britain
d. Russia
58. When the First World War began, President Wilson immediately called upon the American people to .
a. be ready for the war
b. observe strict neutrality
c. give financial help to the Allies
d. end the trade relations with Germany
59. The US joined the First World War in .
a. 1914
b. 1915
c. 1916
d. 1917
60. Wilson?s Fourteen Points did not include the point of .
a. disarmament
b. creation of an international organization of nations
c. freedom of the seas, in peace and war
d. creation of an international peacekeeping force
61. Which statement about the US in 1920s is not true?
a. The gross national product rose.
b. Only the rich could afford new consumer goods.
c. The youth suspected the values of the older generation.
d. There was a fast urbanization in the whole country.
62. In responding to the Depression, President Hoover thought that the basic role of the Government was to .
a. provide government aid for the poor
b. create conditions favorable to the development of private enterprises
c. intervene in the affairs of economy
d. take the responsibility for the welfare of the people
63. The agricultural Adjustment Act was an attempt to deal with the farmers? problem of .
a. soil erosion
b. declining labor supply
c. inflation
d. overproduction
64. Which one is not right to comment on the New Deal?
a. It relieved unemployment through a vast scheme of public works.
b. It offered relief to farmers through providing money at low rates of interest.
c. It brought in old age and unemployment insurance through providing a system of pension.
d. It reduced the commodity prices by limiting production and devaluing the dollar.
65. Between 1935 and 1939, American foreign policy included all of the following except .
a. the prohibition of the sale of arms or equipment to nations at war
b. the prohibition of loans to belligerent nations
c. cash-and-carry policy
d. active intervention to prevent aggression
66. The US formerly entered the Second World War in .
a. 1937
b. 1939
c. 1940
d. 1941
67. Normandy Landing took place on .
a. June 6, 1944
b. July 6, 1944
c. April 30, 1945
d. April 12, 1945
68. At which conference did Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin agree to call a conference of all the United Nations in San Francisco in April 1945?
a. The Conference in Teheran, on Nov. 28, 1943.
b. The Conference in Cairo, on Nov. 23, 1943.
c. The Conference at Dumbarton Oaks, in the fall of 1944.
d. Y alta Conference, in Feb. 1945.
69. The post-World War II program of economic assistance to Western Europe was known as .
a. containment policy
b. Truman Plan
c. Marshall Plan
d. Communist prevention
70. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., advocated the philosophy of .
a. economic equality
b. nonviolence
c. military protest
d. black power
71. Thousands of American soldiers were sent to V ietnam under President .
a. Dwight D. Eisenhower
b. John F. Kennedy
c. Lyndon B. Johnson
d. Richard M. Nixon
72. The formal diplomatic relation at the ambassadorial rank between China and the US was established under President .
a. Nixon
b. Carter
c. Reagan
d. Bush
73. The power of the state in the US is actually from .
a. the central government
b. the state constitution
c. the US Constitution
d. both b and c
74. The supreme law of the United States includes .
a. the US Constitution
b. treaties under the authority of the United States
c. laws to ensure the constitutional power being practiced
d. all the above three
75. The terms of the senator and representative are and years respectively.
a. two…four
b. two…three
c. two…six
d. six…two
76. Which Amendment provided for the direct election of senators?
a. The 16th Amendment (1913)
b. The 17th Amendment (1913)
c. The 18th Amendment (1919)
d. The 19th Amendment (1920)
77. Certain presidential appointments must be approved by a majority vote in .
a. Congress
b. the House
c. the Supreme Court
d. the Senate
78. All revenue or tax bills must be originated in .
a. the Cabinet
b. the House
c. the Senate
d. the Executive Office
79. Who is second in line in presidential succession?
a. The Speaker of the House.
b. The V ice President.
c. The president pro tempore.
d. The leader of the majority party in the Senat
e.
80. In the House, the power to decide when the full House will hear the bill is vested in .
a. the Rules Committee
b. the standing committee
c. Subcommittee
d. the select committee
81. Which one in the following limits the President to two successive terms only?
a. The 20th Amendment (1933)
b. The 21st Amendment (1933)
c. The 22nd Amendment (1951)
d. The 23rd Amendment (1961)
82. The American President has all the following powers except .
a. deploying armed forces
b. making treaties
c. declaring war on another country
d. granting pardons
83. The president?s major appointments should be approved by .
a. Congress
b. the House
c. the Senate
d. the Supreme Court
84. Which is not correct to explain the executive agreement?
a. An agreement between the president and another country.
b. It has the force of a treaty.
c. It requires the approval of Congress.
d. It does not require the Senate?s advice and consent.
85. the President?s veto can be overridden by two-thirds votes in .
a. the House
b. the Senate
c. both houses
d. the Supreme Court
86. The federal courts that regularly employ grand and petit juries are .
a. the Supreme Court
b. the courts of appeal
c, the district courts
d. specialized courts
87. The highest authority of the Supreme Court is .
a. to review decisions of the courts of appeal
b. to review decisions of the federal district courts
c. to try the impeachment case
d. to interpret the US Constitution
88. The cases involving copyright, trademark, counterfeiting, and bank robbery are usually first tried in .
a. the courts of appeal
b. the appellate court
c. the federal district courts
d. the state supreme court
89. The emblem of the Democratic Party is .
a. elephant
b. donkey
c. bear
d. bull
90. The first Democratic President was .
a. George Washington
b. Abraham Lincoln
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Andrew Jackson
91. The first Republican President was .
a. George Washington
b. Abraham Lincoln
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Andrew Jackson
92. The only Democratic President who served two separate terms between the end of Civil War and 1912 was .
a. Grover Cleveland
b. William McKinley
c. Theodore Roosevelt
d. Woodrow Wilson
93. The presidential candidate of the major party is nominated .
a. at the state convention
b. at the national convention
c. by the leaders from state party organizations
d. by the party?s national committee
94. In the presidential election year the American voters vote on the .
a. Tuesday after the first Monday
b. first Tuesday
c. Tuesday after the second Monday
d. Monday after the first Tuesday
95. The number of the presidential electors in each state is equal to the number of .
a. its senators
b. its representatives
c. its senators and Representatives
d. its counties
96. The American President is actually elected by .
a. the House
b. the Senate
c. presidential electors
d. American citizens
97. Who is chiefly responsible for education in the US?
a. The federal government.
b. The state government.
c. the county government.
d. The local government.
98. In the US school system, there are twelve levels called .
a. classes
b. divisions
c. grades
d. degrees
99. The elementary and secondary education in the US lasts .
a. 8 years
b. 10 years
c. 12 years
d. 14 years
100. The average teacher salary in private secondary schools is that in public schools.
a. higher than
b. lower than
c. almost same as
d. half of
101. A great majority of doctor-level universities in the US are .
a. private
b. supported by religious groups
c. public
d. supported by private funds
102. After completing four-year study in a college, the student usually can earn .
a. a university degree
b. graduate degree
c. a bachelor?s degree
d. a master?s degree
103. In order to remain in college the student must maintain at least a average.
a. B
b. C
c. D
d. F
104. The first daily newspaper in America was published in .
a. 1690
b. 1775
c. 1783
d. 1800
105. Which newspaper first uncovered the Watergate scandal in 1972?
a. New Y ork Times.
b. Washington Post.
c. New Y ork Daily News.
d. Los Angeles Times.
106. The world most-read magazine is .
a. TV Guide
b. Time
c. Reader?s Digest
d. People Weekly
107. The TV networks in the US are owned .
a. by the federal government
b. by private companies
c. by state government
d. by local governments
108. Democratic and Republican National Conventions were televised for the first time in .
a. 1945
b. 1950
c. 1952
d. 1960
109. Which one in the following is not proper to describe the American family values?
a. Individual freedom.
b. Belief in equality.
c. Personal independence.
d. Formal and strict relations between parents and children.
110. If a junior staff member challenges and argues points with an older executive, the junior is considered being .
a. impolite
b. rude
c. immoral
d. harmless
111. To make distinctions between persons, the Americans may use .
a. the family title
b. the occupational title
c. Mr. or Ms.
d. Sir or Ma?am
112. To Americans, if weaknesses were pointed out by others, it would be .
a. disgraceful
b. all right
c. resentful
d. indifferent
113. By American standards, which one in the following is not a taboo?
a. Financial affairs.
b. Person?s age.
c. Religion.
d. Person?s work.
114. According to the text, which word in the following is not proper to describe an American?
a. Optimistic.
b. Acquisitive.
c. Formal.
d. Frank.
II. Fill in the blanks:
1.“The backbone of the continent” refers to . (the Rocky Mountains)
2.During Ratification, those who supported the Constitution and preferred a strong national
government were called , their opponents were called .
(Federalists, Antifederalists)
3.The war of 1812 was also known as for America got economically
independent after it. (Second War of Independence)
4.Washington D. C. is situated on River which is the traditional dividing line
between the South and the North. (the Potomac)
5.The United States is the most populous country. (third)
6.In his Abraham Lincoln expressed his ideas of a democratic government
“of the people, by the people and for the people.”(Gettysburg Address)
7.In the year , President Nixon visited China, and later during …s presidency,
formal diplomatic relations between China and the United States were established. (1972, Jimmy Carter)
8.The division of powers by a constitution between the central government and state
government is called . (Federalism)
9.By law any American citizen of and over years of age and of being
a resident within the United States for years can run for the President. The duly
elected and duly qualified president-elect takes office on the of January following his election. (natural-born, 35, 14, 20th)
10.When a Bill is vetoed by the President, it can still become a law if the Congress .
the veto by a vote of both houses. (override, two-thirds)
11.The United States is bordered on the north by , on the south by
and , on the east by , and on the west by . (Canada, Mexico, The Gulf of Mexico, The Atlantic, the Pacific)
12.Because the New England colonies were difficult of farming, they became a center
for . and . The middle colonies were known as the , which produced wheat and potatoes as the major staple. The southern colonies developed a .
system. The main crop in the South was , much later, . (fishing, shipbuilding, breadbasket, plantation, tobacco, cotton)
13.The First World War was waged between tow groups of imperialist powers: .
and . ( the Allies/the Entente, the Central European Powers)
14.The major triumph for Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference was the formation of
the . (League of Nations)
15.The Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted in , which granted
women the right to . (1920, vote)
16.The Great Depression started with the sudden collapse of the in New Y ork in
October, . This economic distress extended to Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. (stock market, 1929)
17.The candidate with the most voters in a state wins all of that state?s votes. This is
known as the “”principle. The candidates who wins the of the 538 Electoral College votes will be US President in the next four years. (electoral, winner-take-all, 270)
18.American universities offer three main categories of graduate degrees: 1) , 2) ,
3) . (bachelor?s, master?s, Ph. D)
19.Each of the fifty states in the US provides a free schooling of years to its
residents. (12)
20.Among the five Great Lakes, only Lake belongs entirely to the US. (Michigan)
21.The emblem of the Democratic Party is , and that of the Republican Party
is . is considered the first Democratic President, and first Republican President is . (donkey, elephant, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln)
III. T rue or False Statements:
1.People usually regard Christopher Columbus as the discoverer of the New World, though
before him, Norsemen from Scandinavia had already found this continent.
2.During the Ratification of the Constitution, Thomas Jefferson and other federalists worked
hard to support a strong central government.
3.The Missouri Compromise brought a solution to the immediate problem of the extension of
slavery.
4.Germany?s unrestricted submarine campaign against merchant ships was one of the reasons
that pushed America into World War I.
5.Standing committees are permanent ones to determine whether proposed legislation should
be presented to the entire House or Senate for consideration.
6.Louisiana Purchase was the largest real estate deal in US history, which got for America the
present Louisiana State.
7.Franklin Roosevelt was one of the greatest American Presidents whose New Deal effectively
put an end to the Great Depression.
8.The V ice President is officially the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, and in
his absence, the president pro tempore takes his place to deal with day-to-day business.
9.Immediately after Abraham Lincoln took office, the southern states began to secede from the
Federal Union and organized the Confederate States of America.
10.The people of the US are predominantly white, among whom the most powerful and
influential group is the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants who are the descendents of the early English settlers.
11.V oting requirements are different in one state from another, and voting qualifications are not
determined by federal government.
12.When the state governments act out the powers given to it in the constitution, the Federal
Government has no right to interfere.
13.In the U.S.A., every state constitution divided political power among three elements.
14.The power of the state in the US is actually from the state constitution and the US
Constitution.
15.The supreme law of the United States includes the US Constitution, treaties under the
authority of the United States and laws to ensure the constitutional power being practiced.
16.It was the New Y ork Times that first uncovered the Watergate scandal in 1972.
17.Generally speaking, older people with more education and high income tend to vote while the
youth, especially aged 18 to 21, has the lowest voting percentage in the United States.
18.As the opposite of Federalists, the Anti-Federalists insisted on the expansion of slavery in the
country.
IV. Explain the following terms:
Federalism
Melting pot
Mosaic
Separation of powers
Judicial review
Winner-take-all
Filibuster
Pocket veto
Cold war
New Deal
Missouri Compromise
V. Questions for discussion
1.How many states are there in the United States? And which two states are geographically
separated from the others?
2.What are the general characters of the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains?
3.Do you think that geography has played an important role in the economic development of the
United States? Explain.
4.Why is the United States known as a “melting pot”?
5.What factors cause the Americans to move frequently within the United States?
6.Why do many Americans now migrate from cities to suburbs?
7.Discuss the pre-Columbian cultures in the Americas.
8.Why did the discoveries of the New World before Columbus not exert great influence in the
world at that time?
9.Why did so many English people move to the New World in the 17th century?
10.What was the social structure of the 13 colonies?
11.Why did not the American Indians become slaves during the colonial days?
12.How do you understand checks and balances in American political system?
13.What do you know about the American Civil War, its causes, process, results, etc?
14.How do you comment on the constitutional division of powers in American
political system?
15.Which president in American history do you think is the greatest? Why?
https://www.doczj.com/doc/d08264046.html, two universally celebrated holidays in America and describe how people
usually celebrate them.
VI. Questions based on further reading
1. Where can you see the Old Faithful Geyser?
a. Y ellowstone National Park
b. Death V alley
c. Great Lakes
d. Lake District
2. In 1884 when fund-raising in America for the base of Statue of Liberty was in difficulty, . came to the rescue.
a. Daniel Joncaire
b. Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi
c. Jeanne Emilie
d. Joseph Pulitzer
3. “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The sentence is taken from .
a. Declaration of Independence
b. the Thirteenth Amendment
c. Bill of Rights
d. Emancipation Proclamation
4. is a legislative device to thwart majority action on a measure by prolonging or delaying a veto.
a. Filibuster
b. Tie vote
c. Pocket veto
d. Override
5. American Civil War broke out in .
a. Fort Sumter
b. Fort Jefferson
c. Fort Pickens
d. Fort Taylor
6. The time period traditionally assigned to Reconstruction is to .
a. 1861, 1865
b. 1862, 1868
c. 1863, 1878
d. 1865, 1877
7. In the presidential election of 2000, the disputed state was .
a. Florida
b. Ohio
c. California
d. Pennsylvania
8. An important aspect of the separation of powers is that the power of one branch should not be exercised by anyone who holds a position in another branch. (T)
9. In the early days of the United States, loyalty to one?s state often took precedence over loyalty
to one?s country. (T) 10.