Social Studies: practice

The First Cities

Around 3500 BCE, farming villages between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia began to grow into the first cities. The rivers flooded at unpredictable times, so farmers dug canals and built earthen walls to control the water. Organizing this work required leaders, officials and laws.

The Sumerians of southern Mesopotamia developed cuneiform, one of the earliest known writing systems. Many of the oldest surviving cuneiform tablets are records of harvests, trades and taxes. Similar patterns of river farming, cities and record keeping later appeared along the Nile in Egypt, the Indus in South Asia and the Huang He (Yellow River) in China.

Question 1

According to the passage, what was one main reason the Sumerians kept written records?

Question 2

Which generalization is best supported by the passage?

Question 3

A table titled The Columbian Exchange, after 1492. Carried from the Americas to Europe, Africa and Asia: corn (maize), potatoes, tomatoes, cacao. Carried from Europe, Africa and Asia to the Americas: horses, cattle, wheat, smallpox.
From the Americas to Europe, Africa and Asia	From Europe, Africa and Asia to the Americas
corn (maize)	horses
potatoes	cattle
tomatoes	wheat
cacao	smallpox

The table lists some of the plants, animals and diseases carried across the Atlantic Ocean after Columbus's voyage of 1492. Which conclusion is best supported by the table?

Question 4

A table titled The Columbian Exchange, after 1492. Carried from the Americas to Europe, Africa and Asia: corn (maize), potatoes, tomatoes, cacao. Carried from Europe, Africa and Asia to the Americas: horses, cattle, wheat, smallpox.
From the Americas to Europe, Africa and Asia	From Europe, Africa and Asia to the Americas
corn (maize)	horses
potatoes	cattle
tomatoes	wheat
cacao	smallpox

Smallpox is listed in the table of items carried to the Americas after 1492. Which historical development does this entry most help explain?

From the Declaration of Independence (1776)

The Declaration lists complaints against King George III of Great Britain. Three of them read:

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

Question 5

Which earlier British action is most closely connected to the complaint "For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent"?

Question 6

The three complaints in the excerpt are based on which belief held by the authors?

Question 7

A timeline of Reconstruction. 1863: President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. 1865: the Civil War ends and the Thirteenth Amendment, ending slavery, is ratified. 1868: the Fourteenth Amendment, on citizenship and equal protection, is ratified. 1870: the Fifteenth Amendment, on voting rights regardless of race, is ratified. 1877: the last federal troops leave the South and Reconstruction ends.
Year	Event
1863	President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation.
1865	The Civil War ends. The Thirteenth Amendment, ending slavery, is ratified.
1868	The Fourteenth Amendment, on citizenship and equal protection, is ratified.
1870	The Fifteenth Amendment, on voting rights regardless of race, is ratified.
1877	The last federal troops leave the South, and Reconstruction ends.

Which conclusion is best supported by the timeline?

A Political Cartoon from the 1880s

The cartoon shows a giant octopus labeled MONOPOLY. Its long arms are wrapped around a state capitol building, a railroad line, a steel mill and a grain elevator. A small group of workers and farmers stands at the bottom of the drawing, looking up at the octopus. The caption reads: "Who will cut it loose?"

Question 8

Which statement best describes the cartoonist's point of view?

Question 9

Which federal law, passed in 1890, was aimed at the problem shown in the cartoon?

The Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, ended the war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Germany was required to accept responsibility for causing the war and to pay large reparations to the Allies. Germany lost all of its overseas colonies and some of its land in Europe, and its army was limited to 100,000 men. Germany was not invited to the talks where the terms were written. Many Germans called the treaty a dictated peace and resented it for years afterward.

Question 10

Some historians argue that the treaty helped extremist leaders win support in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. Which detail from the passage best supports this argument?

Question 11

Chart values
Category	Unemployment rate (%)
1929	3.2
1931	15.9
1933	24.9
1935	20.1
1937	14.3
1939	17.2

The graph shows the U.S. unemployment rate during the Great Depression. Which statement is supported by the graph?

Question 12

Chart values
Category	Unemployment rate (%)
1929	3.2
1931	15.9
1933	24.9
1935	20.1
1937	14.3
1939	17.2

A student uses the graph to conclude that New Deal programs alone caused unemployment to fall after 1933. Why does the graph NOT provide enough information to support this conclusion?

Question 13

A U.S. poster from World War II shows a woman in overalls riveting the wing of a bomber. The words read: "Do your part: build the planes that bring them home." What was the main purpose of the poster?

From a Speech by Winston Churchill (1946)

In March 1946, former British prime minister Winston Churchill spoke at a college in Fulton, Missouri. He said:

"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent."

Question 14

What did Churchill mean by "an iron curtain"?

Question 15

A historian wants to know how many dust storms struck one Kansas county in 1935. Which source would be the most reliable for this purpose?

Question 16

Which statement about the Age of Exploration is an opinion rather than a fact?

The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1791)

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Question 17

Which power is an example of the reserved powers described in the amendment?

Question 18

The Tenth Amendment rests on which principle?

From Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution

After listing the powers of Congress, such as collecting taxes, borrowing money and regulating trade, Section 8 ends with this clause. Congress shall have power:

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Question 19

Which statement best explains the clause?

Question 20

In McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the Supreme Court used this clause to uphold which action, even though it is not listed in the Constitution?

Question 21

Which statement correctly describes how a federal official is impeached and removed from office?

Question 22

Which power is shared by both the national government and the state governments?

Question 23

Which of these is a legal duty of U.S. citizens rather than a voluntary responsibility?

Question 24

A voter wants balanced information on where both candidates for governor stand on taxes. Which source is most likely to be reliable and unbiased?

A Letter to the Editor (written for practice)

To the Editor:

(1) On November 5, voters in Clark County will decide on Measure 12, which would let the county borrow $18 million to repair 14 public parks. (2) The county's own inspection report found that 9 of those parks have playground equipment more than 30 years old. (3) Last spring, two playgrounds were closed for safety repairs. (4) Measure 12 is the best use of public money in a decade. (5) Anyone who truly cares about children will vote yes.

A Clark County parent

Question 25

Which sentence in the letter states an opinion rather than a fact?

Question 26

Which information, missing from the letter, would a voter most need to judge whether Measure 12 is a good choice?

Question 27

In a parliamentary system of government, such as Canada's, how is the prime minister usually chosen?

Question 28

In the United Kingdom, a king or queen is the head of state, but an elected Parliament makes the laws and the monarch's powers are limited by law and custom. What kind of government is this?

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation, the first plan of government for the United States, took effect in 1781. Under the Articles, Congress could not collect taxes; it could only ask the states for money. There was no national court system and no separate executive branch to enforce laws. Each state had one vote in Congress, no matter its size, and changing the Articles required the approval of all thirteen states. The Articles were replaced by the Constitution in 1789.

Question 29

Based on the passage, which problem would most likely have arisen under the Articles of Confederation?

Question 30

The design of the Articles suggests that its authors were most worried about which danger?

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Question 31

Which phrase in the Preamble best expresses the principle of popular sovereignty, the idea that government's power comes from the people?

Question 32

There are 538 electoral votes in a presidential election, and a candidate needs a majority to win. A candidate has won states with a total of 262 electoral votes. How many more electoral votes does the candidate need?

Question 33

A table of weekly strawberry sales at a farmers market, in pints. At $3.00 a pint, buyers want 480 and sellers offer 360. At$ 3.50, buyers want 420 and sellers offer 420. At $4.00, buyers want 360 and sellers offer 480. At$ 4.50, buyers want 300 and sellers offer 540.
Price per pint	Pints buyers want	Pints sellers offer
$3.00	480	360
$3.50	420	420
$4.00	360	480
$4.50	300	540

At which price are the quantity buyers want and the quantity sellers offer equal?

Question 34

A table of weekly strawberry sales at a farmers market, in pints. At $3.00 a pint, buyers want 480 and sellers offer 360. At$ 3.50, buyers want 420 and sellers offer 420. At $4.00, buyers want 360 and sellers offer 480. At$ 4.50, buyers want 300 and sellers offer 540.
Price per pint	Pints buyers want	Pints sellers offer
$3.00	480	360
$3.50	420	420
$4.00	360	480
$4.50	300	540

If the market price were held at $3.00 a pint, what would most likely happen?

Question 35

A city has enough money this year to repave its main street or to build a new library, but not both. Which economic idea does this situation show most directly?

Question 36

Prices across the economy have been rising quickly. Which action is the Federal Reserve most likely to take to slow inflation?

Question 37

The U.S. government places a 25% tariff on imported steel. Which group is most likely to benefit?

Question 38

Maria has a $1,200 balance on a credit card that charges 18% interest per year. About how much interest is added in one month? (Use one-twelfth of the yearly interest.)

Question 39

An ad for a cleaning spray says, "Nine out of ten users say SparkClean works better!" Which question would best help a consumer judge this claim?

Question 40

In which type of economic system does the central government decide what goods are made, how many are made and what they cost?

Question 41

A company becomes the only seller of a product that has no close substitutes. Compared with a market that has many sellers, what is the company most likely to do?

Question 42

A table of the percent of each country's population by age group. Country X: ages 0 to 14, 42%; ages 15 to 64, 55%; 65 and older, 3%. Country Y: ages 0 to 14, 14%; ages 15 to 64, 64%; 65 and older, 22%.
Country	Ages 0 to 14	Ages 15 to 64	65 and older
Country X	42%	55%	3%
Country Y	14%	64%	22%

The table summarizes the population pyramids of two countries, showing the percent of each population in three age groups. Which conclusion is best supported by the table?

Question 43

A contour map of a hill uses a contour interval of 20 feet. On the west side of the hill the contour lines are very close together; on the east side they are far apart. The top is inside a closed line marked 360 feet. A hiker wants the gentlest climb to the top. Which route should she take?

Question 44

A table for City A. January: average temperature 55°F, rainfall 3.0 inches. April: 61°F, 0.8 inches. July: 75°F, 0.0 inches. October: 67°F, 0.6 inches.
Month	Average temperature (°F)	Average rainfall (inches)
January	55	3.0
April	61	0.8
July	75	0.0
October	67	0.6

The table gives data from a climograph for City A: the average temperature and rainfall in four months. Which description best fits City A's climate?

Question 45

Hip-hop music began in New York City in the 1970s. Today artists perform hip-hop in dozens of languages on every continent. Which geographic concept does this best illustrate?