AP European History Practice Quiz: Economic Development and Mercantilism
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 11 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 11
All Questions (11)
A) To promote free trade and economic cooperation between colonial powers.
B) To increase national wealth by accumulating precious metals and maintaining a favorable balance of trade, often through the exploitation of colonies.
C) To encourage the industrialization of colonial territories to create new markets.
D) To grant economic independence to colonies in the New World.
Correct Answer: B
Based on the content, 'European states followed mercantilist policies by drawing resources from colonies in the New World and elsewhere.' This policy was centered on enriching the mother country by extracting resources and ensuring more exports than imports, which aligns with accumulating wealth and a favorable balance of trade.
A) A decline in Europe's population due to widespread disease.
B) The invention of the cotton gin in the American colonies.
C) Increased European demand for agricultural products like sugar and tobacco.
D) A series of religious wars in Africa that created a large population of refugees.
Correct Answer: C
The provided text explicitly states that the 'transatlantic slave-labor system...expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries as demand for New World products (e.g., sugar, rum, tobacco) increased.' This shows a direct causal link between consumer demand in Europe and the growth of the slave trade.
A) A decline in the power of monarchies as merchant classes grew.
B) The development of a consumer culture where the purchase of goods became more widespread.
C) A rejection of foreign goods in favor of locally produced items.
D) The immediate collapse of the traditional agricultural economy.
Correct Answer: B
The content specifies that 'Overseas products and influences contributed to the development of a consumer culture in Europe.' This indicates a shift in societal habits and economic behavior centered around the consumption of new and foreign goods.
A) It led to economic stagnation due to the high costs of maintaining colonies.
B) It isolated Europe from cultural influences from the rest of the world.
C) It fueled economic and social transformations such as the agricultural and industrial revolutions.
D) It resulted in a permanent alliance of all European states to manage global trade.
Correct Answer: C
The text states that the 'European-dominated worldwide economic network...contributed to the agricultural, industrial, and consumer revolutions in Europe.' This demonstrates that the global network was a key catalyst for major changes within Europe.
A) The complete disappearance of subsistence agriculture in Europe.
B) The establishment of a global economic network dominated by European powers.
C) The end of all trade between European nations.
D) The shift from a barter economy to a money-based economy.
Correct Answer: B
The content highlights the development of a 'European-dominated worldwide economic network' and the expansion of the 'transatlantic slave-labor system' as key features of this era. This represents a major change from more localized, pre-1648 economic systems to a globalized one centered on European control.
A) European manufactured goods for enslaved Africans, who were then exchanged for New World commodities that were shipped back to Europe.
B) New World raw materials for Asian spices, which were then traded in Africa for precious metals.
C) Enslaved Africans for European manufactured goods, which were then sold in the New World for raw materials to be shipped to Africa.
D) European agricultural products for New World manufactured goods, which were then traded in Africa for gold.
Correct Answer: A
This option correctly describes the three legs of the triangle trade as mentioned in the content: European goods (like guns, textiles) went to Africa, enslaved people were transported via the Middle Passage to the Americas, and colonial products (sugar, rum, tobacco) were sent to Europe. This system was central to the 'transatlantic slave-labor system.'
A) The consistent application of free-market principles in all major states.
B) The reliance on colonial resources to fuel national economies.
C) The dominance of the agricultural sector with no significant changes.
D) The peaceful and cooperative nature of international trade.
Correct Answer: B
Throughout this period, a major continuity was the implementation of mercantilist policies, which, as the text states, involved 'drawing resources from colonies in the New World and elsewhere.' This reliance on colonial exploitation was a consistent feature of the economic strategies of major European powers.
A) Unrelated, as consumer goods were primarily produced within Europe.
B) Antagonistic, as the moral objections to slavery reduced consumption.
C) Mutually reinforcing, where the demand for consumer products like sugar fueled the slave trade, and the profits from this trade further enabled consumption.
D) Sequential, where the consumer culture only developed after the slave trade was abolished.
Correct Answer: C
This question requires synthesizing two points from the text. The demand for 'New World products (e.g., sugar, rum, tobacco)' drove the slave trade. These same 'overseas products' then 'contributed to the development of a consumer culture.' This created a cycle where European consumption patterns directly supported and were in turn supported by the slave-labor system.
A) The negotiation of trade treaties between European powers.
B) The cultivation of sugar on plantations in the Caribbean.
C) The brutal conditions faced by enslaved Africans during their forced journey across the Atlantic.
D) The manufacturing of rum in the North American colonies.
Correct Answer: C
The Middle Passage is the specific term for the sea journey undertaken by slave ships from West Africa to the West Indies. It is a key component of the 'transatlantic slave-labor system' and is infamous for its horrific and inhumane conditions.
A) By forcing European farmers to adopt New World farming techniques.
B) By generating vast amounts of capital and introducing new crops, which could then be invested in agricultural improvements.
C) By draining the European countryside of labor, leading to the collapse of agriculture.
D) By promoting international agreements that standardized farming practices across the continent.
Correct Answer: B
The text states the 'European-dominated worldwide economic network...contributed to the agricultural...revolutions in Europe.' While not detailing the mechanism, the logical connection is that this network generated wealth (capital) for landowners to invest in new technologies and enclosure, and it introduced new, high-yield crops (like the potato, though not explicitly mentioned) that transformed European agriculture.
A) Forbidding colonies from trading with any nation other than their mother country.
B) Establishing universal suffrage in colonial territories.
C) Funding the development of heavy industry within the colonies.
D) Allowing colonies to set their own tariff and tax rates.
Correct Answer: A
This policy is a hallmark of mercantilism. The goal of mercantilist policies was to 'draw resources from colonies' for the benefit of the European state. Forbidding trade with other nations ensured that all raw materials and profits from the colony flowed directly to the mother country, preventing rivals from benefiting.