GED Social Studies Practice Test 1

Evidence: The Preamble says that "We the People of the United States … do ordain and establish this Constitution." In other words, the people themselves create the government.

Step by step:

1. The subject of the sentence is "We the People." The verb is "do ordain and establish."
2. So the authority to create the Constitution comes from the people, not from a king, an army or the state governments acting alone.
3. The idea that a government's power comes from the people it governs is called popular sovereignty.
4. The other choices are real principles, but the opening words do not describe them: they say nothing about dividing power among branches, courts reviewing laws, or splitting power between nation and states.

The correct answer is popular sovereignty: the government's power comes from the people.

Tip: When a question asks about "We the People," "consent of the governed" or elections, think popular sovereignty.

Evidence from the chart: Presidential-year turnout was 61% (2016), 66% (2020) and 63% (2024). The highest turnout in any other year was 46% (2022 midterm).

Step by step:

1. Compare the lowest presidential year (61%) with the highest non-presidential year (46%). Since 61% > 46%, every presidential year beat every other year.
2. Check "rose every year": 2016 = 61% but 2017 = 21%, so turnout did not rise every year. Eliminate.
3. "Voters think local elections are less important" is an opinion about why people did not vote. The chart shows how many voted, not their reasons. Eliminate.
4. "A new voting law" is never mentioned. The chart cannot show a cause that is not in it. Eliminate.

The correct answer is turnout was higher in every presidential election year than in any year without a presidential race.

Tip: A supported conclusion summarizes a pattern in the data. Be wary of answers that explain why something happened unless the stimulus gives the reason.

Evidence: Paragraph 1 says: "Congress could not collect taxes; it could only ask the states for money, and the states often paid little or nothing." Paragraph 2 adds: "The national government could not pay the debts left over from the Revolutionary War."

Step by step:

1. The question asks about paying debts, which is a problem of money.
2. The only weakness in the choices that deals with money is Congress's inability to tax. Without taxes, it depended on states that "often paid little or nothing."
3. The other three choices are real weaknesses described in paragraph 1, but none of them explains a shortage of money: one vote per state, no national courts, and the unanimous-amendment rule are about voting, justice and changing the rules.

The correct answer is Congress could not collect taxes and had to request money from the states.

Tip: On cause-and-effect questions, several answers may be true. Choose the one that is connected to the specific effect in the question.

Evidence: Paragraph 3 says the Great Compromise created two houses: "In the House of Representatives, seats would be based on each state's population. In the Senate, every state would have two senators."

Step by step:

1. The compromise had two parts: population-based seats in the House (what large states wanted) and equal seats in the Senate (what small states wanted).
2. A state with many people, such as California, has many House members; a state with few people, such as Wyoming, has very few. But each has exactly two senators. That is the Great Compromise at work.
3. Senators' six-year terms and the veto override are real features of the Constitution, but paragraph 3 does not connect them to the dispute over representation.
4. "Each state casts one vote in Congress" describes the old Articles of Confederation (paragraph 1), which the compromise replaced.

The correct answer is a state with a large population has more House members than a small state, but both have two senators.

Tip: Remember the Great Compromise as "House = population, Senate = equal." Questions about why large and small states are treated differently in Congress usually point back to it.

Evidence from the table: The footnote says that during the grace period, "if the full statement balance is paid by the due date, no interest is charged on new purchases." Card A's annual fee is $0; Card B's annual fee is $60.

Step by step:

1. Maria will pay in full every month, so she will pay no interest on either card. The APR (24% or 18%) does not matter for her.
2. Both cards have the same late fee ($40), and she pays on time, so late fees do not matter either.
3. The only cost left is the annual fee: $0 for Card A versus $60 for Card B.
4. Card A costs her $60 less per year.

The correct answer is Card A, because she will owe no interest and Card A has no annual fee.

Tip: The best credit card depends on how you use it. People who pay in full should focus on fees; people who carry a balance should focus on the APR.

Evidence from the map: The Northern Plains label says "Wheat farming; rainfall down 30% since 2010." The other facts on the map describe other regions.

Step by step:

1. A push factor is a condition that drives people away from where they live.
2. Wheat farming depends on rain. A 30% drop in rainfall would hurt harvests and farm jobs, giving people a reason to leave. This is an environmental push factor.
3. New port and factory jobs are in the Capital Coast. They are a pull factor attracting people to that region, not a problem in the Northern Plains.
4. River irrigation is a feature of the Eastern Valley, another pull factor for farmers who moved there.
5. Closing coal mines are in the Central Hills, not the Northern Plains.

The correct answer is declining rainfall in a wheat-farming region.

Tip: Match each fact to the right place before you classify it. A detail can be true on the map and still belong to the wrong region.

Evidence from the map: The caption says "The Tamar River forms the border with the neighboring country of Rusen," and the map draws the eastern border along the winding river.

Step by step:

1. A physical (natural) boundary follows a feature of the land or water, such as a river, mountain range or lake.
2. Because the border follows the Tamar River, it is a physical boundary.
3. A geometric boundary is a straight line drawn by surveyors, often along latitude or longitude. This border winds with the river, so it is not geometric.
4. A cultural boundary separates groups by language or religion. The map gives no information about language or religion.
5. The map does not show any dispute or conflict over the border.

The correct answer is a physical boundary that follows a natural feature.

Tip: Rivers and mountains often became borders because they were easy to identify and hard to cross. When a border wiggles on a map, check whether it follows a river.

Evidence: Source 1 says senators are "chosen by the Legislature thereof" (by the state legislature). Source 2 says senators are "elected by the people thereof" (by the voters of the state).

Step by step:

1. Both sources say "two Senators from each State," so the number did not change.
2. Both say "for six Years," so the term length did not change.
3. Both say "each Senator shall have one Vote," so senators' voting power did not change.
4. The only difference is who chooses the senators: state legislatures before 1913, the people afterward.

The correct answer is senators are now elected directly by the voters of each state instead of by state legislatures.

Tip: When two documents are nearly identical, the question is almost always about the few words that differ. Compare them phrase by phrase.

Evidence: Before the amendment, senators were "chosen by the Legislature" of each state (Source 1). After it, they were "elected by the people thereof" (Source 2).

Step by step:

1. Who lost a role? State legislatures, which no longer pick senators.
2. Who gained a role? Ordinary citizens, who now vote for senators directly. This strengthens popular sovereignty, the idea that power comes from the people.
3. Check the other choices:
   • Small and large states still have two senators each, so the balance between them did not change.
   • The selection did not move "from the federal government to the states." It moved from state legislatures to voters, and the original system was already run by the states.
   • The House of Representatives plays no part in choosing senators in either source.

The correct answer is it reduced the role of state legislatures and gave voters a direct voice in choosing senators.

Tip: For "balance of power" questions, name the winner and the loser before you look at the choices. Then pick the choice that matches both.

Evidence: Source 1 says that "religion, morality, and knowledge" are "necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind," and therefore "schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."

Step by step:

1. The sentence gives a reason (knowledge is necessary to good government) and a result (education should be encouraged).
2. So Congress linked education to good government: an educated public helps self-government work.
3. "Encouraged" is not "required." The text does not make religion mandatory or say the national government must run every school.
4. Nothing in the text limits education to the wealthy; "forever be encouraged" suggests broad support.

The correct answer is education would help support good government in the new territory.

Tip: Watch for answer choices that turn a mild word (encouraged) into a strong one (required, must). On the GED, the strength of the claim must match the source.

Evidence: Source 2 bans slavery "in the said territory" (only the Northwest Territory), "otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted." Source 3 bans slavery "within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction," "except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted."

Step by step:

1. Where: Source 2 covers one territory. Source 3 covers the entire United States. So the amendment widened the ban.
2. Exception: Both contain nearly identical wording allowing forced labor as punishment for a person convicted of a crime. So the statement that the amendment "makes no exceptions" is false.
3. The Ordinance did not ban slavery in all states; it applied only to "the said territory."
4. The amendment did not allow slavery in territories; it bans it in "any place subject to their jurisdiction."

The correct answer is both ban slavery except as punishment for a crime, but the amendment applies the ban to the whole nation rather than one territory.

Tip: When two documents share wording, look for the small phrases that change their scope (where or to whom they apply). Later documents often borrow language from earlier ones and extend it.

Evidence: Paragraph 2 says: "If you move to a new address, even within the same county or city, or if you change your name, you must update your registration."

Step by step:

1. The two triggers for an update are (a) moving to a new address and (b) changing your name.
2. A voter who moved across town has a new address. The phrase "even within the same county or city" means a short move still counts.
3. Turning a year older does not change a registration. Neither does choosing early voting or having voted by mail before.
4. Paragraph 2 also says, "You do not need to re-register if your address and name have stayed the same."

The correct answer is a voter who moved to a new apartment across town since the last election.

Tip: Keeping your registration up to date is a civic responsibility. On detail questions, find the exact rule in the text and match it to the situation.

Evidence: Paragraph 3 says that when egg prices rose, "some switched to other breakfast foods, such as oatmeal or yogurt."

Step by step:

1. Oatmeal and yogurt can be eaten instead of eggs at breakfast. Goods that can replace each other are called substitutes.
2. When the price of one good rises, buyers often switch to its substitutes. That is exactly what the shoppers did.
3. Complements are goods used together (eggs and bacon, cars and gasoline). The shoppers were not buying oatmeal with eggs; they were buying it instead of eggs.
4. A price floor is a legal minimum price set by government; no law is mentioned.
5. A surplus happens when more is supplied than buyers want; here eggs became scarce, the opposite of a surplus.

The correct answer is buying substitute goods when the price of a product rises.

Tip: Substitutes = "instead of." Complements = "together with." When one good's price rises, people buy more of its substitutes and less of its complements.

Evidence from the table: Aldon has 12,600,000 people and 18 House seats, so 18 + 2 = 20 electoral votes. Dunmore has 600,000 people and 1 House seat, so 1 + 2 = 3 electoral votes.

Step by step:

1. People per electoral vote in Aldon: 12{,}600{,}000 \div 20 = 630{,}000.
2. People per electoral vote in Dunmore: 600{,}000 \div 3 = 200{,}000.
3. So one electoral vote in Dunmore stands for far fewer people than one in Aldon. The two "extra" votes for senators give small states a bigger share relative to their population.
4. Check the others:
   • Dunmore has 3 electoral votes and Aldon has 20, so Dunmore does not have more total influence.
   • House seats are not equal: they range from 1 to 18.
   • Aldon has 21 times Dunmore's population (12{,}600{,}000 \div 600{,}000 = 21) but only about 6.7 times as many electoral votes (20 \div 3 \approx 6.7), not 21 times.

The correct answer is one electoral vote in Dunmore represents fewer people than one electoral vote in Aldon.

Tip: "Per person" or "per capita" comparisons require division. A small state can have fewer total votes yet more votes per person.

Evidence: Paragraph 3 says a school "may limit student expression when it would substantially disrupt school activities or invade the rights of others," but "may not ban expression simply because officials want to avoid the discomfort of an unpopular viewpoint."

Step by step:

1. Apply the test to each choice: Is there a substantial disruption or an invasion of others' rights?
2. Students who block hallways and stop classes clearly disrupt school activities. Disciplining them would most likely be allowed.
3. A peaceful T-shirt, a quiet button and a letter written off campus cause no disruption. Banning them would look like avoiding "an unpopular viewpoint," which the Court rejected.

The correct answer is disciplining students whose protest blocked hallways and kept classes from meeting.

Note: The ruling protects the message but not every manner of expressing it. Students may protest, but not in a way that stops the school from functioning.

Tip: When a question asks you to apply a court ruling, restate the ruling as a simple test, then run each choice through it.

Evidence from the graph: Grocery prices: 100, 102, 107, 116, 121, 124 (2019–2024). Wages: 100, 104, 107, 111, 116, 120.

Step by step:

1. Purchasing power is how much a paycheck can buy. It falls when prices grow faster than wages.
2. 2021 → 2022: prices rose 116 - 107 = 9 points; wages rose 111 - 107 = 4 points. Prices outpaced wages, so purchasing power fell. ✔
3. 2019 → 2020: wages (104) rose more than prices (102), so purchasing power rose. Eliminate.
4. By 2024: wages are at 120 and prices at 124. Wages have not grown more than prices since 2019. Eliminate.
5. In 2021, both indexes equal 107. That means both had grown 7% since 2019. It does not mean prices stopped rising: prices rose from 102 to 107 that year. Eliminate.

The correct answer is from 2021 to 2022, prices rose faster than wages, so purchasing power fell.

Tip: With index numbers, equal values mean equal growth since the base year, not zero change. Always compare the change over the period the question names.

Evidence: The introduction says Paine "argued … that the American colonies should declare independence." Excerpt 2 connects the American "cause" to "all mankind."

Step by step:

1. Paine's purpose was to persuade colonists to support independence.
2. By calling America's cause "the cause of all mankind," he presents the fight as important for people everywhere, not just a local quarrel over taxes. That makes the cause seem more worthy of sacrifice.
3. He does not call for America to conquer other nations; "cause" here means a goal or principle, not a military campaign.
4. He does not say all people already enjoy freedom. If they did, the cause would not need fighting for.
5. Seeking compromise with Britain is the opposite of Paine's argument for independence.

The correct answer is persuade colonists that their struggle for independence mattered to people everywhere.

Tip: For "author's purpose" questions about primary sources, start with what the introduction tells you about who wrote it and why. Choices that contradict that purpose can be eliminated quickly.

Evidence: Paragraph 4 says: "Our city clerk estimates that creating and maintaining a separate voter list for city-only elections would cost about $40,000 per year."

Step by step:

1. A fact is a statement that can be checked. Anyone can confirm that the clerk made this estimate and review the numbers behind it.
2. "16-year-olds are not yet mature enough" is introduced with "I believe." It is a judgment. People reasonably disagree about it.
3. "The council should focus on more urgent problems" uses should and "in my view," so it is a recommendation, which is an opinion.
4. "Most still depend on their parents and may simply vote the way their families tell them to" combines an observation with a prediction about how teens may behave, which cannot be proved; it supports the speaker's opinion.

The correct answer is the city clerk's estimate that a separate voter list would cost about $40,000 per year.

Tip: Signal words such as I believe, should, best and in my view usually mark opinions. Numbers, dates and named sources usually mark facts, though you should still check whether they can be verified.

Evidence: In paragraph 2, Council Member A claims that "voting is a habit" and that letting 16-year-olds vote in local elections "would build lifelong voters."

Step by step:

1. A's claim is about the long-term effect of voting early: people who start voting young keep voting.
2. The strongest evidence would show that, in places that allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to vote, those young voters actually turned out and kept voting later. That directly tests A's claim.
3. Phone ownership says nothing about voting habits. It is irrelevant.
4. Data on teen driving accidents relates to maturity in a different activity. If anything, it might be used by Council Member B, not A.
5. Low turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds shows a problem exists, but it does not show that lowering the voting age would solve it. It is weaker than direct evidence about 16- and 17-year-old voters.

The correct answer is a study showing that in cities that lowered the voting age, 16- and 17-year-olds voted at rates similar to or higher than older first-time voters and kept voting later.

Tip: To strengthen an argument, find evidence that matches the exact claim. Evidence that is merely on the same topic, or that only shows a problem exists, is weaker.

Evidence: Paragraph 3 says: "These laws generally do not tell lenders what interest rate to charge. Instead, they require lenders to share clear information so that consumers can make their own choices."

Step by step:

1. Paragraph 1: the Truth in Lending Act requires lenders to disclose the APR and finance charge "in writing."
2. Paragraph 2: the Credit CARD Act requires advance notice of changes and payoff information on statements.
3. Both are disclosure rules: they make lenders share information.
4. A national maximum interest rate is ruled out by paragraph 3: the laws "generally do not tell lenders what interest rate to charge."
5. Nothing says the government lends money directly or bans credit cards for young people.

The correct answer is requiring lenders to disclose clear, comparable information so consumers can make informed choices.

Tip: Many consumer-protection laws work through disclosure, not price controls. Knowing the APR lets you compare loans, which is exactly the skill you used on the credit card table earlier in this test.

Evidence: Paragraph 2 says nearly 700,000 people were enslaved and "had been brought to the Americas by force," while many people of European descent "had chosen to immigrate in search of land and opportunity."

Step by step:

1. The passage describes two very different kinds of migration: forced migration of enslaved Africans and voluntary immigration from Europe. Both shaped the population. ✔
2. "Every person living within the nation's borders" is contradicted by paragraph 3: "American Indians living in their own nations were not included."
3. "Enslaved people were fully counted when House seats were assigned" is contradicted by the Three-Fifths Clause in paragraph 3.
4. Nothing in the passage says most people lived in cities. The marshals' travel on horseback and on foot hints at a spread-out, mostly rural population.

The correct answer is the population was shaped by both voluntary immigration from Europe and the forced migration of enslaved Africans.

Tip: A "best supported" conclusion must be backed by the text and must not be contradicted anywhere else in it. Read to the end of the passage before you decide.

Evidence: Paragraph 3 says that in the Roman Republic, "citizens elected officials to govern for them." Paragraph 4 says the founders "preferred a republic, in which citizens elect representatives to make laws."

Step by step:

1. The U.S. system, in which voters elect members of Congress who make laws, matches the Roman model of representation.
2. "Citizens vote directly on every law" describes the Athenian Assembly (paragraph 2), which is direct democracy, not a republic.
3. "Officials chosen by drawing lots" also describes Athens (paragraph 2).
4. "A single ruler who holds all executive power" is the opposite of Rome's two consuls, who "shared executive power so that neither could rule alone."

The correct answer is citizens elect representatives who make laws on their behalf.

Tip: Direct democracy = people vote on laws themselves (Athens). Republic / representative democracy = people elect others to make laws (Rome, the United States).