Short answer: non-text source
Where new immigrants came from, 1950s–1990s
- Units 8 and 9
- 3 points
- About 13 minutes
You analyze a chart, table, map or image and answer three short parts about what it shows and the history behind it. Here the source is a data table. On the exam: Short-answer question 3 of 3, required; the three short-answer questions share a 40-minute section worth 20% of the score.
The question and its sources
On the exam this question's source is a chart, map or image; here it's a data table. Use the table to answer parts a, b and c. Write a few sentences for each part; you don't need a thesis.
Persons granted legal permanent residence in the United States, by region of last residence, 1950s–1990s
| Decade | Total | Europe (share of total) | Asia (share of total) | The Americas (share of total) | Mexico alone (share of total) | Africa (share of total) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1959 | 2,499,268 | 1,404,973 (56.2%) | 135,844 (5.4%) | 921,610 (36.9%) | 273,847 (11.0%) | 13,016 (0.5%) |
| 1960–1969 | 3,213,749 | 1,133,443 (35.3%) | 358,605 (11.2%) | 1,674,172 (52.1%) | 441,824 (13.7%) | 23,780 (0.7%) |
| 1970–1979 | 4,248,203 | 825,590 (19.4%) | 1,406,544 (33.1%) | 1,904,355 (44.8%) | 621,218 (14.6%) | 71,408 (1.7%) |
| 1980–1989 | 6,244,379 | 668,866 (10.7%) | 2,391,356 (38.3%) | 2,695,329 (43.2%) | 1,009,586 (16.2%) | 141,990 (2.3%) |
| 1990–1999 | 9,775,398 | 1,348,612 (13.8%) | 2,859,899 (29.3%) | 5,137,743 (52.6%) | 2,757,418 (28.2%) | 346,416 (3.5%) |
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics, 2006 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, Table 2 (fiscal years). “The Americas” includes Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America; Mexico is also counted in that column. Oceania and “not specified” are not shown, so rows do not add to the total. The late 1980s and early 1990s include about 2.7 million people, most of them from Mexico, who gained legal status under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Shares calculated from the source's figures.
Suggested time: 13 minutes
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Part (a)
1 pointBriefly describe ONE change in immigration to the United States from the 1950s to the 1990s shown in the table.
0 / 2,500 characters
Part (b)
1 pointBriefly explain ONE government policy in the period 1960 to 1990 that contributed to the change you described in part a.
0 / 2,500 characters
Part (c)
1 pointBriefly explain ONE way that immigration affected American society or politics in the period 1980 to 2000.
0 / 2,500 characters
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