THE GED TESTS continued...

TEST TWO: SOCIAL STUDIES

The GED Social Studies Test contains multiple-choice questions drawn from the following content areas.

• History
• Economics
• Political Science
• Geography
• Behavioral Sciences
  • anthropology
  • psychology
  • sociology

(Note that there are different U.S. and Canadian versions of the GED Social Studies Test.)

Most of the questions in the Social Studies Test refer to information provided. The information may be a paragraph, or it may be a chart, table, graph, map, cartoon, or figure. In every case, to answer the questions in the Social Studies Test, you must understand, use, analyze, or evaluate the information provided.

Directions and Sample Questions for Social Studies

Directions: Choose the one best answer to each item. Items 1 and 2 refer to the following information. Five amendments to the U.S. Constitution directly affect voting qualifications.

The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibited states from using race or color as standards for determining the right to vote.

The Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, prohibited the states from using gender as a voting qualification.

The Twenty-Third Amendment, ratified in 1961, granted the residents of Washington, D.C., a voice in the selection of the President and Vice President.

The Twenty-Fourth Amendment, ratified in 1964, outlawed the state poll tax as a requirement for voting in national elections.

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971, prohibited states from denying the vote to anyone 18 years old or over.

1. The overall effect of the five amendments was to extend the vote to
(1) a larger portion of U.S. citizens
(2) a limited number of citizens
(3) tax-paying citizens
(4) citizens qualified by race and gender
(5) those citizens who must pay for the privilege
Correct Answer: 1

Difficulty Level: Easy

To answer question 1 correctly, you must read and understand all of the information provided regarding the five amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Then you must decide which of the options provided best states the overall effect of the amendments.

A careful reading of the amendments should indicate to you that, in each case, the effect of the amendment was to extend voting rights to more citizens. Option (2) is a correct statement (citizens under 18 are not able to vote), but Option (2) is not the best answer to the question. The best answer is Option (1) which describes the overall effect of the five amendments. The overall effect of these amendments was to provide voting rights to more citizens.

2. Which statement about the five amendments appears to be the best summary?
(1) They affirm the right of women to vote.
(2) They limit the right of U.S. citizens to vote according to where they live.
(3) They prohibit the use of certain requirements as voting qualifications.
(4) They prohibit some citizens from voting.
(5) They permit certain qualifications to be used in voting.
Correct Answer: 3

Difficulty Level: Difficult

The key word in question 2 is summary. This is important to recognize, because several of the options present correct and accurate statements, but only one presents the best summary.

Remember that an effective summary statement must provide the main points made by the information. In this case, the summary statement must address all five of the amendments. Only option (3) does this by referring to the prohibition of "certain requirements as voting qualifications."
Item 3 refers to the following information.

3. Which statement is supported by information in the graph?
(1) Most parents are employed.
(2) Most parents are satisfied with their child-care arrangements.
(3) A group center is the most common arrangement used by employed parents.
(4) Most employed parents arrange for child care either in their own home or in someone else's home.
(5) About a quarter of all employed parents use child-care facilities at their place of work.
Correct Answer: 4

Difficulty Level: Moderately difficult

About one out of every three or four questions in the Social Studies Test will refer to a map, figure, chart, or graph.

This question requires you to evaluate each of the statements to determine which one can be supported by information in the graph. To do this, you must first understand what information is being provided in the graph. Finding the correct answer is then a matter of testing each of the statements against the graph to see if it can be supported. In questions like this one, it is most important that you select your answer only on the basis of the information provided, not on the basis of opinions or prior knowledge.

In this case, the statement in option (4) is supported by the fact that the sections of the graph that relate to the child's own home or another home add up to 70.8%, which accounts for most parents.