HiSET Social Studies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which branch of the U.S. federal government has the power to declare laws unconstitutional?
- Executive
- Legislative
- Judicial (Correct answer)
- Administrative
Correct answer: Judicial
The judicial branch, specifically the Supreme Court, has the power of judicial review to strike down unconstitutional laws.
Question 2: The Great Migration of the early 20th century primarily involved the movement of African Americans from:
- West to East Coast cities
- Southern states to Northern industrial cities (Correct answer)
- Rural Midwest to Southern cities
- Northern cities to Western farmlands
Correct answer: Southern states to Northern industrial cities
The Great Migration (1910–1970) saw millions of African Americans leave the rural South for Northern industrial cities seeking better jobs and to escape Jim Crow laws.
Question 3: A nation that sells more goods abroad than it buys from other countries has a:
- Trade deficit
- Budget surplus
- Trade surplus (Correct answer)
- Fiscal deficit
Correct answer: Trade surplus
A trade surplus occurs when a country's exports exceed its imports in value.
Question 4: Which geographic feature most directly enabled the growth of early Mesopotamian civilizations?
- Vast desert plains
- Fertile river valleys (Correct answer)
- Coastal sea access
- Dense forest resources
Correct answer: Fertile river valleys
The Tigris and Euphrates river valleys provided the fertile soil and water needed for agriculture, supporting the rise of Mesopotamian civilizations.
Question 5: The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted which right?
- Abolition of slavery
- Women's right to vote (Correct answer)
- Equal protection under law
- Right to bear arms
Correct answer: Women's right to vote
Ratified in 1920, the 19th Amendment prohibits the denial of voting rights based on sex, giving women the right to vote.
Question 6: In a market economy, prices are primarily determined by:
- Government regulations
- Corporate boards
- Supply and demand (Correct answer)
- International treaties
Correct answer: Supply and demand
In a market economy, the interaction of supply and demand sets prices without central planning.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the concept of popular sovereignty?
- The king holds ultimate authority
- Government power comes from the people (Correct answer)
- Courts have final say over all laws
- Military leaders control the state
Correct answer: Government power comes from the people
Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of a government is created and sustained by the consent of its people.
HiSET Social Studies 2
Which branch of the U.S. federal government has the power to declare laws unconstitutional?