Unofficial practice for MTEL History/Social Science (73): world and American history, geography and economics, and civics, each answer sourced.
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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or Pearson. Bank checked October 9, 2026.
Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles laid two burdens on the Germans. What were they?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1914–1920: The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0003
Before its independence Haiti was the French colony of St. Domingue. What does the Office of the Historian say the revolution of 1791 to 1804 made of it?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1784–1800: The United States and the Haitian Revolution, 1791–1804. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0002
Between 1945 and 1960, three dozen new states in Asia and Africa gained autonomy or independence. With what did this process coincide, by the Office of the Historian's account?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1945–1952: Decolonization of Asia and Africa, 1945–1960. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0003
The edicts of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka say he conquered Kalinga after a brutal war. To what did he devote himself afterward?Wikipedia, "Ashoka", lead and Kalinga war and conversion to Buddhism. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0001
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Subarea I: World history, continued
Fourteen countries met in Berlin from November 1884 to February 1885. Which agreement closed the meeting?Wikipedia, "Berlin Conference", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0003
In 1324 Mansa Musa of Mali went on hajj to Mecca with a vast supply of gold. What effect is his stay in Cairo said to have had?Wikipedia, "Mansa Musa", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0001
The Neolithic Revolution is also called the First Agricultural Revolution. Which transition do the names refer to?Wikipedia, "Neolithic Revolution", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0001
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People's Republic of China. What did the announcement end?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1945–1952: The Chinese Revolution of 1949. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0003
The printing press that Johannes Gutenberg invented around 1440 let information spread quickly across Europe. To which two movements did that spread contribute?Wikipedia, "Printing press", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0002
What did the English Bill of Rights of 1689 require of the Crown?Wikipedia, "Bill of Rights 1689", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0002
What sets the Qin dynasty apart in the history of China?Wikipedia, "Qin dynasty", lead and Government and military. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0001
Which ruler acquired the future capital of his state by capturing Constantinople in 1453?Wikipedia, "Fall of Constantinople", lead and Aftermath. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0002
Subarea II: U.S. history 12
A Louisiana law required separate or partitioned railway coaches for white and Black passengers. How did the Supreme Court rule on the law in Plessy v. Ferguson?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0005
After the Stamp Act, colonists protested and boycotted British goods, and British merchants lobbied Parliament. What did the British Government decide?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1750–1775: Parliamentary Taxation of Colonies, International Trade, and the American Revolution. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0004
In 1803 American negotiators agreed with France on a price of $15 million. What did the United States receive for it?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0005
In 1882 Congress passed, and President Chester A. Arthur signed, a law aimed at one group of immigrants. What did the law do?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Chinese Exclusion Act (1882). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0005
The National Archives names two crucial provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 1783. One is British recognition of U.S. independence. What is the other?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Treaty of Paris (1783). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0004
News of which event led the French foreign minister Vergennes to decide in favor of an alliance with the United States?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1776–1783: French Alliance, French Assistance, and European Diplomacy during the American Revolution. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0004
On what ground did Brown v. Board of Education (1954) hold state-sanctioned segregation of public schools unconstitutional?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0006
The Social Security Act of August 14, 1935 is remembered for its old-age benefits. Which other protection for workers did the same act establish?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Social Security Act (1935). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0006
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed as an act to enforce one amendment, and it outlawed one kind of test for voters. Which pairing is correct?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Voting Rights Act (1965). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0006
What did Executive Order 9066, issued on February 19, 1942, authorize?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Executive Order 9066 (1942). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0006
When the war with France ended, colonists began to pour over the Appalachian Mountains in search of land. How did the Royal Proclamation of 1763 answer them?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1750–1775: Proclamation Line of 1763, Quebec Act of 1774 and Westward Expansion. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0004
Why did the Emancipation Proclamation leave slavery untouched in the loyal border states?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Emancipation Proclamation (1863). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0005
Subarea III: World geography and economics 12
A saver keeps $300,000 in a single account in her own name at an FDIC-insured bank, and the bank fails. How much of the deposit does FDIC insurance cover?Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Understanding Deposit Insurance. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0009
About 40% of the vocabulary of Swahili, a Bantu language, is made up of loanwords from one language, a mark of contact on the East African coast. Which language?Wikipedia, "Swahili language", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0008
About how much of Earth's water is freshwater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey?U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School: Where is Earth's Water?. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0007
An investor buys a bond issued by a city. By the SEC's Investor.gov, what has the investor done?U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov: Bonds. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0009
Economists add up the value of the final goods and services produced in the United States in a period. What is this total called?U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Learning Center: Gross Domestic Product. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0009
Farmers in ancient Egypt depended on the Inundation, the yearly flood of the Nile. What did the flood leave behind that mattered so much?Wikipedia, "Flooding of the Nile", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0008
The law names three goals for the monetary policy of the central bank of the United States, yet people speak of a "dual mandate." Which pair of goals do they mean?Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Monetary Policy: What Are Its Goals? How Does It Work?. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0009
Most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions strike along plate boundaries. Which belt does the U.S. Geological Survey call the most seismically and volcanically active in the world?U.S. Geological Survey, FAQ: What is the "Ring of Fire"?. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0007
Smallpox, maize, turkeys and tobacco smoking all crossed the Atlantic in the Columbian exchange. Which one traveled from the Old World to the Americas?Wikipedia, "Columbian exchange", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0008
Which ocean basin does NOAA describe as both the largest and the deepest on Earth?NOAA National Ocean Service, Ocean Facts: What is the largest ocean basin on Earth?. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0007
Which statement describes the Columbian exchange?Wikipedia, "Columbian exchange", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0008
Which two bodies of water does the Suez Canal connect?Wikipedia, "Suez Canal", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0007
Subarea IV: Civic life and government 12
"A Law repugnant to the Constitution is void." Which principle did Chief Justice Marshall establish with these words in 1803?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Marbury v. Madison (1803). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0011
A teacher wants her class to read a primary source on a mill strike of the 1830s. Which should she choose?Wikipedia, "Primary source", lead. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0013
After researching a local problem, students write to the select board to propose a fix. Which of the framework's seven practice standards does this last step reflect?Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2018 History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, Guiding Principles and Standards for History and Social Science Practice. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0013
By 1787 the government under the Articles of Confederation was on the brink of collapse. Which two powers did it lack, by the National Archives' account?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Articles of Confederation (1777). Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0010
By the Massachusetts Constitution, what is the legislature of the Commonwealth styled?Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Part the Second, Chapter I, Section I, Article I. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0011
By the National Archives' account, who wrote Magna Carta, and why?National Archives, Featured Documents: Magna Carta. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0010
Congress passes a bill, and the president sends it back with objections. Under Article I, Section 7, which vote makes it a law without the president's signature?National Archives, The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, Article I, Section 7. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0011
From her eighteenth birthday a citizen can no longer be refused the vote on account of age. Which amendment says so?National Archives, The Constitution: Amendments 11–27. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0012
How does U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services define naturalization?U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Citizenship and Naturalization. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0012
Students compare how Spanish writers and the peoples whose lands they entered described the same events. Which guiding principle of the Massachusetts framework does the lesson serve?Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2018 History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, Guiding Principles and Standards for History and Social Science Practice. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0013
What did the Great Compromise at the Constitutional Convention establish?U.S. Senate, About the Senate and the U.S. Constitution: Equal State Representation. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0010
Which guarantee is written in Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment?National Archives, The Constitution: Amendments 11–27. Written to MTEL History/Social Science (73), objective 0012
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test objectives of MTEL History/Social Science, field 73, as the test information guide prints them on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure website (https://www.mtel.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/MA_SG_OBJ_73.htm and https://www.mtel.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MA073_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-09): 100 multiple-choice questions and 2 open-response assignments in 4 hours; four multiple-choice subareas of 20% of the score each (World History, objectives 0001 to 0003; U.S. History, 0004 to 0006; World Geography and Economics, 0007 to 0009; Civic Life and Government, 0010 to 0013) and the open-response subarea, 20%. This bank holds 12 questions for each multiple-choice subarea. Every fact was read on 2026-10-09 in the public page named under its question: the National Archives (milestone documents and the Constitution), the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Senate, the Massachusetts Constitution, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, Investor.gov, the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework and thirteen Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This MTEL History practice test asks 48 questions of our own on History/Social Science, field 73. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
The test is History/Social Science (73)
The MTEL tests list has no test named History alone. It lists History/Social Science (73) and an MTEL-Flex version, so this page follows the objectives of field 73.
Four equal subareas
Each of the four multiple-choice subareas carries 20% of the score, by the test objectives. The bank holds 12 questions for each.
Where the facts come from
Each fact was read on the public page named under its question: the National Archives, the State Department's Office of the Historian, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Reserve and others.
The two open-response assignments, written analyses of sources in world and U.S. history, are not practiced here.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the MTEL History test?
History/Social Science (73) has 100 multiple-choice questions and 2 open-response assignments in 4 hours of testing time. Online-proctored candidates get 2 hours 15 minutes for the section of multiple-choice questions. The MTEL site adds that some questions may not count toward the score.
What is a passing score on the MTEL History test?
The MTEL site gives a qualifying score of 240. The four multiple-choice subareas are 80% of the score and the open-response assignments 20%, so a number right here carries no verdict.
What is on the MTEL History test?
Four multiple-choice subareas: World History, U.S. History, World Geography and Economics, and Civic Life and Government. A fifth subarea is written: two analyses of primary and secondary sources, one on world history and one on U.S. history.
Can I take the MTEL History test at home?
Yes. The MTEL site says online proctoring is available for History/Social Science (73), in one-week testing windows each month. Test centers give it by appointment year-round.