28
SECTION
5:
wRnTENRESPONSE-POSST
BLEESSAY
QUESTTONS
A veryimportantpartof the SocialStudiesexamis to writetwo short
essays
from the four themesof the course.Eachessaywill be worth 12
marks.Therefore,
24 marksout of a total of 79 will be from the essay
section.We havelistedthe four themesbelow,togetherwith some
from eachtheme.Thesetopicsare
topicsthat couldbe developed
just
includedhere,
to giveyou an ideaof what they may be like.You
to seehow wellyou
maywishto usethem aspracticeessayquestions
rememberthe informationfrom the course.Thissectionof the guide
will alsogiveyou hintson how to organizeinformationfor the various
topics.Youwill noticeasyou readthroughthesetopicsthat someare
on a broadtopic.Forexample.
The effectsof GlobalWarmingon Canada
Forexample:
Sometopicsarefrom a morenarrowperspective.
Describethe 'first pastthe posfl election qntem as it is usedin
Canadianfederalelections,and evaluatethe faimessof this qystem.
To what *"n,
'2os'anappropriatedescription
o the term '*".;;
of Canadaduringthe decade1919-1929?
FORBOTHTYPES
OFTOPICS,
YOUWILLNEEDTO BEPREPARED
EXAM
ISNO GUAMNTEE
BUTTHERE
THATANYOFTHESPECIFIC
ABOVE
W|LLAPPEAR
ON THEEXAM.
QUESTTONS
ProvincialExam Preparation
SocialStudies'11
29
Followingare the four themesas listedin the Ministry of Education's
SocialStudies11 exam specifications,
together with suggestedstudy
topic areasand sampleexamquestions.
'1.
Autonomy and Internationallnvolvement
StudyTopics
.
Growthof Canadianindependence
from 1914 colonialstatusto
full nationhood.
.
Evolutionof Canada'sstatusas a middle power
r
Canada'srole in the FirstWorldWar
.
Canada'srole in the SecondWorld War
.
Canada'srole in the Cold War
.
Canada's
rolein the UnitedNations'Security
Council,General
peacekeeping
Assembly,
UN agencies,
o
Canada's
rolein warssince1950
.
Canada
and humanrightsissues,
1g3gto the present
essayquestions
Suggested
o
Between
1914and 1931,Canadamovedfrom colonialstatusto
independent
the accuracy
nationhood.Evaluate
of thisstatement.
.
wasunder
"Duringthe twentiethcentury,eventhoughCanada
the powerfulinfluenceof Britainand the USA,the country
becameand remains
nation." Evaluate
an independent
the
accuracy
of thisstatementusingexamplesfrom throughoutthe
twentiethcentury.
.
To what extentbetween1939and 1970did Canadaevolvefrom
beingan insignificant
nationto a middlepower?
ProvincialExamPreparation
SocialStudies11
30
.
Evaluateto what extent Canadahas helpedthe UN achieveits
goalssince1945.
o
To what extent did Canadahelp the Alliesachievevictory during
the SecondWorld War?
t
\
2. PoliticsandGovernment
StudyTopics
o
The legislativeprocess,how lawsare made
.
Elections
and the electoralprocessin Canada
.
The citizens'influenceon public policy
.
lmpact of the Charterof Rightson Canadiansociety
SuggestedEssayQuestions
.
Explaincarefullyhow a bill becomesa law in the Canadian
parliamentary
system.
I
hashadan
Describe
how the Charterof Rightsand Freedoms
impacton Canadian
society.
.
in
Theconceptof humanrightshastakenon greatimportance
thisstatement.
Canadathroughthe twentiethcentury.Evaluate
.
The Supreme
Courtof Canadahasa criticalrolein shaping
Canadian
society.
Justifythisstatement.
.
Describe
the Canadianelectionsystemfrom the time an election
is calleduntilthe end of the electionday.
Z:\
ProvincialExamPreparation
SqcialStudies11
31
3. Societyand ldentity
StudyTopics
.
'1914-2000
policies
Canadian
immigration
.
Socialsafetynet
o
Treatment
Canada-atolerantsociety1914-2OOO?
of minorities:
o
Treatment
of aboriginalpeoplesin Canada1914-2000
.
Changingroleof womenin Canada1914-2000
.
Regionalism
in Canada
o
culturalachievements
Canada's
.
Causes,
events,resultsof the GreatDepression
.
Effects
of economiccycleson the development
of the labour
movementin Canada
.
to-therestof Canada1914-2000
Quebecand its relationship
Suggestedessayquestions
o
To what extentdid Canadabecomea moretolerantsociety
duringthe twentiethcentury?
.
Describe
the evolutionof Canada's
socialsafetynetfrom the
'1920's
to the present,and assess
its success.
o
Describe
and analyze
Canada's
immigrationpolicyduringthe
twentiethcentury.
ProvincialExamPreparation
SocialStudies11
32
4. HumanGeography
-)
StudyTopics
o
- waysof responding
Population
issues
.
Standard
of livingin Canadacomparedto the restof the world
.
Clobalwarming
o
response
worldand Canada's
Povertyin the developing
.
response
Threatsto watersupplyand Canada's
Suggestedessayquestions
o
Asthe twenty-first
centurybegins,populationgrowthrateshave
thisstatement.
stabilized
aroundthe world.Evaluate
.
issuefacing
Clobalwarmingisthe mostimportantenvironment
thisslatementand describeCanadaC
the worldtoday.Evaluate
response
this
issue.
to
o
rolein attemptingto solve
Describe
and Canadians'
Canada's
povertyproblemsin developingnations.
Provincial
ExamPreparation
SocialStudies11
^)
33
SECTION
6:
WITH
ESSAY
HOWTO DEAL
QUESTIONS
areworth 24 marksin total,it is very importantthat
Asthe two essays
you areproperlypreparedfor this sectionof the exam.Thefollowing
aresomeideasthat will helpyou write a goodessay.
It is veryimportantthat you realizethat you mustwrite on both essay
topics.Therewill be no choice.Thatis anotherreasonwhy you should
preparefor this sectionof the examvery carefully.
It is a good ideawhenyou firstopenthe examto havea brieflookat
the essaytopics.Asyou completethe restof the examyou may pick
that you will be ableto usein
up someideasfrom the otherquestions
the essays.
Do not write the essapbefore
you havbans\^rerdALLthe other
questionson the exam.
I
Readeachessaytopic carefullyand considerthe commandwords
that areusedat the startof the question.
clue
the commandwordsgivesyou a valuable
Understanding
(Check
the listof command
abouthow to answerthe question.
this.)
follow
that
wordswith theirexplanations
the commandwordsalsoallowsyou to chosean
Understanding
model,asshownon the nextseveralpages,to
organizational
planyour essay.
page.
and Planning
Theexamwill containa blankOrganization
points
write
to
down
model
Usethispageand the organizational
Takeno morethan5 to 10 minutesto do
andplanyour response.
this.
amountof timefor each
an appropriate
Makesureyou allocate
leavingverylittlefor
Do not takeallthe time on oneessay
essay.
the second.
paragraphs
ang concluding
Besureto writegoodintroductoty
This
the topicyou drepresenting.
that introduceand summarize
and
to
read
for the marker
will makeyouressaymoreinteresting
of a goodmark.
increase
yourchances
therefore
Provincial
ExamPreparation
'11
SocialSludies
34
Herearethe commandwordsthat arecommonlyusedfor essay
questions:
1.
commandwordthat is asking
Thisis a straightforward
Explain.
for a situation,or the reasons
you to makeclearthe reasons
why
a seriesof eventsoccurred.
2.
Support.Whenaskedto do this,you arebeingdirectedto give
pointsin favourof a certainposition.Wth thistype of essay,
the
just
question
you
given
you
in
and
to
the
are
thesisis basically
askedto supportthe thesis.
3.
Analpe. Hereyou arebeingaskedto examinethe topic by
eachpart or sectionof the topic.
and discussing
considering
4.
Compare.Whenaskedto do this,it is generallyassuqedthat you
will both compareand contrastthe topic.Yourtaskis to give
for the topic beingdiscussed.
similarities
and differences
5.
To wtratextent?lf thesewordsare usedasthe commandwords
on
that therearetwo positionspossible
in a topic,it is assumed
the topic.Youareexpectedto weigh the strengthof the two
aboutwhichsidepresents
the
sides,and cometo a conclusion
strongerargument.
6.
'
In this situation,you are beingaskedto makea
Erraluate.
judgmentbetweentwo positionsor arguments.
Youarebeing
askedto weighthe argumentson both sidesof the question,and
aboutwhich sidepresents
the stronger
cometo a conclusion
the
what
way,
it
is
similar
to
extent"question.
position.In this
"To
7.
Hereyou are being askedto estimatethe valueof
Assess.
something.Soyou haveto makea iudgmentand then usefacts
to proveyour case.lt is similarto "to what extent?"
8.
Hereyou must presentthe variouspointsof view or ways
Discuss.
of lookingat a particulartopic.
9.
or accountof an
Youmustgivea detaileddescription
Descdbe.
event situationor topic.
,
ProvincialExamPreparation
SocialStudies11
35
The bestway to preparea response
to an essayquestionis to go
steps.
throughseveral
First,readthe questioncarefullyto determinewhatthe questionis
reallyasking.
you understand
Second,
box in the commandword,andensure
what
you to do. Underline
it is requiripg
keywordsin the topicto helpyou
with this.
Third,createa charton the planningpageof the test,and fill in
examples
of information
thatyou couldusein answering
the question.
Remember
to keepthesepointsbrief.
Note: The organizational
and planningpageis probablythe single
most important pagein the whole exam.lf you constructa
good organizational
modelon this page,you will probably
write very good essays.
SampleCharts
Thetypeof chartyou chooseto usewill dependon the typeof essay
question.Youwill certainlybe askedto writeon one historyquestion.
\Mth a historyquestion,it is likelythat you couldcreatea chronology.
immigrationpolicy
Forexample,if you wereaskedto explainCanada's
"1914
period
your
in the
to 2000,then
chartcouldlook likethe
examplebelow.
1914
I
I
1945
2000.
Provincial
ExamPreparation
SocialStudies11
36
lf you areaskedto lookat a historical
topicthroughthe period
1914-2000(thisis the timeframeyou areexpectedto know in Social
Studies
11),put in a 1945dividingline,and makesurethatyou put in
eventsthat happenedbetween19'14-1945and 1945-2000.By
dividingyourorganizational
modelinto two time periodsyou will
ensurethatyou will haveprovidedevidence
from throughoutthe
1914-2000period.Younow havetwo largeboxes.Filltheseboxes
with briefnotesthat you canelaborate
on whenyou write the essay.
lf the essayquestionusesthe commandterm, "Towhat extent",or
"Evaluate"
or "Assess"
thenyou knowthat therewill be argumentsfor
and against.Forexample,if the essaytopicwere:
'The most important influenceon Canadiangovemmentpolicy
during the twentieth centurywasthe United States."Assessthe
truth of this statementmakingreferenceto eventsthroughout the
time period191+2000.
modelcouldlooklikethis:
thenyour organization
For
Against
1914
I
I
2
1945
2000
Provincial
ExamPreparation
SocialStudies11
3
4
37
Nowyou wouldhavefour boxesto fill.In box 1 you wouldput in
'19'14-1945
that supportthe statement.In box 2 you
eventsbetween
do not supportthe
wouldincludeeventsbetween1914-1945'that
ln box 3 you wouldincludeeventsbetween1945-2000
statement.
In box 4 you wouldincludeevents
thatsupportthe statement.
between1945-2000that do not supportthe statement.
topic,then you will need
lf the essaytopic is a morenarrowhistorical
Forexample,if the essaytopic
to setup your planningpagedifferently.
were:
Assess
how much Canadachangedasa resultof the FirstWorldWar.
that you coulduseon
thenyou wouldneedto considercategories
word to remindyou of the
your planningpage.An easy-to-remember
categories
is:
SPERM-G
Beligious,
Militaryand
Thisstandsfor Social,Political,Economic,
will applyto your
Probablynot all of thesecategories
Geographical.
topic,but somewill.
and Economic
Let'sassumethat you decidethat Social,Political,
areapplicable
aspects
to thisessaytopic.Then,your planningpage
will looklikethis:
SocialResults
PoliticalResults
EconomicResults
ExamPreparation
Provincial
SocialStudies11
38
Thesameideaholdstrue if you aregivenan essaytopic that
is about
the environment.
lf the essaytopic is:
To what extentis globalwarminga probremfor canadian?
A chart,likethe followingwill helpyou answerthistype of question.
ProvincialExamPreparation
SocialStudies
11
39
Thekeywords,"to what extent",tellyou that you haveto lookat
Thischartwill helpyou do that in a quickand
bothsidesof the issue.
Havingtwo columnsonepro or positiveand the other
easymanner.
arguments
on bothsidesof
allowsyou to brainstorm
conor negative
the question.
.
o
Nowspenda few minutesfillingin bothsidesof the chart.
yourargumentandyouressay,
lf you do this,it will helporganize
your chances
of gettinga bettermark.
thereforeincreasing
.
whatyour thesisstatementwill
decide
the
chart,
Aftercompleting
. be.Thenotesin yourchartwill showyouwhichsidepro or con
hasthe strongerargument.
o
Startwith an introduction
Now you arereadyto writeyouressay.
predent
allyour arguments,
the thesisstatement,
thatincludes
that refersbackto the thesis.
with a summary
thenconclude
Herearesixsampleessaytopicsthat alsohavea keyfor you to reuiew.
TopicsWith Keys
SampleEssay
1.
Between1914and 1931,Canadawolved from colonialstatusto
the
independentnationhood.Describethis ryolution and assess
accuracyof this statement
Youarebeingaskedto do two thingshere.First,describethe evolution
between1914and 1931. Yourplanningpageshouldconsistof a
chronology
of eventsbetween1914and 1931that led to Canada's
independence.
1914is the yearthatthe FirstWorldWarstartedand
The
waspassed.
1931is the yearin which the Statuteof Westminster
led
to
dates
Canada's
these
two
between
eventsthat occurred
autonomy.Thisis a commonessaytopicfor SocialStudies11, so you
of theseevents.
shouldbe surethat you havea good understanding
Thesecondthingyou arebeingaskedto do is evaluatewhetheror not
status
thisstatementis accurate.So,you will needto lookat Canada's
had beenpassed,
and decide
in 1931,afterthe Statuteof Westminster
whetheror not the statementis completelyaccurate.
ProvincialExam Preparation
SocialStudies1'1