Below is our free GED Social Studies practice test. This is a full-length interactive practice exam with answers and detailed explanations. The GED Social Studies test has 35 questions that must be completed in 90 minutes. Some of the questions require specific knowledge of the topics, but others can be solved simply by studying the charts or diagrams that are provided with the question.
GED Social Studies Practice Test
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Question 1 of 34
1. Question
The following table provides information on Irish immigration during the mid-19th century:
Which of the following statements most accurately describes patterns of Irish immigration in the mid-19th century?
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Question 2 of 34
2. Question
The following excerpt is from a speech by President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 endorsing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote:
“I regard the concurrence of the Senate in the constitutional amendment proposing the extension of the suffrage to women as vitally essential to the successful prosecution of the great war of humanity in which we are engaged…It is my duty to win the war and to ask you to remove every obstacle that stands in the way of winning it.”How does the constitutional amendment process begin?
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Question 3 of 34
3. Question
The following excerpt is from President Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address in 1801:
“Still one thing more, fellow-citizens—a wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”What ideology best describes Jefferson’s political philosophy?
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Question 4 of 34
4. Question
The following table contains information on urbanization rates in the United States between 1790 and 2010:
Which of the following statements most accurately describes urbanization patterns in the United States between 1790 and 2010?
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Question 5 of 34
5. Question
The following scenario describes an economic decision:
After graduating from high school, Juan applies to several job advertisements and receives an offer to work as a clerk in a retail store for $8 per hour. However, Juan decides to enroll in a community college and after two years he completes a technical training program that prepares him to become a welder. After completing the program, he finds employment as an apprentice welder and earns $20 per hour.Which was the opportunity cost in Juan’s decision?
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Question 6 of 34
6. Question
The following is an excerpt from the Triple Alliance Treaty signed between Germany, Austria, and Italy in 1881:
“Article 1: The… Contracting Parties mutually promise peace and friendship… and they further promise one another mutual support…
Article 3: If one, or two, of the…Contracting Parties, without direct provocation on their part, should chance to be attacked and to be engaged in a war with two or more Great Powers … the [case for the alliance] will arise simultaneously for all the… Contracting Parties.
Article 6: The… Contracting Parties mutually promise secrecy as to the contents and existence of the present Treaty.”In what way, if at all, did the Triple Alliance Treaty influence World War I?
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Question 7 of 34
7. Question
The following excerpt is from the 1803 Supreme Court decision Marbury v. Madison, which established the concept of judicial review:
“It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases, must of necessity expound and interpret that rule. If two laws conflict with each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each.”This ruling is an example of which of the following concepts?
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Question 8 of 34
8. Question
The following excerpt is from the Warsaw Security Pact which was signed in 1955 by the Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia:
“The Contracting Parties… mindful, at the same time, of the situation created in Europe by the… formation of a new military alignment in the shape of [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] which increased the danger of another war and constitutes a threat to the national security of the peaceable states… have agreed as follows… Article 4: in the event of armed attack in Europe on one or more of the Parties to the Treaty… shall immediately… come to the assistance of the state or states attacked with all such means as it deems necessary, including armed force.”The following map, created by Alphathon, depicts Europe during the Cold War. Members of NATO are in blue while members of the Warsaw Pact are in Red:
Which of the following statements best describes the motives for creating the Warsaw Security Pact?
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Question 9 of 34
9. Question
The following map and table depicts the 1960 presidential election:
Democrat — John F. Kennedy — 49.72 percent of the popular vote with 303 electoral votes.Republican — Richard Nixon — 49.55 percent of the popular vote with 219 electoral votes.
Why did Kennedy become president if he received less than 50 percent of the popular vote?
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Question 10 of 34
10. Question
The following excerpt is from a speech by President Harry Truman in 1947:
“The very existence of the Greek state is today threatened by the terrorist activities of several thousand armed men, led by Communists, who defy the government's authority at a number of points, particularly along the northern boundaries… Meanwhile, the Greek Government is unable to cope with the situation. The Greek army is small and poorly equipped… Greece must have assistance if it is to become a self-supporting and self-respecting democracy.”What prompted President Truman to provide aid to the Greek government?
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Question 11 of 34
11. Question
The following excerpt is from a speech by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933:
“We had a bad banking situation. Some of our bankers had shown themselves either incompetent or dishonest in their handling of the people's funds… It was the Government's job to straighten out this situation and do it as quickly as possible—and the job is being performed… Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith; you must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear.”Based on the excerpt, how did historical circumstances shape President Roosevelt’s point of view?
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Question 12 of 34
12. Question
The following excerpt is from a speech by Congressman James Madison in 1789 on the introduction of the Bill of Rights:
“There have been objections of various kinds made against the constitution… but I believe that the great mass of the people who opposed it, disliked it because it did not contain effectual provision against encroachments on particular rights, and those safeguards which they have been long accustomed to have interposed between them and the magistrate who exercised the sovereign power… it will be practicable on that ground… to satisfy the public mind that their liberties will be perpetual.”Why did Madison, and many other Americans, feel that the Bill of Rights was necessary?
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Question 13 of 34
13. Question
The following is an excerpt from a speech by President Barack Obama in 2015:
“Nearly 200 nations have assembled here this week—a declaration that for all the challenges we face, the growing threat of climate change will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other… Fourteen of the fifteen warmest years on record have occurred since the year 2000—and 2015 is on pace to be the warmest year of all… This summer, I saw the effects of climate change firsthand in our northern-most state, Alaska, where the sea is already swallowing villages and eroding shoreline.”Which of the following is an opinion and not a fact?
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Question 14 of 34
14. Question
The following cartoon is from Harpers Weekly in 1876:
How did the cartoon reflect historical circumstances during Reconstruction in the South?
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Question 15 of 34
15. Question
The following excerpt is a speech by President Franklin Roosevelt on Dec. 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor:
“Yesterday… the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan… As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense… Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.”Under the US Constitution, which body has the sole authority to declare war?
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Question 16 of 34
16. Question
The following table contains data on voter turnout for presidential elections. The turnout percent represents the proportion of the voting age population that cast a ballot in the election:
Which of the following statements best describes the voter turnout patterns?
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Question 17 of 34
17. Question
Arrange the following in correct chronological order from oldest to most recent.
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Classical Greek Democracy
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Roman Republic
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Magna Carta
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American Revolution
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Modern Democracy
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Question 18 of 34
18. Question
The following is a timeline of historical events in the early American republic:
- 1781: Ratification of Articles of Confederation
- 1786–1787: Shay’s Rebellion
- 1788: Ratification of the US Constitution
- 1789: George Washington becomes President
The following excerpt is from a letter written by George Washington to Secretary of War Henry Knox about Shay’s rebellion, an insurrection in western Massachusetts, in 1787:
“If government shrinks, or is unable to enforce its laws; fresh maneuvers will be displayed by the insurgents—anarchy and confusion must prevail… for if three years ago any person had told me that at this day, I should see such a formidable rebellion against the laws… of our own making… I should have thought him… a fit subject for a madhouse.”Which of the following statements best describes the impact Shay’s Rebellion had on American government?
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Question 19 of 34
19. Question
The following quotes are from John Nance Garner who served as vice president during the first two FDR administrations:
“[Becoming vice president] was the worst thing that ever happened to me.”
“[The vice presidency was] a no man's land somewhere between the legislative and executive branch.”
“I'll tell you… the vice presidency isn't worth a pitcher of warm spit.”What is the vice president’s primary responsibility?
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Question 20 of 34
20. Question
The following graph portrays a hypothetical model for US demand of Brazilian coffee. It portrays demand before and after the passage of a $1 tariff (tax) on imported Brazilian coffee.
What impact, if any, would the tariff have on US demand for Brazilian coffee?
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Question 21 of 34
21. Question
The following scenario describes an economic situation:
The Acme Company produces bowling balls. It costs $5 to produce a bowling ball, including raw materials, labor, marketing and transportation. Acme sells the bowling balls for $10 each.Fill in the blank: The Acme Company earns $__ in profit for each bowling ball it sells.
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Question 22 of 34
22. Question
The following quote is an excerpt from a speech by Senator Olympia Snowe in 2012:
“You can never solve a problem without talking to people with whom you disagree. The United States Senate is predicated and based on consensus building. That was certainly the vision of the founding fathers.”The US Senate possesses which of the following powers?
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Question 23 of 34
23. Question
The following image is a political cartoon from the Columbus Dispatch in February 1937:
The cartoon criticized President Franklin Roosevelt’s efforts to expand the Supreme Court from 9 to 15 justices and thus appoint 6 new members himself. The cartoon depicts this attempt as a violation of which of the following principles?
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Question 24 of 34
24. Question
The following passage is a reproduction of the 10th Amendment:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”In the above passage, the word reserved most closely means which of the following?
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Question 25 of 34
25. Question
The following table contains data on the number of African American Senators and Congressman:
The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Which of the following statements best describes the impact the Civil Rights Act had on African American representation in Congress?
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Question 26 of 34
26. Question
The following excerpt is from the majority decision of the US Supreme Court in the 1896 decision Plessy v. Ferguson:
“We consider the underlying fallacy of the plaintiff’s argument to consist in the assumption that the enforced separation of the two races stamps the colored race with a badge of inferiority… The argument also assumes… that equal rights cannot be secured to the negro except by an enforced commingling of the two races. We cannot accept this proposition.”The following excerpt is from the majority decision of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954:
“To separate them [children in grade and high schools] from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely to ever be undone… We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between the Brown and Plessy decisions?
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Question 27 of 34
27. Question
The following excerpt is from Federalist 46 written by James Madison in 1788:
“The federal and State governments are in fact but different agents and trustees of the people, constituted with different powers, and designed for different purposes… the powers proposed to be lodged in the federal government are as little formidable to those reserved to the individual States, as they are indispensably necessary to accomplish the purposes of the Union.”The above excerpt is an example of which of the following concepts?
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Question 28 of 34
28. Question
The following table refers to results from the 1912 presidential election:
- Democrat — Woodrow Wilson — 41.8% (6.3 million votes)
- Progressive — Teddy Roosevelt — 27.4% (4.1 million votes)
- Republican — William Howard Taft — 23.2% (3.5 million votes)
- Socialist — Eugene Debs — 6.0% (900,000 votes)
Which of the following statements is supported by the data in the above table?
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Question 29 of 34
29. Question
The following excerpt is from a letter written in August 1944 by A. Leon Kubowitzki, head of the rescue program at the World Jewish Congress to the US War Department:
“I believe that destruction of gas chambers and crematoria in [Auschwitz] by bombing would have a certain effect now…[the] Germans might possibly stop further mass exterminations especially since so little time is left to them. Bombing of railway communications in this same area would also be of importance.”The second excerpt is the War Department’s response issued a few days later:
“After a study it became apparent that such an operation could be executed only by the diversion of considerable air support essential to the success of our forces now engaged in decisive operations elsewhere and would in any case be of such doubtful efficacy that it would not warrant the use of our resources.”The third excerpt comes from a report by the US consulate in Switzerland in 1942:
“Informer reported to have close connections with highest German authorities who has previously generally reliable reports says that in Fuehrer's [sic] headquarters plan under consideration to exterminate at one blow this fall three and half to four millions Jews following deportation from countries occupied, controlled by Germany and concentration in east.”What do the excerpts reveal about the role the Holocaust played in the American war effort in World War II?
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Question 30 of 34
30. Question
The following excerpt is a quote by President Theodore Roosevelt:
“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is. I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”What attitude did President Roosevelt have towards preservation efforts?
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Question 31 of 34
31. Question
The following quote is an excerpt from President James K Polk’s inaugural address in 1848:
“Under the benignant providence of Almighty God the representatives of the States and of the people are again brought together to deliberate for the public good.”The US House of Representatives possesses which of the following powers?
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Question 32 of 34
32. Question
The following is an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, written in 1776:
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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 above passage incorporates which of the following concepts?
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Question 33 of 34
33. Question
The following excerpt is from a letter written in 1846 by William Dunne in Ireland to his nephew John Curtis, who had immigrated to America:
“I was and am very glad to here how well you have got on in America I think it was A good job that your father Mother and family went the time they did for there is nothing here but hardship and starvation… I suppose you have herd of it there was not one steme of potatoes in my house this three months it is very seldome that there does one come to market at all and what comes in not worth buying they cant be eat… Everyday went for the poor and bad wages the people are starving in the west of Ireland and turning out for something to eat we think that there will be a rebellion if there is not something done.”How did historical events in the 1840s influence Irish immigration to the United States?
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Question 34 of 34
34. Question
The following excerpt is from a speech by U.S. Senator Daniel Webster expressing opposition to a veto by President Andrew Jackson in 1832:
“Mr. President, no one will deny the high importance of the subject now before us. Congress, after full deliberation and discussion, has passed a bill, by decisive majorities, in both houses, for extending the duration of the Bank of the United States. It has not adopted this measure until its attention had been called to the subject, in three successive annual messages of the President. The bill having been thus passed by both houses, and having been duly presented to the President, instead of signing and approving it, he has returned it with objections.”It takes a majority of _____ in both chambers of Congress to override a presidential veto.
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