M-STEP Social Studies Knowledge & Civic Understanding 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the term for an economy in which the government makes all major economic decisions about production and distribution?
- Market economy
- Mixed economy
- Command economy (Correct answer)
- Traditional economy
Correct answer: Command economy
In a command economy, the government centrally plans and controls what is produced, how it is produced, and how goods are distributed.
Question 2: Which Native American group was among the first inhabitants of what is now Michigan?
- The Navajo
- The Anishinaabe (Ojibwe, Ottawa, Potawatomi) (Correct answer)
- The Cherokee
- The Sioux
Correct answer: The Anishinaabe (Ojibwe, Ottawa, Potawatomi)
The Anishinaabe peoples, including the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi, were among the primary Native American groups living in the Michigan region.
Question 3: What civic responsibility requires U.S. citizens to serve on a jury when called upon?
- Paying taxes
- Jury duty (Correct answer)
- Voting in elections
- Registering for the selective service
Correct answer: Jury duty
Jury duty is a civic obligation in which citizens are required by law to serve on a jury when summoned by a court.
Question 4: What geographic feature largely divides Michigan into its Upper and Lower Peninsulas?
- The Ohio River
- The Straits of Mackinac (Correct answer)
- Lake Erie
- The Kalamazoo River
Correct answer: The Straits of Mackinac
The Straits of Mackinac is the waterway connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan that separates Michigan's two peninsulas, now spanned by the Mackinac Bridge.
Question 5: Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, religion, and the press?
- The Second Amendment
- The Fourth Amendment
- The First Amendment (Correct answer)
- The Tenth Amendment
Correct answer: The First Amendment
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government.
Question 6: What term describes a tax on imported goods designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition?
- Subsidy
- Tariff (Correct answer)
- Embargo
- Quota
Correct answer: Tariff
A tariff is a tax placed on imported goods, which raises their price and makes domestic products more competitive in the market.
Question 7: In the U.S. federal system, which level of government has the power to declare war?
- State governments
- Local governments
- The federal (national) government (Correct answer)
- Individual military commanders
Correct answer: The federal (national) government
Under the U.S. Constitution, only the federal government—specifically Congress—has the power to declare war.
M-STEP Social Studies Knowledge & Civic Understanding 3
What is the term for an economy in which the government makes all major economic decisions about production and distribution?