Dale E. Shuttleworth

Questions about geography and the world make up 15 percent of the GED Social Studies test. By "the world," the test-makers mean that these questions are of universal, not national, concern—although the concerns of other countries will often sound very similar to our own.The questions on this portion of the test are often very topical, including subjects like sustainability and environmental issues, population issues, cultural diversity, and migration.

The decisions and actions of federal and state lawmakers have a huge effect on the lives of average Americans. Because of this, you can expect the GED Social Studies test to contain some questions about U.S. politics.As you'll see in the following practice questions, if you run into a reading passage or question that seems intimidating, don't panic: in the case of a reading passage, the answers will always be found somewhere in the text.

On the GED Social Studies test, the topics of civics and government are well represented—in fact, they take up about half of the questions. To do well, you should be familiar with the different branches of government, and you should understand concepts like separation of powers (legislative, executive, and judicial), individual rights and civic responsibilities, and the rule of law.

American history is a colorful, exciting tapestry of people and events. Since American history makes up about 20 percent of the GED Social Studies test, you can expect to find a few of those threads woven into the exam.To maximize your score, you should be familiar with important and pivotal events, from the American Revolution to the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement.

Some questions on the GED test may not give you enough information to find the right answer. For example, a question may ask for a conclusion that you can't make from the information given. Even if you know some information that would help you solve the problem, don't use it.When you take the GED, you bring with you the knowledge of what the basic operations are and how to use them.

Many important events in American history were related to U.S. foreign policy. For the GED Social Studies test, you should have a general knowledge of topics like World Wars I and II, the Cold War, and American foreign policy since 9/11.The following practice questions are based on a passage describing the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Economics questions make up about 15 percent of the GED Social Studies test. If you want to ace them, you should have a basic understanding of the major economic theories, such as supply and demand, as well as the role of government policies in the economy.The best way to solve these questions is with good analysis and evaluation skills; by carefully reading the supplied passage or graphic, you should be able to figure out the correct answer, even if the topic is unfamiliar to you.

Our planet is made up of four basic systems: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. When these systems interact with each other, the results can be pretty amazing—and sometimes scary (think: volcanoes, tidal waves, and earthquakes); no surprise, then, that some questions on the GED Science test will focus on these interactions.

When you look up at the stars on a clear night and wonder what's really up there, you're thinking about space science. When you look at the computer screen during the GED Science test, the view may be less exciting, but you'll probably run into some exciting questions about space.Space science focuses on problems such as what the universe (including our own solar system) is made of, and how old everything is in space.