FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION FOR RECRUITMENT TO POSTS IN BPS-17 UNDER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, 2009
HISTORY OF U.S.A.
(PART-I) 30 MINUTES MAXIMUM MARKS:20 TIME ALLOWED: (PART-II) 2 HOURS & 30 MINUTES MAXIMUM MARKS:80
NOTE: (i) First attempt PART-I (MCQ) on separate Answer Sheet which shall be taken back after 30 minutes.
(ii) Overwriting/cutting of the options/answers will not be given credit.
PART – I (MCQ)
(COMPULSORY)
Q.1. Select the best option/answer and fill in the appropriate box on the Answer Sheet. (20)
(i) During his first voyage, Columbus accidentally landed at the:
(a) Virgin Islands (b) Hawaiian Islands (c) Watlings Island in the Bahamas (d) Northern Mariana Islands (e) None of these
(ii) Which of the following English Colonies in America was named after Queen Elizabeth?
(a) Maryland (b) Florida (c) Virginia (d) Georgia (e) None of these
(iii) Which of the following States in the United States of America was famous for its gold mines?
(a) Maryland (b) Vermont (c) California (d) Massachusetts (e) None of these
(iv) The first permanent and successful English Colony in America, Jamestown Virginia, was founded
in the year:
(a) 1492 (b) 1592 (c) 1607 (d) 1707 (e) None of these
(v) The Pilgrims from England reached Plymouth (New England) in a ship called:
(a) Nina (b) Pinta (c) Mayflower (d) Leopard (e) None of these
(vi) Which one of the following leaders of American Revolution was also a scientist, a printer, a
satirist and a political philosopher?
(a) Samuel Adams (b) John Adams (c) Benjamin Franklin (d) Thomas Jefferson (e) None of these
(vii) How many political parties are mentioned by name in the U.S. Constitution?
(a) One (b) Two (c) Three (d) Four (e) None of these
(viii) The Bill of Rights was incorporated in the U.S. Constitution in the year:
(a) 1787 (b) 1789 (c) 1790 (d) 1791 (e) None of these
(ix) Who was elected as President of the Confederacy when the seceding Southern Slave State announced their secession from United States of America and founded the Confederate States of America in 1861?
(a) Thomas Jefferson (b) Jefferson Davis (c) James Madison (d) Aaron Burr (e) None of these
(x) In which capacity did Alexander Hamilton work with George Washington, the first President of United States of America:
(a) Secretary of Defense (b) Secretary of State (c) Secretary of Treasury (d) Attorney General (e) None of these
(xi) One of the first two political factions in United States, the Democratic Republicans, was led by:
(a) Jefferson Davis (b) Alexander Hamilton (c) Thomas Jefferson (d) George Washington (e) None of these
(xii) The Treaty of Paris in 1783 fixed the Western boundary of the United States at the River:
(a) Missouri (b) Kentucky (c) Mississippi (d) Potomac (e) None of these
(xiii) During Jefferson’s Presidency, Robert R. Livingstone was the U.S. Minister to:
(a) England (b) Spain (c) France (d) Russia (e) None of these
(xiv) Under which treaty United States acquired Florida from Spain?
(a) Treaty of Paris (b) Adams-Onis Treaty (c) Pinckney’s Treaty (d) Jay’s Treaty (e) None of these
(xv) Which of the American Presidents won four consecutive presidential elections and remained president for the longest period of time:
(a) Theodore Roosevelt (b) Woodrow Wilson (c) Franklin Delano Roosevelt (d) Harry S. Truman (e) None of these
(xvi) Alaska was acquired by United States from:
(a) Spain (b) England (c) Canada (d) Russia (e) None of these
(xvii) Which of the American presidents was responsible for the Apollo Project that resulted in the man’s landing on the surface of moon?
(a) Dwight David Eisenhower (b) John F. Kennedy (c) Lyndon Baines Johnson (d) Richard Nixon (e) None of these
(xviii) Which of the American Presidents was present at the time of the signing of the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel?
(a) John F. Kennedy (b) Richard Nixon (c) Jimmy Carter (d) Ronald Reagan (e) None of these
(xix) Which of the American presidents called the former Soviet Union “An Evil Empire”?
(a) Richard Nixon (b) Jimmy Carter (c) Ronald Reagan (d) George Herbert Walker Bush (e) None of these
(xx) Which one of the American presidents remained the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before becoming the president?
(a) Richard Nixon (b) Jimmy Carter (c) George Herbert Walker Bush (d) Gerald Rudolph Ford (e) None of these
PART – II
NOTE:
(i) PART-II is to be attempted on the separate Answer Book.
(ii) Attempt ONLY FOUR questions from PART-II. All questions carry EQUAL marks.
(iii) Extra attempt of any question or any part of the attempted question will not be considered.
Q.2. Why England failed to take the initiative in the colonization of the American continent? What factors were responsible for the British interest in establishing their colonies in the areas that are now part of the United States of America? (20)
Q.3. What were the major flaws in the Articles of Confederation (the first constitution of the United States of America) that led to the Philadelphia Convention and the drafting of a new constitution? Discuss the salient features of the present constitution of the United States of America. (20)
Q.4. Thomas Jefferson was termed “a bull in the china closet” by the Federalists when he became the President of the United States of America but his policies and performance negated this impression. Discuss. (20)
Q.5. Discuss the major factors responsible for the ‘sectional divide’ between the Northern and the Southern states of the United States of America that finally led to the American Civil War. (20)
Q.6. Discuss in the details the causes and effects of the Great Depression on the people and society of the United States of America. (20)
Q.7. Write a comprehensive note on the Black Civil Rights Movement in America for equal civil rights and the role played in it by different individuals and organizations. (20)
Q.8. Write short notes on ANY TWO of the following: (20)
(i) The Truman Doctrine and the Marshal Plan
(ii) The Watergate Scandal
(iii) The Scandals and controversies involving President William Jefferson Bill Clinton
(iv) The U.S. foreign policy in the light of 9/11 and the War on Terror