History Skills

Question 1

Chronology

Answer 1

organizing historical events by when they occurred and determining accurate dates

Question 2

Middle Ages / Medieval Period

Answer 2

period in Europe after the Fall of Rome and up to the Fall of Constantinople (476 CE to 1453 CE); characterized by Kings controlling territories or smaller empires than what Rome had been. Includes the Black Death

Question 3

Biography

Answer 3

a non-fiction text that an author writes about a different person’s life

Question 4

Primary Source

Answer 4

the “first hand” eye-witness accounts of an event

Example: a letter written by George Washington about a battle he fought in

Question 5

Paleolithic Era

Answer 5

the period during which humans evolved and engaged in nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyles (roughly 2 million years ago - roughly 10,000 BCE)

Question 6

Agricultural Revolution

Answer 6

(~10,000 BCE) discovery of agriculture; began the transition from nomadic to sedentary life; allowed for the development of civilization; marks the switch from Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age) to Neolithic Era (New Stone Age)

Question 7

Fertile Crescent

Answer 7

A crescent-shaped area from the Mediterranean Sea on the West to the Persian Gulf on the East and that contained extremely fertile soil. Some of the first agricultural communities were settled there and it is sometimes referred to as “The Cradle of Civilization.”

Question 8

Neolithic Era

Answer 8

began with the introduction of agriculture, sometimes called the Agricultural Revolution, which prompted the switch from nomadic to sedentary lifestyles, allowing for the development of permanent settlements and, eventually, the dawn of civilization

Question 9

Secondary Source

Answer 9

these resources are used to interpret the primary sources in order to determine their validity; written about the primary sources

Example: a textbook explaining a battle

Question 10

Autobiography

Answer 10

a non-fiction text that an author writes about their own life