Social Science

Question 1

Why did Stone Age people practice slash and burn agriculture?

Answer 1

To clear land for farming

Question 2

Which development most enabled early peoples to form permanent settlements?

Answer 2

advances in agricultural production

Question 3

Hammurabi’s Code of ancient Mesopotamian society was important because it?

Answer 3

listed the laws and the corresponding punishments.

Question 4

The art and architecture of ancient Egypt were designed to emphasize the _______

Answer 4

religious idea of eternal life.

Question 5

Cuneiform and hieroglyphics were important

achievements in the development of

Answer 5

written language.

Question 6

The Ten Commandments of the ancient

Hebrews has had the greatest influence on the development of Western_______

Answer 6

moral and ethical teachings.

Question 7

The diaspora, the dispersing of the Jewish people, refers to their

Answer 7

exile from their homeland.

Question 8

Greece’s mountainous terrain and its series of small islands influenced the ancient Greeks to develop

Answer 8

a political system based on independent city-states.

Question 9

Ancient Greeks used myths about their gods primarily to

Answer 9

explain events in the natural world.

Question 10

In 480 B.C., the independent Greek city-states formed an alliance under the leadership of Athens and Sparta during their conflict with the

Answer 10

Persians.

Question 11

How did the rise to power and reign of

Alexander most affect Greece?

Answer 11

He ended the power of the city-states and established a unified nation.

Question 12

The Chinese people turned to the teachings of Confucius because his ideas were thought to help

Answer 12

restore order in China.

Question 13

What effect did Julius Caesar’s seizure of power have on the Roman political system?

Answer 13

It marked the transition from a republic to an empire.

Question 14

The U.S. political system of checks and balances can be traced to the

Answer 14

Roman Republic.

Question 15

The wars with Carthage (264–146 B.C.) gave the Roman Empire control of

Answer 15

North Africa.

Question 16

In the 700s A.D., Arabian merchants played an important role in

Answer 16

spreading new technology among Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Question 17

How did the location of cities in the West African empires of Ghana and Mali influence their growth?

Answer 17

Their location on major trade routes allowed them to prosper economically.

Question 18

China’s influence on Medieval Japan is illustrated by Japan’s development of

Answer 18

a writing system.

Question 19

During the medieval period in Europe, the political power of the kings and great nobles was often constrained by the actions of

Answer 19

high Church officials.

Question 20

How did the Crusades affect the economies of Central and Western Europe?

Answer 20

Cloth and spices brought back by crusaders led to greater interest in trade.

Question 21

What disease spread though Europe in the 14th century

Answer 21

The bubonic plague.

Question 22

On what coast of southern America was the Inca civilization located?

Answer 22

The west coast.

Question 23

Which characteristic did Aztec and Incan societies share?

Answer 23

complex religious ceremonies

Question 24

The stories from Marco Polo’s travels encouraged Europeans to

Answer 24

journey to Asia in search of wealth.

Question 25

What was the Spanish Inquisition (1478–1834)?

Answer 25

the religious court established to find and punish heretics

Question 26

The findings of Galileo and Newton were significant because, from their time on, scientific thought was based upon

Answer 26

observation and experimentation.

Question 27

Which Scientific Revolution-era invention led to an increased understanding of diseases?

Answer 27

the microscope

Question 28

What was one effect of Copernicus’ theory of a sun-centered solar system?

Answer 28

It disputed Church teachings regarding the

universe.

Question 29

The Scientific Revolution contributed to Enlightenment thought by influencing people to

Answer 29

believe in the power of human reason.

Question 30

What were both the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights designed to do?

Answer 30

limit the power of the monarch

Question 31

One goal of the Declaration of Independence was to

Answer 31

explain why the colonists felt the need to be free from British rule.

Question 32

The Mayflower Compact (1620) was significant in the political development of the American colonies because it introduced the principle of

Answer 32

Self-government.

Question 33

Which of these Founders favored a strong national government and a loose interpretation of the United States Constitution?

Answer 33

Alexander Hamilton

Question 34

Shays’ Rebellion of 1786 resulted in increased support for

Answer 34

revising the Articles of Confederation

Question 35

In his Farewell Address, George Washington urged the American people to

Answer 35

value and maintain a sense of national unity.

Question 36

Conflict with Mexico became highly likely following the granting of statehood to

Answer 36

Texas.

Question 37

What was the purpose of the Monroe Doctrine (1823)?

Answer 37

to prevent European expansion in the

Americas

Question 38

The growing importance of cotton to the South created an economy and a society dominated by

Answer 38

large landowners.

Question 39

By the mid-1800s, California was being settled mostly by people in search of

Answer 39

wealth from the discovery of gold.

Question 40

The main goal of abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison was to

Answer 40

end slavery immediately.

Question 41

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is similar to the Declaration of Independence in that both documents

Answer 41

support the ideals of self-government and

human rights.