Social Studies Assessments
Sixth Grade
H1.1.1 Explain why and how historians use eras and periods as constructs to organize and
explain human activities over time.
1. The castle-like buildings found in the Pacific Region show the influence of which of
Canada’s founding peoples?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Asian immigrants
British settlers
French colonies
Native Americans
Answer: B
2. Why are so many different languages spoken in each Canadian region?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Because much of Canada is rural.
Canada attracted settlers from many different countries, namely France and England.
Because most Canadians live near the U.S. border.
Because Canada is the world’s largest country.
Answer: B
H1.1.2 Compare and contrast several different calendar systems used in the past and
present and their cultural significance (e.g., Olmec and Mayan calendar systems, Aztec
Calendar Stone, Sun Dial, Gregorian calendar – B.C./A.D.; contemporary secular –
B.C.E./C.E. Note: in 7th grade Eastern Hemisphere the Chinese, Hebrew, and Islamic/Hijri
calendars are included).
1. Evidence has been found that the Ancient Egyptians had a way to tell time. People even
earlier in history might also have been able to tell time. These people probably used a device
which measured time based on the position of the
A.
B.
C.
D.
moon.
earth.
ocean.
sun.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
1
2. AZTEC VS. MAYAN CALENDARS
The Aztec Calendar was similar to that of the Maya. The ritual day cycle was called
Tonalpohualli and was formed by a cycle of numerals 1 through 13 with a cycle of 20 day
names, many of them similar to the day names of the Maya. Where the Aztec differed most
significantly from the Maya was in their number system and in their less precise way of
recording dates. Normally, they noted only the day on which an event occurred and the name
of the current year. The same day can occur twice in a year because of their number system.
Years of the same name recur at 52-year intervals. Other errors in the records are only
partially explained by the fact that different towns started their year with different months.
According to the excerpt, which of these were similarities between the Mayan and Aztec
calendar?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Different towns used different calendars
Accuracy in recording dates
Names of the days on the calendar
Number systems on the calendar
Answer: C
3. Which of the following is described in the box?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Gregorian calendar
Islamic calendar
Egyptian calendar
Aztec calendar




Most widely used calendar in the world
Based on movement of the sun
Seven days in a week
Breaks the year into 365 days
Answer: A
H1.2.1 Explain how historians use a variety of sources to explore the past (e.g., artifacts,
primary and secondary sources including narratives, technology, historical maps,
visual/mathematical quantitative data, radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis).
1. Which civilization created the Sun Stone, a national symbol of pride in modern Mexico?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Maya
Aztec
Inca
Mongolian
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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2. These items belonged to a Native American tribe that lived in the American Southwest. In
the center are a mortar and a pestle for grinding grain. To the left and right of these are two
sets of tools called metates and manos, which are also used for grinding. The small circular
items, called donuts, may have been used to straighten arrows.
What do these artifacts tell you about the Native Americans who used them?
A. They used wooden tools for
most tasks.
B. The women did the cooking
while the men hunted.
C. They carved canoes to use
for fishing.
D. They made their tools out of
stone.
Answer: D
3. Which of these Native American cultures existed in the Eastern Woodlands?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Olmec
Illinois
Caddo
Comanche
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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4. Which of the following is described in the box?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Egyptian calendar
Aztec calendar
Gregorian calendar
Islamic calendar




Most widely used calendar in the world
Based on movement of the sun
Seven days in a week
Breaks the year into 365 days
Answer: C
H1.2.2 Read and comprehend a historical passage to identify basic factual knowledge and
the literal meaning by indicating who was involved, what happened, where it happened,
what events led to the development, and what consequences or outcomes followed.
1. Christopher Columbus is given credit for discovering the New World, but was he really the
first person to step foot in this new land? What about the Native Americans? What about Leif
Ericson? Or what about Americus Vespucci?
About 20,000 years ago, the first Native Americans came over a land bridge between Asia
and North America. This bridge was over 1,000 miles wide. In 1492, when Columbus sailed,
about 1 million American Indians lived in the United States and Canada, and about 20
million Indians lived in South America.
In 1000 A.D., Vikings from Norway traveled from Iceland to Greenland. They were led by
Eric the Red. Eric the Red founded a colony on Greenland. Later his son, Leif Ericson, led a
group to Newfoundland in Canada. Unfortunately, no maps were made of these travels.
However, in 1965, a Viking map dated 1440 was found. The Viking map showed parts of
northeastern Canada.
About the same time Columbus was making his third voyage, another explorer sailed for
North America. His name was Americus Vespucci. Vespucci made maps of his travels. A
German school teacher who was writing a new geography book found these maps. The
school teacher called the New World “America” in honor of Vespucci.
According to the passage, who was the first to discover America?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Americus Vespucci
Christopher Columbus
Leif Ericson
Native Americans
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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2.
Leif Ericsson, Christopher Columbus, Jacques Cartier, and the brothers John and Sebastian
Cabot are the most famous European transatlantic explorers. But who were the first across?
Two Irish scholars, Mr. Moon and Mr. Ashe, have recently suggested that their early
forefathers were the first.
These two historians claim that early in the eighth century, monks and lay brothers of the
Celtic Church left Ireland for Faroe. About the year 770, however, Norwegian Vikings
attacked and colonized Faroe, Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides or Western Isles. The
invaders were ruthless, and the Celts who survived escaped to Iceland in small boats, taking
with them their religious objects and writings and their tools.
In their new homeland, they fished, raised sheep, and grew a few vegetables in the poor soil.
Then, one stormy day in 874, a Danish trader named Gardar found shelter in a cove and spent
the winter there. When he went home, he told of his discovery. Eleven years later, two
Norwegian men named Ingolf and Hjorlaf arrived with a number of Viking sailors, wanting
to settle there.
The Celts didn’t want to live with the Norwegians, so they packed their things again. Setting
off in their boats, they left their homes forever and sailed to Cape Breton (in what is now
Nova Scotia, Canada). If this story is true, they were the first white men to reach America.
Nobody knows for sure where on Cape Breton Island they settled, but two young Eskimos
who were kidnapped in 1016 by a Scandinavian named Karlsefi told their kidnapper they had
seen men dressed in white who walked around singing loudly, carrying poles with pieces of
cloth attached. This confirmed a report made by a Scandinavian named Thorvald 10 years
before.
In Account 2, which of the following is evidence to suggest that the Celts were the first to
reach America?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Danish trader Gardar’s story of meeting the Celts in Iceland.
The Eskimos’ sighting of men dressed in white in the year 1016.
The arrival in Iceland of two Norwegian men named Ingolf and Hjorlaf.
The Viking attack and colonization of Faroe in the year 770 A.D.
Answer: C
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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3. From Chronicles of the Incas by Pedro de Cieza de Léon, 1540
“At the beginning of the new year the rulers of each village came to Cuzco, bringing their
quipus [knots], which told how many births there had been during the year, and how many
deaths. In this way the Inca and the governors knew which of the Indians were poor, the
women who had been widowed, whether they were able to pay their taxes, and how many
men they could count on in the event of war, and many other things they considered highly
important.”
According to this author, the Inca used quipus (knots of thread) to do which of the following?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To tell stories and Incan legends
To play various children’s games
To keep records of their people
To make new construction tools
Answer: C
H1.2.3 Identify the point of view (perspective of the author) and context when reading and
discussing primary and secondary sources.
1. Analyze the passage below. Who do you think wrote it?
Hernando Cortes landed on the coast of Mexico in 1519. As soon as he heard about the
fabulous riches of the Aztec Empire, he made a daring plan to conquer it. Within two years,
the Spanish destroyed the powerful Aztec Empire. How did a tiny Spanish force defeat the
Aztecs?
Many factors helped Cortes. First, the Aztec emperor Montezuma hesitated to fight the
Spanish. He believed that Cortes was the god-king Quetzalcoatl, returning as he promised he
would. Second, Cortes won allies among the people the Aztecs had conquered. Their armies
strengthened the Spanish forces. Third, smallpox and other diseases that Europeans brought
to the Americas killed thousands of Aztecs.
A.
B.
C.
D.
A member of Cortes’ army
Hernando Cortes
Montezuma
A modern historian
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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2. This painting was made in 1774. The caption reads, “The Bostonian’s Paying the ExciseMan (tax collector), or Tarring and Feathering.” The tree in the background is labeled
“Liberty Tree.”
This picture was most likely painted by someone
who
A.
B.
C.
D.
thought the American patriots were cruel.
was a trader or merchant in the colonies.
thought that England’s taxes were unfair.
was a member of an American Indian tribe.
Answer: A
3. This lithograph shows onlookers waving their hats during the Boston Tea Party. What
attitude or feeling is the artist trying to convey?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Shame
Excitement
Sadness
Humor
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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4. In this image from the Industrial Revolution, the photographer shows children working in a
factory and wearing ripped clothing. What is the reason he chose to feature these boys in the
picture?
A. To show the true hardship of
the time.
B. To show the benefits of
industry.
C. To encourage more children
to work.
D. To show the laziness of
people on the job.
Answer: A
H1.2.4 Compare and evaluate competing historical perspectives about the past based on
proof.
1. The following is a description of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, written in 1520:
This city has many public squares, in which are situated the markets and other places for
buying and selling. There is one square twice as large as that of the city of Salamanca,
surrounded by porticoes, where are daily assembled more than sixty thousand souls, engaged
in buying and selling; and where are found all kinds of merchandise that the world affords,
for instance articles of food, as well as jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, tin,
precious stones, bones, shells, snails, and feathers.… There are all kinds of green vegetables,
especially onions, leeks, garlic… fruits also of numerous descriptions, amongst which are
cherries and plums, similar to those in Spain.
Which of these best indicates that this passage was written by someone from Spain?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It makes reference to Spain and the Spanish city of Salamanca.
It shows the Aztecs as simple-minded people who cannot trade.
It describes goods like gold and silver, which are only found in Spain.
It assumes that the reader understands Aztec customs and beliefs.
Answer: A
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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2. From Slave Cabin to the Pulpit: The Autobiography of Rev. Peter Randolph (18251897)
When my father died, he left my mother with five children. We were all young at the time,
and mother had no one to help take care of us. Her lot was very hard indeed. She had to work
all the day for her owner and at night for those who were dearer to her than life. She used to
get a little corn, without the owner’s knowledge, and boil it for us to satisfy our hunger. As
for clothing, Edloe (our owner) would give us a coarse suit once in three years; mother
sometimes would beg the cast-off garments from the neighbors, to cover our nakedness; and
when they had none to give, she would sit and cry over us and pray to the God of the widow
and fatherless for help. At last, my oldest brother was sold from her and carried where she
never saw him again. She went mourning for him all her days, like a bird robbed of her
young--like Rachel bereft of her children, who would not be comforted because they were
not. She departed this life on the 27th of September, 1847, for that world “where the wicked
cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest.”
Transcript of a letter from the son of an Alabama slave owner:
Jan. 25, 1913
H.C. Nixon Esq
Merrellton Ala.
Dear Sir:
Replying to your letter of 22nd concerning slavery, I have to say: my Father was the largest
slave owner in this (DeKalb) County.
The owners of slaves here were generally kind and humane to their colored people who were
well fed and comfortably clothed and lived in comfortable and convenient houses. They were
worked moderately and were well cared for in sickness.
The houses were well supplied with good though inexpensive furniture. Cooking and eating
arrangements were cleanly and wholesome with an abundance of good nourishing food. They
had comfortable clothing suitable to the changing seasons.
What is the primary conflict between these two accounts of slavery?
A.
B.
C.
D.
One says slaves were taken away from their families, and the other denies this.
One says slaves had to beg for food; the other said they grew their own.
One account claims that slaves worked hard; the other says they were lazy.
One portrays slave owners as cruel, and the other portrays them as kind.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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3. The following is a description of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, written in 1520:
This city has many public squares, in which are situated the markets and other places for
buying and selling. There is one square twice as large as that of the city of Salamanca,
surrounded by porticoes, where are daily assembled more than sixty thousand souls, engaged
in buying and selling; and where are found all kinds of merchandise that the world affords,
for instance articles of food, as well as jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, tin,
precious stones, bones, shells, snails, and feathers.… There are all kinds of green vegetables,
especially onions, leeks, garlic… fruits also of numerous descriptions, amongst which are
cherries and plums, similar to those in Spain.
This passage is part of a letter from Hernan Cortés to King Charles of Spain. What is the
purpose of this passage?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To show different Aztec religious beliefs.
To detail a message from the Aztec king.
To describe an Aztec city marketplace.
To reveal Aztec military weaknesses.
Answer: C
H1.2.5 Identify the role of the individual in history and the significance of one person’s
ideas.
H1.4.1 Describe and use cultural institutions to study an era and a region (political,
economic, religion/belief, science/technology, written language, education, family).
1. In what region would a Native American live who hunted deer and turkey, grew many kinds
of crops and had a lot of rain and good soil for farming?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Great Plains
South West
Eastern Woodlands
Arctic
Answer: C
2. What invention made hunting animals easier for the early people of the western hemisphere?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Spear
Sickle
Plow
Axe
Answer: A
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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3. Many people choose to live near rivers or other types of water. What is the best reason why
people choose to settle by water?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Water can be a natural defense barrier.
People use water as a source of food.
Water helps keep mosquitoes and diseases away.
Water is used for crops.
Answer: D
4. When people developed a system of bringing water from rivers to farmlands so crops can get
water, it is called
A.
B.
C.
D.
foraging.
domestication.
flooding.
irrigation.
Answer: D
H1.4.2 Describe and use themes of history to study patterns of change and continuity.
1. How did the invention of farming lead to the rise of civilizations?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Farming let people form permanent settlements.
Farming made the population decrease.
Farming let people move around more.
Farming gave people tools to build houses.
Answer: A
2. What of the following explains why people first came to the Western Hemisphere?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Animal herds moved, and the people followed.
Glaciers covered their land and forced them to move.
A neighboring society invaded and made them leave.
The Western Hemisphere had better land for crops.
Answer: A
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
11
3. Inuit diets were nearly 100% animal protein from whales, seals, and caribou. Why did the
Inuit not eat vegetation or plants?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Very little edible vegetation grew in their region.
They left plants for the animals to eat.
It was too much work to grow crops in the Arctic.
Their supply routes were closed in winter.
Answer: A
H1.4.3 Use historical perspective to analyze global issues faced by humans long ago and
today.
1. Why did Native Americans living in the Great Basin move from place to place?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To open up land for European settlers
To follow their food supply
Because of the French and Indian War
Earthquakes and flooding
Answer: B
2. Which of these types of houses would the Iroquois have built in their region, based upon the
resources available?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Caves dug out of the side of a mountain.
Huts out of adobe, clay, and mud.
Igloos out of snow and ice blocks.
Wigwams out of wood poles and deerskin.
Answer: D
3. The early Anasazi people lived in the Four Corners region of the U.S. They would use plant
fibers to make
A.
B.
C.
D.
baskets.
pottery.
paper.
roofs.
Answer: A
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
12
W1.1.1 Describe the early migrations of people among Earth’s continents (including the
Beringia Land Bridge).
1. Around 10,000 to 25,000 years ago, the first people came to the Western Hemisphere. Where
were they from?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Africa
Europe
Australia
Asia
Answer: D
2. Why did many first people in the Western Hemisphere decide to settle around rivers or other
sources of water?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The people only used fish for food.
The water was a natural defense.
The water kept diseases away.
The people needed water for their crops.
Answer: D
3. Which of the following explains why people first came to the Western Hemisphere?
A.
B.
C.
D.
A neighboring society invaded and made them leave.
Animal herds moved, and the people followed.
The Western Hemisphere had better land for crops.
Glaciers covered their land and forced them to move.
Answer: B
W1.1.2 Examine the lives of hunting and gathering people during the earliest eras of
human society (tools and weapons, language, fire).
1. Early people in the Western Hemisphere hunted animals as a main source of food. Which of
the following inventions made hunting easier?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Spears
Plows
Sickle
Axes
Answer: A
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
13
2. Inuit diets consisted of practically 100% animal protein from whales, seals, and caribou. Why
did the Inuit not eat an abundance of vegetation or plants?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They left plants for the animals to eat.
Their supply routes were closed in winter.
It was too much work to grow crops in the Arctic.
Very little vegetation existed in their area.
Answer: D
3. The Southeastern tribes relied heavily on their agricultural output to support their people.
Corn was grown for consumption. What crop did they raise for clothing?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Hemp
Cotton
Straw
Flax
Answer: B
W1.2.1 Describe the transition from hunter gatherers to sedentary agriculture
(domestication of plants and animals).
1. People in the Americas probably used which of the following techniques to help them clear
land for farming?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Domestication
Crop rotation
Irrigation
Slash and burn
Answer: D
2. Goats were an animal that people in other areas of the world domesticated. Raising animals
gave people a more reliable source of food than hunting for their meat. What kind of animals
did people in the Americas probably domesticate?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Sheep
Horses
Camels
Llamas
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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3. How did the invention of agriculture impact the lives of early people living in the Americas?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Their populations decreased.
They moved around more.
They had a reliable food source.
The started eating more meat.
Answer: C
W1.2.2 Describe the importance of the natural environment in the development of
agricultural settlements in different locations (e.g., available water for irrigation, adequate
precipitation, and suitable growing season).
1. Why did many first people in the Western Hemisphere decide to settle around rivers or other
sources of water?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The water was a natural defense.
The water kept diseases away.
The people needed water for their crops.
The people only used fish for food.
Answer: C
2. What is the technology of leading water from a river to farmlands so that crops can be
watered?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Irrigation
Foraging
Domestication
Flooding
Answer: A
3. Which of these types of houses would the Iroquois have built in their region, based upon the
resources available?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Igloos out of snow and ice blocks
Huts out of adobe, clay, and mud
Caves dug out of the side of a mountain
Wigwams out of wood poles and deerskin
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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W1.2.3 Explain the impact of the Agricultural Revolution (stable food supply, surplus,
population growth, trade, division of labor, development of settlements).
1. How did the invention of farming lead to the rise of civilizations?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Farming let people move around more.
Farming made the population decrease.
Farming gave people tools to build houses.
Farming let people form permanent settlements.
Answer: D
2. Civilizations were able to form after the invention of agriculture. These civilizations
developed a division of labor. What caused this to occur?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Small populations
Written language
Large armies
A surplus of food
Answer: D
3. How did the invention of agriculture impact the lives of early people living in the Americas?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They had a reliable food source.
Their populations decreased.
The started eating more meat.
They moved around more.
Answer: A
W2.1.1 Explain how the environment favored hunter gatherer, pastoral, and small scale
agricultural ways of life in different parts of the Western Hemisphere.
1. An early Native American who used irrigation and planted corn probably lived in which
region?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Arctic
Southwest
Great Plains
Eastern Woodlands
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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2. An early Native American who hunted buffalo and did not farm much probably lived in
which region?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Arctic
Eastern Woodland
Great Plains
Southwest
Answer: C
3. What was the Kwakiutl’s main source of food and why?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Deer, because they were unable to raise crops.
Fish, because they were so close to the seashore.
Wheat, because they lived on broad, flat plains.
Corn, because they farmed deep, fertile valleys.
Answer: B
W2.1.2 Describe how the invention of agriculture led to the emergence of agrarian
civilizations (seasonal harvests, specialized crops, cultivation, and development of villages
and towns).
1. Civilizations were able to form after the invention of agriculture. These civilizations
developed a division of labor. What caused this to occur?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Small populations
Written language
Large armies
A surplus of food
Answer: D
2. Which was a staple food of all Native American civilizations?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Beef
Cheese
Coffee
Maize
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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3. The Southeastern tribes relied heavily on agriculture to support their people. Along with corn
for food, what other crop did they raise for clothing?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Straw
Flax
Cotton
Hemp
Answer: C
W2.1.3 Use multiple sources of evidence to describe how the culture of early peoples of
North America reflected the geography and natural resources available (e.g., Inuit of the
Arctic, Kwakiutl of the Northwest Coast; Anasazi and Apache of the Southwest).
1. What was the main source of food for the Sioux before the arrival of the railroad?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Bison
Bear
Deer
Elk
Answer: A
2. Inuit diets were nearly 100% animal protein from whales, seals, and caribou. Why did the
Inuit not eat vegetation or plants?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They left plants for the animals to eat.
Their supply routes were closed in winter.
Very little edible vegetation grew in their region.
It was too much work to grow crops in the Arctic.
Answer: C
3. Which of these types of houses would the Iroquois have built in their region, based upon the
resources available?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Caves dug out of the side of a mountain
Wigwams out of wood poles and deerskin
Huts out of adobe, clay, and mud
Igloos out of snow and ice blocks
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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W2.1.4 Use evidence to identify defining characteristics of early civilizations and early
pastoral nomads (government, language, religion, social structure, technology, and division
of labor).
1. Which of these regions was home to Native Americans who built pyramids and temples and
whose history goes back to 3000 years before Columbus?
A.
B.
C.
D.
9 - Southwest
5 - California
2 - Subarctic
11 - Mesoamerica
Answer: D
2. The Southeastern tribes relied heavily on agriculture to support their people. Along with corn
for food, what other crop did they raise for clothing?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Flax
Cotton
Straw
Hemp
Answer: B
3. What is one reason the Apache Indians were nomadic?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They were looking for a northwest passage out of North America.
They were in continual search to find fresh water for their people.
They moved around so they could hunt the buffalo more easily.
Large amounts of precipitation forced them to find new homes.
Answer: C
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
19
4. Which was a staple food of all Native American civilizations?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Coffee
Cheese
Beef
Maize
Answer: D
W3.1.1 Analyze the role of environment in the development of early empires, referencing
both useful environmental features and those that presented obstacles.
1. Which of these native South American civilizations built paved roads, irrigation canals, and
massive stone buildings and fortress temples?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Mayas
Romans
Incas
Aztecs
Answer: C
2. The Maya, Inca, and Aztec lived in different locations with different climates and landforms.
However, there were some similarities between the crops grown in each area. What crop did
all three civilizations grow?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Cotton
Quinoa
Squash
Corn
Answer: D
3. The Maya were the first to create a writing system. They used symbols and pictures to record
ideas. They carved these symbols into stones and wrote them in books made with paper.
What is one result of the Maya’s advanced writing system?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Maya left a record from the time period.
Students had to spend many years in school.
The emperors could change public opinions.
The Maya controlled the European explorers.
Answer: A
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
20
W3.1.2 Explain the role of economics in shaping the development of early civilizations
(trade routes and their significance – Inca Road, supply and demand for products).
1. The Inca had advanced knowledge of engineering. What did the Inca build to keep their
empire connected?
A.
B.
C.
D.
A collection of colorful pottery
A system of roads and bridges
A network of telegraph wires
a carriage pulled by horses
Answer: B
2. Which of these was one major reason for the fall of Inca society?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Invasion of the Spanish Army
Unfair labor
Widespread poverty
Abundant wealth
Answer: A
3. Which civilization is described in the box?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Aztec
Maya
Mongolian
Inca



thrived from 1000 A.D. – 1500 A.D.
created advanced system of roads, design, and agriculture
developed method of mathematics which did not require writing
Answer: D
W3.1.3 Describe similarities and difference among Mayan, Aztec, and Incan societies,
including economy, religion, and role and class structure.
1. What farming practice did the Inca and Aztec have in common?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Draining swamps to make farmland
Building terraces for support
Using irrigation to water crops
Using slash-and-burn techniques
Answer: C
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2. The Maya, Inca, and Aztec lived in different locations with different climates and landforms.
However, there were some similarities between the crops grown in each area. What crop did
all three civilizations grow?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Corn
Quinoa
Cotton
Avocados
Answer: A
3. What farming practice did the Inca and Aztec have in common?
Civilization
Maya
Inca
corn, beans, squash, sweet potatoes,
avocados, cotton, tomatoes, cacao
beans (chocolate)
Aztec
A.
B.
C.
D.
Crops
corn, beans, squash, sweet potatoes,
chili peppers
corn, cotton, potatoes, quinoa grain
Practices
drained swamps, built terraces
used simple tools, built irrigation
canals
used slash-and-burn agriculture,
built irrigation canals
Using irrigation to water crops
Building terraces for support
Draining swamps to make farmland
Using slash-and-burn techniques
Answer: A
4. What religious practice did the Inca, Aztec, and Maya have in common?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Reading books about the gods.
Going to the temple on Sundays.
Offering sacrifices to the gods.
Worshipping only one god.
Answer: C
5. What government structure did the Aztec and the Inca have in common?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They had a two-party system.
They allowed everyone to vote.
They chose a priest to lead.
They were ruled by emperors.
Answer: D
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W3.1.4 Describe the regional struggles and changes in governmental systems among the
Mayan, Aztec, and Incan Empires.
1. The Maya civilization was divided into individual cities ruled locally by kings. What was one
result of this government system?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Maya did not respect the kings.
The Maya were not a unified empire.
The Maya had to pay money to travel.
The Maya created a strong government.
Answer: B
2. Which of these was a major concern in Inca society?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Taxes on income
Invading forces
Taxes on inheritance
Banks and savings
Answer: B
W3.1.5 Construct a timeline of main events on the origin and development of early and
classic ancient civilizations of the Western Hemisphere (Olmec, Mayan, Aztec, and Incan).
1. What Native American civilizations flourished between 1000 and 1500 AD?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Incas and Aztecs
Chavin and Olmecs
Maya and Inca
Olmecs and Incas
Answer: A
1000-500 500 BC
1 to
500 to
1000 to
BC
to 1
500 AD 1000 AD 1500 AD
South
Chavin
America
North
Olmecs
America
Mochica
Olmecs Maya
Inca
Aztecs
G1.1.1 Describe how geographers use mapping to represent places and natural and human
phenomena in the world.
1. What does the relative location of a place tell you?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The longitude and latitude of a place.
Which symbol shows a place on a map.
Where a place is compared to another place.
The map projection being used to show a place.
Answer: C
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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2. Which two continents are located entirely in the Western Hemisphere?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Europe and Africa
Asia and Antarctica
North America and Australia
North America and South America
Answer: D
3. Maps cannot represent the exact size or shape of Earth’s features because of
A.
B.
C.
D.
tilt.
scale.
rotation.
distortion.
Answer: D
4. What does a map’s scale compare?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Direction on a map with direction on Earth
Distance on a map with distance on Earth
Location on a map with location on a globe
Distortion on a map with distortion on a globe
Answer: B
G1.1.2 Draw a sketch map from memory of the Western Hemisphere showing the major
regions (Canada, United States, Mexico, Central America, South America, and Caribbean).
1. Which river is located nearest number 8?
A.
B.
C.
D.
St. Lawrence River
Colorado River
Columbia River
Rio Grande
Answer: A
2. Which body of water is located nearest number 7?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Caribbean Sea
Great Lakes
Lake Victoria
Great Salt Lake
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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3. Which body of water is nearest number 2?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Hudson Bay
Gulf of Alaska
Gulf of Mexico
Caribbean Sea
Answer: A
4. Which body of water is located nearest number 1?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Hudson Bay
Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Alaska
Great Lakes
Answer: C
G1.2.1 Locate the major landforms, rivers (Amazon, Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado), and
climate regions of the Western Hemisphere.
1. Which number is nearest the Atacama Desert?
A.
B.
C.
D.
4
7
6
1
Answer: A
2. Which landform is located nearest number
2?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Guiana Highlands
Brazilian Highlands
Andes Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Answer: C
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3. Which landform or body of water is located
nearest number 1?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Lake Titicaca
Panama Canal
Suez Canal
Strait of Gibraltar
Answer: B
4. The Mojave Desert is located in the southwestern part of ______.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Brazil
Africa
Saudi Arabia
the United States
Answer: D
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G1.2.2 Explain why maps of the same place may vary, including cultural perspectives of
the Earth and new knowledge based on science and modern technology.
1. Four maps of New Mexico are shown - physical, political, highway, and relief. Which of the
following statements is true about maps and the information they contain?
A. Any map of New Mexico would be helpful, whether hiking or driving.
B. To be useful, a map must contain the information you need, like a route to
Albuquerque.
C. All maps show the same information.
D. The New Mexico elevation map is just as useful for driving as the highway map is.
Answer: B
2. The two maps demonstrate New Zealand’s location in the world from two different
perspectives. Which statement explains why people in New Zealand might choose Map A
over Map B?
A. Map B is an example of a world
map with Asia as the most
important continent.
B. Map B shows New Zealand with
easy access to North and South
America.
C. Map A shows New Zealand safe
and isolated from the rest of the
world.
D. New Zealand appears centrally
located in Map A and therefore
more accessible.
Answer: D
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3. The maps show the Kashmir region in south central Asia. Why might the same region be
shown three different ways by each of the three countries’?
A. China, Pakistan, and India all
claim parts of Kashmir as
their own.
B. The maps show the changes
in the boundaries of Kashmir
over time.
C. India and Pakistan peacefully
share their claims to Kashmir
with other countries.
D. China has the strongest claim
to ownership of the Kashmir
region.
Answer: A
G1.2.3 Use data to create thematic maps and graphs showing patterns of population,
physical terrain, rainfall, and vegetation, analyze the patterns and then propose two
generalizations about the location and density of the population.
1. A climograph is a graph of the temperature and rainfall for a particular place. Rainfall, or
“precipitation,” is shown on the above bar graph. The precipitation is measured in
millimeters. The line graph shows the average temperature for each consecutive month. It is
measured in degrees Celsius. The letters across the bottom stand for each month of the year.
Which month had the highest amount of precipitation?
A.
B.
C.
D.
November
January
February
July
Answer: B
2. What was the average temperature in Memphis, TN?
A.
B.
C.
D.
18 degrees Fahrenheit
180 millimeters
18 degrees Celsius
11 degrees Celsius
Answer: C
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28
3. Which month had the warmest average temperature?
A.
B.
C.
D.
August
May
January
July
Answer: D
4. Using the graphs, which of the following statements is true about population demographics in
the United States?
A.
B.
C.
D.
There will never be significantly more adolescent females in the U.S.
The average age of its citizens is expected to increase.
The average age of its citizens is expected to decrease suddenly.
There will always be significantly more adolescent males in the U.S.
Answer: B
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5. According to the map, which of the following statements is true?
A. Most people in South America
live in the interior of the
continent.
B. Most people in South America
live deep inside the Amazon.
C. Most people in South America
live on the coasts.
D. Most people in South America
live in the Andes Mountains.
Answer: C
G1.2.4 Use observations from air photos, photographs (print and CD), films (VCR and
DVD) as the basis for answering geographic questions about the human and physical
characteristics of places and regions.
1. Which of the following statements about the polar ice cap is true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The polar ice cap increased dramatically in size between 1979 and 2003.
The polar ice cap moved southward between 1979 and 2003.
The polar ice cap decreased in size between 1979 and 2003.
The polar ice cap stayed the same between 1979 and 2003 and will continue to do so.
Answer: C
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2. The equator runs perpendicularly through the Amazon region of South America. This area
has long been known for which of the following ecosystems?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Tundra
Desert
Rainforest
Savanna
Answer: C
3. Chile is a country in South America which has several different elevations that include high
mountains and coastal lowlands. Why would the temperatures existing in the mountains be
cooler than temperatures found in the coastal lowlands?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Temperature stays the same at all elevations.
Temperature goes down as elevation goes down.
Temperature goes down as elevation goes up.
Temperature goes up as elevation goes up.
Answer: C
G1.2.5 Use information from modern technology such as Geographic Positioning System
(GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), and satellite remote sensing to locate
information and process maps and data to analyze spatial patterns of the Western
Hemisphere to answer geographic questions.
Not Testable (project-based assessment)
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31
G1.2.6 Apply the skills of geographic inquiry (asking geographic questions, acquiring
geographic information, organizing geographic information, analyzing geographic
information, and answering geographic questions) to analyze a problem or issue of
importance to a region of the Western Hemisphere.
1. What is the largest city in the United States?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Los Angeles
Philadelphia
New York City
Dallas
Answer: C
2. Large continents like South America have many different types of ecosystems. As you travel
south, away from the equator, ecosystems usually get cooler and drier. This is because
ecosystems change based on
A.
B.
C.
D.
pollution.
longitude.
latitude.
deforestation.
Answer: C
3. What is most likely happening to the country represented by the graph?
A. The population is growing.
B. More people are leaving than
arriving.
C. The population is shrinking.
D. The population is staying the same.
Answer: A
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4. When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, many Americans were forced to
migrate. According to the map, which of the following states took in between 5,001 and
49,999 people migrating from Hurricane Katrina?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Texas
Tennessee
Arkansas
Kentucky
Answer: B
G1.3.1 Use the fundamental themes of geography (location, place, human environment
interaction, movement, region) to describe regions or places on earth.
1. Which of the following states would NOT be considered part of the Southern region of the
United States?
A.
B.
C.
D.
North Carolina
North Dakota
Mississippi
Alabama
Answer: B
2. Two cities are at similar latitude, but one is on the ocean and the other is further inland. How
does being close to the ocean impact temperatures in these two cities?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Colder temperatures are found in the city closest to the ocean.
Temperatures don’t vary much in the city on the ocean.
Similar temperatures are found all year round in both cities.
Warmer temperatures are found in the city that is located further inland.
Answer: B
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3. With changes in technology, more perishable products are able to travel longer distances.
How does this technological change impact communities across the United States?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The U.S. can import and export more foods.
The U.S. needs more food to satisfy people.
The U.S. spends more money of food storage.
The U.S. has more farmers producing corn and potatoes than in the past.
Answer: A
G1.3.2 Explain the locations and distributions of physical and human characteristics of
Earth by using knowledge of spatial patterns.
1. Large continents such as South America have many different ecosystems. As you travel
south, away from the equator, the various ecosystems usually get cooler and drier. This is
because ecosystems change based on
A.
B.
C.
D.
deforestation.
pollution.
latitude.
longitude.
Answer: C
2. Chile is a country located in South America with various elevations including high
mountains and coastal lowlands. Why would temperatures in the mountains be cooler than
temperatures found in the coastal lowlands?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Temperature stays the same at all elevations.
Temperature goes down as elevation goes down.
Temperature goes down as elevation goes up.
Temperature goes up as elevation goes up.
Answer: C
3. There are thousands of languages and various dialects spoken worldwide. Some are spoken
by millions of people and others are only spoken by a few hundred people. The major
languages spoken by inhabitants of South America originally came from which continent?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Australia
Europe
Africa
Asia
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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G1.3.3 Explain the different ways in which places are connected and how those connections
demonstrate interdependence and accessibility.
1. Which geographical feature found in Mexico City, Mexico and Santiago, Chile contributes to
the extremely high levels of air pollution in both of the above cities?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Both cities are on the coast.
Both cities are located in mountainous regions.
Both cities are located in deserts.
Both cities experience extreme changes in climate.
Answer: B
2. In 1972, Canada and one other country signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement,
which country was that?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Mexico
Russia
the United States
Great Britain
Answer: C
3. Which of the following is an important waterway in Canada because it is the connection
between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Baffin Bay
Strait of Juan de Fuca
St. Lawrence Seaway
Hudson Strait
Answer: C
G2.1.1 Describe the landform features and the climate of the region (within the Western or
Eastern Hemispheres) under study.
1. Which of the following statements is true about the Canadian Shield region, in North
America?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It is sparsely populated.
It has excellent farmland.
It is rich in natural resources.
It has a mild climate.
Answer: C
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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2. What river is a divisor between Mexico and the United States?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rio Grande
Mississippi River
Colorado River
Salado River
Answer: A
3. Chile is a country located in South America which has several different elevations including
high mountains and coastal lowlands. Why would temperatures in the mountains be cooler
than temperatures found in the coastal lowlands?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Temperature goes up as elevation goes up.
Temperature stays the same at all elevations.
Temperature goes down as elevation goes down.
Temperature goes down as elevation goes up.
Answer: D
G2.1.2 Account for topographic and human spatial patterns (where people live) associated
with tectonic plates such as volcanoes, earthquakes, settlements (Ring of Fire, recent
volcanic and seismic events, settlements in proximity to natural hazards in the Western
Hemisphere) by using information from GIS, remote sensing, and the World Wide Web.
1. What is in the picture showing?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Plate tectonics
Water damage
Erosion
Weathering
Answer: A
2. What is the biggest danger to civilizations if a volcano erupts?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Raining ash
Tidal waves
Plate tectonics
Weathering
Answer: A
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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3. Last November, the Grand Canyon experienced its largest flood in more than 8 years. For
nearly 4 days that month, flow rates along the Colorado River rose 20 percent. The massive
flood, rather than resulting from the storms that had soaked the region for months, occurred
when engineers opened the floodgates to send extra water downstream. November’s flood is
the second forced flood in the last decade designed to shore up the sandbars and beaches. The
dozens of scientists who surveyed the canyon as the floodwaters passed through were happy
to find that sediments restored the riverbank in some areas.
Which of these statements holds true about the flood in the passage above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The flood was a result of increasing water flow rates along the Colorado River.
Scientists were caught by surprise that the flood occurred.
The flood damaged shorelines.
The flood was created to increase sediments and rebuild land.
Answer: D
G2.2.1 Describe the human characteristics of the region under study (including languages,
religion, economic system, governmental system, cultural traditions).
1. Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, and Mariachi are all forms of traditional Latin American
A.
B.
C.
D.
food.
music.
painting.
dress.
Answer: B
2. The two official languages spoken in Canada are English and
A.
B.
C.
D.
Italian.
French.
German.
Spanish.
Answer: B
3. Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and José Orozco are all quite famous Latin American
A.
B.
C.
D.
musicians.
painters.
dancers.
writers.
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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4. Much of the culture from the Caribbean islands, includes food, music, and dance, all three of
these are associated with descendants of slaves from
A.
B.
C.
D.
South America.
Africa.
Mexico.
China.
Answer: B
G2.2.2 Explain that communities are affected positively or negatively by changes in
technology (e.g., Canada with regard to mining, forestry, hydroelectric power generation,
agriculture, snowmobiles, cell phones, air travel).
1. How does traveling by airplane or jet help create patterns and networks between people?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It gives everyone communication technologies.
It helps people learn to how to communicate.
It helps people move quickly across the world.
It gives everyone affordable transportation.
Answer: C
2. Which of these is a negative impact of snowmobiling, a popular pastime, in Canada?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It has increased the tourist economy.
There has been an increase in people traveling via snowmobile.
It supports some local economies.
There has been an increase in accidental injuries.
Answer: D
3. One of the negative factors contributing to hydroelectric power generation is
A.
B.
C.
D.
it does not produce carbon dioxide.
it can damage the river environment.
it can reduce the cost of fuel.
it may be used for irrigation.
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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4. Explain a positive impact of the foresting industry upon the local communities in Canada.
A.
B.
C.
D.
It gives profits to international companies.
It uses older technology and machines.
It uses many different types of resources.
It provides employment for many of its people.
Answer: D
G2.2.3 Analyze how culture and experience influence people’s perception of places and
regions (e.g., the Caribbean Region that presently displays enduring impacts of different
immigrant groups – Africans, South Asians, Europeans – and the differing contemporary
points of view about the region displayed by islanders and tourists).
1. Much of the culture in the Caribbean Islands, including food, music, and dance, is associated
with descendants of slaves from
A.
B.
C.
D.
Africa.
Mexico.
South America.
China.
Answer: A
2. Historically, Canadian culture has been most influenced by the cultures and traditions of the
British, French, and
A.
B.
C.
D.
Spanish.
Aborigines.
Chinese.
Portuguese.
Answer: B
3. Which statement best explains why the official languages of every Latin American country
are European?
A.
B.
C.
D.
European ethnic groups strongly influenced the region.
The populations relate better to European languages.
Native languages are not as popular, so they did not spread.
Native languages have completely died out over time.
Answer: A
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4. The holiday of Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over the French
army at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. This holiday includes music, food, and dance.
Cinco de Mayo is celebrated differently in different areas.
Cinco de Mayo is an example of cultural expression that stems from
A.
B.
C.
D.
modern life in Mexican cities.
Mexican cultural holidays.
important historical events.
Chicano life in the Americas.
Answer: C
G3.1.1 Construct and analyze climate graphs for two locations at different latitudes and
elevations in the region to answer geographic questions and make predictions based on
patterns. (e.g., compare and contrast Buenos Aires and La Paz; Mexico City and
Guatemala City; Edmonton and Toronto).
1. Guatemala City is the largest city in Central America with a population of 1.2 million people.
It is located in a mountain valley at 14 degrees north latitude and an elevation of 4921 feet. It
sits between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Mexico City is the capital and largest city in Mexico with a population of almost 9 million
people. It is located in a mountain valley in a high plateau at 19 degrees north latitude and an
elevation of 7349 feet.
Based upon the descriptions above, which statement best describes the climate graph and
Mexico City’s lower average high temperature?
A. Mexico City sits further north than
Guatemala City and has higher
temperatures.
B. Guatemala City’s lower elevation
keeps its temperature lower than
Mexico City’s.
C. Guatemala City is at a higher elevation
and so has lower temperatures than
Mexico City.
D. The higher elevation keeps Mexico
City’s average temperatures lower.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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2. Two cities are at similar latitude, but one is on the ocean and the other is further inland. How
does nearness to the ocean impact temperatures in these cities?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Colder temperatures are found in the city on the ocean.
Temperatures don’t vary much in the city on the ocean.
Warmer temperatures are found in the city further inland.
Similar temperatures are found all year round in both cities.
Answer: B
3. Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. The city of more than
750,000 people is located in the middle of the vast Canadian prairie at 53 degrees north
latitude and an elevation of 2192 feet.
Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It has a population
of 2.5 million people and sits on the north shore of Lake Ontario at 43 degrees north latitude.
The elevation of Toronto is 249 feet.
Look at the graph and description of Edmonton, AB and Toronto, ON above. Their
temperature graphs are very similar but Edmonton’s average high temperature is lower than
Toronto’s. Which of the following best explains why Edmonton’s average high temperature
is lower than Toronto’s?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Edmonton is closer to the Pacific Ocean.
Toronto’s climate is affected by the Atlantic.
Toronto is farther east than Edmonton.
Edmonton is at a higher elevation than
Toronto.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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4. The graph shows the average high temperature for La Paz, Bolivia and Buenos Aires,
Argentina. The average temperature in La Paz is almost the same year round, but the average
temperature in Buenos Aires is much colder during the winter months of June, July, and
August. What might account for the differences in changes in average temperature?
A. La Paz is closer to the
equator so temperatures
are warmer than in
Buenos Aires.
B. The Atlantic Ocean’s
currents affect the
climate of Buenos
Aires.
C. Buenos Aires is located
further south in South
America than La Paz.
D. Weather fronts from the
Pacific Ocean help to
keep La Paz’s temperatures constant.
Answer: B
G3.2.1 Explain how and why ecosystems differ as a consequence of differences in latitude,
elevation, and human activities (e.g., South America’s location relative to the equator,
effects of elevations on temperature and growing season, proximity to bodies of water and
the effects on temperature and rainfall, effects of annual flooding on vegetation along river
flood plains such as the Amazon).
1. Which generality about Latin America’s geography is true?
A. Geographic features prevented European conquest.
B. Its harsh climate has prevented the development of large-scale agriculture.
C. The lack of geographic barriers helped the development of transportation and
communication systems.
D. Great variations in latitude and landforms resulted in a diversity of climates.
Answer: D
2. In which way have the Andes Mountains and the Amazon rain forest affected the
development of Latin America?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Promoting international unity
Increasing cultural diversity
Encouraging trade agreements
Strengthening political alliances
Answer: B
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3. Last November, the Grand Canyon experienced its largest flood in more than 8 years. For
nearly 4 days that month, flow rates along the Colorado River rose 20 percent. The massive
flood, rather than resulting from the storms that had soaked the region for months, occurred
when engineers opened the floodgates to send extra water downstream. November’s flood is
the second forced flood in the last decade designed to shore up the sandbars and beaches. The
dozens of scientists who surveyed the canyon as the floodwaters passed through were happy
to find that sediments restored the riverbank in some areas.
Which of these statements is true about the flood in the passage above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The flood was a result of increasing flow rates along the Colorado River.
Scientists were caught by surprise that the flood occurred.
The flood damaged shorelines.
The flood was created to increase sediments and rebuild land
Answer: D
4. Large continents like South America have many different types of ecosystems. As you go
south, away from the equator, ecosystems usually get cooler and drier. This is because
ecosystems change based on
A.
B.
C.
D.
latitude.
pollution.
deforestation.
longitude.
Answer: A
G3.2.2 Identify ecosystems and explain why some are more attractive for humans to use
than are others (e.g., mid-latitude forest in North America, high latitude of Peru, tropical
forests in Honduras, fish or marine vegetation in coastal zones).
1. The equator runs through the Amazon region of South America. This area has which of the
following ecosystems?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Savanna
Rainforest
Desert
Tundra
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
43
2. What impact does yearly flooding have on the people who live near large rivers?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Yearly floods are a natural form of irrigation.
Yearly floods wash nutrients out of the soil.
Yearly floods make the ground more fertile.
Yearly floods keep people from living near rivers.
Answer: C
3. Which of the following statements is true about how South America’s ecosystem affects
where people live?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Most people in South America live in the Amazon.
Most people in South America live on the coasts.
Most people in South America live in the Andes.
Most people in South America live in the interior.
Answer: B
G4.1.1 Identify and explain examples of cultural diffusion within the Americas (e.g.,
baseball, soccer, music, architecture, television, languages, health care, Internet, consumer
brands, currency, restaurants, and international migration).
1. Which change in technology has most impacted the movement of people across the globe?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Internet
Air travel
Cell phones
Automobiles
Answer: A
2. The United States and Canada are major hubs for the Internet. How does this impact the
global community?
A.
B.
C.
D.
People no longer need cell phones to communicate across the globe.
The United States and Canada have more technology than other countries.
All North American countries have a stronger influence on global politics.
More U.S. and Canadian products, services, and ideas are spread worldwide.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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G4.2.1 List and describe the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies used to
move people, products, and ideas throughout the world (e.g., call centers in the Eastern
Hemisphere that service the Western Hemisphere; the United States and Canada as hubs
for the Internet; transport of people and perishable products; and the spread of
individuals’ ideas as voice and image messages on electronic networks such as the Internet).
1. Call centers in the Eastern Hemisphere that service the Western Hemisphere are helpful for
A.
B.
C.
D.
providing hassle-free services.
bringing more jobs to the U.S.
building new U.S. businesses.
reducing costs to businesses.
Answer: D
2. Explain one disadvantage of using the Internet to find products and information.
A.
B.
C.
D.
It is faster than going to the library.
Some sources are not trustworthy.
Most stores sell their products online.
It connects more people at one time.
Answer: B
3. With changes in technology, more perishable products are able to travel longer distances.
How does this impact communities in the United States?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The U.S. spends more money of food storage.
The U.S. needs more food to satisfy people.
The U.S. can import and export more foods.
The U.S. has more farmers than in the past.
Answer: C
4. The facts below describe how cell phones…
 Over 1 billion people use them worldwide.
 They can be used to find information and music.
 They can be used to send text and email messages.
 They can be used to take digital pictures.
 People use them to express personal fashion statements.
A.
B.
C.
D.
have negative impacts on human networks.
have replaced computers for Internet use.
have become the only way people communicate.
have changed the ways people communicate.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
45
G4.3.1 Identify places in the Western Hemisphere that have been modified to be suitable
for settlement by describing the modifications that were necessary (e.g., Vancouver in
Canada; irrigated agriculture; or clearing of forests for farmland).
1. In 2006, the governor of the state of Pará in northern Brazil signed a law that established
protected areas in the Amazon Rainforest. This law created the world’s largest conservation
area. In some of the protected area, unsustainable logging and slash-and-burn agriculture are
banned. Access to other parts of the rainforest has been highly restricted so that only native
people and scientific researchers can enter. Which statement best describes the environmental
policy in the state of Pará?
A. The government has not been making an effort to protect the environment.
B. The government has placed the same restrictions on all areas which are threatened.
C. The government has placed the most restrictions on the most vulnerable areas and has
fewer restrictions on other areas.
D. The government has removed most of the environmental restrictions which were
previously in place.
Answer: C
2. In 1989, the government in Mexico City started a program called Hoy No Circula, which is
known as One Day Without a Car. This program bans certain cars from being driven on
specific days of the week based on the last number on a car’s license plate. The Hoy No
Circula program is an attempt by the government to reduce
A.
B.
C.
D.
air pollution.
water pollution.
the number of people living in Mexico City.
the amount of trash in landfills.
Answer: A
3. The Yasuni National Park in Ecuador holds one of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests.
This means that the ecosystem of the forest is filled with many important plant and animal
species. Recently, an oil company threatened to destroy much of this biodiversity by building
a pipeline through the national park. It was stopped by environmental groups, scientists, and
a native tribe called the Huaorani.
The actions of both the oil company and those who stopped it are examples of
A.
B.
C.
D.
ways human settlements change over time.
ways human technologies can be used for good.
ways human political groups cause harm.
ways human actions impact the environment.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
46
G4.3.2 Describe patterns of settlement by using historical and modern maps (e.g., coastal
and river cities and towns in the past and present, locations of megacities – modern cities
over 5 million, such as Mexico City, and patterns of agricultural settlements in South and
North America).
1. Which of these factors is a major reason that there is a high amount of pollution in Mexico
City?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It is its nation’s capital city.
It has a very large population.
It is sparsely populated.
It is the only urban area in Mexico.
Answer: B
2. According to the map, which of the following statements is true?
A. Most people in South America
live in the interior.
B. Most people in South America
live on the coasts.
C. Most people in South America
live in the Amazon.
D. Most people in South America
live in the Andes.
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
47
3. Which state in America had the highest percentage of foreign-born citizens in 1990?
A.
B.
C.
D.
California
Hawaii
Florida
Alaska
Answer: A
G4.4.1 Identify factors that contribute to conflict and cooperation between and among
cultural groups (control/use of natural resources, power, wealth, and cultural diversity).
1. In 1972, Canada and which other country signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Russia
United States
Mexico
Great Britain
Answer: B
G4.4.2 Describe the cultural clash of First Peoples, French and English in Canada long ago,
and the establishment of Nunavut in 1999.
G5.1.1 Describe the environmental effects of human action on the atmosphere (air),
biosphere (people, animals, and plants), lithosphere (soil), and hydrosphere (water) (e.g.,
changes in the tropical forest environments in Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica).
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
48
G5.1.2 Describe how variations in technology affect human modifications of the landscape
(e.g., clearing forests for agricultural land in South America, fishing in the Grand Banks of
the Atlantic, expansion of cities in South America, hydroelectric developments in Canada,
Brazil and Chile, and mining the Kentucky and West Virginia).
1. What is the main cause of land use conflict in the Amazon rainforest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Opposition by the government to the movement of farmers to the rainforest
Differences among many different groups over how best to use the rainforest
Conflicts between ranchers and farmers over how much land to clear in the rainforest.
Arguments among environmental groups over how to preserve biodiversity in the
rainforest.
Answer: B
2. Which of these groups is most responsible for deforestation of the rainforest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rubber tappers
Native peoples
Logging companies
Environmental groups
Answer: C
3. What can settlers in the Amazon basin do to promote sustainable development of the
rainforest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Clear more land to make larger farms.
Use cleared land to raise cattle instead of crops.
Plant crops that grow under the rainforest canopy.
Encourage more poor farmers to migrate to the rainforest.
Answer: C
4. Which of the following would groups who want sustainable development in the rainforest
most likely support?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The building of more roads into the rainforest.
The harvesting of rainforest trees to create more jobs.
The clearing of rainforest to create farms and ranches.
The use of rainforest resources without destroying them.
Answer: D
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49
G5.1.3 Identify the ways in which human-induced changes in the physical environment in
one place can cause changes in other places (e.g., cutting forests in one region may result in
river basin flooding elsewhere; building a dam floods land upstream and may permit
irrigation in another region).
1. The Amazon is recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world. Still, its
natural heritage is extremely threatened: A recent survey by the Brazilian government found
a high rate of deforestation and showed that over 9,000 square miles of Amazon forests in
Brazil -- an area more than twice the size of Connecticut -- disappeared between July 2001
and June 2002. According to government statistics, the average annual deforestation rate in
the Amazon during the 1990s was about 7,000 square miles per year. The current
deforestation rate shows a 40 percent jump from previous levels - a troubling sign of the
pressures facing the world’s largest and most important expanse of tropical forest. According
to government estimates, the Amazon forest will have lost 25 percent of its original area by
2020, a trend that spells disaster not only for the region’s plants and animals, but also for its
climate, which depends in large part on evapo-transpiration from its large expanse of forest.
Which of the following is one of the reasons that many people are so concerned about the
destruction of the Amazon Rainforest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
There will be more natural resources available in South America.
There will be less air pollution in South America.
Many people will lose their homes in the rainforest.
Many species of plants and animals could become extinct.
Answer: D
2. The Xavante Warã are a native group in Brazil. The Xavante live in a region of Brazil where
the government and businesses want to grow only soy beans. Xavante territories are intact
savannah ecosystems that would be destroyed by growing only soy beans. Soy is destructive
to the savannah ecosystem because it destroys the root systems of savannah grasslands.
What could the Brazilian government and businesses learn from the Xavante Warã?
A.
B.
C.
D.
How to better manage natural resources for future generations.
How to grow soy crops on the savannah without bothering people.
How to better understand the ecosystem of tropical rainforests.
How to destroy the savannah ecosystem by farming only soy beans.
Answer: A
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50
3. The Yasuni National Park in Ecuador holds one of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests.
This means that the ecosystem of the forest is filled with many important plant and animal
species. Recently, an oil company threatened to destroy much of this biodiversity by building
a pipeline through the national park. It was stopped by environmental groups, scientists, and
a native tribe called the Huaorani.
The actions of both the oil company and those who stopped it are examples of
A.
B.
C.
D.
ways human settlements change over time.
ways human actions impact the environment.
ways human technologies can be used for good.
ways human political groups cause harm.
Answer: B
G5.2.1 Describe the effects that a change in the physical environment could have on human
activities and the choices people would have to make in adjusting to the change (e.g.,
drought in northern Mexico, disappearance of forest vegetation in the Amazon, natural
hazards and disasters from volcanic eruptions in Central America and the Caribbean and
earthquakes in Mexico City and Colombia).
1. Acid rain is caused by human pollution. Why is Canada concerned about acid rain?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Acid rain hurts plants, forests, and air quality.
Acid rain melts everything and ruins cities.
Acid rain is only a problem in Canada.
Acid rain helps plants and forests grow faster.
Answer: A
2. Which of these areas has been most affected by deforestation?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Patagonia
Altiplano
Amazon River Basin
Rio de la Plata
Answer: C
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51
3. The Amazon is recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world. Still, its
natural heritage is extremely threatened.
Which of the following is one of the reasons that many people are so concerned about the
destruction of the Amazon Rainforest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
There will be less air pollution in South America.
There will be more natural resources available in South America.
Many people will lose their homes in the rainforest.
Many species of plants and animals could become extinct.
Answer: D
4. Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is the largest lake in South America. Which of the following is
one of the environmental issues facing Lake Maracaibo?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It is polluted due to the oil wells located along its shores.
It has too many types of plants and animals living in and around it.
The water in the lake is too salty because it is connected to the ocean.
The temperature of the water in the lake is steadily decreasing.
Answer: A
G6.1.1 Contemporary Investigations – Conduct research on contemporary global topics
and issues, compose persuasive essays, and develop a plan for action. (H1.4.3, G1.2.6, See
P3 and P4)
Not Testable (project-based assessment)
G6.1.2 Investigations Designed for Ancient World History Eras – Conduct research on
global topics and issues, compose persuasive essays, and develop a plan for action. (H1.4.3,
G1.2.6, See P3 and P4)
Note: Additional global investigation topics have been identified for connections to World
History Eras 1, 2, and 3 studies. Students investigate contemporary topics and issues that
they have studied in an ancient world history context. The investigations may be addressed
at the conclusion of each Era or may be included at the conclusion of the course.
Not Testable (project-based assessment)
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
52
P3.1.1 Clearly state an issue as a question or public policy, trace the origins of an issue,
analyze various perspectives, and generate and evaluate alternative resolutions. Deeply
examine policy issues in group discussions and debates to make reasoned and informed
decisions. Write persuasive/argumentative essays expressing and justifying decisions on
public policy issues. Plan and conduct activities intended to advance views on matters of
public policy, report the results, and evaluate effectiveness.
 Identify public policy issues related to global topics and issues studied.
 Clearly state the issue as a question of public policy orally or in written form.
 Use inquiry methods to acquire content knowledge and appropriate data about the
issue.
 Identify the causes and consequences and analyze the impact, both positive and
negative.
 Share and discuss findings of research and issue analysis in group discussions and
debates.
 Compose a persuasive essay justifying the position with a reasoned argument.
 Develop an action plan to address or inform others about the issue at the local to
global scales.
Not Testable (project-based assessment)
P4.2.1 Demonstrate knowledge of how, when, and where individuals would plan and
conduct activities intended to advance views in matters of public policy, report the results,
and evaluate effectiveness.
Not Testable (project-based assessment)
P4.2.2 Engage in activities intended to contribute to solving a national or international
problem studied.
Not Testable (project-based assessment)
P4.2.3 Participate in projects to help or inform others (e.g., service learning projects).
Not Testable (project-based assessment)
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
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C1.1.1 Analyze competing ideas about the purposes government should serve in a
democracy and in a dictatorship (e.g., protecting individual rights, promoting the common
good, providing economic security, molding the character of citizens, or promoting a
particular religion).
1. Which of the following is a likely result of having no government or rules?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Laws would naturally form on their own.
People would steal and be disorganized.
The country would become more peaceful.
People would do more community service.
Answer: B
2. Which is a good way for a citizen to take part in government?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Breaking laws
Not voting
Violent protests
Running for office
Answer: D
3. Which of the following countries is an example of a military dictatorship?
Country
The United States
Canada
Cuba
Mexico
A.
B.
C.
D.








Who has power?
President is the head of state and the head of government.
Officials are elected by the people
Head of government is different from head of state
Prime minister must have the support of the parliament
Power is in the hands of one person
Government is run by the military
Power is divided between national and local governments
Local governments have power, but also obey national
government
Canada
Cuba
Mexico
United States
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
54
4. Which of the following countries is an example of a representative democracy with a
parliamentary system?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Canada
United States
Cuba
Mexico
Answer: A
C3.6.1 Define the characteristics of a nation-state (a specific territory, clearly defined
boundaries, citizens, and jurisdiction over people who reside there, laws, and government),
and how Western Hemisphere nations interact.
1. What is a nation-state?
A.
B.
C.
D.
A state whose territory matches to that of a particular nation.
A group of people that shares one culture.
A territory that has been occupied during a war.
A newly formed country.
Answer: A
2. The following nations are all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC): Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
What does Venezuela have in common with the other three countries?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Type of government
Religion
Language
Economic interests
Answer: D
3. Who are the members included in the Organization of American States?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Central American countries
The countries of the North American continent
The fifty states within the U.S.
The independent states of the Americas
Answer: D
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4. The United States gained its independence by fighting a war against England. Throughout
history since then, however, England and the United States have cooperated with each other.
Which of the following best explains this?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The U.S. and England have kept a poor historic relationship.
The U.S. and England are trying to become one country again.
The U.S. and England have similar characteristics and interests.
The U.S. no longer cares about why it first became independent.
Answer: C
5. It is said that the citizens of the United States elect the President. In reality, what body casts
the official vote?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Supreme Court
The Congress
The Electoral College
The Republican and Democratic Parties
Answer: C
C3.6.2 Compare and contrast a military dictatorship such as Cuba, a presidential system of
representative democracy such as the United States, and a parliamentary system of
representative democracy such as Canada.
1. Which of the following countries is an example of a military dictatorship?
Country
The United States
Canada
Cuba
Mexico
A.
B.
C.
D.








Who has power?
President is the head of state and the head of government.
Officials are elected by the people
Head of government is different from head of state
Prime minister must have the support of the parliament
Power is in the hands of one person
Government is run by the military
Power is divided between national and local governments
Local governments have power, but also obey national
government
Canada
Cuba
Mexico
United States
Answer: B
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
56
2. A dictatorship is a form of government which is very different from a democracy. Which of
the following describes a dictatorship?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Separate states share power.
Only one person has power.
Power is in the hands of the people.
Power belongs to a king or queen.
Answer: B
3. The United States has a representative democracy. Which of the following best describes a
representative democracy?
A.
B.
C.
D.
People are not allowed to vote at all.
People only vote on certain issues.
People elect officials to represent them.
People vote directly on every issue.
Answer: C
4. A key term in United States government is “democracy.” Which of these best describes a
democracy?
A.
B.
C.
D.
A nation in which power belongs to the people.
A group of states with separate governments.
A nation ruled by a king or queen.
A nation in which one person has power.
Answer: A
C4.3.1 Explain the geopolitical relationships between countries (e.g., petroleum and arms
purchases in Venezuela and Ecuador; foreign aid for health care in Nicaragua).
1. The following nations are all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC): Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
What does Venezuela have in common with the other three countries?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Type of government
Language
Economic interests
Religion
Answer: C
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
57
2. 1864-1866: Spain goes to war against Peru and Chile, then Ecuador and Bolivia, over
islands filled with natural resources.
1879-1884: Chile goes to war against Bolivia and Peru, taking land that was rich in natural
resources and cutting Bolivia off from the ocean.
1932-1935: Bolivia and Paraguay fight the Chaco War over a region that was believed to
have large amounts of oil.
Which of the following was to blame for the South American conflicts listed above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Language differences
Competing types of government
Competing economic interests
Religious differences
Answer: C
3. Declaration of Human Rights
“...Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of
achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ
of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education
to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and
international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among
the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their
jurisdiction...”
What main idea was the United Nations trying to convey in this document?
A.
B.
C.
D.
There are some people in the world who are violating human rights.
Human rights, though important, is not a topic for the United Nations.
Human rights in America should remain top priority for the UN.
It is important to protect human rights all around the world.
Answer: D
C4.3.2 Explain the challenges to governments and the cooperation needed to address
international issues in the Western Hemisphere (e.g., migration and human rights).
1. All of the following are major push factors that cause people to leave their home countries
except
A.
B.
C.
D.
hunger.
poverty.
violent conflict.
prettier place to live.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
58
2. Immigrants most help to build the U.S. economy by
A.
B.
C.
D.
using public services.
serving in the military.
starting new businesses.
learning to speak English.
Answer: C
3. Which is the best definition of a brain drain?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Loss of skilled workers who move to other countries.
Loss of war refugees who seek safety in other countries.
Loss of aging parents who join children in other countries.
Loss of good students who attend college in other countries.
Answer: A
4. What is a strong pull factor for immigrants entering the U.S.?
A.
B.
C.
D.
War and conflict
Economic stability
Poverty
Recession
Answer: B
C4.3.3 Give examples of how countries work together for mutual benefits through
international organizations (e.g. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),
Organization of American States (OAS), United Nations (UN)).
1. What was the purpose behind creating NAFTA?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To stimulate the economy by creating thousands of new job opportunities.
To eliminate all trade and investment with European and Asian countries.
To improve United States and Mexican trade within the world market.
To increase trade and investment between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Answer: D
Sixth Grade Social Studies Assessments – May 2009
59
2. The United Nations is an organization that was created after World War II in an attempt to
A.
B.
C.
D.
declare the U.S. as a world leading superpower.
improve trade between the U.S. and China.
make sure Germany was punished for the war.
increase cooperation between various countries.
Answer: A
E1.1.1 Explain how incentives vary in different economic systems (e.g. acquiring money,
profit, goods, wanting to avoid loss in position in society, job placement).
1. Which of the following is true in a market economy?
A.
B.
C.
D.
People are told by the government what type of work they must do.
Supply and demand influences the economic decisions of businesses and individuals.
The government decides what the prices of goods will be.
The government controls the most profitable businesses.
Answer: B
2. Which of the following is true in a mixed economy?
A. Businesses are free to make many choices, but they face some government regulation.
B. There are often shortages of many goods.
C. Businesses are free to do whatever they want, and they face no government
regulation.
D. The government makes all economic decisions for businesses.
Answer: A
3. What is the difference between a market economy and a mixed economy?
A.
B.
C.
D.
In a market economy, consumers have fewer choices of products to buy.
In a mixed economy, there are no government regulations.
In a mixed economy, there are more government regulations.
In a market economy, the government controls prices.
Answer: C
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60
4. Which of the following is an example of how the government regulates business in the mixed
economy of the United States?
A. The Federal Bureau of Investigation works with members of local police forces to
solve crimes.
B. The Department of Transportation builds a highway and approves all the work done
on roadways.
C. The Food and Drug Administration must approve a new drug before it can be sold to
the public.
D. The Department of Education sets educational standards for all schools in the
country.
Answer: C
E2.3.1 Describe the impact of governmental policy (sanctions, tariffs, treaties) on that
country and on other countries that use its resources.
1. An embargo is the act of not allowing trade ships to enter or leave a country’s ports.
Embargoes are sometimes done to protect the supply or value of a country’s goods, but they
can also be used as a strategy against other countries who wish to trade for those goods. In
the United States, the Embargo Act of 1807 was passed to punish Britain and France during
the Napoleonic Wars. It forbade American ships from trading with other nations. The
embargo was lifted, however, after it did more damage to the American economy than to
Britain or France’s.
Why might a country embargo goods from another country?
A.
B.
C.
D.
As an economic or political strategy
To help the economy of the other country
As a way of declaring war
To punish farmers and factory workers
Answer: A
2. Using your knowledge of economics and embargoes, which is the BEST economic reason for
the U.S. to keep a trade embargo with Cuba?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Cuba’s sugar exports would compete with America’s own sugar farmers.
American exporters would have to travel further to sell their products.
American exporters would benefit from being able to sell their goods to Cuba.
Cuba is one of the few remaining countries that have not adopted a free-market
system.
Answer: A
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3. Which of the following is an example of how the government regulates business in the mixed
economy of the United States?
A. The Food and Drug Administration must approve a new drug before it can be sold to
the public.
B. The Department of Education sets educational standards for all schools in the
country.
C. The Department of Transportation builds a highway and approves all the work done
on roadways.
D. The Federal Bureau of Investigation works with members of local police forces to
solve crimes.
Answer: A
E3.1.1 Use charts and graphs to compare imports and exports of different countries in the
Western Hemisphere and propose generalizations about patterns of economic
interdependence.
1. More countries are using the U.S. dollar as their domestic currency. This is because certain
countries feel their economies will become more stable and grow. Latin American countries,
for example, began to use the U.S. dollar as their country faced increased unemployment and
inflation. These particular Latin American countries used the dollar as the hard currency in
order to protect their income inflation. The use of the dollar only increased as inflation
worsened.
According to the passage above, which of the following is a reason some Latin American
countries use the U.S. dollar instead of their own currency?
A.
B.
C.
D.
These countries hope that using the dollar will help make their economies stable.
These countries are under the control of the U.S. government and so use the dollar.
So many people in these countries travel to the U.S. that they need to use the dollar.
So many American tourists travel to these countries that they need to use the dollar.
Answer: A
2. Which of these sentences describes an export from the United States?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rugs made in San Francisco are sold in Germany.
Perfumes made in France are sold in New York City.
Shoes made in China are sold in San Francisco.
Books made in Europe are sold in the United States.
Answer: A
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3. Which of these fits best in the empty square?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Gasoline from Saudi Arabia
Flat screen TVs from Japan
Skateboards from Singapore
Computer parts from
California
Answer: D
4. There is a high demand for South American products in China and other Asian countries.
Because of this, the government of Chile believes that South American countries need to
combine their exports in order to fulfill Asia’s needs.
In this case, the reason South American countries need to cooperate is because
A.
B.
C.
D.
China and Asia compete with the exports of South American countries.
the supply of the individual countries cannot meet the market’s demand.
the demand of the individual countries cannot meet the market’s supply.
South American countries need some of China’s natural resources.
Answer: B
E3.1.2 Diagram or map the movement of a consumer product from where it is
manufactured to where it is sold to demonstrate the flow of materials, labor, and capital
(e.g., global supply chain for computers, athletic shoes, and clothing).
1. Which of these fits best in the empty square?
A. Skateboards from
Singapore
B. Computer parts from
California
C. Flat screen TVs from Japan
D. Gasoline from Saudi
Arabia
Answer: B
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2. Which of these best completes the web?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Peanuts grown in Georgia.
Potatoes grown in Idaho.
Cars made in Michigan.
Clothes made in Mexico.
Answer: D
3. Brazil is the largest exporter of such goods as coffee, orange juice, and sugar. Agricultural
products are exported out of Brazil at a fast rate, as Brazil is one of the world’s major
producers of agricultural products.
The reason Brazil exports so many agricultural products is mostly a result of Brazil’s
A.
B.
C.
D.
educational opportunities.
human resources.
capital resources.
natural resources.
Answer: D
E3.1.3 Explain how communications innovations have affected economic interactions and
where and how people work (e.g., internet-based home offices, international work teams,
international companies).
1. Within a couple of years after a new model of computer is introduced, its price tends to
decrease. This drop in price can best be explained by which of the following reasons?
A. Computer manufacturers find it difficult to produce a sufficient supply of the
computers.
B. New, more advanced computers appear in the market, reducing the demand for the
old computers.
C. Consumers are usually not interested in computer products, so they cannot be sold for
higher prices.
D. Demand for these computers increases because businesses find new ways to use
them.
Answer: B
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2. Many people in the United States decide to go to college after they graduate high school.
However, going to college is expensive and takes several years to complete. What is the main
reason people choose to attend college?
A.
B.
C.
D.
People are afraid of trying to find work when they graduate.
People enjoy going to school and do not want to stop.
Most students’ parents force them to go to college.
People with college degrees will most likely find better jobs.
Answer: D
3. The Internet has changed the way people work around the world. Which of these best
describes the effect of the Internet on international businesses?
A.
B.
C.
D.
International businesses can interact socially.
People around the world can share natural resources.
People around the world can communicate faster.
International businesses can be more independent.
Answer: C
E3.3.1 Explain and compare how economic systems (traditional, command, and market)
answer four basic questions: What should be produced? How will it be produced? How will
it be distributed? Who will receive the benefits of production? (e.g., compare United States
and Cuba, or Venezuela and Jamaica.)
1. In a market economy, the supply of a product increases when the number of companies that
make that product increase. Which of the following could be predicted when supply of a
product increases?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Competition will decrease; prices will increase
Competition will increase; prices will increase
Competition will decrease; prices will decrease
Competition will increase; prices will decrease
Answer: D
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2. Brazil is the largest exporter of such goods as coffee, orange juice, and sugar. Agricultural
products are exported out of Brazil at a fast rate, as Brazil is one of the world’s major
producers of agricultural products.
The reason Brazil exports so many agricultural products is mostly a result of Brazil’s
A.
B.
C.
D.
human resources.
capital resources.
natural resources.
educational opportunities.
Answer: C
3. There is a high demand for South American products in China and other Asian countries.
Because of this, the government of Chile believes that South American countries need to
combine their exports in order to fulfill Asia’s needs.
In this case, the reason South American countries need to cooperate is because
A.
B.
C.
D.
China and Asia compete with the exports of South American countries.
the supply of the individual countries cannot meet the market’s demand.
South American countries need some of China’s natural resources.
the demand of the individual countries cannot meet the market’s supply.
Answer: B
4. A large number of Mexico’s oil and gas production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico were
destroyed by Hurricane Roxanne in 1995. The important supply, which was depended upon
by both Mexico and the U.S. refineries, had very little time to recover. It was estimated that
nearly 40 million barrels of oil production in Mexico were destroyed. This was the supply
that was expected to be sent to the U.S.
The oil refiners in the US Gulf Coast were experiencing the result of
A.
B.
C.
D.
their competition with Mexican oil producers.
their interdependence on Mexican oil producers.
the unequal distribution of oil supplies in the gulf.
the tragedy of Hurricane Roxanne in Mexico.
Answer: B
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