Grade 8: Social Studies Flashcards
6 cards from real STAAR practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Grade 8: Social Studies flashcards as text
Which document established the framework for the U.S. federal government and remains the supreme law of the land?
Answer: The U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1788, established the framework of the federal government and is the supreme law of the United States.
What is the primary purpose of the Bill of Rights?
Answer: To protect individual freedoms from government overreach
The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, protects individual freedoms such as speech, religion, and assembly from government infringement.
Which of the following best describes the concept of 'checks and balances'?
Answer: Each branch of government limits the power of the other branches
Checks and balances is a system where each branch of government (legislative, executive, judicial) has powers to limit the other branches.
What was the main cause of the Civil War?
Answer: Conflict over the expansion and continuation of slavery
The Civil War was primarily caused by deep divisions over slavery, especially regarding its expansion into new U.S. territories.
Texas was admitted to the United States as which state?
Answer: The 28th state
Texas was admitted to the Union on December 29, 1845, becoming the 28th state.
What does the term 'manifest destiny' refer to?
Answer: The idea that American expansion across the continent was inevitable and justified
Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.