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Study Guide First Semester Benchmark Exam
1. Define:
Physical/geographic feature: landforms or bodies of water
Mestizo: ethnic mixture of African and Native parents
Mulatto: ethnic mixture of African and European parents
Cultural region: an area that shares common cultural traits/practices.
Population density: number of people per square mile
Market economy: economy type where all decisions for buying, selling, or manufacturing are made by
the people according to supply and demand.
Command economy: economy type where all decisions for buying, selling, or manufacturing are
controlled by the government.
Cultural trait: any singular aspect of culture such as language, religion, etc.
Czar: Russian monarch
Cultural borrowing: taking ideas and/or practices from a culture other than your own
Democracy: governed by the people (many)
Monarchy: governed by a king or queen
Dictatorship: governed by a single figure or political party who holds absolute power.
United States and Canada
2. What are some geographic features that the Unites States and Canada share? Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes,
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean
3. How has the United States modeled its government after Rome? Roman architecture, representative
government, elected officials for head of state
4. How did African dance and music first appear in the United States? African slave trade
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5. What geographic feature determines many borders in the United States? rivers
6. List 2 requirements of United States citizens. Jury duty, paying taxes
7. List 3 responsibilities of United States citizens. Voting, staying informed, respecting rights of others
8. What culture trait is shared by the United States and Canada? Representative government, market economy,
English
9. What cultural conflict has occurred in Canada and what is the result? Cultural conflict between French and
British Canadians has caused the French to set up their own cultural region and separate capital.
10. North America lies in what two hemispheres? Northern, Western
11. What happens when the United States outsources its jobs to other countries? Americans lose jobs
12. What cultural traits bind United States, Canada, and Mexico? Economy, religion, government
Latin America
13. Which three groups make up the culture of Latin America? African, European, Native
14. What culture trait ties Latin America together? Spanish language
15. List reasons that tourism is growing in Latin America. Beaches, rainforests, and cultural arts.
16. What did the Panama Canal enable sailors to do? Sail between North and South America without having to
go all the way around.
17. How does cultural borrowing affect isolated cultures? It causes the isolated culture to lose some of its
cultural identity as the culture takes on more aspects of the other culture.
18. What is the dominant religion in Latin America? Roman Catholic
19. Put the following in order based on their impact on the development of South America: colonization,
conquest, immigration. Conquest, colonization, immigration
Europe/Russia/Eurasian Republics
20. List ways Russia’s climate affects way of life. Affects settlement patterns, crops grown, occupations
21. With the emergence of musicians, artists, and dancers, Russia has excelled in the arts/performing arts
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22. What geographic feature allows Europe to successfully trade? Nearness to waterways and oceans
23. What is the Iron Curtain? Imaginary political boundary that separated many communist, Eastern European
countries from Western republics.
List several countries that are “behind the iron curtain”. East Germany, Poland, Russia, Austria- Hungary,
Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia
24. Most of Russia’s usable natural resources are located in the east but most of the population lives in the west
25. Make a timeline for Russia’s major 3 government types (monarchy, dictatorships, democracy)
│--------------------------------------------------------------│-----------------------------------------------------------------│
1500’s
1960
Czars/monarchy
2000
dictators/ communism
presidents/republics
26. Complete the following chart:
United
Modern Russia
Soviet Union,
United States,
Cuba
Canada
Democratic/republic
Dictatorship
Democratic/republic
Market
Market
Command/commu
Market
economy/free
economy/free
nist
economy/free
enterprise
enterprise
Kingdom
Government
Constitutional
monarchy
Economy
enterprise
-Know the location of North America on a World Map.
-A problem is something that needs to be fixed; a solution is a possible way to fix a problem.
-A cause is what makes something happen; an effect is what happens.
-You must know how to read information on graphs, charts, tables, and maps.