CLEP U.S. HISTORY I Exam Practice Questions

1. Which of the following is true regarding the Treaty of Tordesillas?

   1. It was executed during the 1500s.
   2. It set up a “Line of Demarcation.”
   3. It moved a line of demarcation east.
   4. It was initiated by the Pope.
   5. It was between Spain and Portugal.
2. Which of the following conquistadores unwittingly gave smallpox to the Indians and destroyed the Aztec empire in Mexico?
   1. Balboa
   2. Ponce de Leon
   3. Cortes
   4. De Vaca
   5. De Soto
3. Which conquistador discovered the Mississippi River?
   1. Coronado
   2. De Soto
   3. Cortes
   4. De Leon
   5. De Narvaez
4. . Which of the following statements is true regarding New Spain in the 1500s?
   1. New Spain had not yet developed any kind of class system.
   2. The Spanish originally imported Africans to use as slaves for labor.
   3. The hacienda system eventually gave way to the encomienda system.
   4. Conquistadores experienced shortages of labor in the New World.
   5. About 300,000 Spanish came to America to escape overpopulation.
5. Which of the following explorers was not involved in the search for a Northwest Passage?
   1. Verrazzano
   2. John Cabot
   3. Jacques Cartier
   4. Magellan
   5. All of the above explorers were involved in the search for a Northwest Passage.
6. Which of the following statements is not true regarding English expansionism in the 16th century?
   1. England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 brought a decisive end to their war with Spain.
   2. King Henry VIII’s desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon strengthened English expansionism.
   3. Queen Elizabeth’s support for the Protestant Reformation strengthened English expansionism.
   4. Sir Francis Drake and other English sea captains plundered the Spaniards’ plunders of Indians.
   5. Sir Francis Drake’s voyages to and conquests of new territories were supported by Elizabeth.

7. Which of the following is incorrect regarding the Virginia Companies?

   1. One of these companies, the Virginia Company of Plymouth, made its base in North America.
   2. One of these companies, the Virginia Company of London, made its base in Massachusetts.
   3. One company had a charter to colonize America between the Hudson and Cape Fear rivers.
   4. One company had a charter to colonize America from the Potomac River to north Maine.
   5. The Virginia Companies were both joint-stock companies that raised funds by selling stock.
8. Which of the following statements is not true regarding the colony of Jamestown?
   1. The colony of Jamestown was established by the Virginia Company of London in 1607.
   2. The colony of Jamestown became the first permanent English colony in North America.
   3. The majority of settlers in early Jamestown died of starvation, disease, or Indian attacks.
   4. Many settlers were English gentry who would not farm or explorers looking for treasure.
   5. John Smith’s governance helped Jamestown more than John Rolfe’s tobacco discovery.
9. Which of the following is not a correct statement regarding the Pilgrims?
   1. The Pilgrims left England in 1620 on the ship known as the Mayflower and landed at Cape Cod.
   2. The Pilgrims were led by William Bradford with a charter from the London Company.
   3. The Pilgrims were a group of Puritans who left England to escape religious persecution.
   4. The Pilgrims were a group of separatists who migrated to leave the Church of England.
   5. The Pilgrims wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact on the ship before going ashore.
10. Which of the following is not true regarding the early colonization of New York?
    1. Dutch fur traders first created the New Amsterdam settlement on Manhattan Island in 1624.
    2. King Charles II of England entitled his brother James to conquer New Amsterdam in 1664.
    3. James, Duke of York, prohibited assemblies in New York as he was against representation.
    4. Colonel Richard Nicols granted very few civil or political rights to the New York colonials.
    5. New York colonial citizens, especially Puritans on Long Island, demanded self-government.

CLEP U.S. HISTORY I Exam Answer Key