Dual Enrollment US History Practice Test 2026 - Free US History Practice Questions and Study Guide

The idea being tested is how English colonies got their names and who held the rights to settle them. Humphrey Gilbert obtained a charter to claim lands in the New World, but he died during the voyage. The rights then passed to his half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh used that patent to sponsor expeditions and, importantly, named the land “Virginia” in honor of Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, even though he never traveled there himself. The other figures were involved in different ways: Henry Hudson explored for the English/Dutch under separate ventures, Francis Drake conducted privateering and exploration under Elizabeth’s sponsorship but did not name Virginia, and John White led the Roanoke Colony but did not inherit Gilbert’s patent or name Virginia.