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Mr. Aiello
World Hist. II
AIELLO'S TIPS FOR STUDYING FOR SEMESTER EXAMS
General guidelines for preparing to study:
1. Begin to study as far in advance of the test as you can. Plan a study schedule. Be specific
about dates and times for studying. Your most difficult subjects should take priority.
2. Daily studying is much more effective than cramming the last days before the exam.
3. Determine the best study atmosphere for you. Do you want to study alone, with a friend, or in
a group? Do you study best right after school, or in the evening? Choose what is most effective
for your knowledge retention, not what is easiest or the most fun.
4. Review your binder now to determine where you have gaps in information due to absences or
mental lapses. Ask your teachers for copies of handouts that you are missing.
5. When studying for tests, try to utilize all the memory devices that you are comfortable using.
It is not a good idea to begin using techniques that you have never used before, but there are
many ways to code information to aid your memory. Most importantly, do not waste time and
energy on studying those things that you already remember.
6. Remember that you are better able to think if you are physically relaxed. Sleep and exercise
are very important. Try to keep your 'balance' during exam week.
7. Be sure that you know the types of exams that you will have (multiple choice, completion,
essay, etc.) and the body of information that is to be covered.
8. Know the location of your exam, the time, the proctor, etc. Arrive at the exam site three or
four minutes early, choose your seat carefully, have extra pens, pencils, calculators and any other
tools and devices that you will need for the exam.
9. During the test, look over the test first and identify those questions with the highest pointvalue. Make sure that you complete those questions before time is out. Answer the questions
that you know, do not waste a lot of time trying to answer the questions that stump you.
10. If you do not know an answer, write what you do know about the general topic of the
question. Some points are better than none, and demonstrating some relevant knowledge may get
you more credit than you would think.
READ AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!!!
11. Look over the test before handing it in, changing any errors of which you are sure. Usually
your first response has a better chance of being correct, especially if you are unsure. Pace
yourself and leave time to proofread before turning in your test.
Your World History II final exam is _______________________________ in _____________
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World Hist. II
at _________ a.m. with _________________________ as your proctor.
WORLD HISTORY II
SECOND SEMESTER STUDY GUIDE
This handout is by no means meant to substitute for your notes, textbooks, and handouts as you
prepare for your final exam. It is merely meant as an aid in your organization of your
aforementioned items. Use this as the skeletal structure upon which you place the specific
information that you believe to be worth knowing for the exam.
Section A - Textbooks
1. In your blue American Republic textbook, you were assigned to read parts of chapters 12 – 28.
Obviously, I would not recommend that you try to reread these chapters, but that you look at the
chronology at the beginning of each chapter to see if you recognize the majority of the events. It
might also prove helpful to flip through the chapters, noting the headings, pictures, maps, charts,
etc. If parts seem totally unfamiliar, you might want to read a couple of paragraphs to remind
yourself of the details. Otherwise, I would not spend much time in the textbook, but keep it nearby
so that you may refer to it if you need to look something up.
2. In your green World History textbook, you were assigned to read chapters 23 through 33. I would
follow the general suggestions as above.
Section B - Lectures and Handouts
1. Obviously, since I do not lecture every other day, the things that I did lecture on should be
considered to be pretty significant. Review your notes, making sure that you can understand your
notes, and get someone else's who you believe takes great notes. Recopy your notes, for just the
process of rewriting them will serve as a good study technique.
2. Judging from the amount of handouts that I pick up off of the floor at the end of class periods,
many of you do not place much value upon these valuable sources of information and anecdotes.
Hopefully, you have kept them and have them in an organized fashion in your binders. Look at
them again, try to relate them to your lecture notes and discussion topics. These are the kinds of
ideas that are very well used in essays to illustrate your main points.
3. The syllabus from each unit has the essential questions, which should form the basis of your
studying. Make sure you can answer all of those questions, and tie them into the Enduring
Understandings!
Section C - Discussions, Films, and Activities
1. On another page of this review packet is a listing of the essential questions that we looked at this
semester. Most of these were studied through activities and discussions, so you should be able to
remember something about each. As you look over the list, recall what we did to study each idea,
especially the larger activities. These should be fresher in your minds because you had to do
something with the information. Try to find activities that we did with most of the items.
2. Generally speaking, I use documentaty films to illustrate ideas that are difficult for you to
understand by reading and/or talking about, so try to remember what was in each film. These may
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help you to identify some of the key illustrations for difficult concepts.
Section D - Class and Homeplay Assignments
1. Again, it should be obvious that these items will be helpful in refreshing your memory as to some
of the specific ideas that are significant. Ranging from reading assignments to thinking and
problem-solving activities, these should give you some idea how well you understand the ideas and
information. A quick review of these should help you recall those areas that you either did not
spend much time and effort on, or that you did not comprehend. Either way, look back into those
weaker areas.
Some final (pun!) suggestions
1. Some general suggestions for multiple choice tests - Read all choices first, consider each. Use
logic and common sense. Study carefully choices that are similar. Look for qualifying words (best,
always, all, none, never, etc.). Avoid selecting answers that are unfamiliar or that you don't
understand. As a last resort, pick the choice that is most complete and contains the most
information. Make educated guesses by eliminating those choices that you know are wrong.
2. Essay questions are designed to assess how you use historical evidence. They differ from term
papers only in the length of time you have to complete them. Any essay, whether it is a oneparagraph short answer, a final examination question taking an hour or more, or a take-home exam,
should be organized and written just as a research paper. it should start with a thesis and then
present the evidence for and against it in a clear, concise way. Stick to your thesis. An essay
answer is not a place to dump everything you know, whether it is relevant to the question or not.
It is not only permissible but also wise to try to outguess the instructor. What has been stressed in
reading, lectures, and class activities? What questions would you ask if you were the teacher? How
would you answer them? Outline, as briefly as possible, the points you would cover in your
answers. Don't feel frustrated if you guess wrong. The practice will do you good, and the
information you pick up will be useful - if not for this exam, then for your understanding of history,
which is, after all, why you are taking this course.
3. Some general suggestions to keep in mind:
Read the instructions. Make sure that you know exactly what is required. Let's say, for
example, that Part II of an exam (25 percent of the total grade) asks you to identify and give the
significance of five out of eight items. If you attempt only three, you will have lost ten percent from
the exam right there. If you answer all eight, the teacher will probably grade only the first five, even
if the last three are absolutely perfect and three of the first five are horrible. And if you identify but
fail to give the significance, you have flunked 50 percent of that question.
Budget your time. If you have 90 minutes for the whole exam and you spend 60 minutes on the
short answer section that is worth 30 percent, you will have only 30 minutes for the remaining 70
percent. You will not be given extra time to complete the exam.
Make sure that you answer the question. If you write about something other than what is asked,
if you wander off the point, if you fill your answer with facts that may be perfectly correct but are
irrelevant to the question, you will probably fail.
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Think before you write. Organize your answers. For short identifications, ten seconds may be
enough. For long essays, five or six minutes may be appropriate; use the first two or three minutes
to make an outline (which should be cryptic, since you are the only one who will have to understand
it) of your answer, in which you propose a thesis and list the main points of evidence. Go over the
outline. Add, subtract, reorganize. Then start to write - and write as clearly and correctly as you
can, given the constraint of time. Unless so instructed, do not begin by writing down the question;
most teachers view that as padding. Start with a thesis statement and end with a conclusion, just as
if you were writing a paper.
If you have time, go over your exam before you hand it in. Make corrections and additions. Do
not erase. That takes time and makes everything else hard to read. Draw a single line through
anything you want taken out. Do not tear pages out of your exam booklet. While few instructors
expect perfect spelling and grammar in exam answers, all appreciate evidence that you have tried to
catch and correct the more obvious errors.
100 points
FORMAT OF THE WORLD HISTORY II FINAL EXAM
(50 x 2 pts) Multiple Choice
A. These questions ask about factual-type information to test your all-around
foundation of knowledge and recall of information.
B. Study old review packets and quizzes.
20 points
(10 x 2 pts) Chronology
A. You will have to place ten major events in the chronological order that they
occurred by placing them with the correct date. (approx. 7 from 2nd sem)
B. Identify and study the order of major dates.
20 points
(4 x 5 pts) Short Answers
A. There will be seven or eight questions from which to choose five to answer.
B. Look at the Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings.
20 points
(20 x 1 pt) Map
A. You will be given maps with the outlines of the continents as they appeared
around 1990. Some of the significant geographical and political features, such as
oceans, seas, rivers, mountains, countries, states, and cities will have a blank line
and a number pointing to them. You will write the correctly spelled name of that
item on the appropriately numbered line on your answer sheet.
B. Study the maps in your texts, and the practice map that I will give to you.
50 points
(1 x 50 pts) Essay
A. There will be one question that will look remarkably like one of the Enduring
Understandings!
B. Look at the Enduring Understandings and pay attention when we review.
40 points
The number of correct answers you got on the American History End of Course
Exam.
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250 points total
World History II
Overview of Curriculum/Thematic introduction to the course
Enduring understandings for all 8 units
United States
EU #1
The United States has gradually risen as a global power throughout the
20th century.
EU #2
American culture has changed during the 20th Century.
World History
EU #3
Social, political, and economic systems were challenged in the 20th Century by a
variety of movements.
EU #4
Conflict and cooperation between nations has shaped 20th Century world history.
40 IMPORTANT WORLD HISTORY II QUESTIONS
The following questions will not necessarily show up on the exam in this form, but the answers to
the questions will be asked about in one way or another. Bolded questions are most significant, six
for each semester.
1. How did the industrial revolution and the labor movement influence each other?
2. How did Progressive reformers respond to problems of the Gilded Age?
3. How did the role of government change during the Progressive Era?
4. How does The Jungle represent various aspects of the Progressive Era?
5. What is imperialism? What are various causes of imperialism around the world?
6. Why did the United States become an “imperial” counntry?
7. What caused the Great War?
8. Why was this global war more destructive and widespread than other previous wars?
9. What were the immediate results of the end of the War?
10. What were the causes and immediate results of the Russian Revolutions of 1917?
11. What were the long-term effects of World War I?
12. How was the 1920 a period of expansion of rights and restrictions of freedoms for some
groups in the United States?
13. What was the impact of the new economy of the 1920s on American society?
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14. What were the causes of the Great Depression?
15. How did various countries around the world react differently to the Great Depression?
16. What were the causes of World War II?
17. How did the Allied nations defeat the Axis powers?
18. How did World War II change or influence U.S. society?
19. What were the immediate results of World War II?
20. What is genocide/crimes against humanity? Why does it happen?
21. What is a “Cold War?”
22. What caused the Cold War?
23. How did the United States and the U.S.S.R. fight the Cold War?
24. Which country is most to blame for starting or perpetuating the Cold War?
25. What were the impacts of the Cold War on the U.S., U.S.S.R., and other countries?
26. How did the Cold War end?
27. What impact did World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War have on
the regions studied in the Independence Movements unit?
28. How did anti-colonialism and nationalism impact various movements for self-determination in
the regions studied in the Independence Movements unit?
29. What were the most important similarities and differences in methodology between the various
movements for self-determination in the regions studied in the Independence Movements unit?
30. How did newly formed countries deal with the legacy of colonialism and work to shape
their own futures?
31. Identify and explain the major social changes that took place between 1945 and 1989.
32. How did the economic growth after World War II impact U.S. society?
33. How have various political actions influenced American society?
34. How did the Civil Rights Movement affect American society?
35. How did the anti-Vietnam War movement influence U.S. society?
36. How did the women’s rights movement change American society?
37. What is globalization?
38. How did the end of the Cold War speed up globalization?
39. What are the significant positives and negatives of globalization?
40. What response should the United States make to global terrorism?
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In addition, review some of the basic political and economic ideologies – democracy, dictatorship,
totalitarianism, monarchy, nazism, capitalism, socialism, communism.
Remember the five “strands” of history: political, economic, military, social-cultural, and religious.
Essay Review and Writing Strategies – Here is the grading rubric and explanation of what I will
be looking for as I grade your essays.
The Final Exam essay is worth 50 points, broken up into these traits of good writing:
16%
14%
60%
10%
Focus (7 pts)
Thesis
Intro
Conclusion
Organization (5 pts)
Topic sentences
Transitions
Relevance
Development (25 pts)
Support
Analysis
Accuracy
Style / Mechanics (3 pts)
tense
voice
tone
word choice
sentence structure