AP U.S. History (APUSH) practice questions and exam guide

Japanese American internment (Executive Order 9066, 1942) involved:

1. Voluntary relocation programs
2. The forced relocation and incarceration of ~120,000 Japanese Americans (most U.S. citizens) on the West Coast during WWII
3. Internment only of Japanese nationals, not American citizens
4. Relocation only after individual convictions for espionage

Answer: B — The forced relocation and incarceration of ~120,000 Japanese Americans (most U.S. citizens) on the West Coast during WWII

B) Upheld by Korematsu (1944); formal apology and reparations came via the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. A) Relocation was forced. C) Most internees were U.S. citizens. D) No convictions required.

Lyndon Johnson's Great Society included which set of programs?

1. Tax cuts, military buildup, and deregulation
2. Repeal of Social Security and the New Deal
3. Medicare, Medicaid, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the War on Poverty
4. Privatization of public universities

Answer: C — Medicare, Medicaid, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the War on Poverty

C) Most ambitious domestic agenda since the New Deal. A) Confuses with Reagan. B/D) Reverse LBJ's expansion of federal programs.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820:

1. Abolished slavery in all U.S. territories
2. Was passed in response to the Mexican-American War
3. Established popular sovereignty in all new territories
4. Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, banning slavery north of 36°30′ in the Louisiana Purchase

Answer: D — Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, banning slavery north of 36°30′ in the Louisiana Purchase

D) Standard formula. A) Slavery persisted in the South and elsewhere. C) Popular sovereignty was a later (1850s) doctrine. B) The Mexican-American War (1846–48) came later.

The French and Indian War (1754–1763) had which most consequential outcome for British–colonial relations?

1. Britain abandoned its North American colonies entirely after the war
2. The colonies gained the right to elect representatives to Parliament
3. Massive British war debt prompted new colonial taxes that fueled resistance
4. France retained Canada in the peace settlement

Answer: C — Massive British war debt prompted new colonial taxes that fueled resistance

C) The Treaty of Paris (1763) gave Britain massive territory but doubled the national debt; Parliament passed the Sugar Act (1764), Stamp Act (1765), Townshend Acts (1767) to recoup. A) Britain expanded its colonial reach. B) Colonies got no Parliament seats. D) France ceded Canada to Britain.

The Albany Plan of Union (1754) proposed by Benjamin Franklin was:

1. A formal plan for the colonies to declare independence from Britain
2. A declaration of war issued jointly by the colonial assemblies
3. A trade agreement establishing tariff-free commerce among the colonies
4. An early proposal for a unified colonial government to coordinate defense

Answer: D — An early proposal for a unified colonial government to coordinate defense

Albany Plan was a pre-Revolutionary attempt at colonial union. (A), (C), (B) misread.

The Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) was significant because it:

1. Was the first federal law aimed at restricting monopolistic business combinations, although it was weakly enforced until the Progressive Era
2. Immediately broke up Standard Oil and Carnegie Steel
3. Was unanimously upheld in its first ten years of enforcement
4. Established the Federal Reserve

Answer: A — Was the first federal law aimed at restricting monopolistic business combinations, although it was weakly enforced until the Progressive Era

A) Ironically used against labor unions before being applied to industrial trusts. B) Major trust-busting came under T. Roosevelt and Taft. C) Early enforcement was weak. D) The Fed came in 1913.

U.S. entry into World War II was triggered by:

1. The German invasion of Poland in 1939
2. Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and the Japanese attack on U.S. naval bases — followed by Germany's declaration of war on the U.S.
3. The fall of France in 1940
4. U.S. mediation between Germany and Britain

Answer: B — Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and the Japanese attack on U.S. naval bases — followed by Germany's declaration of war on the U.S.

B) Direct trigger; Roosevelt's 'date which will live in infamy' speech. A) The U.S. remained neutral. C) The U.S. provided Lend-Lease but did not enter. D) No such mediation occurred.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned:

1. Plessy v. Ferguson's separate but equal doctrine as applied to public schools
2. Marbury v. Madison's establishment of the Supreme Court's judicial review power
3. Dred Scott v. Sandford's denial of citizenship to Black Americans
4. Roe v. Wade's recognition of a constitutional right to abortion

Answer: A — Plessy v. Ferguson's separate but equal doctrine as applied to public schools

Brown vs. Plessy. (B), (C), (D) misread.

The primary cause of growing colonial resistance to Britain after 1763 was:

1. New British taxes and trade regulations imposed to help pay off Seven Years' War debt
2. Escalating religious persecution of colonial dissenters by the Anglican establishment
3. A full-scale British military occupation imposed on all thirteen colonies at once
4. The loss of valuable colonial territory to France following the Seven Years' War

Answer: A — New British taxes and trade regulations imposed to help pay off Seven Years' War debt

Britain emerged from the Seven Years' War (1763) heavily in debt and ended its long policy of 'salutary neglect.' Direct taxation and tighter regulation — Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act — sparked colonial protest ('No taxation without representation'), eventually pushing toward revolution.

Federalist No. 10 by James Madison argued that:

1. The Constitution should be rejected because it concentrated too much federal power
2. A monarchy was preferable to a republic
3. Direct democracy was the safest form of government
4. A large republic would best control factions by diffusing their effects across diverse interests

Answer: D — A large republic would best control factions by diffusing their effects across diverse interests

D) Madison's signature argument: extended republic mitigates factionalism. A) He urged ratification. B) He defended republicanism. C) He warned against direct democracy.

Which characterization of Reconstruction is most consistent with modern historical scholarship?

1. Reconstruction successfully achieved racial equality and was a clear success
2. Reconstruction was abandoned voluntarily by African Americans
3. Reconstruction is widely debated; it produced lasting constitutional change (13th–15th Amendments) but failed to secure long-term Black political and economic equality after 1877
4. Reconstruction was never officially attempted by the federal government

Answer: C — Reconstruction is widely debated; it produced lasting constitutional change (13th–15th Amendments) but failed to secure long-term Black political and economic equality after 1877

C) Modern scholarship (DuBois, Foner) emphasizes both transformative gains and the violent collapse after 1877. A) Common misconception — was not 'successful' by 1877. B) Black Southerners resisted Redeemer rule. D) Reconstruction was federal policy.

The Gilded Age (1870s-1900s) saw:

1. Widespread and evenly shared prosperity across every social class
2. The extension of equal legal rights to all Americans regardless of race
3. The creation of a robust federal welfare state supporting the poor
4. Massive industrial growth alongside concentrated wealth and growing inequality

Answer: D — Massive industrial growth alongside concentrated wealth and growing inequality

Mark Twain's term emphasized surface wealth + corruption underneath. (A), (C), (B) misread.

What was the Iran Hostage Crisis?

1979–81: Iranian revolutionaries held 52 Americans for 444 days; damaged Carter politically; ended on Reagan's inauguration day.

What is causation as an APUSH skill?

Identifying causes and effects of historical events; distinguishing short- from long-term causes.

What is vertical vs. horizontal integration?

Vertical: control all stages of production (Carnegie). Horizontal: buy out or merge with competitors (Rockefeller).

Why was Andrew Johnson impeached (1868)?

He violated the Tenure of Office Act by firing Edwin Stanton. Acquitted by one Senate vote.

What was the Spanish-American War (1898)?

Brief war over Cuba; U.S. defeated Spain and gained Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and influence over Cuba — emerged as a world power.

What was the Columbian Exchange?

The transatlantic transfer of plants, animals, microbes, technology, and people after 1492 — reshaped diets, populations, and economies on both sides.