Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
Civics & Economics: SOL Skill Practice
2016
Political Cartoons
Speeches and Quotations
Charts and Graphs
Processes and Orders
Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
CESOL Practice: Political Cartoons and Other Images
When analyzing political cartoons and other images, there are many clues within the image that can help you
to better understand it. To complete this activity you will choose five themes or strategies from below to analyze each
cartoon (they can change from image to image).
Exaggeration: Some artists overdo certain physical/personal characteristics in order to make a point
Symbolism: Cartoonists may use simple objects to represent larger ideas
Labeling (Text / Captions): Sometimes the artist will label people and things to make it clear what they
represent
Analogy: By comparing a complex issue or situation with a more familiar one, cartoonists can help their
readers see it in a different light.
Irony: Shows the difference between the ways things are and the way things should be, or the way things
are expected to be. Cartoonists often use irony to express their opinion on an issue.
Identify visual elements: Make a list of the visual elements, including people, animals, other objects, and
the setting or background.
Main focus of the cartoon: Find the portion of the cartoon that most stands out.
Widely recognized symbols: Some metaphors are commonly used by political cartoonists.[3] For example:
Uncle Sam or an eagle for the United States.
Allusions to current events or trends: Some cartoons will link their subject matter to a current event or
trend that is widely recognized.
Look at minor details: Often the cartoon will have minor details that contribute to the humor or the point
of the cartoon.
How the visual elements interact with one another: Think about how different symbols are drawn in
relation to each other. If there is a person, where is he standing? What is he doing?
Identify the issue / people it references: Political cartoons typically comment on a certain event or issue.
Identify the perspectives of the issue: The issue at hand will have different perspectives. If the issue is a
war, there might be the pro-war position and the anti-war position.
Determine the audience: What section of the population is the publication geared towards? What country
and locality do they live in? What are their political leanings?
Decide on adjectives that show the emotion of the cartoon: The words and pictures together will
produce certain meanings. What emotions are present in your cartoon?
Artist’s perspective: The artist will have a particular viewpoint in the cartoon. Once you’ve pinpointed
the issue and the possible perspectives on this issue, you can figure out what the artist is arguing for.
IMAGE 1
Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
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IMAGE 2
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IMAGE 3
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IMAGE 4
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IMAGE 5
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IMAGE 7
Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
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IMAGE 8
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IMAGE 10
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IMAGE 11
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IMAGE 12
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Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
CESOL Practice: Speeches and Quotations
When analyzing speeches and quotations, you want to think about a few things: Who is the person / group
speaking (or what document does it come from)? In what context are they speaking? Who is the audience of the speech
or document? What is the motivation behind them saying what they are saying? What ARE they saying?
EXCERPT #1
“…That our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics
or geometry,
That therefore the proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence, by laying upon him an
incapacity of being called to offices of trust and emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that
religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages, to which, in common with
his fellow citizens, he has a natural right…
…Be it enacted by General Assembly that no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious
worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body
or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but that all men shall be
free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of Religion…”
Who is the person / group speaking or what document does it come from?
In what context are the words spoken or written?
Who is the intended audience?
What is the motivation behind the words?
What are they saying (in your own words)?
EXCERPT #2
“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.”
Who is the person / group speaking or what document does it come from?
In what context are the words spoken or written?
Who is the intended audience?
What is the motivation behind the words?
What are they saying (in your own words)?
Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
EXCERPT #3
BBC News, “North Korea’s tightly controlled media”: December 19, 2011
“Korean Central Television is the state-run TV channel seen by North Koreans. The network carries
news programmes, documentaries and other programmes praising Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Ilsung. It also reports on authoritative statements from the North Korean government, party and
military…
Pyongyang also operates a number of national and local radio networks, including a station intended
for servicemen stationed on the contentious border with the South. Newspapers, such as the official
party mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun, are all owned by the state.
Radio and TV sets in North Korea are supplied pre-tuned to government stations and radios must be
checked and registered with the police…
One radio network is wired into most residences and workplaces. This carries news and commentary
that is considered too sensitive for consumption outside North Korea, such as criticising economic
activities that are inconsistent with national policy.”
Who is the person / group speaking or what document does it come from?
In what context are the words spoken or written?
Who is the intended audience?
What is the motivation behind the words?
What are they saying (in your own words)?
EXCERPT #4
“No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or
immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of
life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Who is the person / group speaking or what document does it come from?
In what context are the words spoken or written?
Who is the intended audience?
What is the motivation behind the words?
What are they saying (in your own words)?
Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
EXCERPT #5
“Let me start with the economy, and a basic fact: The United States of America, right now, has the
strongest, most durable economy in the world. We’re in the middle of the longest streak of private
sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs, the strongest two years of job growth
since the ‘90s, an unemployment rate cut in half. Our auto industry just had its best year ever. That's
just part of a manufacturing surge that's created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past six years. And
we’ve done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters…
Today, technology doesn’t just replace jobs on the assembly line, but any job where work can be
automated. Companies in a global economy can locate anywhere, and they face tougher competition.
As a result, workers have less leverage for a raise. Companies have less loyalty to their communities.
And more and more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top.
All these trends have squeezed workers, even when they have jobs; even when the economy is growing.
It’s made it harder for a hardworking family to pull itself out of poverty, harder for young people to
start their careers, tougher for workers to retire when they want to. And although none of these trends
are unique to America, they do offend our uniquely American belief that everybody who works hard
should get a fair shot.”
-President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, January 2016
Who is the person / group speaking or what document does it come from?
In what context are the words spoken or written?
Who is the intended audience?
What is the motivation behind the words?
What are they saying (in your own words)?
EXCERPT #6
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands
which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and
equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
Who is the person / group speaking or what document does it come from?
In what context are the words spoken or written?
Who is the intended audience?
What is the motivation behind the words?
What are they saying (in your own words)?
Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
CESOL Practice: Charts and Graphs
When analyzing charts and graphs, it is important to look at all of the information when you start. What type
of information is shown? How is it displayed? What are the labels? Is it shown as a number, a percentage, or another
set of information?
Chart / Graph #1
What information is being displayed?
What is notable about the information?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Chart / Graph #2
What information is being displayed?
What is notable about the information?
Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
Chart / Graph #3
What information is being displayed?
What is notable about the information?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Chart / Graph #4
What information is being displayed?
What is notable about the information?
Name: _____________________________ Date: _________________________ Block: ______________
CESOL Practice: Processes and Orders
Sometimes you will be asked to figure out the order or process of a set of information. With these questions, you
may need to identify which step is missing or out of order from the rest. Practice these on the items below.
Process / Order #1
Identify which step is missing in the lawmaking process in Congress below:
Introduction of a
bill by a Senator
or Representative
Debating the bill
on the floor of
each house
Working in
committees
Sending the bill to
the President to
sign into law
???
Process / Order #2
Which two levels of Virginia courts need to be switched in order to put them in accurate order? ___ + ___
1
2
3
Supreme
Court
District
Courts
Circuit
Courts
4
Court of
Appeals
Process / Order #3
What is missing in the procedure for criminal cases?
A person accused
of a crime may be
arrested if the
police have
probable cause
???
The case proceeds
on arraignment
where probable
cause is reviewed,
an attorney may
be appointed for
the defendant,
and a plea is
entered.
A court date is
set, and a trial is
conducted.
A guilty verdict
may be appealed.