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Illinois History & Government Self-Test Answer Sheet

The SQ questions are from the previous ICTS exams. The self-test follows.

SQ1. The Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1970 strengthened the state Bill of Rights by:

  1. Banning the death penalty in criminal cases.
  2. Eliminating residency requirements for voting in elections.
  3. Prohibiting discriminatory employment practices.
  4. Requiring companies to provide job training programs for laid-off workers.

Correct Response: c. This question requires knowledge of important features of the current Illinois state constitution. The Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1970 strengthened the state Bill of Rights by adding a provision stating that all individuals ‘shall have the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, national ancestry and sex in the hiring and promotion practice of any employer.’ Illinois voters have not abolished capital punishment (a). Illinois retains a 30 day residency requirement for voting in state elections (b), and Illinois businesses are not required to provide job training for laid-off workers (d).

SQ2. A major function of the Illinois General Assembly is to:

  1. Enact state laws.
  2. Enforce state laws.
  3. Appoint state officials.
  4. Prepare state budgets.

Correct Response: a. This question requires an understanding of the functions performed by the different branches of state government in Illinois. The primary purpose of the Illinois General Assembly is to enact state laws. In Illinois, all state laws must be approved by a majority vote of both houses of the General Assembly. The other choices listed, enforcing state laws (b), appointing state officials (c), and preparing state budgets (d), are all executive branch functions.

SQ3. The Native American peoples of the Illinois Confederacy belonged to which of the following linguistic groups?

  1. Caddoan
  2. Muskogean
  3. Siouan
  4. Algonquian

Correct Response: d. The Native American peoples of the Illinois Confederacy belonged to the Algonquian linguistic family and included such subgroups as the Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Moingwena, Peoria, and Tamaroa Indians. These peoples lived in the Illinois area until the early eighteenth century when they were driven out by the Iroquois. The peoples of the Siouan (c) and Caddoan (a) linguistic groups were located primarily in the Great Plains region, while Muskogean peoples (b) were the main language group in the Southeast.

SQ4. Which of the following national developments was most significantly influenced by Chicago's Haymarket Riot of 1886?

  1.  the creation of trusts and holding companies by major U.S. corporations
  2. the emergence of the Progressive movement
  3. the decline of the Knights of Labor and rise of the American Federation of Labor
  4. the enactment of immigration restriction legislation

Correct Response: c. A rally called to support striking workers at McCormick Harvester turned violent when a bomb was thrown and the police fired into the crowd. Eight policemen and an undetermined number of civilians were killed. Public opinion turned against the Knights of Labor that which organized both skilled and unskilled workers. The public was more favorable toward Samuel Gompers and the AFL which only organized skilled workers.

Test Questions: Please print out the answer sheet and print the letter of the correct response in each case.

1. What tribe of Indians under Chief Black Hawk was displaced by white settlement in Illinois?

  1. Algonquin Indians
  2. Sioux Indians
  3. Cherokee Indians
  4. Sauk and Fox Indians

 

2. The current Illinois Constitution was put in place in:

  1. 1970 in response to changes needed in the modern era.
  2. When Illinois first became a state.
  3. 1859 in response to anti-slavery forces. 
  4. 1991 to make needed changes in its civil rights provisions.

 

3. Illinois became a state in:

  1. 1787
  2. 1821
  3. 1818
  4. 1829

 

4. White settlement in Illinois followed what general pattern?

a. From the south to the north
b. From the Chicago region west and south
c. From the Mississippi east
d. There was no pattern of settlement

 

5. What political split developed in the state that affected elections and legislation throughout the 20th century and into the 21st?

  1. Wealthy landowners vs. tenant farmers and sharecroppers
  2. Democratic Chicago vs. Republican Suburbs & Downstate
  3. Farmers vs. cattle ranchers
  4. Immigrants vs. Native Americans

 

6. Which of the following is NOT a true statement about Chicago?

  1. Chicago is known for the wide variety of ethnic and racial groups in its population. Wealthy landowners vs. tenant farmers and sharecroppers
  2. Chicago is known for once being the center of the meat packing industry. Democratic Chicago vs. Republican Suburbs & Downstate
  3. Chicago has consistently grown and gained population in every census since 1870.  Farmers vs. cattle ranchers
  4. Chicago developed as a major railroad center and continues in that role today.  Immigrants vs. Native Americans
  5. Chicago public schools have had major problems with low graduation rates and test scores.

 

7. The first white explorers to come to Illinois came in the 1670s from what European nation?

  1. England
  2. Spain
  3. The Netherlands
  4. France

 

8. In addition to agriculture, what other major industry attracted people to central Illinois in the 19th and 20th Centuries? 

  1. tourism
  2. gold mining
  3. coal mining
  4. automobile manufacturing

 

9. The current Illinois Constitution has an expanded Bill of Rights when compared to the Federal Constitution. Which of the following rights is NOT part of the Illinois Constitution?

  1. Equal rights for women.
  2. A prohibition against discrimination in housing and hiring.
  3. The right to a healthful environment.
  4. All of the above ARE in the Illinois Constitution

 

10. How are judges in the state’s court system selected?

  1. Appointed by the governor
  2. Nominated by the Senate and elected by the House
  3. Elected by the voters
  4. Hired under a state civil service exam system

 

11. Illinois was originally part of what territory created and organized by the Confederation Congress?

  1. Louisiana Territory
  2. Mexican Session
  3. Gadsden Territory
  4. Northwest Territory

 

12. What minority religion made Illinois its home until it was driven out in 1846?

  1. The Jehovah's Witnesses
  2. The Orthodox Catholics
  3. The Quakers
  4. The Mormons

 

13. How are the chief officers of the state of Illinois such as the Secretary of State selected?  

  1. Appointed by the Governor
  2. Nominated by the Senate and elected by the House
  3. Elected by the voters
  4. Hired under a state civil service exam system

 

14. The Illinois National Guard was called out in 1894 to confront striking workers in this nationwide labor action:

  1. Pullman Strike
  2. McCormick Harvester Strike
  3. Chicago Teamster's Strike
  4. U.S. Steel Strike

 

15. Many Illinois citizens believed a new Constitution was needed in the latter half of the 20th century because:

  1. The state was rapidly losing population.
  2. One political party was dominating state government.
  3. The 1870 Illinois Constitution was too difficult to amend.
  4. The City of Chicago was virtually running state government

 

16. What was the outcome of the election for U.S. Senate that featured the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates here in Illinois just prior to the Civil War?

  1. No candidate was elected.
  2. Stephen Douglas was elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois.
  3. Abraham Lincoln was elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois.
  4. Disgusted with the debates, the people chose a third candidate for Senate, Henry Clay.

 

17. How are judges in the Illinois Court system retained in office.

  1. They are strictly limited to a single 10-year term.
  2. They go through retention elections where they run unopposed against their records.
  3. They compete with other candidates just like in every other elected office.
  4. The Governor simply reappoints them.

 

18. What prompted the mass movement of black families from the south into the Chicago area?

  1. The end to slavery in 1985.
  2. The opening of vast public housing projects around 1900.
  3. The prosperity of the 1920s
  4. The need for workers in factories during World War I.

 

19. The governor’s veto of a law may be overcome by:

  1. a 3/5 vote of the General Assembly.
  2. an unanimous vote of the Illinois Supreme Court.
  3. a majority vote on a referendum by Illinois voters.
  4. a 2/3 vote of the General Assembly.

 

20. Municipalities with a population greater than 25,000 in Illinois have a special status which enables them to have a higher degree of authority and power, such as in the area of taxation. This special authority under the Constitution is called:  

  1. Limited Self-government
  2. Extended Self-government
  3. Tax Cap Authority
  4. Home Rule

 

21. All were explorers of the territory now part of Illinois except:

  1. Robert de la Salle
  2. Louis Joliet
  3. Lewis and Clark
  4. Jacques Marquette

 

22. What is the residency requirement for voting in elections in the state of Illinois?

  1. There is no residency requirement.
  2. 30 days preceding the election
  3. 60 days preceding the election
  4. 6 months preceding the election

 

23. Who or what has primary responsibility for financing public education in Illinois under the Illinois Constitution?

  1. the local community
  2. the state government
  3. the federal government
  4. the citizens who send their students to these schools

 

24. Home Rule powers under the Illinois Constitution are special powers to tax and control their own affairs that are granted by the General Assembly to:

  1. The city of Chicago exclusively.
  2. Cities with 25,000 or more people.
  3. Park and Forestry districts.
  4. None of the above, since such powers are not included in the current constitution.

 

25. Which of the following Illinoisans was prominent in the campaign to abolish slavery in the U.S.?

  1. Ulysses S. Grant
  2. Adlai E. Stevenson
  3. Elijah Lovejoy
  4. Stephen A. Douglass

 

26. Since 1970 the Illinois Constitution has been amended to:

  1. grant illegal immigrants the right to vote. 
  2. prohibit property tax increases over 5% statewide.
  3. ban the sale and private ownership of fire arms.
  4. decrease the size of the Illinois House of Representatives from 177 to 118. 

 

27. Illinois’ largest grain crop in both weight and value is:

  1. corn
  2. wheat
  3. sorghum
  4. soybeans

 

28. This famous Illinoisan created a settlement house to help immigrants as they settled in Chicago.

  1. Peter Altgeld
  2. Elijah Lovejoy
  3. Lucretia Mott
  4. Jane Addams 

 

29. The current capital of Illinois is:

  1. Chicago
  2. Springfield
  3. Bloomington
  4. Cahokia

 

30. Over the years Illinois has been a major manufacturer of:

  1. Tobacco products
  2. Electronic devices
  3. Textiles and clothing
  4. Farm machinery

 

 

Illinois History & Government Test: Download Answer Sheet

Please return the completed answer sheet to Dr. Karen Johnson, Department of History.