TEACHER
World History
Challenges of
Modern Times
Benchmark
Grade 10
TEACHER
Title of Test: 10th Grade World History Benchmark #4
Testing Window: May 18 to May 29, 2009
Purpose:
The SJSD Assessment team emphasizes the purpose of the SJSD benchmark assessment program
is to facilitate and provide information for the following in order to enhance and promote student
learning:
1. Student Achievement -- To produce information about student achievement so that
parents/guardians, students and teachers have a baseline against which to monitor
academic mastery of the skills and processes set forth within a particular curriculum
sequence.
2. Student Counseling -- To serve as a tool in the counseling and guidance of students for
further direction and for specific academic placement.
3. Instructional Change -- To provide teachers with the information needed to make
instructional decisions, plans and changes regarding classroom objectives and program
implementation.
4. School and District Evaluation -- To provide indicators of the progress of the district
toward established goals.
Assessment Director: Dr. Laura Nelson
District Subject Coordinator: Robert Nash
SJSD Curriculum Objective and Missouri Grade Level Expectations (GLEs/CLEs)
for this benchmark: (Include SJSD curriculum objective-number and words & GLE
coding)
CHALLENGES OF MODERN TIMES
Interpret and explain how responses to situations can bring about future events.
4
Essential Question:
How can we use history to predict the future?
World War I:
4-1
Explain why some conflicts in the modern world had their roots in the causes, events, and
outcome of World War I.
Between the Great Wars:
4-2
Summarize the Treaty of Versailles and explain it affected the future.
World War II
4-3
Explain why some conflicts in the modern world had their roots in the causes, events, and
outcome of World War II.
Modern Era:
4-4
Identify and explain the development of current social, economic, and political ideas or
policies, which were formed by the outcome of World War II.
TEACHER
Show-Me Standards for this benchmark:
Content standards
1A
3b-M
3b-N
Apply the following in the context of the historical period being
studied:
a. democracy
b. republic
c. changing role of government
d. representation
Analyze all significant wars of the twentieth century, including:
causes, comparisons, consequences and peace efforts
Evaluate European and Japanese imperialism of the late 19th and 20th
century and the independence movements in Africa and Asia: causes,
reactions, short- and long-term consequences
3
1.10, 3.5
4
1.6
4
1.6, 1.9,
3.8
Process standards
1.6
1.9
1.10
3.5
3.8
Discovering and evaluating patterns and relationships in information,
ideas, and structures.
Identifying, analyzing, and comparing the institutions, traditions, and
art forms of past and present societies.
Applying acquired information, ideas, and skills to different contexts as
students, workers, citizens, and consumers.
Reasoning inductively from a set of specific facts and deductively from
general premises.
Assessing costs and benefits and other consequences of proposed
solutions.
TEACHER
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
ADMINISTERING:
1. It is imperative that your students are instructed to follow the answer sheet’s
numbering sequence. Please inform your students that number 21 is a
constructed response question and they will complete their answer directly on
the benchmark assessment, and that you will fill in the answer sheet for these
questions after you have graded the constructed response question.
2. Please closely monitor students and their progress during and after they have
completed the benchmark examine to ensure the answer sheet was properly
completed.
3. If you have a student that is absent, please keep their answer sheet and a copy
of the test. When the student returns, please administer the assessment to
the student and then forward the answer sheet to the Assessment office
downtown.
GRADING:
1. Please grade your students constructed response question on numbers 21. Each
question has a scoring guide, an exemplary answer, other possible answers, and
instructions how to fill in the students answer sheet. Please see example below.
Point
Value
Answer
sheet
response
2 points
Mark bubble A
1 point
Mark bubble B
0 points
Mark bubble C
Exemplar
Other possibilities
but not limited to.
Response qualifier
The student correctly identifies two reasons why humans
settled in this region.
The student correctly identifies one reason why humans
settled in this region
Other
Answer
One main reason humans settled in this region is the fertile soil. Another
reason is transportation.

Trade

Farming and or irrigation

Fishing or food source
2. Only the responses that are given in the scoring guide may be accepted. If your students are
providing additional responses that are not part of the scoring guide, immediately contact your
building’s department chair, as well as Robert Nash the district’s social studies coordinator.
Once the contacts have been made and the information has been disseminated, a decision will
be made in an expedient manner.
TEACHER
Please answer questions 1-7 regarding the causes and
effects of World War I.
1. There are several causes that are attributed to the beginning of World War I,
two of which are militarism and imperialism. Which of the following is the most
probable link between militarism and imperialism?
a. As a country gains colonies, its military grows to protect them.
b. As a country's colonies grow, the military stages training exercises there.
c. As a country's military expands, the country wants colonies to recruit
troops.
d. As the military expands, a country seeks colonies to prevent coups at
home.
2. How was the involvement of nations in World War I different from their
involvement in previous wars?
a. They treated the war as an industrial war.
b. All nations wanted to join since it was a world war.
c. Every nation participated without control over their people or soldiers.
d. The nations involved treated the war as a total war by devoting all
resources.
3. Consider what you know about the two fronts of the war. What relationship
existed between the battlefronts and the war deaths?
a. The countries along the two fronts suffered the highest losses.
b. The countries between the two fronts suffered the highest losses.
c. The countries farthest from the two fronts suffered the highest losses.
d. The location of the front had no effect on how high a country's losses
were.
4. How did the Treaty of Versailles affect postwar Germany?
a. It left Germany in much the same state as it was before the war.
b. It stabilized the German economy and gave monetary aid to the nation.
c. It gave Germans the drive to rebuild their nation on a stronger foundation.
d. It left a legacy of bitterness and hatred in the hearts of the German people.
5. Which of the following identifies a result of the provisions of the Treaty of
Versailles?
a. Because of the fear of new German domination, France opposed the
reparation agreements.
b. Because of reparations owed by Germany, the economies of Europe and
the United States were tied together.
c. Allied agreements to remove trade barriers made world trade for countries
which had previously been unable to compete.
d. Democracy was introduced and proved successful as a political system for
countries previously controlled by monarchs.
TEACHER
6. What was one reason the League of Nations was unsuccessful in its
endeavor to achieve a lasting peace?
a.
It received no mandate to administer former German colonies
after the war.
b.
Major powers such as Germany, Russia and the United States
were not members.
c.
The Treaty of Versailles that was signed in 1919 did not sanction
the League.
d.
The League recognized no obligation to preserve the territorial
integrity of a member nation.
Use the map and your background knowledge to answer
question 7.
7. Which of the causes of World War I most helped shape postwar borders?
a. the alliance system
b. imperialism
c. nationalism
d. militarism
TEACHER
Please answer questions 8-15 regarding the inter-war
period.
8. The Nazi party members were able to use the fears of the people to put
themselves in power. One major fear, dating from the World War I period, was
fear of
a.
naval suppression by the British.
b.
an economic boycott by the United States.
c.
expansion of Russian communism into Germany.
d.
French relocation into German territory due to World War I
German atrocities.
9. What caused Germans to start taking Adolf Hitler and his message seriously?
a. his skill at making speeches.
b. the threat of invasion by the Soviet Union.
c. the example of Mussolini's success in Italy.
d. the economic crisis brought on by the Depression.
10. Which of the following was true of Germany, Italy, and Japan during the
early 1930s?
a.
All three successfully invaded other nations.
b.
All three had governments controlled by Fascists.
c. All three signed nonaggression pacts with the Soviet Union.
d.
All three pledged to undo the decisions of the Versailles Treaty.
TEACHER
Use the map to answer questions 11-12.
11. It what key way are all of the shaded countries and regions related?
a. They are all democratic states.
b. They all border the Soviet Union.
c. They were taken over by Nazi Germany.
d. They all have direct access to the Baltic Sea.
12. What might be the effects of Nazi expansion toward France in 1936?
a. France would have to declare war on Germany.
b. France would have an enemy army at its border.
c. France would be the next target for Nazi expansion.
d. France would be forced to align itself with Germany.
TEACHER
Use the graph and your background knowledge to answer questions 13-15.
13. Judging from this graph, how did Roosevelt's New Deal, which began in
1933, affect the Great Depression?
a. It ended the Depression.
b. It made the Depression worse.
c. It eased the Depression slightly.
d. It had no effect on the Depression.
14. What can be inferred about the U.S. over the course of the chart?
a. During the years 1929 to 1939, the economy grew slowly.
b.
During the years 1929 to 1939, the economy remained unchanged
c. During the years 1929 to 1939, the U.S. job market was in a continuous
slump.
d. During the years 1929 to 1939, the unemployment rate generally rose and
then fell.
15. Assuming that a high unemployment rate indicates a depression, what
conclusion can you draw from this graph?
a. The Great Depression ended in 1937.
b. The Great Depression worsened in 1939.
c. The Great Depression had not ended by 1939.
d.
The Great Depression eased significantly in 1936.
TEACHER
Please answer questions 16-21 regarding the causes
and effects of World War II.
16. The relationship of World War I and its peace treaties to the causes of World
War II has been examined and interpreted by many scholars. What was NOT a
contributing cause to World War II as a result of the World War I peace treaties?
a.
German war guilt clause
b.
The disarming of Germany
c.
German “master race” concept
d.
Failure to establish workable national boundaries
17. The German blitzkrieg was a military strategy that depended on what
advantage?
a. a system of fortifications
b. "out-waiting" the opponent
c. surprise and overwhelming force
d. ability to make a long, steady advance
18. World War II was expensive in terms of lives lost, military expenditures, and
property damage. As a result of the war,
a.
industrial technology was slow to develop.
b.
European and Asian nations faced a difficult economic recovery.
c.
labor was in short supply and women worked in European
factories.
d.
the communist economic system was confirmed to the Soviet
Union.
19. Social, political and economic changes are the result of every war, and
World War II was no exception. Identify which of the following were
consequences of World War II
I.
The United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the major world super
powers.
II.
The atomic age brought cooperation in achieving international control of
atomic energy.
III.
The Soviet Union expanded communism in a ring of satellite nations.
IV.
The colonials of Asia and Africa hastened the end of Western imperialism.
V.
Great Britain and France emerged as world powers.
a.
b.
c.
d.
I, II, III
II, III, IV
III, IV, V
I, III, IV
20. Which of the following issues did the Nuremberg Trials address?
a. the Holocaust
b. the use of nuclear bombs
c. the firebombing of Dresden
TEACHER
d. the internment of Japanese-American citizens
21. Use details to explain two ways World War II affected civilians around the
world?
2 points
Answer sheet
response
Mark Bubble A
1 point
Mark Bubble B
0 points
Mark Bubble C
Point Value
Exemplar
Response qualifier
The response includes a detailed explanation of
two ways WWII affected civilians around the world.
The response includes only one detailed
explanation how WWII affected civilians around the
world.
Other
Answer
World War II had a drastic affect on civilians around the world. For
example there was a mass slaughter of civilians, especially Jews, that
took place in Germany and its conquered territory from about 1933 to
1942. In the initial stages, thousands of refugees fled their homes and
emigrated to neighboring lands and distant countries. Those who could
not get out or chose not to go were later isolated into overcrowded
ghettos. Many of these were later killed. Another example would be
the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan had devastating and
lasting effects on the populations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Thousands of people were killed by the enormously destructive power
of these bombs and many more touched by the lasting effects of
radiation.
Other possibilities but not
limited to. – Answer
must identify the reason
as well as explain their
reasoning.
 The mass slaughter of civilians, especially Jews, took place in
Germany and its conquered territory from about 1933 to 1942.
In the initial stages, thousands of refugees fled their homes
and emigrated to neighboring lands and distant countries.
Those who could not get out or chose not to go were later
isolated into overcrowded ghettos. Many of these were later
killed.
 In the United States, Japanese Americans suffered because of
a program of internment and loss of property, because they
were considered a threat to the country. It lasted from 1941 to
1946.
 Also, any number of cities were assaulted by bombing raids
TEACHER
during the war and had civilian populations that were
dislocated from their homes or died.
 The atomic bombs dropped on Japan had devastating and
lasting effects on the populations in Hiroshima and
 Nagasaki. Thousands of people were killed by the enormously
destructive power of these bombs and many more touched by
the lasting effects of radiation.

Lastly, many citizens supported the war effort by buying bonds,
taking part in scrap drives, working in war-related industries,
and rationing scarce items.
TEACHER
Please answer questions 22-25 regarding the modern
era.
22. In the 1940s and 1950s, which region was described as being "behind the
iron curtain"?
a. the Soviet Union only
b. the Soviet Union and its satellite nations
c. the democratic nations of Western Europe
d. the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany
Use the political cartoon to answer questions 23 and 24.
23. According to the cartoon, in which country was communism likely to survive?
a. China
b. Communism would survive in all the countries
c. Poland
d. Soviet Union
24. This cartoon was published June 7, 1989. Which of the cartoonist's
predictions about communism were accurate?
a. Communism did end in China.
b. Communism did end in Poland.
c. Communism did not end in the Soviet Union.
d. Communism has not ended in any of the countries.
TEACHER
25. All of the following are examples that are needed for democratic principles to
survive except
a. China is an example of a country that represses free speech, thus
squelching citizen participation.
b. Mexico was an example of a country with only one significant political
party, but this has recently changed.
c. South Africa used to be a country that denied suffrage to the majority, but
in 1994, it held its first all-race election.
d. East Germany gave up one-party rule and joined in a constitutional
government when it reunified with West Germany.