
STAAR Social Studies Grade 8 (2024) - Past Paper
Quiz by TEKS Social Studies Grade 8
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This table shows population changes in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century.
Which factor BEST explains the trend shown in the table?

Which characteristics are associated with the American Revolution era and which are associated with the Civil War era?
Move each characteristic to the correct era.
How did the U.S. government encourage the free-enterprise system in the early 1800s?
This excerpt was published by a department of the U.S. government.
Based on the excerpt, which statement describes the administration of President Jackson?

Which statement BEST explains why Germans migrated out of their country?
This excerpt is from a newspaper published by Frederick Douglass.
Part A:Â Based on the excerpt, how did Frederick Douglass use The North Star?

​This excerpt is from a newspaper published by Frederick Douglass.
Part B:Â Which phrase from the excerpt provides evidence for the answer to Part A?

Which principle was established by the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison?
This list shows requirements that were written into certain laws in Southern states after the Reconstruction Era.
Which aspect of society was affected by these requirements?

This painting is by Albert Bierstadt, who is associated with the Hudson River School.
How did artists who produced works such as this reflect changes in U.S. society during the nineteenth century?

How did the First Amendment protection of religious freedom affect U.S. society in the early history of the country?
This excerpt describes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Which result shows how the amendment described in this excerpt “appeared to signify the fulfillment of all promises to African Americans”?

This map shows part of the United States.
Which number on the map represents the site of the Battle of Gettysburg and President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address?

Which issue was a factor in the formation of the Federalist Party during the early republic era?
This excerpt is from a presidential address.
Which statement describes the impact of this presidential address?

This table shows population data from the 1800s.
Based on the table and your knowledge of U.S. history, which statement explains the population trends shown in the table?

Which requirement is expected of an immigrant after becoming a U.S. citizen?
This excerpt describes a system of government used in Virginia during the 1600s.
Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of U.S. history, how did the House of Burgesses contribute to the democratic tradition of the United States?
Move the correct answer to each box in the chart.

Which issue led to the creation of the nativist Know-Nothing Party in the 1850s?
This diagram shows a political idea that John Locke wrote about during the seventeenth century.
Which right completes the diagram?

How did the geography of New England affect its economic activities?
This excerpt describes an action taken by General George Washington in New York in 1776.
Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of U.S. history, how was General Washington able to save the Continental Army?

Which effect did the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo have on the United States?
This list describes an event from early U.S. history.
The Louisiana Purchase of 1803
Why was this 1803 event significant to the U.S. government?

Which views were argued by either Alexander Hamilton or Thomas Jefferson while debating the establishment of a national bank?
Move the correct answer to each box in the chart.
This excerpt is from a state law enacted in the late 1700s.
Why was the passage of this law significant?

Which action highlights an accomplishment of the Reconstruction Era Freedmen’s Bureau?
This graph shows immigration to the United States in the mid-nineteenth century.
What was one effect of the trend shown on this graph on the U.S. economy?

Which examples reflect the constitutional principles of either limited government, separation of powers, or federalism?
Move the correct answer to each box in the table.
This excerpt is from the U.S. Constitution.
How did the Three-Fifths Compromise support slavery?

Why was there significant opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act?
This excerpt is from a presidential speech given in 1863.
Part A:Â How does President Lincoln define the reason for the conflict?

Part B:Â Which evidence from the excerpt supports the answer to Part A?

Which reason supports why France established North American colonies in the 1600s?
This list details some provisions of the English Bill of Rights from 1689.
Which principle in the U.S. Constitution is MOST closely related to the rights in this list?

This map provides information about U.S. boundaries in the 1840s.
In 1846 the United States and Great Britain negotiated the boundary of the disputed territory shown in this map. Which factor made the negotiations more challenging?

This cartoon shows a popular economic belief in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Which events in U.S. history are directly associated with this cartoon? Select either of the TWO correct answers.

How did the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford affect the lives of free and enslaved African Americans?
This excerpt is from an important document in U.S. history.
Why did the U.S. government encourage education as part of the Northwest Ordinance?

Which statement explains how demand for cotton as a cash crop MOSTÂ affected the Southern United States?