NAME_______________________________
_____________
Social Studies
Mr.
DeLoughry
Middle East Study Guide
Complete the following Study Guide questions
by Wednesday, April2. The following
handouts will be helpful:
 Middle East PowerPoint
 Promises Characters & Questions
 Religions of the Middle East
PowerPoint
1. What was the name of the ancient Middle
East civilization between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers?
Mesopotamia
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2. Why has the Middle East been an important
area for centuries?
It is a crossroads for trade among
Europe, Africa, and Asia
3. Protests have broken out in the last few
years in the Middle East because it is the last
region with which two types of leaders?
Monarchs and dictators
4. Why does the USA have some concerns
about the rise of democracy in the Middle
East?
More instability in the area.
Democracy could bring groups to
power that do not like the United
States or Israel
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5. Have the protests brought a wave of new democracies in the Middle
East? Why or why not?
No. The protests have led to a lot of
instability, but countries have been
slow to create new democracies. Some
have had elections and others haven’t,
but no one has agreed upon a
democratic constitution
6. What does ISIS stand for?
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
7. ISIS controls parts of which two countries?
Iraq and Syria
8. What role has the USA played in the battle
against ISIS?
American planes and missiles have
been used to bomb ISIS in Iraq and
Syria
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9. Why are some Americans especially
concerned that ISIS could take over Iraq?
The U.S. spent $2trillion and lost
4,500 soldiers in our battle to free
Iraq from Saddam Hussein so we
don’t want to see Iraq become
controlled by an ISIS leader who
hates the U.S.
10. What started the history of bad blood
between the USA and Iran in 1979?
The USA had supported the shah, so
the Muslim government that revolted
against the shah has not been a friend
to the USA. The Muslim government
took 52 Americans as hostages for 444
days from 1979 into 1981.
11. What is the main topic of discussion for
U.S. and Iranian leaders right now?
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U.S. and Iranian leaders are meeting
with other U.S. allies to create a plan
that would keep Iran from getting a
nuclear weapon. Such a plan would
also remove trade restrictions against
Iran that were created to punish that
country for its nuclear program.
12. Which three major religions refer to the
Middle East as the Holy Land?
Judaism, Christianity, Islam
13. Which international organization played
a major role in creating Israel after World
War II?
United Nations
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14. What event occurred during World War
II that increased international support for
creating Israel?
Holocaust
15. How have the Arab countries around
Israel responded to the creation of Israel?
Arab countries responded by
declaring war on Israel in 1948 and
several times after that
16. How has Israel done in the conflicts it
has had with countries such as Egypt,
Jordan, and Syria? What lands has it taken
from its enemies?
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Israel has won all of the conflicts.
It took the Gaza Strip from Egypt
It took the West Bank and East
Jerusalem from Jordan
It took the Golan Heights from Syria
17. What was the “intifada?” Explain how it
has reflected Palestinian unhappiness in
which two territories?
The “intifada” were uprisings by
Palestinians in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip against Israeli soldiers.
They reflected the anger of
Palestinians who wanted control over
both areas and an end to Israeli
occupation and checkpoints.
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18. World leaders hoped to see peace
between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993
after the two sides signed an agreement in
which European city?
Oslo, Norway
19. Why was this 1993 agreement
important? What did each side agree to in
the compromise?
It was important because the
Palestinians said for the first time that
Israel should exist and Israel said for
the first time that Palestinians should
rule themselves
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20. This deal was not popular with everyone
on both sides. Explain why this statement is
true.
Some Palestinians reacted with
violence because they wanted to
control all of Israel. Some Jews were
angry that Israel would let
Palestinians govern land Israel had
won in the wars. One angry Jew killed
Prime Minister Rabin.
21. Israel has taken steps to carry out the
agreement by removing Jewish settlers from
which region in 2005?
Gaza Strip
22. What is the name of the government that
the Palestinians have set up and how were
the leaders chosen?
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Palestinian Authority – elected
through democracy
23. The peace process was stopped because
which party has been chosen to lead the
Palestinians?
Hamas Party
24. What policy of this party makes it
difficult for them to negotiate peace with
Israel?
Hamas says that Israel does not have
a right to exist
25. What happened in the summer of 2014 that
makes peace seem less likely between Israel
and the Palestinians?
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Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza led
to an Israeli invasion of Gaza. The
fighting killed more than 70 Israelis and
more than 2,200 Palestinians
26. Why do some people oppose the idea of
giving Israeli citizenship and rights to
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank?
The so-called “one country solution” is
not popular with a lot of Israelis because the
Palestinians would soon outnumber the
Jewish people, so citizenship would give them
an opportunity to win elections and Israel
would not have a Jewish government.
27. In Promises, why wasn’t it possible for
Faraj and Sanabel to visit Daniel and Yarko at
their home in Jerusalem?
Faraj and Sanabel were Palestinians
on the West Bank so they would not
be allowed to pass the checkpoint to
visit Jerusalem
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28. What did Promises show us about the
attitudes that Mahmoud’s school helped to
create among Palestinian children?
Mahmoud’s school taught the
children that they were victims of
Israel and that Palestinians should get
their land back from Israel
29. In “Promises,” why did the Palestinians
hold keys when they were protesting?
Palestinians held keys because they
represent the homes that were taken
from them when Israel was created
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30. Describe the change in attitude that Faraj
had between the time the visit with Jewish
children was first proposed and the time of the
actual visit.
Faraj did not want to meet with
Jewish children at first because he
said their families probably killed
Palestinians. By the end of the visit,
Faraj was crying because he wanted
to visit longer and then he tried to
arrange more visits with Daniel and
Yarko.
31. Saddam Hussein showed his interest in
invading which larger country in an effort to
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capture oil fields in a war between 1980 and
1988?
Iran
32. The U.S. launched Operation Desert Storm
with 40 other countries after Saddam Hussein
invaded which small oil-producing country?
Kuwait
33. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in an
attempt to attack which terrorist organization?
Al-Qaeda
34. The effort to find Osama bin Laden was
finally successful in this country.
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Pakistan
35. Identify at least two reasons for why the
United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
Saddam broke rules we set at the end
of the 1991 war
We thought Saddam was making
weapons of mass destruction
We thought Saddam had met with
terrorists
36. Explain why it was difficult for the U.S. to
get out of Iraq quickly after defeating and
capturing Saddam Hussein.
After Saddam was gone, fighting
between Sunni and Shiite Muslims
made Iraq unstable so we helped the
new government gain control of the
country before we left in 2011
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37. Identify the holy book, religious building,
religious leader, and holy day for Muslims.
The Muslim holy book is the Koran;
the religious building is a mosque; the
leader is an imam, and the holy day is
Friday
38. Islam is based on five principles, which
are called what?
The Five Pillars of Islam
39. List the five principles and describe them.
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1. Faith – there is one God and
Muhammad is his messenger
2. Prayer – five times a day in the
direction of Mecca
3. Fasting – give up food as a sacrifice
to God, especially during Ramadan
when no food or drink is allowed
when the sun is up
4. Charity – giving money or time to
help those in need
5. Pilgrimage – a trip to Mecca is
required at least once in life if a
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Muslim is financially and physically
able
40. The hajj is a pilgrimage taken to which
Middle East city in which country?
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
41. Why do the pilgrims dress in only simple
white fabric?
They dress the same to show that they
are all the same, rich people and poor
people, in the eyes of God
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42. What names are used for the two different
groups of Muslims that were created centuries
ago following the death of Muhammad?
Sunni and Shiite (or Shia)
43. Which country is considered the strongest
Shiite nation in the world?
Iran
44. Which country is considered the strongest
Sunni nation in the world?
Saudi Arabia
45. What issues in Saudi Arabia are often
mentioned to explain why citizens there have
become terrorists?
The King has to reduce poverty and
reduce his harsh penalties to keep his
citizens from becoming terrorists
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46. How has oil wealth affected some
countries in the Middle East?
Oil has made several countries, such as United
Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar among the
richest in the world. Others, such as Saudi
Arabia, have some rich oil families, but still
have poverty as well.
ESSAY TOPICS
1. Recent Protests Against Middle East
Dictators:
2. History of the 3 Major Religions in the
Middle East:
3. The History of the Conflict Between Israel
and Palestinians:
4. The Israel-Palestinian Peace Process:
5. Five Pillars of Islam:
6. Dave Stacy’s Trip to Michigan
7. Promises: Cause for Optimism or
Pessimism:
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