A class studies the Flint sit-down strike of 1936 and 1937. Which item is a primary source for it?Wikipedia, Primary source; Wikipedia, Flint sit-down strike (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 002 (historical sources and perspectives).
A researcher wants to compare a Michigan county's population at regular intervals across the 1800s. Which source was collected on a fixed schedule that suits the task?U.S. Census Bureau, About the Decennial Census of Population and Housing (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 002 (historical sources and perspectives).
In 1893 Frederick Jackson Turner argued that one force above all had shaped American democracy. Which force?Wikipedia, Frontier thesis (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 002 (historical sources and perspectives).
Textbooks group the past under headings such as "the Age of Exploration" and "the Industrial Age." What is this practice called?Wikipedia, Periodization (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 001 (historical concepts and terms).
Which list puts four developments that shaped Michigan in the order they happened?Wikipedia, History of Michigan; National Archives, Milestone Documents: Northwest Ordinance (1787) and Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 001 (historical concepts and terms).
Show all 51 questions (46 more)
World history 9
Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles is remembered for which provision?Wikipedia, Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 005 (world history, 1900 to 1945).
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 drew wide attention to the wealth of which West African empire?Wikipedia, Mansa Musa (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 003 (world history to 1500 CE).
Rulers of the Zhou dynasty justified the overthrow of the Shang with which doctrine?Wikipedia, Mandate of Heaven (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 003 (world history to 1500 CE).
What happened when British rule in India ended in August 1947?Wikipedia, Partition of India (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 006 (world history since 1945).
What made the SALT I agreements, signed in Moscow in 1972, a first in the Cold War?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones: Strategic Arms Limitations Talks/Treaty (SALT) I and II (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 006 (world history since 1945).
What was the Corpus Juris Civilis, enacted from 529 to 534?Wikipedia, Corpus Juris Civilis (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 003 (world history to 1500 CE).
Which event of 1868 ended the Tokugawa shogunate and restored imperial rule in Japan?Wikipedia, Meiji Restoration (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 004 (world history, fifteenth century to 1914).
Which principle did the Peace of Augsburg establish in the Holy Roman Empire in 1555?Wikipedia, Peace of Augsburg (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 004 (world history, fifteenth century to 1914).
Which transfer is an example of the Columbian exchange moving from the Americas to the Old World?Wikipedia, Columbian exchange (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 004 (world history, fifteenth century to 1914).
U.S. history 9
After 1763, colonists who settled beyond the line of the Appalachian Mountains were defying which British measure?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones: Proclamation Line of 1763, Quebec Act of 1774 and Westward Expansion (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 007 (U.S. history to 1800).
Besides a federal system of old-age benefits, what did the Social Security Act of August 14, 1935, help the states to provide?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Social Security Act (1935) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 010 (U.S. history, the Depression to the present).
Homer Plessy was arrested in Louisiana for sitting in a railway car reserved for white passengers. How did the Supreme Court rule in 1896?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 009 (U.S. history, 1870 to 1930).
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was written to enforce which amendment, ratified 95 years before?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Voting Rights Act (1965) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 010 (U.S. history, the Depression to the present).
What did the Marshall Plan, signed by President Truman on April 3, 1948, provide?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Marshall Plan (1948) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 010 (U.S. history, the Depression to the present).
What did the Roosevelt Corollary of 1904 add to the Monroe Doctrine?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones: Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, 1904 (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 009 (U.S. history, 1870 to 1930).
Where did the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, apply?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Emancipation Proclamation (1863) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 008 (U.S. history, expansion to Reconstruction).
Which law of 1820 outlawed slavery above the 36°30′ line in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Missouri Compromise (1820) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 008 (U.S. history, expansion to Reconstruction).
Which plan, named for Connecticut delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth, gave states seats by population in one house and the same number of seats in the other?U.S. Senate, A Great Compromise (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 007 (U.S. history to 1800).
Geography 9
A map has a representative fraction of 1:24,000. One inch on the map stands for what distance on the ground?Wikipedia, Scale (map) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 011 (geographic terms, concepts and resources).
A unit traces how people, goods and ideas travel between Detroit and the cities around it. Which of the five themes of geography does it stress?Wikipedia, Five themes of geography (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 011 (geographic terms, concepts and resources).
The five Great Lakes hold roughly what share of the world's surface fresh water?Wikipedia, Great Lakes (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 012 (physical systems).
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are carried by wind and react to form sulfuric and nitric acids. Which environmental problem results?U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, What is Acid Rain? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 013 (human societies and the environment).
The taiga, a biome of coniferous forest, is Earth's largest land biome. Where is it found in North America?Wikipedia, Taiga (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 013 (human societies and the environment).
What does a country's dependency ratio compare?Wikipedia, Dependency ratio (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 014 (human systems).
Which describes the Great Migration of roughly the 1910s to the 1970s?National Archives, The Great Migration (1910-1970) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 014 (human systems).
Which tool is a computer system that analyzes and displays geographically referenced information?U.S. Geological Survey, What is a geographic information system (GIS)? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 011 (geographic terms, concepts and resources).
Why do the shores of the Great Lakes get heavy bands of lake effect snow in late fall and winter?National Weather Service, Lake Effect Snow (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 012 (physical systems).
Political science 7
The Fourteenth Amendment names two ways of becoming a citizen of the United States. What are they?National Archives, Milestone Documents: 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights (1868) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 016 (foundations of U.S. government and citizenship).
In which system of government does the executive depend on the confidence of the legislature to stay in office?Wikipedia, Parliamentary system (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 015 (political science concepts and perspectives).
Under Article II, section 9 of the Michigan Constitution, a petition to initiate a law needs signatures equal to what share of the last vote for governor?Michigan Legislature, Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article II, section 9 (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 017 (levels of government and the international community).
Under the Michigan Constitution of 1963, how is the state legislature made up?Michigan Legislature, Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article IV, sections 2 and 3 (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 017 (levels of government and the international community).
What did the Supreme Court decide in Lau v. Nichols (1974)?Wikipedia, Lau v. Nichols (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 016 (foundations of U.S. government and citizenship).
Which decision of 1824 forbade states from passing laws that interfere with the power of Congress over commerce among the states?National Archives, Milestone Documents: Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 016 (foundations of U.S. government and citizenship).
Which idea is Montesquieu's The Spirit of Law (1748) best known for?Wikipedia, The Spirit of Law (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 015 (political science concepts and perspectives).
Economics 7
A city caps apartment rents below the market equilibrium price. What does the supply and demand model predict?Wikipedia, Shortage (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 018 (economic concepts and the market economy).
A town has one vacant lot and can build a library, a park or a parking lot on it. It builds the library, and the park was the council's second choice. What is the opportunity cost of the library?Wikipedia, Opportunity cost (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 018 (economic concepts and the market economy).
Four large firms sell nearly all of the breakfast cereal in a country, and each sets prices with an eye on the other three. Which market structure is this?Wikipedia, Oligopoly (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 018 (economic concepts and the market economy).
How do contributions to a traditional IRA and to a Roth IRA differ at tax time?Internal Revenue Service, Traditional and Roth IRAs (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 019 (personal finance).
How does a credit union differ from a commercial bank?National Credit Union Administration, MyCreditUnion.gov, What is a Credit Union? (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 019 (personal finance).
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank were created at which conference of July 1944?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones: Bretton Woods-GATT, 1941-1947 (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 020 (the national and international economy).
Which set names the three tools of monetary policy that the Federal Reserve describes?Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Open Market Committee (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 020 (the national and international economy).
Inquiry and public discourse 5
A class discusses a proposed curfew for teenagers. Which response best shows constructive conversation about a public issue?The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 023 (core democratic values and public policy).
A speaker at a township meeting says: "Do not trust the road plan. The engineer who drew it was once fined for filing a tax return late." Which fallacy is this?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Fallacies (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 023 (core democratic values and public policy).
A table gives a town's population: 12,000 in 1990, 15,000 in 2000, 18,000 in 2010 and 21,000 in 2020. Which conclusion does the table support?The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 021 (research methods and interpretation).
How did the Erie Canal, opened in 1825, affect Michigan?Wikipedia, History of Michigan (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 022 (interdisciplinary perspectives).
Which sentence from a student report on the Michigan Constitution of 1963 states a fact and not an opinion?Michigan Legislature, Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article IV, section 2 (history line) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) test objectives, objective 021 (research methods and interpretation).
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test objectives of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) field 084, Social Studies (Secondary), as the MTTC site prints them (https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/Content/STUDYGUIDE/MI_SG_obj_084.htm and the test page https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MI084_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-09): Historical perspectives, 10%; World history, 18%; U.S. history, 18%; Geography, 18%; Political science, 13%; Economics, 13%; Inquiry and public discourse, 10%; 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours 30 minutes of testing time, passing score 220. This bank holds 51 questions, spread 5, 9, 9, 9, 7, 7, 5 over those subareas. Every fact was read on 2026-10-09 in the public page named under its question: the National Archives (Milestone Documents and research pages), the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Senate, the Michigan Legislature (Constitution of Michigan of 1963), the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Weather Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Credit Union Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Purdue Online Writing Lab, and the Wikipedia article named for each remaining question. 2 questions rest on a text, a table or an argument printed in the question and on the wording of the objective. Licence: Questions, passages, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free MTTC social studies practice test follows Social Studies (Secondary), field 084: 51 questions of our own, each with its source. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Michigan Department of Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) practice test: the outline
By the test objectives read October 9, 2026, field 084 weights historical perspectives 10%, world history 18%, U.S. history 18%, geography 18%, political science 13%, economics 13%, and inquiry and public discourse 10%.
How the 51 questions are spread
Five, nine, nine, nine, seven, seven and five, close to those weights. Exam mode asks 50 in 75 minutes, half the real test at its pace.
Where the answers come from
Each explanation names what it rests on: the National Archives, the State Department's Office of the Historian, the Michigan Constitution on the Legislature's site, another federal agency, Purdue's Online Writing Lab or a named Wikipedia article. Two rest on the question's own text.
The objectives name Michigan: the Michigan Constitution, the branches of its state and local government, and its history and geography beside the nation's.
The geography, political science and economics objectives each list instructional strategies and assessment, so expect questions on teaching the subject too.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the MTTC Social Studies test?
The test page for Social Studies (Secondary) (084) lists 100 multiple-choice questions on a computer. Testing time is 2 hours 30 minutes, inside an appointment of 2 hours 45 minutes that includes a tutorial and a nondisclosure agreement.
What is a passing score on the MTTC Social Studies test?
220. The MTTC site reports results as scaled scores from 100 to 300, converted from the number of scorable questions answered correctly. The Michigan Department of Education sets each test's passing score.
Is there a social studies MTTC study guide?
Yes. The MTTC site has a study guide for field 084 in four sections: program and test information, how to prepare, the test objectives, and sample multiple-choice questions. Registering also gives access to an online practice test.
Is Social Studies (Secondary) the same test as MTTC Social Studies (7–12)?
No. The MTTC list carries both. Social Studies (7–12), test 142, is for the CQ endorsement, and its testing began June 8, 2026. Field 084 carries the endorsement code RX. Ask your preparation program which one you need.