Name:________________________________
Social Studies Final Exam Review Packet!
I am going to score a _______________% because I know that ALL the answers are in this packet!
Culture
1. What are the major components of culture? Language, literature, values, religion, government,
art/music
2. What is an example of a piece of literature? The epics- Gilgamesh, Mahabhartata, Ramayana,
Odyssey, Iliad!
3. What is an example of a value, or belief? Anything that is important to you! A belief could be
religion
Social Studies Jobs
1. What does an Archaeologist do? Studies ancient artifacts by digging (or excavating sites)
2. What does an Anthropologist do? Studies various cultures
3. What does a Historian do? Studies written records, would work in a Museum
4. What does a Geologist do? Studies rocks and the earths surface
Religions
1. What are the main beliefs & founder of Buddhism? Siddhartha Gautama, 8 fold path, 4 noble
truths, Nirvana
2. What are the main beliefs & founder of Hinduism? No founder, karma, dharma, reincarnation
3. 1. What are the main beliefs & founder of Judaism? Abraham, 10 commandments, Torah
4. What does Monotheism mean? Believe in ONE god.
5. What are the main gods of Ancient Sumer? Enlil, Enki, An, Nabu
6. What are the main gods of Ancient Egypt? Osiris, Isis, Re, Anubis
7. What are the main gods of Greece & Rome? Greece- Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Rome- Jupiter
Neptune, Mercury, Mars
8. What are the main beliefs and founder of Islam? 5 pillars, Koran, pray 5 times a day, pray to Allah
(5 times a day), give to charity, pilgrimage once to Mecca
Epics
1. What is an epic? What does it tell us about a civilization? A long poem, Its culture, and beliefs
(religion)
2. What is the Ramayana about? What civilization is it from? India- it is about Rama, Lakshmana,
and Sita as they travel throughout the forest and fight the demon king Ravana
3. What is the Odyssey about? What civilization is it from? From Greece, about Odysseus’ journey
home
4. What is the Iliad about? What civilization is it from? Greece, takes place during the Trojan War
5. What is Gilgamesh about? What civilization is it from? Half man-half god Gilgamesh and his friend
fight the demon king Humbaba and search for eternal life, Sumerian
Spreading of Culture
1. What is “Hellensitic Culture” The mix of Persian, Egyptian, Indian and Greek culture from
Alexander the Great. As he conquered different lands for his empire these ideas spread!
2. Who spread “Hellensitic Culture” Alexander the Great
3. What culture or part of culture was pushed on the Native Americans Christianity
Economies
1. What is a barter economy? To trade without using money
2. Write your own example of a Barter Economy answers may vary, two people must be trading not
using money.
3. What was the Silk Road? And what were people trying to get? A trade route from Europe to Asia,
Silk and Spices
4. Who traveled along the Silk Road? Explorers, especially Marco Polo
5. What areas did the silk road connect? Europe and Asia (Italy and China)
6. What was the Columbian Exchange? The exchanging of ideas, diseases, technology and food from
Europe to the Americas
7. What was one negative effect from the Columbian Exchange? It also brought diseases to the
Native Americans
8. What was the Triangular Trade? What countries were involved? The system of trade between
Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Nomadic & Farming– Advantages/Disadvantages
1. What are advantages of living in a Nomadic community? Could easily pack up and move, less
chance of catching disease
2. What are disadvantages of living in a Nomadic community? Unstable food supply
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a farming community? Advantages- stable
food supply, permanent homes … disadvantages- if a fire or flood they can’t pack up and move
Trade
1. Why did the Europeans want to go on these explorations? To get silk and spices
2. Having a surplus of food allowed civilizations to trade with one another.
3. Who was Vasco da Gama? Who was Columbus? Who was Dias? Who was Magellan? Dagamasailed around the cape of good home to coast of India, Dias sailed right to the cape of good hope
(and that was it), Columbus sailed west to find the Indies but discovered America, and Magellan was
the first to circumnavigate the globe.
Geographic Features
1. Draw a picture of a Lake
2. What is a mountain? Land that is raised with a steep incline
3. What is a Plateau? High flat land
4. What isa Coastal Plain? Land that is flat near the water
Map Skills
1. What does the Key tell us? What the colors, lines, and symbols represent on a map
2. What does the compass tell us? The directions, N, E, S, W
3. What does the scale tell us? The distance from one place to another
4. What do Latitude and Longitude tell us? They tell us how to locate a place on a map
5. Draw lines of latitude
6. Draw lines of longitude
7. What does a physical map show? Elevation (mountains)
8. What does a political map show? Lines, borders, cities, countries
Locations of Early Civilizations
1. What rivers are in Mesopotamia? Tigris and Euphrates
2. What river runs through Egypt? Nile
3. What river runs through India? Indus
4. What rivers run through China? Huang-He, and Yellow (Yangtze, Chang’an)
Types of Government
1. The people vote on all decisions in this government direct demcoracy
2. The people vote for representitives in this government indirect democracy
3. One person is in power who receives his;her power from force Tyranny
4. A king or Queen is in power of this government Monarchy
5. Agovernment where the church and religious leaders hold the powerTheocracy
6. What did the Magna Carta do? Limited the power of the king
Social Systems
1. What was the “Caste System” – who was the lowest class? The social system of India (based on
the Hindu Religion), untouchables were the lowest class.
2. What was the Feudal System?- who was the lowest class? The social and economic system of the
Middle Ages- the lowest class were the serfs/peasants
3. How are the Caste and Feudal systems similar? Both groups lack social mobility (moving to
different classes), both have people born into their social class.
4. In what Greek city-state was democracy, arts, drama, and the Olympics a priority? Sparta
5. In what Greek city-state was fighting in the military and war important?Athens
Technology
1. What civilization created the wheel? Sumerians
2. What civilization created paper? China
3. What civilization and what person created the Printing Press? Renaissance, Gutenberg
4. What did the Printing Press help do? Spread ideas throughout Europe- and print more bibles!
5. What civilization is credited with building the Charriot? Egypt
Types of Writing
What civilization wrote with hieroglyphics? Egypt
What civilization wrote with Cuneiform? Sumer
What was the name of the writing the Chinese used? Calligraphy
What was the name of writing the Harrapans used? Sanskrit
Time Dating
What does BCE stand for?before the common era What does AD stand for? Anno domeni
What does CE stand for? Common EraWhat does BC stand for?Before Christ
1. Which year occurred earliest? 300BCE or 1500AD?____________________
2. Which year occurred earliest? 10BCE or 9000BCE?____________________
3. Which year occurred earliest? 1500AD or 2010AD?____________________
Order the civilizations from earliest to latest – Renaissance, Middle Ages, Early Civilizations,
Classical Period
Renaissance
Middle Ages
Ancient
Civilizations
Classical Period
`
Language
1. What are the Romance languages? French, Italian, Spanish, Portugeese, Romanian
2. What language is the BASE of the Romance Languages? Latin
3. What did the Phoenicians create? The first simple alphabet
4. What civilization’s language did the Phoenicians greatly influence? Greeks
Changes in Civilization
1. What was the Plague? A disease that spread in the Middle Ages
2. What did the Plague do to Europe? Decreased population
3. How did the Plague get to Europe? Rats were infected by the desease, bit by fleas who then
spread the disease to the humans.
4. What happened when the Europeans arrived in the Americas? Spread diseases and colonization
5. What disease did the Europeans spread to the Native Americans? Small pox
6. What happened to the Native American population? decreased
The Renaissance
1. What dates make up the Renaissance? 1300-1700AD
2. What time period happened before the Renaissance? Middle ages
3. What institution did the Renaissance move away from? The church
4. Who was Martin Luther? What was the name of his movement? Leader of the Protestant
Reformation, upset with Roman Catholic Chruch for selling indulgences.
5. What did Matin Luther nail on the church doors? 95 Theses
Myths
1. What civilization and what was Isis and Osiris about? Egypt
2. What was the myth of Romulus and Remus about? Founding of Rome
Renaissance Scientists
1. What scientist created the telescope? Galileo
2. What scientist studied the body and painted the Mona Lisa? Leonardo Da Vinci
3. What did Newton discover? Gravity
4. What theory did Copernicus come up with? Planets revolve around the sun.
Important People
1. Who was Joan of Arc? What did she do that made her important? Fought in the 100 years war for
the French. Said god had spoken to her and told her to lead the French to victory (taking over ALL
of France). She won the battle of Orleans.
2. Who was William of Normandy? What did he do that made him important? Also known as
William the Conqueror, he conquered land in the name of the French (1066).
3. Who was Julius Caesar and what made him important? Roman military leader who led a series of
reforms (Changes).