FSOT Job Knowledge Practice Test 2024

Last Updated on April 5, 2025

FSOT Job Knowledge Practice Test 2024 Questions and Answers Free Quiz for The Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) exam. These sample questions may help you prepare for your test online better.

FSOT Job Knowledge Practice Test 2024

The official Job Knowledge section of the FSOT consists of 60 questions administered in 40 minutes. It covers several major content areas, such as the U.S. Government and Political System, U.S. and World History, Geography, Economics, and Math and Statistics.

N.B. In the actual online FSOT, once you complete and exit a test section, you may not return to that section.

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FSOT Job Knowledge Practice Test

FSOT Job Knowledge Practice Test 1
Subjects: U.S. History and Culture, Economics, World History, U.S. History, U.S. Government
Total Items: 30
FREE TEST. NO Registration is Required.

1 / 30

The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 was significant because it:

(A) Established the terms of the Treaty of Versailles

(B) Divided African territories among European powers

(C) Created the League of Nations

(D) Settled disputes between European countries over trade routes in Asia

2 / 30

Which of the following is the most accurate statement regarding the early civilizations of the Americas?

(A) They had extensive contact with civilizations in Europe and Asia.

(B) They were largely isolated from one another and developed independently.

(C) They were primarily nomadic and lacked advanced technology.

(D) They were unified under a single political and cultural system.

3 / 30

What was the primary goal of the Ottoman Empire’s policy of Tanzimat in the 19th century?

(A) To establish a more secular government

(B) To expand into European territories

(C) To modernize and reform the empire’s administration

(D) To encourage agricultural innovation

4 / 30

In which area did the Incas create a great civilization?

(A) The highlands of Mexico

(B) The islands of the Caribbean

(C) The Andes Mountains of South America

(D) The Nile River Valley

5 / 30

Which 19th-century military campaign was conducted to end the practice of slave trading in Africa?

(A) The Zulu Wars

(B) The Ashanti Wars

(C) The British expeditions against the slave trade

(D) The Boer War

6 / 30

What impact has the Sahara Desert had on the development of Africa?

(A) The Sahara has contributed to the economic prosperity of Africa.

(B) The Sahara has acted as a barrier that has hindered cultural diffusion between North and Sub-Saharan Africa.

(C) The Sahara has helped promote trade and migration across the continent.

(D) The Sahara has led to Africa becoming a leading producer of oil.

7 / 30

Each of the following nations, once part of Yugoslavia, emerged as an independent country at the end of the Balkan conflict that dominated much of the 1990s, except:

(A) Slovenia

(B) Serbia

(C) Macedonia

(D) Latvia

8 / 30

What is the name of Gorbachev’s policy of openness in the 1980s?

(A) Perestroika

(B) Collectivization

(C) Glasnost

(D) Bolshevism

9 / 30

The IAEA was founded in 1957, has a current membership of 140 nations, and states as one of its goals:

(A) The safeguarding of nuclear materials

(B) The eradication of human rights violations

(C) The equality of women in all aspects of society

(D) The creation of educational institutions in developing nations

10 / 30

Which of the following was not a similarity between Gamal Nasser and Kemal Ataturk?

(A) Both tried to modernize their nations.

(B) Both consolidated control in the hands of a single political party.

(C) Both attempted to secularize their nations.

(D) Both had strong relationships with the West.

11 / 30

Which label is commonly used to describe people born from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s?

(A) Generation X

(B) Generation Y

(C) Baby Boomers

(D) Greatest Generation

12 / 30

Who was the first African American author who published a book?

(A) Harriet Beecher Stowe

(B) Frederick Douglass

(C) Harriet Tubman

(D) Phyllis Wheatley

13 / 30

Which television program holds the distinction of being the longest running news or current event program in the history of TV?

(A) 60 Minutes

(B) Meet the Press

(C) CBS Evening News

(D) Today Show

14 / 30

What did the beat generation and rock & roll have in common?

(A) Both resisted 1950s conformity.

(B) Both fought for racial equality.

(C) Both movements were defined by the music they left behind.

(D) Both were intensely nationalistic.

15 / 30

Which period of time in American history is commonly referred to as the Progressive Era?

(A) 1890 to 1920

(B) 1920 to 1929

(C) 1945 to 1960

(D) 1960 to 1972

16 / 30

Which African American runner won four gold medals in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany?

(A) Carl Lewis

(B) Wilma Rudolph

(C) Jesse Owens

(D) Jackie Robinson

17 / 30

Which of the following did NOT contribute to the spirit of isolationism in the U.S. during the 1930s?

(A) A lack of awareness of the goals of the Nazi's Third Reich party.

(B) The costs, both in financial terms and human sacrifices, in the participation in World War I.

(C) The desire to focus concerns on recovering from the Depression rather than on strengthening the military.

(D) The discovery that American companies lobbied for the involvement in World War I and then profited heavily.

18 / 30

The Truman Doctrine was initiated to:

(A) A memorial erected to represent Franklin Roosevelt.

(B) Assist nations facing hostile takeovers by communist governments.

(C) Raise the price of crops due to price drops that occurred during World War II.

(D) Provide funding for American families who could not afford to build a home.

19 / 30

Senator Joseph McCarthy became a household name with his accusations that:

(A) Senators were taking bribes in return for rigged votes in favor of businesses.

(B) Farmers disregarded the fundamental rules of sanitation.

(C) Voter fraud was occurring throughout the southern states.

(D) The CIA was involved in many covert activities that would have been deemed illegal if they were taken through a committee hearing.

(E) Communists had infiltrated the State Department.

20 / 30

What potent political movement backed candidates who promised to fight against abortion rights?

(A) The Evangelical movement

(B) The moral majority

(C) The right-to-life movement

(D) Neo Cons

21 / 30

Who were the Weathermen?

(A) A group of scientists that came to prominence in the 1970s

(B) A violent, political student organization in the 1960s and 1970s

(C) A literary group associated with the Beats

(D) A folk band that included Bob Dylan

22 / 30

During which president’s administration were Medicare and Medicaid started?

(A) Lyndon Johnson

(B) Franklin Roosevelt

(C) Herbert Hoover

(D) Theodore Roosevelt

23 / 30

Which of the following was an outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

(A) Kennedy put nuclear missiles in Turkey.

(B) The Soviets built the Berlin Wall.

(C) Kennedy and Khrushchev began holding regular meetings.

(D) The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed.

24 / 30

Which department is responsible for monitoring U.S. borders?

(A) The Department of Defense

(B) The State Department

(C) The Department of Homeland Security

(D) The Department of the Interior

25 / 30

In a presidential election, if none of the candidates receives more than 50% of the Electoral College votes, what happens?

(A) The candidate with the most electoral votes becomes president

(B) The Senate decides who becomes president

(C) The House of Representatives decides who becomes president, with each state having one vote

(D) Congress (both houses) decides who becomes president, with each member of each of the houses having one vote

26 / 30

Which branch of the U.S. military does not report to the Secretary of Defense?

(A) The Army

(B) The Marines

(C) The Coast Guard

(D) All branches report to the Secretary of Defense.

27 / 30

Which of the following best describes the process for choosing electors in presidential elections as established by the Constitution?

(A) Each state legislature determines the process for selecting electors from that state and is allowed the number of electors equal to that state's total representatives in Congress.

(B) The political party of the candidate who wins the most popular votes in a state chooses all electors from that state and is allowed the number of electors equal to that state's representatives in the House of Representatives.

(C) Each state's elected members of the House of Representatives serve as an elector from that state.

(D) Each state conducts elections for the position of electors every four years to coincide with presidential elections, and each state is allowed the number of electors equal to that state's total representatives in Congress.

28 / 30

The legislation commonly called No Child Left Behind ties local district performance to which of the following?

(A) Local taxing authority

(B) Federal education funds

(C) State control of education

(D) State-established standards

29 / 30

Which best describes the primary responsibilities of the president's chief of staff?

(A) Supervision of White House staff and management of the presidential appointment calendars and presidential access

(B) Main liaison with Joint Chiefs of Staff and military commanders

(C) Public relations and media communication as well as supervision of speechwriting

(D) Main liaison with congressional leaders and supervision of presidential appearances and fundraising events

30 / 30

Where is the U.S. banking system regulated?

(A) On the local level

(B) On the state level

(C) On the federal level

(D) On both the state and the federal level

Your score is

Knowledge Area

United States Government (the composition and functioning of the Federal Government, the Constitution and its history, the structure of Congress and its role in foreign affairs, as well as the United States political system and its role in governmental structure, formulation of government policies, and foreign affairs).

United States Society and Culture (major events, institutions, and movements in national history, including political and economic history, as well as national customs and culture, social issues and trends, and the influence of U.S. society on foreign policy and foreign affairs)

World History and Geography (world-historical events, issues, and developments, including their impact on U.S. foreign policy and knowledge of world geography and its relationship to U.S. foreign policy).

Economics (basic economic principles, as well as a general understanding of economic issues and the United States economic system).

Mathematics and Statistics (basic mathematical and statistical procedures and calculations)

Management (basic management and supervisory techniques and methods. Includes knowledge of human psychology, leadership, motivational strategies and equal employment practices)

Communication (principles of effective communication and public speaking techniques, as well as general knowledge of the familiar sources of information, public media and media relations)

Computers ( basic computer operations such as word processing, databases, spreadsheets, and preparing and using email)

U.S. and International Political and Economic Principles, Issues and History

Legislation and Laws Related to Foreign Service Issues

Administrative Methods and Procedures

Information and Media Resources

See also:

FREE FSOT Practice Test 2025 Official Study Guide [PDF]
FSOT Pretest Questions Answers
FSOT Job Knowledge Practice Test (30 MCQs)
FSOT Job Knowledge Practice Test (60 MCQs)
FSOT Situational Judgment Test
FSOT English Expression Practice Test (60 MCQs)