World History (Grades 9–10) Midterm — Semester 2, Form A

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. How did railroads affect industrialization?
   1. A. They cut the cost and time of moving goods
   2. B. They were used only for carrying passengers
   3. C. They slowed the growth of factories
   4. D. They made canals more important
2. What did James Watt improve in the 1760s-1770s?
   1. A. The cotton gin
   2. B. The steam engine
   3. C. The telegraph
   4. D. The spinning jenny
3. Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations argued for what?
   1. A. A free market with little government interference
   2. B. High tariffs to protect industry
   3. C. A return to farming economies
   4. D. Government ownership of all factories
4. What was a goal of the British Factory Act of 1833?
   1. A. To limit child labor in textile factories
   2. B. To raise tariffs on imported cotton
   3. C. To ban labor unions
   4. D. To end the use of steam power
5. Which factor helped the Industrial Revolution begin in Great Britain?
   1. A. A shrinking population
   2. B. A lack of overseas colonies
   3. C. Laws banning private banks
   4. D. Large supplies of coal and iron
6. What did Britain gain after the First Opium War?
   1. A. Taiwan
   2. B. Shanghai as a colony
   3. C. Control of Korea
   4. D. Hong Kong
7. The Congo Free State under King Leopold II of Belgium is known for what?
   1. A. Banning European trade in Africa
   2. B. Brutal forced labor to collect rubber
   3. C. Peaceful self-rule by local leaders
   4. D. Being the first African democracy
8. How was Social Darwinism used during the age of imperialism?
   1. A. To claim some races were superior and should rule others
   2. B. To argue against building colonies
   3. C. To support independence for colonies
   4. D. To prove that all cultures were equal
9. Which was a major economic motive for imperialism?
   1. A. The need for raw materials and new markets
   2. B. The desire to reduce trade
   3. C. The wish to lower industrial output
   4. D. The goal of closing overseas ports
10. Which African nation defeated Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896?
    1. A. Nigeria
    2. B. Ethiopia
    3. C. Egypt
    4. D. Kenya
11. What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?
    1. A. To divide Germany into four zones
    2. B. To rebuild Western Europe's economy after World War II
    3. C. To end the Korean War
    4. D. To build the atomic bomb
12. What was appeasement?
    1. A. Declaring war at the first sign of danger
    2. B. Giving in to an aggressor's demands to avoid war
    3. C. Forming an alliance to stop an aggressor
    4. D. Refusing to trade with an aggressor
13. What did the Treaty of Versailles require of Germany?
    1. A. Accepting blame for the war and paying reparations
    2. B. Taking over Austria-Hungary's lands
    3. C. Building a larger army for defense
    4. D. Joining the League of Nations immediately
14. What event directly sparked World War I in 1914?
    1. A. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
    2. B. The Russian Revolution
    3. C. Germany's invasion of Poland
    4. D. The sinking of the Lusitania
15. What did the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolize?
    1. A. The division of Germany into two nations
    2. B. The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe
    3. C. The start of the Cold War
    4. D. The beginning of the Korean War

Part 2: Written Response

16. Evaluate whether the Industrial Revolution improved life for ordinary workers in the 1800s.