GACE: History

The History assessment, offered as part of the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators, is divided into two tests.

The first test consists of 60 selected-response questions (80% of the test score) and 2 constructed-response assignments (20% of the test score). The content areas covered by the first test are historical concepts and skills, world history to 1600, and world history from 1500 to the present. The topics covered by the historical concepts and skills subarea are: important historical terms, concepts, and perspectives; and the social science skills required to locate and analyze information related to historical topics. The topics covered by the world history to 1600 subarea are: the origins, structures, development, and interactions of ancient societies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; the Byzantine Empire; the origins and expansion of Islam; the basic characteristics of European medieval society; and the significance of the Renaissance and Reformation. The topics covered by the world history from 1500 to the present subarea are: the importance of the Age of Discovery and Expansion; the effects of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment; major developments during the Age of Revolutions and Rebellions; the effects of industrialization, the rise of nationalism, imperialism, World War I, the major developments of the interwar period, and World War II; the de-colonization of Africa and Asia; the Cold War; and the importance of globalization in the contemporary world.

The second test consists of 60 selected-response questions (80% of the test score) and 2 constructed-response questions (20% of the test score). The content areas covered by the second test are U.S. history to 1914, U.S. history from 1914 to the present, and Georgia history. The topics covered by the U.S. history to 1914 subarea are: European settlement of North America; the American Revolution; the development of the U.S. Constitution; the growth and expansion of the United States through the mid-19th century; and the Civil War and Reconstruction. The topics covered by the U.S. history from 1914 to the present subarea are: American involvement in World Wars I and II; and the major political, economic, and cultural developments from 1914 to the present. The topics covered by the Georgia history subarea are: the major developments in Georgia's history and George's role in the history of the United States.

The examination must be completed within four hours. The total test score is placed on a scale of 100 to 300, with 220 as the lowest passing score. Scores are based on the number of selected-response questions answered correctly and the scores assigned by judges to the constructed responses. Test-takers will also receive performance indices indicating their success in each subarea of the examination. Scores will be available approximately a month after the date of the examination; unofficial results are posted on the internet, and an official score report is mailed to the test-taker, the Professional Standards Commission, and the institution specified by the test-taker during registration.

Practice Questions

1. What was the title for the military governor during Japan's Tokugawa period?

A: samurai
B: daimyo
C: shogun
D: kotai

2. Who was Gavrilo Princip?

A: The inventor of the wind turbine
B: The assassin who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ignited World War One
C: France's foreign minister during the American Revolution
D: The secretary-general of the United Nations during the 1960s

3. Which of the following best describes the relationship between the Apache and Navajo tribes?

A: These tribes were part of the Iroquois League
B: These tribes both resided along the East Coast
C: Both of these tribes are members of the same language family
D: These tribes were continually at war with one another

4. Who won the Boer War?

A: Britain
B: Dutch
C: French
D: South African

5. Which of the following was a direct result of the launching of the satellite Sputnik I?

A: the Cold War
B: the fall of Khrushchev
C: the development of the U-2
D: the space race between the United States and Russia

Answer Key

1. C. The shogun administered a military bureaucracy dominated by samurai.
2. B. Princip was a member of the Black Hand, a group aiming for Slavic independence.
3. C. The Athapascan language family includes both the Apache and Navajo tribes.
4. A. The British victory established their dominance of the Transvaal and Orange Free State regions in South Africa.
5. D. Sputnik I passed directly over the continental United States during its orbit, encouraging American scientists to create a comparable satellite.