AP®︎ US History: Unit 6 Practice Test
Prepare for your quiz, test, or the AP exam with focused practice questions on Unit 6 of AP US History – Period 6 (1865–1898).
Questions List
Unit 6 (All Topics)
Question 1 Topic 6.1Easy
This question tests the following: KC-6.1.I
What was a significant characteristic of the Gilded Age in the US?
What You’re Being Tested On:
Explore the learning objectives taken directly from the College Board’s AP® U.S. History Curriculum. Ensure you’re prepared for the exact topics covered on the AP® exam, in-class tests, and quizzes, and gain confidence in your mastery of the material.
Unit 6: Period 6 (1865–1898)
This unit focuses on the rapid industrialization, urbanization, and immigration that transformed the U.S. during the Gilded Age. It also explores social tensions, labor struggles, and political debates over the role of government and reform.
Topic 6.1: Contextualizing Period 6
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective A
Explain the historical context for the rise of industrial capitalism in the United States.
Review: KC-6.1
Technological advances, large-scale production methods, and the opening of new markets encouraged the rise of industrial capitalism in the United States.
Review: KC-6.1.I
Large-scale industrial production—accompanied by massive technological change, expanding international communication networks, and pro-growth government policies—generated rapid economic development and business consolidation.
Review: KC-6.1.II
A variety of perspectives on the economy and labor developed during a time of financial panics and downturns.
Review: KC-6.1.III
New systems of production and transportation enabled consolidation within agriculture, which, along with periods of instability, spurred a variety of responses from farmers.
Review: KC-6.2
The migrations that accompanied industrialization transformed both urban and rural areas of the United States and caused dramatic social and cultural change.
Review: KC-6.2.I
International and internal migration increased urban populations and fostered the growth of a new urban culture.
Review: KC-6.2.II
Larger numbers of migrants moved to the West in search of land and economic opportunity, frequently provoking competition and violent conflict.
Review: KC-6.3
The Gilded Age produced new cultural and intellectual movements, public reform efforts, and political debates over economic and social policies.
Review: KC-6.3.I
New cultural and intellectual movements both buttressed and challenged the social order of the Gilded Age.
Review: KC-6.3.II
Dramatic social changes in the period inspired political debates over citizenship, corruption, and the proper relationship between business and government.
Topic 6.2: Westward Expansion: Economic Development
Thematic Focus: Migration and SettlementMIG
Push and pull factors shape immigration to and migration within America, and the demographic change as a result of these moves shapes the migrants, society, and the environment.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective B
Explain the causes and effects of the settlement of the West from 1877 to 1898.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.III.A
Improvements in mechanization helped agricultural production increase substantially and contributed to declines in food prices.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.III.B
Many farmers responded to the increasing consolidation in agricultural markets and their dependence on the evolving railroad system by creating local and regional cooperative organizations.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.I.A
Following the Civil War, government subsidies for transportation and communication systems helped open new markets in North America.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.II.A
The building of transcontinental railroads, the discovery of mineral resources, and government policies promoted economic growth and created new communities and centers of commercial activity.
Topic 6.3: Westward Expansion: Social and Cultural Development
Thematic Focus: Migration and SettlementMIG
Push and pull factors shape immigration to and migration within America, and the demographic change as a result of these moves shapes the migrants, society, and the environment.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective B
Explain the causes and effects of the settlement of the West from 1877 to 1898.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.II.B
In hopes of achieving ideals of self-sufficiency and independence, migrants moved to both rural and boomtown areas of the West for opportunities, such as building the railroads, mining, farming, and ranching.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.II.C
As migrant populations increased in number and the American bison population was decimated, competition for land and resources in the West among white settlers, American Indians, and Mexican Americans led to an increase in violent conflict.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.II.D
The U.S. government violated treaties with American Indians and responded to resistance with military force, eventually confining American Indians to reservations and denying tribal sovereignty.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.II.E
Many American Indians preserved their cultures and tribal identities despite government policies promoting assimilation, and they attempted to develop self-sustaining economic practices.
Topic 6.4: The “New South”
Thematic Focus: American and National IdentityNAT
The development of and debates about democracy, freedom, citizenship, diversity, and individualism shape American national identity, cultural values, and beliefs about American exceptionalism, and in turn, these ideas shape political institutions and society. Throughout American history, notions of national identity and culture have coexisted with varying degrees of regional and group identities.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective C
Explain how various factors contributed to continuity and change in the “New South” from 1877 to 1898.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.II.D
Despite the industrialization of some segments of the Southern economy—a change promoted by Southern leaders who called for a “New South”—agriculture based on sharecropping and tenant farming continued to be the primary economic activity in the South.
Historical Developments: KC-6.3.II.C
The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson that upheld racial segregation (known as Jim Crow) helped to mark the end of most of the political gains African Americans made during Reconstruction. Facing increased violence, discrimination, and scientific theories of race, African American reformers continued to fight for political and social equality.
Topic 6.5: Technological Innovation
Thematic Focus: Work, Exchange, and TechnologyWXT
The interplay between markets, private enterprise, labor, technology, and government policy shape the American economy. In turn, economic activity shapes society and government policy and drives technological innovation.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective D
Explain the effects of technological advances in the development of the United States over time.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.I.B.i
Businesses made use of technological innovations and greater access to natural resources to dramatically increase the production of goods.
Topic 6.6: The Rise of Industrial Capitalism
Thematic Focus: Work, Exchange, and TechnologyWXT
The interplay between markets, private enterprise, labor, technology, and government policy shape the American economy. In turn, economic activity shapes society and government policy and drives technological innovation.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective E
Explain the socioeconomic continuities and changes associated with the growth of industrial capitalism from 1865 to 1898.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.I
Large-scale industrial production—accompanied by massive technological change, expanding international communication networks, pro-growth government policies—generated rapid economic development and business consolidation.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.I.B.ii
Businesses made use of redesigned financial and management structures, advances in marketing, and a growing labor force to dramatically increase the production of goods.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.I.D
Many business leaders sought increased profits by consolidating corporations into large trusts and holding companies, which further concentrated wealth.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.I.E.i
Businesses increasingly looked outside U.S. borders in an effort to gain greater influence and control over markets and natural resources in the Pacific Rim, Asia, and Latin America.
Topic 6.7: Labor in the Gilded Age
Thematic Focus: Work, Exchange, and TechnologyWXT
The interplay between markets, private enterprise, labor, technology, and government policy shape the American economy. In turn, economic activity shapes society and government policy and drives technological innovation.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective E
Explain the socioeconomic continuities and changes associated with the growth of industrial capitalism from 1865 to 1898.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.I.C
As the price of many goods decreased, workers’ real wages increased, providing new access to a variety of goods and services; many Americans’ standards of living improved, while the gap between rich and poor grew.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.II.C
Labor and management battled over wages and working conditions, with workers organizing local and national unions and/or directly confronting business leaders.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.II.B.i
The industrial workforce expanded and child labor increased.
Topic 6.8: Immigration and Migration in the Gilded Age
Thematic Focus: Migration and SettlementMIG
Push and pull factors shape immigration to and migration within America, and the demographic change as a result of these moves shapes the migrants, society, and the environment.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective F
Explain how cultural and economic factors affected migration patterns over time.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.II.B.ii
The industrial workforce expanded and became more diverse through internal and international migration.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.I.A
As cities became areas of economic growth featuring new factories and businesses, they attracted immigrants from Asia and southern and eastern Europe, as well as African American migrants within and out of the South. Many migrants moved to escape poverty, religious persecution, and limited opportunities for social mobility in their home countries or regions.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.I.B
Urban neighborhoods based on particular ethnicities, races, and classes provided new cultural opportunities for city dwellers.
Topic 6.9: Responses to Immigration in the Gilded Age
Thematic Focus: Migration and SettlementMIG
Push and pull factors shape immigration to and migration within America, and the demographic change as a result of these moves shapes the migrants, society, and the environment.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective G
Explain the various responses to immigration in the period over time.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.I.C
Increasing public debates over assimilation and Americanization accompanied the growth of international migration. Many immigrants negotiated compromises between the cultures they brought and the culture they found in the United States.
Historical Developments: KC-6.3.I.A
Social commentators advocated theories later described as Social Darwinism to justify the success of those at the top of the socioeconomic structure as both appropriate and inevitable.
Historical Developments: KC-6.3.II.B.i
Many women, like Jane Addams, worked in settlement houses to help immigrants adapt to U.S. language and customs.
Topic 6.10: Development of the Middle Class
Thematic Focus: Social StructuresSOC
Social categories, roles, and practices are created, maintained, challenged, and transformed throughout American history, shaping government policy, economic systems, culture, and the lives of citizens.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective H
Explain the causes of increased economic opportunity and its effects on society.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.I.E
Corporations’ need for managers and for male and female clerical workers, as well as increased access to educational institutions, fostered the growth of a distinctive middle class. A growing amount of leisure time also helped expand consumer culture.
Historical Developments: KC-6.3.I.B
Some business leaders argued that the wealthy had a moral obligation to help the less fortunate and improve society, as articulated in the idea known as the Gospel of Wealth, and they made philanthropic contributions that enhanced educational opportunities and urban environments.
Topic 6.11: Reform in the Gilded Age
Thematic Focus: Social StructuresSOC
Social categories, roles, and practices are created, maintained, challenged, and transformed throughout American history, shaping government policy, economic systems, culture, and the lives of citizens.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective I
Explain how different reform movements responded to the rise of industrial capitalism in the Gilded Age.
Historical Developments: KC-6.3.I.C
A number of artists and critics, including agrarians, utopians, socialists, and advocates of the Social Gospel, championed alternative visions for the economy and U.S. society.
Historical Developments: KC-6.3.II.B.ii
Many women sought greater equality with men, often joining voluntary organizations, going to college, and promoting social and political reform.
Topic 6.12: Controversies over the Role of Government in the Gilded Age
Thematic Focus: Politics and PowerPCE
Debates fostered by social and political groups about the role of government in American social, political, and economic life shape government policy, institutions, political parties, and the rights of citizens.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective J
Explain continuities and changes in the role of the government in the U.S. economy.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.II.A
Some argued that laissez-faire policies and competition promoted economic growth in the long run, and they opposed government intervention during economic downturns.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.I.E.ii
Foreign policymakers increasingly looked outside U.S. borders in an effort to gain greater influence and control over markets and natural resources in the Pacific Rim, Asia, and Latin America.
Topic 6.13: Politics in the Gilded Age
Thematic Focus: Politics and PowerPCE
Debates fostered by social and political groups about the role of government in American social, political, and economic life shape government policy, institutions, political parties, and the rights of citizens.
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective K
Explain the similarities and differences between the political parties during the Gilded Age.
Historical Developments: KC-6.1.III.C
Economic instability inspired agrarian activists to create the People’s (Populist) Party, which called for a stronger governmental role in regulating the American economic system.
Historical Developments: KC-6.3.II.A
The major political parties appealed to lingering divisions from the Civil War and contended over tariffs and currency issues, even as reformers argued that economic greed and self-interest had corrupted all levels of government.
Historical Developments: KC-6.2.I.D
In an urban atmosphere where the access to power was unequally distributed, political machines thrived, in part by providing immigrants and the poor with social services.
Topic 6.14: Continuity and Change Period 6
Learning Objective: Unit 6: Learning Objective L
Explain the extent to which industrialization brought change from 1865 to 1898.
Review: KC-6.1
Technological advances, large-scale production methods, and the opening of new markets encouraged the rise of industrial capitalism in the United States.
Review: KC-6.1.I
Large-scale industrial production—accompanied by massive technological change, expanding international communication networks, and pro-growth government policies—generated rapid economic development and business consolidation.
Review: KC-6.1.II
A variety of perspectives on the economy and labor developed during a time of financial panics and downturns.
Review: KC-6.1.III
New systems of production and transportation enabled consolidation within agriculture, which, along with periods of instability, spurred a variety of responses from farmers.
Review: KC-6.2
The migrations that accompanied industrialization transformed both urban and rural areas of the United States and caused dramatic social and cultural change.
Review: KC-6.2.I
International and internal migration increased urban populations and fostered the growth of a new urban culture.
Review: KC-6.2.II
Larger numbers of migrants moved to the West in search of land and economic opportunity, frequently provoking competition and violent conflict.
Review: KC-6.3
The Gilded Age produced new cultural and intellectual movements, public reform efforts, and political debates over economic and social policies.
Review: KC-6.3.I
New cultural and intellectual movements both buttressed and challenged the social order of the Gilded Age.
Review: KC-6.3.II
Dramatic social changes in the period inspired political debates over citizenship, corruption, and the proper relationship between business and government.
