GED Practice Quiz

Directions:

Choose the one best answer to each question. When you have finished the quiz, click on Submit Answers to receive feedback and results. You may also choose to e-mail your results to your instructor.

Questions 1 through 4 refer to the following information.

Below are brief descriptions of several writings and speeches that have been important in American history.
Poor Richard’s Almanac—a popular collection of adages, verse, and remarks by Benjamin Franklin published annually from 1732–1757 for the pleasure of the American colonists.
The Gettysburg Address—a moving speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the national cemetery at the Civil War battlefield site. The last sentence of the speech has become a definition of democracy.
"The New Colossus"—a poem by Emma Lazarus offering shelter and freedom to the world’s homeless, inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
The Jungle—a novel by Upton Sinclair published in 1906. Its descriptions of terrible working conditions and filthy and diseased products in the stockyards and meat-packing industry shocked the nation and spurred passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and other reform legislation.
I Have a Dream—a stirring speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, in which King called for an end to segregation and racial intolerance.


1	Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! From which of the above works was this excerpt taken?
		A)	Poor Richard’s Almanac
		B)	The Gettysburg Address
		C)	"The New Colossus"
		D)	The Jungle
		E)	I Have a Dream


2	". . . we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." From which of the above works was this excerpt taken?
		A)	Poor Richard’s Almanac
		B)	The Gettysburg Address
		C)	"The New Colossus"
		D)	The Jungle
		E)	I Have a Dream


3	"To be happy, they tell us we must be content. Right. But they do not teach how we may become content. [Now I] shall give you a short Rule for that. To be content, look backward on those who possess less than yourself, not forward on those who possess more. If this does not make you content, you don’t deserve to be happy." From which of the above works was this excerpt taken?
		A)	Poor Richard’s Almanac
		B)	The Gettysburg Address
		C)	"The New Colossus"
		D)	The Jungle
		E)	I Have a Dream


4	"There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it. . . . These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them, they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hopper together." From which of the above works was this excerpt taken?
		A)	Poor Richard’s Almanac
		B)	The Gettysburg Address
		C)	"The New Colossus"
		D)	The Jungle
		E)	I Have a Dream

Question 5 refers to the following information.

Acid rain is caused by sulfur dioxide emissions. In North America such emissions come from coal-burning utilities in the United States and smelters in Canada. Scientists believe acid rain kills trees and fish and other aquatic life; it may even melt stone.


5	Based only on the information given, which of the following offers one solution to the acid rain problem?
		A)	raise the price of coal
		B)	shut down all United States utility plants
		C)	burn coal with low sulfur content
		D)	build utility plants in the western United States
		E)	fine the Canadian government for polluting the environment

Questions 6 and 7 refer to the following cartoon.

From the San Francisco Examiner.


6	What is the cartoonist implying about the U.S. economy?
		A)	It is completely self-sufficient.
		B)	It needs more large corporations.
		C)	Its success is due in large part to the efforts of migrant workers.
		D)	It is being hurt by migrant workers.
		E)	It is experiencing a downward trend.


7	What is the most likely reason why U.S. corporations employ migrant workers?
		A)	They want to provide jobs to those who need them.
		B)	They want to improve the quality of their products.
		C)	American consumers want their products made by migrant workers.
		D)	They aren’t able to find a large enough workforce in the United States.
		E)	Migrant workers provide cheap labor.


8	In the seventeenth century, the rulers of Western Europe claimed to hold power by means of the divine right of kings. According to this view, God established kings as his rulers on Earth. A king’s subjects were required to accept his decisions just as they would accept an act directly from God. Which of the following is the most similar to the situation in seventeenth-century Western Europe?
		A)	The British monarch shares power with the Parliament and prime minister.
		B)	The president creates an agenda of business to be discussed by the Congress.
		C)	In some sports, players are not permitted to question the referees’ calls.
		D)	Most countries today have elected rulers, not hereditary monarchs.
		E)	Most school superintendents must answer to a board of education.

Questions 9 and 10 refer to the following map and information.

Latitude is a measure of the distance on Earth north or south of the equator. Longitude is a measure of the distance on Earth east or west of the prime meridian. Both are expressed in degrees; for example, 20 degrees north of the equator is 20°N.


9	What is located approximately 35°N, 15°W?
		A)	the equator
		B)	the North Pole
		C)	Greenwich, England
		D)	the Bahama Islands
		E)	the Canary Islands


10	When Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World, he could tell how far north or south his ships were, but he was unable to determine how far west he had come. Which of the following facts would account for this?
		A)	Columbus sailed west from Spain to find the Far East.
		B)	Columbus sailed southwest rather than due west.
		C)	Strong easterly winds made Columbus’s voyage easier.
		D)	In the 1400s, there was as yet no way to determine longitude.
		E)	Columbus’s voyage from Spain to the New World took more than a month.

2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.