UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener
OPENER:
Political Powers and Achievements (500-1500 CE)
Practice 1: Getting Familiar
➡Directions: Examine the list of words and phrases below, then rate each one according to the following scale.
1
I have no idea
what this word
means.
2
I think I’ve
heard of it!
3
conquest
3
consolidate
3
I can tell you
something
about it!
4
I can define it!
5
I can use it in
writing and
speaking!
Example:
2
conquer
5
diverse
1
empire
centralized
codify
decentralized
divergent
feudalism
interdependence
manorialism
power vacuum
reform
secular
social mobility
unify
UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener
UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener
➡
Practice 2: Visualize
➡Directions: Using the definition provided, create an image to represent each word.
Word
Definition
centralized (v.)
controlled by a single government or person
codify (v.)
decentralized (v.)
Symbol/Image
to arrange into a system of rules or laws
loosely organized system in which many people have power in different
areas, but they are not unified by any one government or person
UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener
divergent
tending to develop differently, or in different directions
feudalism (n.)
a decentralized system of power in which land owned by a powerful
person is divided up and given to others in exchange for work and a
promise to fight for the interests of the land owner
interdependence (n.)
the state of needing another person or group of people
manorialism
an economic system used in Western Europe in the Middle Ages in which
a group of people lived on a lord's;s estate called a manor. The lord
(sometimes a king or knight) allows peasants called serfs, or people
bound to the land, farm the land. In exchange for farming and repairs,
serfs were protected by their lord in the event of a war or raid. The
manor was self-sufficient which meant that the peasants produced most
of everything they needed including food, clothing, tools and furniture.
They did not need to trade with others for their basic needs.
UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener
power vacuum
reform
secular
social mobility
a condition that exists when someone has lost control and no one has
replaced them
(v) to change; (n) a change
non-religious
the ability to become part of a social class other than the one someone is
born into
UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener
unify
to bring together as a single unit
UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener
Practice 3: Correct, Incorrect, Explain
➡Directions: Read each statement and determine whether the bolded word is used correctly or incorrectly. If the bolded word is used correctly
write a “C” in the second column and move on to the next statement. If the bolded word is used incorrectly, write “I” in the second column,
then rewrite the sentence so it conveys the correct meaning of the word. You may need to change the word, or rewrite the whole sentence.
C or I
If “incorrect,” rewrite the sentence correctly
1. An example of a centralized government is when many
people hold power in different locations throughout a nation.
2. When the Babylonians decided to codify the Code of
Hammurabi, it was the first time in history that laws had been
written down.
3. A decentralized government usually has a single ruler
who controls the entire nation.
4. Even though Sparta and Athens were both Greek citystates, they developed divergent values.
5. An example of interdependence is when people and
regions do not depend on one another to meet their needs.
6. When there is a power vacuum, someone has absolute
control.
UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener
7. An example of a secular law code is the 10
commandments.
8. In a social structure with social mobility, I am required
to stay in the social class I was born into.
9. To unify a society is to divide everyone into smaller
groups.
UNIT 9.4 | Political Powers & Achievements | Vocabulary Opener