A ChatGPT-Produced APUSH Stimulus-Based Multiple Choice Test
Period 1–9
The test that appears below was created by ChatGPT in response to my having prompted the bot to “create an AP US History, stimulus-based multiple choice question test for Time Period 1–9.”
This test consists of only 15 questions, whereas the other three Time Period 1–9 tests I made today all consist of fifty-five questions. True, not one of the four has yet been proofread, but it’s a start. My goal is to significantly increase the number of AP-style MCQs not yet appearing on the internet that I can put before my students.
Stimulus: Excerpt from Christopher Columbus’s Journal (1492)
“Your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians, and princes who love and promote the holy Christian faith, and are enemies of the doctrine of Mahomet, and of all idolatry and heresy, determined to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the above-mentioned countries of India, to see the said princes, people, and territories, and to learn their disposition and the proper method of converting them to our holy faith; and furthermore directed that I should not proceed by land to the East, as is customary, but by a Westerly route, in which direction we have hitherto no certain evidence that anyone has gone.”
Question 1:
What does this excerpt reveal about the motivations behind European exploration and colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries? A) Economic gain B) Spread of Christianity C) Technological advancement D) Diplomatic relations
Question 2:
This passage is most directly associated with which historical period?
A) Colonial Period B) Age of Exploration C) Revolutionary Era D) Industrial Revolution
Stimulus: Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence (1776)
“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 are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Question 3
What Enlightenment idea is most clearly expressed in this excerpt? A) Divine right of kings B) Natural rights C) Mercantilism D) Social Darwinism
Question 4:
This excerpt is most closely associated with which historical period? A) Age of Exploration B) Revolutionary Era C) Civil War Era D) Cold War Era
Stimulus:Photograph of child laborers in a textile mill (circa 1900)
Question 5:
What social issue does this photograph most directly highlight? A) Immigration B) Child labor C) Women’s suffrage D) Racial segregation
Question 6:
This photograph is most directly related to which historical period? A) Gilded Age B) Progressive Era C) Great Depression D) Post-WWII Era
Stimulus: Excerpt from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address (1933)
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
Question 7:
What event was President Roosevelt responding to in this speech?
A) The start of WWII B) The Great Depression C) The attack on Pearl Harbor D) The New Deal legislation
Question 8:
This quote is most closely associated with which historical period?
A) Progressive Era B) Roaring Twenties C) Great Depression and New Deal Era D) Cold War Era
Stimulus: Excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech (1963)
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Question 9:
What civil rights issue is most directly addressed in this quote? A) Women’s rights B) African-American civil rights C) Native Americans C) Native American rights D) Immigrants’ rights
Question 10:
In the context of the speech, what does the phrase “the content of their character” refer to? A) Individual talents and abilities B) Socioeconomic status C) Racial identity D) Educational background
Question 11:
What was Martin Luther King Jr. advocating for in his “I Have a Dream” speech? A) Segregation and racial discrimination B) Religious freedom C) Nonviolent protest and racial equality D) Economic inequality and wealth redistribution
Stimulus: Excerpt from the journal of Juan Ponce de León (1513)
“…in obedience to your Royal Highnesses, I landed on the coast of Florida and took possession of the land in the name of our sovereigns.”
Question 12:
According to this excerpt, what was the purpose of Juan Ponce de León’s expedition? A) Economic gain B) Religious conversion C) Scientific exploration D) Territorial claim
Stimulus: Excerpt from Bartolomé de Las Casas’s “A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies” (1552)
“The reason the Christians have murdered on such a vast scale and killed anyone and everyone in their way is purely and simply greed. They have set out to line their pockets with gold and to amass private fortunes…”
Question 13:
What does this excerpt suggest about the motivations behind Spanish colonization efforts in the Americas? A) Religious conversion B) Technological advancements C) Economic gain D) Political dominance
Question 14:
According to Bartolomé de Las Casas, what were the consequences of the Spanish pursuit of wealth in the Americas? A) Harmonious coexistence with indigenous populations B) Economic prosperity for all parties involved C) Exploitation and destruction of indigenous peoples D) Cultural assimilation and integration of different societies
Question 15:
How did Bartolomé de Las Casas view the actions of the Spanish colonizers in the Americas? A) Justifiable for the sake of expanding Christianity B) Admirable due to their scientific discoveries C) Criticizable for their greed and violence D) Necessary for establishing diplomatic relations
