Your GED (General Educational Development) exam comprises 4 main subjects: Mathematical Reasoning, Reasoning Through Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. 

Among these subtests, GED Social Studies is assessed as one of the toughest subjects. More specifically, the GED Social Studies measures your ability to draw conclusions from given charts and graphs and make close analyses of social research information. To be accustomed to the types of social questions, try our free 5 GED Social Studies Sample Questions right away . Additionally, you can take GED Practice Tests for other sections to get ready for your exam at our homepage. 

 

1. GED Social Studies Exam

 

1.1. What to expect in your GED Social Studies? 

 

One of the first steps on your GED journey is to understand the social studies section. Actually, the GED Social Studies Test aims to gauge your knowledge of history, government, economics, and geography. More specifically: 

  • Civics and Government account for 50% of the section
  • U.S. History makes up 20% of the section
  • Economics taking up15% of the section
  • Geography and the World make up 15% of the section

Keep in mind that you will not be required to remember factual information about each topic. It will be related to 

  • Historical analysis and interpretation of events
  • Reading to understand social studies
  • Interpreting charts and numbers regarding social studies

>>>See Also: GED Language Arts Sample Questions

 

1.2. GED Social Studies requirements

 

To sit for GED Social Studies, you need to meet all the following requirements: 

  • You are at least 16 years or older
  • You are not enrolled in high school and you have not graduated from high school yet. 
  • You follow and meet your state’s additional requirements and policies. 

 

1.3. How much does a GED Social Studies Test cost? 

 

Although the GED Social Studies test fee is different from state to state, the general testing fees vary from $3.75 to under $30. 

 

 

1.4. What types of questions are on the GED Social Studies Tests? 

 

Drop-down; Multiple choice; Dragging and dropping; Filling in the blank; Choosing an area are typical types of questions you might encounter when taking the GED Social Studies test. 

 

1.5. How many questions are on the GED Social Studies Test?

 

In fact, the number of questions on the GED Social Studies Test can vary depending on your state. Furthermore, candidates are required to accomplish the exam within 70 minutes.

 

1.6. What do you have to score to pass the GED Social Studies Test?

 

Like the other subjects of the GED test, applicants must score at least 145 to pass the GED Social Studies section. Nevertheless, in New Jersey, you must score at least 150 to pass. 

 

1.7. How many times can you retake the GED Social Studies Test?

 

Even though each state will adopt its retest policy, students normally take the test 3 times. Moreover, they must wait 60 days before taking the test again after the 3rd time.  However, as I aforementioned, additional state policies may only allow you to take the test a certain number of times a year. For instance, in Maryland, you can only take the test in three attempts a year. Thus, let’s learn more about your state’s retest policy. 

 

1.8. Is the GED Social Studies test hard?

 

Some people might reckon that the GED Social Studies Test is difficult for them to get a high score, meanwhile, some believe that it is not hard to ace. Although each person has their own opinion, proper preparation is key to your success because if you don’t prepare well, you may have trouble dealing with dates, concepts, places, and names. 

You are not expected to remember all genres of historical details. You only need to place more emphasis on understanding the concepts of social studies and enhance your logical reasoning and analytical thinking skills. 

>>> See Also: GED Science Sample Questions

2. Benefits of taking GED Social Studies Practice Tests

 

ged social study questions
Practice is the best way to help you get well-prepared for GED.

“Practice makes perfect” is a famous saying. Actually, practice is the best way to help you get well-prepared and well-informed. If you take GED Social Studies on a regular basis, you can learn not only about which area you’ll have to work on but also about the subject fields you have already mastered. After that, you can reinforce the topics that you already know and spend more time improving your weaker points. Thereby, you definitely achieve a higher score on your GED actual exam.

 

3. Tips for GED Social Studies Practice Test

 

Below are some recommendations you should take when taking the GED Social Studies practice test. Read all these tips carefully before heading over to 5 sample questions below. 

 

3.1. Read the question carefully

 

Before looking at the answers or reading through a full paragraph, you should read the question twice. 

Many test takers fall into a trap with wrong answers because they read a question too fast. When rushing through the questions, you may miss the point of the questions. 

Although the questions on the GED Social Studies subtest are usually pretty straightforward, don’t over-read the questions. 

 

3.2. Don’t just jump to a conclusion

 

Sometimes, in the GED Social Studies, you might encounter questions requiring some careful analysis.

For these questions, you might find that sometimes, a seemingly wrong answer may be right after all and a misleading answer will be put first. Thus, be careful otherwise you fall into this sort of trap!

In other cases, you may also come across more answers that appear to be right. If you are in such cases, bear in mind that you should choose the best answer option based on what the question asks, not on your assumption.

 

3.3. Eliminate incorrect answer options

 

After reading the questions carefully, you should immediately first remove 1 or 2 answer choices that contrast strikingly with what’s given in the short passage or in the accompanying graph, chart, table, or data.

When you get rid of these definitely wrong answer options first, you will better be able to carefully choose the remaining possibilities. Even so, you may find the best option, after all.

 

3.4. Go with the things you know

 

It is better to answer the questions that you know first. You might skip the questions you don’t know or that you’re unsure of and turn them back later to work out. 

 

4. GED Social Studies Sample Questions

 

ged social study sample questions
5 sample questions of the GED Social Studies Practice Test for you to practice!

Here are 5 sample questions of the GED Social Studies Practice Test for you to practice. Right after choosing your options for these questions, head over to our detailed explanations. Let’s practice them now:

 

Question 1: 

In 1889, Jane Addams, a social reformer, founded one of the first settlement houses in the United States. Called Hull House, it served as a community center to those in its poor, immigrant-based Chicago neighborhood. About Hull House, Addams said in a lecture: “The Settlement …is an experimental effort to aid in the solution of the social and industrial problems which are engendered by the modern conditions of life in a great city. It insists that these problems are not confined to any one portion of the city. It is an attempt to relieve, at the same time, the overaccumulation at one end of society and the destitution at the other . . .”

Questions: 1.1

According to this passage, which of the following was NOT one of Hull House’s goals?

(A). addressing the problems of a modern city

(B). finding a middle ground between the wealth of some citizens and the poverty of others

(C). helping people who have recently immigrated to the United States

(D). improving social conditions

(E). isolating the poor classes

Correct answer: (E)

Explanation:

In her statement, Addams points out “that these problems are not confined to any one portion of the city.” She does not hope to isolate social classes but to look at how each part of the city affects the others.

Question: 1.2

Which of the following positions about poor Americans would Addams likely support today?

(A). A thriving economy will solve the problems of poor Americans.

(B). Charity can overcome poverty.

(C). Communities should reach out to help their poorest members.

(D). People should take care of themselves without getting help from others.

(E). The federal government should not fund social programs.

Correct answer: (C)

Explanation:

Addams would likely believe that communities should help needy citizens.

 

Question 2: 

A bill of attainder is a legislative act declaring a person or group of persons guilty of a crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial. During the eighteenth century, England applied bills of attainder to its colonies in America. Declaration of guilt usually meant, among other consequences, that the guilty party forfeited all of their property to the Crown. The U.S. Constitution forbids both the federal and state governments to enact bills of attainder.

The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury. . . .” How does this amendment relate to the prohibition of bills of attainder as provided in the Constitution?

The Fifth Amendment

(A). extends that prohibition to the states

(B). extends that prohibition to U.S. colonies

(C). legalizes bills of attainder issued by the courts

(D). reinforces that prohibition

(E). requires that bills of attainder be applied in a speedy manner

Correct answer: (D)

Explanation: The Fifth Amendment protects citizens from being convicted in a criminal court without trial. This protection is similar to and hence reinforces, the protection provided in the Constitution against a legislature doing the same thing.

 

Question 3: 

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, the Hartford Convention and the South Carolina Exposition were similar to each other in that all involved a defense of what?

(A) Freedom of speech

(B) The institution of slavery

(C) States’ rights

(D) Right to privacy

Correct answer (C)

Explanation: Each involved a state exercising its rights to govern itself.

 

 

Question 4: 

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these rights are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Which of the following political actions violated the principle of “unalienable Rights” of liberty that evolved from the above excerpt of the U.S. Declaration of Independence?

 

(A) In 1857, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling promoted the expansion of slavery in U.S. territories.

(B) In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution outlawed the practice of denying the right to vote because of race, color, or previous conditions of servitude.

(C) In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution granted women the right to vote nationwide.

(D) In 1964, the Civil Rights Act outlawed racial discrimination in employment and public accommodations.

(E) In 1971, the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution extended the right to vote to 18-year-old citizens.

Correct answer (A)

Explanation: This application question requires the candidate to read and understand a short excerpt from the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The candidate must understand the meaning of “unalienable Rights” in the document and determine which, among several political actions taken by the U.S. government, have elements that deny the right to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Slavery, though legal at the time and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, denied liberty and politics.

 

Question 5: Who was the first European to find North America?

(A) Leif Ericson

(B) Ferdinand Magellan

(C) Amerigo Vespucci

(D) Christopher Columbus

Correct answer (A)

Explanation: Leif Ericson sailed to North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus, but the settlement was not permanent. He returned to Greenland shortly afterwards.

In conclusion, in this article, we provide you with sample questions on GED Social Studies Practice Test online. Hopefully, you guys can enjoy our questions. Visit our homepage to head over to numerous GED Practice Tests.