GED Social Studies Practice Test 5

Article V of the U.S. Constitution (1787) explains how the Constitution can be changed. The excerpt below is the first part of the article.

(1) "The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress …"

(2) Editor's note: Today there are 50 states. All 27 amendments adopted so far were proposed by Congress; no convention called by the states has ever proposed one. Twenty-six amendments were ratified by state legislatures, and one (the Twenty-first) was ratified by state conventions.

(1) When the Civil War ended in 1865, the nation faced hard questions. How would the Southern states return to the Union? What rights would nearly four million freedpeople have? In March 1865, Congress created the Freedmen's Bureau to provide food, medical care and schools, and to help freedpeople bargain for fair labor contracts.

(2) President Andrew Johnson favored a quick and lenient return for the South. Under his plan, Southern states formed new governments in 1865. Many of these governments soon passed Black Codes, laws that limited freedpeople's ability to rent or own land, travel freely and choose their work.

(3) Many members of Congress, led by the Radical Republicans, believed Johnson's approach threw away what the war had won. In 1866, Congress passed a Civil Rights Act over Johnson's veto. The law declared freedpeople to be citizens with an equal right to make contracts and own property. Congress then proposed the Fourteenth Amendment to place these protections in the Constitution itself, where a later Congress could not simply repeal them.

(4) In 1867, Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts. They divided ten Southern states into five military districts. Each state had to write a new state constitution that allowed Black men to vote, and each had to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment before its members could take their seats in Congress again. Black men voted in large numbers, and hundreds were elected to state legislatures; some were elected to Congress.

(5) Over time, Northern support for Reconstruction weakened. Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan used violence to keep Black citizens from voting. After a disputed presidential election in 1876, the last federal troops were withdrawn from Southern state capitals in 1877, and Reconstruction ended. Within a generation, Southern states used poll taxes, literacy tests and other laws to take the vote away from most Black citizens.

The Fourteenth Amendment was proposed by Congress in 1866 and ratified in 1868. Section 1 is below.

(1) "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

(2) Editor's note: Before the Civil War, in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), the Supreme Court ruled that Black Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be citizens of the United States. After the war, several Southern states passed "Black Codes" that limited what freedpeople could do, such as where they could work and whether they could own property.

The Fourteenth Amendment was proposed by Congress in 1866 and ratified in 1868. Section 1 is below.

(1) "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

(2) Editor's note: Before the Civil War, in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), the Supreme Court ruled that Black Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be citizens of the United States. After the war, several Southern states passed "Black Codes" that limited what freedpeople could do, such as where they could work and whether they could own property.

Delmark is a fictional country. A government has a budget deficit when it spends more than it collects in revenue during a year; the deficit is spending minus revenue. In 2020, Delmark had a recession: production fell and many people lost their jobs.

In early 1947, Great Britain told the United States that it could no longer afford to support the governments of Greece and Turkey. Greece's government was fighting an armed uprising led largely by Communists, and Turkey faced pressure from the Soviet Union. On March 12, 1947, President Harry S. Truman asked Congress for $400 million in aid for the two countries. The excerpts below come from that speech.

(1) "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes."

(2) "The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grow in the evil soil of poverty and strife. They reach their full growth when the hope of a people for a better life has died."

In early 1947, Great Britain told the United States that it could no longer afford to support the governments of Greece and Turkey. Greece's government was fighting an armed uprising led largely by Communists, and Turkey faced pressure from the Soviet Union. On March 12, 1947, President Harry S. Truman asked Congress for $400 million in aid for the two countries. The excerpts below come from that speech.

(1) "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes."

(2) "The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grow in the evil soil of poverty and strife. They reach their full growth when the hope of a people for a better life has died."

In Marbury v. Madison (1803), the Supreme Court decided for the first time that a part of a law passed by Congress conflicted with the Constitution. Chief Justice John Marshall wrote the opinion. In his day, the word "repugnant" meant "in conflict with."

(1) "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. …"

(2) "… Thus, the particular phraseology of the constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written constitutions, that a law repugnant to the constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument."

(3) Editor's note: A Supreme Court ruling about what the Constitution means is not always the final word. In Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. (1895), the Court ruled that the federal income tax law of 1894 was unconstitutional. Congress responded by proposing the Sixteenth Amendment, which gave Congress clear power to tax incomes. The states ratified it in 1913.

In Marbury v. Madison (1803), the Supreme Court decided for the first time that a part of a law passed by Congress conflicted with the Constitution. Chief Justice John Marshall wrote the opinion. In his day, the word "repugnant" meant "in conflict with."

(1) "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. …"

(2) "… Thus, the particular phraseology of the constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written constitutions, that a law repugnant to the constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument."

(3) Editor's note: A Supreme Court ruling about what the Constitution means is not always the final word. In Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. (1895), the Court ruled that the federal income tax law of 1894 was unconstitutional. Congress responded by proposing the Sixteenth Amendment, which gave Congress clear power to tax incomes. The states ratified it in 1913.

(1) In 1880, the fictional nations of Arland and Bessary signed a treaty that set their border. In the west, the border follows the crest of the Kell Mountains. In the middle, it follows "the main channel of the Tamsa River." In the east, across a dry plain where few people live, the negotiators simply drew a straight line along latitude 31° north.

(2) In 1952, a great flood cut a new, straight channel for the Tamsa. The old loop to the south dried up. Lessa Bend, the farming area around the town of Orin, had always been on the Arland side of the river. Now it lies south of the river's main channel. Arland says the border is still where the 1880 channel ran. Bessary says the border moved with the river.

(3) Disputes like this are not only imaginary. After the Rio Grande changed course in the 1800s, the United States and Mexico disagreed for about a century over a tract of land near El Paso, Texas, known as the Chamizal. The two countries settled the dispute by treaty in 1963.

The Harbor Party and the Ridge Party are fictional. After each census, many state legislatures redraw the lines of election districts. In this fictional state, each of the 60 house districts elects one representative. Only these two parties ran candidates, and both parties ran a candidate in every district in every election shown. The chart compares the Harbor Party's share of all votes cast statewide for house candidates with its share of the 60 seats.

Delmark is a fictional country. Its central bank sets a policy interest rate that influences the interest rates banks charge for loans throughout the economy. The chart and the table beneath it show the same data.

In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana law that required separate railroad cars for Black and white passengers. Homer Plessy had argued that the law violated the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection of the laws. Fifty-eight years later, in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Court considered state laws that separated children in public schools by race.

(1) Source 1 — Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), majority opinion: "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. If this be so, it is not by reason of anything found in the act, but solely because the colored race chooses to put that construction upon it."

(2) Source 2 — Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), dissent of Justice John Marshall Harlan: "But in view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law."

(3) Source 3 — Brown v. Board of Education (1954), unanimous opinion: "To separate them 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 ever to 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."

In Source 3, "them" refers to children in grade schools and high schools.

In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana law that required separate railroad cars for Black and white passengers. Homer Plessy had argued that the law violated the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection of the laws. Fifty-eight years later, in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Court considered state laws that separated children in public schools by race.

(1) Source 1 — Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), majority opinion: "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. If this be so, it is not by reason of anything found in the act, but solely because the colored race chooses to put that construction upon it."

(2) Source 2 — Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), dissent of Justice John Marshall Harlan: "But in view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law."

(3) Source 3 — Brown v. Board of Education (1954), unanimous opinion: "To separate them 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 ever to 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."

In Source 3, "them" refers to children in grade schools and high schools.

(1) Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the power "To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;" Naturalization is the legal process by which a person born in another country becomes a U.S. citizen.

(2) Because the rule must be "uniform," the same requirements apply in every state, and a person who becomes a citizen is a citizen everywhere in the country. Over time, Congress has also passed laws deciding who may enter the country, who may stay and who may be removed. Federal agencies enforce those laws.

(3) States still make many decisions that affect immigrants who live within their borders, such as rules for driver's licenses, professional licenses and in-state college tuition. Some states have also passed their own laws about immigration enforcement.

(4) Conflicts can arise when a state law overlaps with federal law. Under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause (Article VI), valid federal laws override state laws that conflict with them. In Arizona v. United States (2012), the Supreme Court struck down three parts of a 2010 Arizona immigration law, ruling that federal law took priority in those areas. The Court allowed a fourth part, which required police in some situations to check the immigration status of people they stopped, to take effect, while leaving the door open to future challenges to how it was applied.

(1) Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the power "To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;" Naturalization is the legal process by which a person born in another country becomes a U.S. citizen.

(2) Because the rule must be "uniform," the same requirements apply in every state, and a person who becomes a citizen is a citizen everywhere in the country. Over time, Congress has also passed laws deciding who may enter the country, who may stay and who may be removed. Federal agencies enforce those laws.

(3) States still make many decisions that affect immigrants who live within their borders, such as rules for driver's licenses, professional licenses and in-state college tuition. Some states have also passed their own laws about immigration enforcement.

(4) Conflicts can arise when a state law overlaps with federal law. Under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause (Article VI), valid federal laws override state laws that conflict with them. In Arizona v. United States (2012), the Supreme Court struck down three parts of a 2010 Arizona immigration law, ruling that federal law took priority in those areas. The Court allowed a fourth part, which required police in some situations to check the immigration status of people they stopped, to take effect, while leaving the door open to future challenges to how it was applied.

Port Selva is a fictional city. A survey asked adults who moved there in 2023 to choose the one main reason they moved. Two of the people surveyed, also fictional, described their moves.

(1) Tomas, 34: "I grew up on a farm in the Arro Valley. Three dry years in a row ruined our crops. My cousin had a job at the port and told me the shipyard was hiring, so I came."

(2) Mira, 27: "Fighting between armed groups closed my school in Vesk and made the roads unsafe. I chose Port Selva because my older sister already lived here."

Both writers are fictional. The U.S. Constitution does not currently require the federal government to balance its budget.

Writer A, a budget analyst

(1) When the federal government spends more than it collects, it borrows the difference, and the national debt grows. Interest payments on that debt now compete with spending on roads, schools and defense.

(2) Nearly every state must balance its budget each year. Families must live within their means, and the federal government should, too. A constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget would force Congress to make hard choices now instead of passing the bill to our children.

(3) Such an amendment could include sensible exceptions, for example during a declared war or when three-fifths of both houses of Congress vote to allow a deficit.

Writer B, an economics professor

(4) Rules that sound sensible for a family can harm a nation. In a recession, tax revenue falls as incomes drop, while spending on programs such as unemployment benefits rises. A strict balanced-budget rule would then force Congress to raise taxes or cut spending in the middle of a downturn, just when households and businesses are already spending less. That could make the recession deeper and longer.

(5) States can balance their budgets partly because the federal government helps them in hard times. No one stands behind the federal government in the same way.

(6) Instead of a rigid amendment, Congress should set debt targets that it can adjust as conditions change. Decisions about borrowing belong with elected representatives, who answer to voters, not with a rule that is extremely hard to change.

Both writers are fictional. The U.S. Constitution does not currently require the federal government to balance its budget.

Writer A, a budget analyst

(1) When the federal government spends more than it collects, it borrows the difference, and the national debt grows. Interest payments on that debt now compete with spending on roads, schools and defense.

(2) Nearly every state must balance its budget each year. Families must live within their means, and the federal government should, too. A constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget would force Congress to make hard choices now instead of passing the bill to our children.

(3) Such an amendment could include sensible exceptions, for example during a declared war or when three-fifths of both houses of Congress vote to allow a deficit.

Writer B, an economics professor

(4) Rules that sound sensible for a family can harm a nation. In a recession, tax revenue falls as incomes drop, while spending on programs such as unemployment benefits rises. A strict balanced-budget rule would then force Congress to raise taxes or cut spending in the middle of a downturn, just when households and businesses are already spending less. That could make the recession deeper and longer.

(5) States can balance their budgets partly because the federal government helps them in hard times. No one stands behind the federal government in the same way.

(6) Instead of a rigid amendment, Congress should set debt targets that it can adjust as conditions change. Decisions about borrowing belong with elected representatives, who answer to voters, not with a rule that is extremely hard to change.

(1) Between about 1910 and 1970, roughly six million Black Americans left the rural South for cities in the North, the Midwest and the West. Historians call this movement the Great Migration.

(2) Many people left to escape conditions in the South. Jim Crow laws enforced segregation, and poll taxes and literacy tests kept most Black citizens from voting. Lynchings and other violence often went unpunished. Many Black families worked as sharecroppers and were trapped in debt. In the 1910s and 1920s, the boll weevil, an insect pest, destroyed cotton crops across the region.

(3) Other forces drew people north. After World War I began in 1914, immigration from Europe dropped sharply, and factories that were filling wartime orders needed workers. Labor recruiters and Black newspapers such as the Chicago Defender spread word of jobs in cities like Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Letters from relatives who had already moved encouraged others to follow.

(4) Life in Northern cities was not free of discrimination. Many migrants faced segregated housing and lower pay than white workers. Still, they built strong communities, and their growing numbers in Northern cities gave Black voters new political influence.