Eugene V. Resnick - Regents Exams and Answers: U.S. History and Government 2020 (Barrons Regents NY)

EUGENE V. RESNICK, B.A., M.A.
Social Studies Teacher, Midwood High School, Brooklyn, New York
JOHN McGEEHAN, B.A., M.A., J.D.
Consultant and Writer, New York State Education Department,
Bureau of Social Studies Education, Educational Testing, and Curriculum Development
MORRIS GALL, J.D., PH.D.
Former President, Association of Teachers of Social Studies
in the City of New York
WILLIAM STREITWIESER, B.A., M.A.
Former Social Studies Teacher, Northport High School,
Northport, New York
Test-Taking Tips by
MARK WILLNER, M.A.
Chairman of Social Studies Department,
Midwood High School, Brooklyn, New York

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ISBN: 978-1-5062-7090-6

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If you are reading this, you are probably at the end of 11th grade and preparing to take the Regents exam in Social Studies. You probably already know that New York State requires you to take the U.S. History and Government Regents exam. Almost every 11th-grade student in New York State will be taking the same exam at the same time you are.

U.S. History and Government is part of a sequence of social studies courses you are required to take from first grade through 12th grade. The purpose of social studies is to help you understand the events and developments that shape the nation and the world you live in. In ninth and tenth grade, you studied cultures on continents other than North America because you need to understand that we live in an interdependent world. In 11th grade, you returned to a study of your own nation. Now that you are more mature and will be eligible to vote in a year or two, you should have a clear understanding of the nature of our Constitution and the workings of our government.

Students in 11th-grade social studies learn about the Constitutional foundations of American society before studying the history of the United States from after the Civil War to modern times.

If you took the Global Studies Regents last year, you already have some idea of what the exam is like. The U.S. History and Government Regents is divided into three parts. All parts have questions on the topics, themes, and skills covered in 11th grade.

The exam is constructed as follows:

Many students lose points because they neglect to answer some parts of questions or misread the questions. Be sure to review the following sections: How to Use This Book (pages 35) and Test-Taking Tips (beginning on page 6).

This book is designed to help you get the most out of your review for the Regents exam in U.S. History and Government.

The first section, Test-Taking Tips, will help you become a better test taker. Be sure to read this valuable material carefully. The brief rules, many hints, and practice questions will increase your understanding and confidence in answering short-answer and essay questions. The sample answers will enable you to distinguish between a complete and well-written essay and a poor one.

Reread the Test-Taking Tips after taking two or more of the exams, and feel your assurance grow.

The second section contains previous Regents exams and answer analyses. The exams will serve as a content review and as a study guide to indicate what is important. By answering the multiple-choice and essay questions, you will be able to discover your weak points. You will then be able to remedy your deficiencies by carefully studying the answers provided. They are more than just model answers; additional facts and explanations have been included for a more thorough understanding of the subjects on which the questions are based. Careful study of the answers will increase your skill in interpreting the questions and in applying the facts learned.

The Self-Analysis Charts enable you to note the content areas tested on the exam and the number of questions in each content area. You can calculate your score in each of the content areas of a test to see in which content areas you show strengths or weaknesses.

Each chart has three columns:

1. Column 1 names each topic included in the exam.
2. Column 2 lists the number of each short-answer question on that topic asked in the given exam.
3. Column 3 shows the total point value of short-answer questions on each topic. Since each correct answer is worth about 1 points, totals are shown to the nearest full point in each content category.

You can calculate the number of points you earned for each content category by multiplying the number of questions you got right by the point value for each question noted at the bottom of the Self-Evaluation Chart. You can calculate the percentage of questions you got right in each content category by dividing the number of points you earned by the total number of points for each category given in Column 3.

If you score lower than 75 percent on any topic, first review your class notes and textbook material; then review the model answers in the book AND the explanations of all choices for each question on that topic. Studying the explanations of the wrong choices will greatly enhance your understanding of the subject matter and alert you to possible errors. It will also be helpful to you to review additional content.

Please note that space has been provided in the Self-Analysis Charts for you to score and compare separately your achievement on the skills questions on each exam. The skills material includes interpretation of reading passages, cartoons, charts, diagrams, graphs, and maps.

SUMMARY

1. Read the first section, Test-Taking Tips.
2. Take the first exam under test conditions.
3. Answer as many essay questions as possible.
4. Mark Part I of the exam.
5. Complete the Self-Analysis Chart for that exam.
6. Record your weak spots.
7. Answer both the Part II and Part III questions.
8. Study the answers to ALL the questions you could not answer, or answered inadequately.
9. Review your notes and text material on those topics before taking the next exam. Reread the Test-Taking Tips.

Repeat this procedure, exam by exam, and watch that mark soar.

The Glossary of Terms is designed to show you which terms or concepts appeared most frequently on past tests. As you review the Glossary of Terms, you will notice one, two, or three asterisks (*) preceding some of the terms defined. While all the terms are important to know, those with asterisks should be considered most crucial. One asterisk (*) denotes a term that is frequently tested; two asterisks (**) denote a term that is