Study Guide for Benchmark Test: Unit 1 – Georgia’s Geography, Indian Prehistory, Spanish
Missions, Hernando de, Soto, and Reasons for European Exploration
I. Georgia’s Geography
1.) What is the difference between absolute and relative location? p. 5-6
i.
Absolute location is a definite, precise position on the Earth’s surface
i. Like a street address or a line of latitude/longitude
ii.
Relative location is where a place is located relative to another place.
i. Example – I live south of Walmart, and my house in 4 houses down from Lily’s
house.
2.) Give one example of GA’s relative location (p. 8) and an example of GA’s absolute
location (p. 8)?
i.
Relative – GA is north of Florida, is located in the Northern Hemisphere, and is east of
the Mississippi River…just to name a few
ii.
Absolute – GA is located between 30’21 and 35’N latitude and 80’50 and 85’36W
longitude
3.) How many states border GA, and list each of their names?
i.
5
ii.
Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee
4.) Georgia is in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere? The Eastern or Western Hemisphere?
i.
Northern
ii.
Western
5.) Which continent is Georgia located in, and in which country, and in which region within the
United States (p. 8)?
i.
Continent – North America
ii.
Country – USA
iii.
Region – The Southeastern US
6.) How many physiographic regions are there in GA? Sketch a quick outline of GA and its
regions and label each region appropriately.
i.
5
ii.
7.) Which physiographic region in the GA is the largest (in land size), and which is the smallest
(in land size)?
i.
Largest – Coastal Plain
ii.
Smallest – Appalachian Plateau
8.) Which physiographic region in the GA is the most populated, and which is the least
populated?
i.
Most populated – Piedmont
ii.
Least populated – Appalachian Plateau
9.) What are the names of the two areas within the Coastal Plain region in GA? Which of the two
areas is better suited for growing crops?
i.
The Upper Coastal Plain (in the southwestern part of the state – away from the ocean)
and The Lower Coastal Plain (near ocean in southeastern part of state)
ii.
Better for farming? Upper Coastal Plain
10.) Which physiographic region do each of the following features or cities belong to?
i.
Amicalola Falls and Tallulah Gorge? Blue Ridge
ii.
Taylor Ridge and Pigeon Mountain? Ridge and Valley
iii.
Lookout Mountain and Chickamauga National Battlefield? App. Plateau
iv.
Okefenokee Swamp? Coastal Plain
v.
Atlanta, GA – our state capital? Piedmont
vi.
Savannah, GA – our state’s founding city? Coastal Plain
vii.
Dalton, GA – the carpet capital of the world? Ridge and Valley
viii.
Dahlonega, GA – the site of the nation’s first gold rush in 1828? Blue Ridge
11.) Which physiographic region in the GA receives the most rainfall or precipitation each
year?
i.
Blue Ridge
12.) In which 3 physiographic regions in GA can you find the Appalachian Mountains?
i.
Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, and Appalachian Plateau
13.) Which physiographic region in GA donated white marble to use in the construction of the
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.?
i.
Blue Ridge
14.) What two GA regions are separated by the Fall Line?
i.
Piedmont and Coastal Plain
15.) The Fall Line marks the boundary of the prehistoric ocean. Why then is the land in the
Coastal Plain flat and low-lying?
i.
The prehistoric ocean covered the Coastal Plain region for millions of years, and as
the water receded back to where they are today, they eroded (wore down) the
land making it flat, low-lying, and sandy.
16.) What is the name of the highest peak in Georgia, and in which region is it located?
i.
Brasstown Bald in the Blue Ridge
17.) Which geographical (physiographic) region is characterized by its gently sloping hills (at
the “foothill of the Appalachian Mountains”), location north of the Fall Line, and red
Georgia clay?
i.
Piedmont
18.) Kaolin, which is used to make kitty litter, soaps, and some forms of medicine, is found only
in this region in Georgia.
i.
Piedmont
19.) Describe the barrier islands off the coast of GA using at least 4 details?
i.
Protect the mainland from storms and erosion
ii.
Excellent tourism spot
iii.
Total of 14 islands
iv.
Wildlife sanctuary – 2/3 protected for wildlife
v.
Rarely hit by hurricanes
20.) Describe the difference between the location and length of the Savannah River and the
Chattahoochee River.
i.
Savannah River - 314 miles long, starts in SC, and flows southeast into the Atlantic
Ocean
ii.
Chattahoochee River – Flows 436 miles from the Blue Ridge to the Gulf of Mexico, and
southern sections form a natural boundary with Alabama.
21.) Describe GA’s climate.
i.
Mild with subtropical temperature near the coast and 4 distinct seasons per year.
II. Indian Prehistory
22.) What is the oldest prehistoric Indian civilization or period?
i.
Paleo
23.) Of what material were most of the tools of the Paleo Indians made?
i.
Stone
24.) Which of the following Indian prehistoric periods do each of the following descriptions
match up with?
i.
Invention of the atlatl - Paleo
ii.
Creation of pottery for cooking and storage - Archaic
iii.
The start of agriculture - Woodland
iv.
Invention of the bow and arrow - Woodland
v.
The beginning of mounds being built - Woodland
vi.
Permanent wattle and daub dwellings (housing) - Mississippian
25.) Why have so few Paleo archaeological sites been found in Georgia?
i.
The nomadic Paleo didn’t leave many artifacts in one place.
26.) Which crop was the staple of the Mississippian Indians’ diet?
i.
corn
27.) The presence of guard towers, moats, and palisades indicate that Mississippian Indians
were afraid of what?
i.
They were concerned about other Indian tribes attacking them.
28.) How did Indians’ ability to grow crops (agriculture) help them settle down in one place?
i.
The start of agriculture meant that Indians no longer had to move all the time on
search of food, and now they had a permanent way of growing food in their own
villages.
29.) Why did Archaic Indians move so frequently?
i.
They moved in search of food.
30.) In which prehistoric period would you find priest-chiefs, very elaborate ceremonies and
burial mounds, and populations of 1000+ Indians?
i.
Mississippian
31.) If you were an archaeologist, what evidence would you look for to prove that prehistoric
Indians believed in an afterlife and had religious beliefs?
i.
Artifacts like jewelry, statues, weapons, and other objects buried alongside of bodies
in burial mounds.
III. Hernando de Soto, Spanish Missions, and Reasons for European Exploration
32.) In what year did Hernando de Soto explore much of Georgia, and what was he looking
for?
i.
1540, looking for gold and treasure
33.) How did de Soto’s march through Georgia change the lives and culture of Native
Americans?
i.
Led to many Indians being enslaved, abused, or killed.
ii.
Led to thousands more dying due to disease brought over from Europe.
iii.
Exposed Indians to different culture and language other than their own.
34.) Why was Hernando de Soto’s mission considered a failure?
i.
His mission did not discover any gold or treasure
35.) What was the main purpose of Spanish missions in Georgia?
i.
To convert natives to Catholicism
36.) What were some of the other reasons why the Spanish created missions in Georgia
besides the answer to question #36?
i.
To claim land (territory) in the New World and protect Spanish shipping and trade
from the French, British, and pirates.
ii.
Instruct Indians in how they should behave as new Catholics (new language and
customs).
iii.
Use the newly-converted Indians to build Spanish Missions and cities and have some
of them serve in the Spanish Army.
37.) List 3 reasons for the decline of Spanish missions in Georgia?
i.
Many Indians die of disease and move away from the Spanish into the interior of GA
ii.
Indians keep attacking Missions (British encourage Indians to do this)
iii.
Pirates raided Missions along the coast.
38.) Why were Spanish missions needed after Indians converted to Catholicism?
i.
Missions were still needed after the Spanish converted the Indians because they (the
Spanish) wanted to get them to help build their other missions and cities and to serve
in the Spanish army to protect Spanish lands.
39.) Which 3 European countries were major colonizers of North America in the 1500s-1700s?
i.
Spain
ii.
France
iii.
Britain
40.) Which famous “G” phrase sums up the motivations of many European nations to explore
and establish settlements in the New World?
i.
God, Gold, and Glory
41.) Name the Spanish’s first permanent settlement in the New World? When was it
established?
i.
St. Augustine, 1565
42.) Name the British’s first permanent settlement in the New World? When was it established?
i.
Jamestown, 1607
43.) Which country, Britain or Spain, was the winner of the all-out war at sea between the
Invincible Armada and the British Navy in 1588?
i.
Britain
44.) Why did the British build Fort King George in what would one day become Georgia in
1721?
i.
Violent conflicts between English and Spanish settlers broke out in the Carolinas and what
would become Georgia in the mid 1600s, but by 1686, the Spanish left the Georgia coast and
retreated south back to St. Augustine (FL). The British decided to use this opportunity to create
a military “buffer” between Spanish La Florida and the British Carolinas, and they built the first
British fort, Fort King George, in Georgia in 1721 to serve as a warning point for invaders.
Study hard and watch your hard work pay off on Monday, Sept. 27th!