AP - Advanced Placement American & National Identity 1

Question 1

The phrase 'E Pluribus Unum,' found on the Great Seal of the United States, translates to:

Accepted Answer

Out of Many, One

Answer

'E Pluribus Unum' is Latin for 'Out of Many, One,' reflecting the founding ideal of diverse states and peoples united into a single nation.

Question 2

The Naturalization Act of 1790 was significant because it:

Accepted Answer

Limited citizenship to 'free white persons' of good character

Answer

The 1790 Naturalization Act was the first federal law defining who could become a citizen, restricting eligibility to 'free white persons,' reflecting the racial exclusions embedded in early American national identity.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the concept of 'civic nationalism'?

Accepted Answer

National identity based on adherence to shared political values and laws

Answer

Civic nationalism defines national belonging through commitment to shared political principles, laws, and institutions rather than ethnic or cultural heritage — a concept central to American national identity.

Question 4

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 fundamentally changed U.S. immigration by:

Accepted Answer

Eliminating national-origin quotas that had favored Western Europeans

Answer

The 1965 Hart-Celler Act abolished the quota system established in 1924 that heavily favored immigrants from Northern and Western Europe, dramatically diversifying the national origins of immigrants to the United States.

Question 5

Frederick Jackson Turner's 'Frontier Thesis' (1893) argued that American national character was shaped primarily by:

Accepted Answer

The experience of settling and taming the western frontier

Answer

Turner argued that the continuous westward expansion and the challenges of frontier life forged distinctly American traits such as individualism, democracy, and pragmatism, fundamentally shaping national identity.

AP Practice Test

AP Practice Test

AP - Advanced Placement American & National Identity 1