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7th Grade Social Studies Exam Study Guide

  1. Why were compasses and astrolabes used during the Age of Exploration?
  1. How did Spanish conquistadors affect the Americas?
  1. How did French colonists treat Native Americans?
  1. What kind of relationship did French colonists have with Native Americans, generally?
  1. How did the slave trade affect most ofAfrica?
  1. Europeans wanted to trade with Asian countries for what reason?
  1. What led to the development of capitalism?
  1. How are totalitarian and authoritarian governments, dictatorships, and absolute monarchies similar?
  1. What effect did the Glorious Revolution have onEngland’s government?
  1. How can people most directly limit a government’s power?
  1. Define“social contract.”
  1. What does a constitution do?
  1. Who is supposed to be represented by both Parliament and Congress?
  1. How would a constitution affect a dictator’s power?
  1. What event limited peoples’ belief in divine right?
  1. What caused the French Revolution?
  1. What was Simon Bolivar’s biggest accomplishment?
  1. Where did the Industrial Revolution begin, and in what kind of business?
  1. How did interchangeable parts affect the Industrial Revolution?
  1. What did labor unions accomplish during the Industrial Revolution?
  1. In 1848, what did liberals in Europe rebel against?
  1. How were the empires of Europe affected by nationalism?
  1. Why did European countries want to explore and colonize Africa?
  1. Explain the meaning of the phrase, “The sun never sets on the British Empire”:
  1. What was the Spanish-American War an example of?
  1. What did imperialist countries tend to believe about colonization?
  1. How were the Zulu War, Sepoy Rebellion, and Boxer Rebellions similar?
  1. Define“Open Door Policy”:
  1. Why did Japantry to colonizeKorea?
  1. What happened in Russia during WWI?
  1. Which features of the Treaty of Versailles were inspired by Wilson’s 14 Points?
  1. Why was the New Deal like a “welfare state”?
  1. Which leader created the fascist party? What country did he lead?
  1. What event brought the US into WWII?
  1. Why did the Japanese surrender during WWII?
  1. Define “Final Solution”:
  1. What was the capitalist military alliance in Western Europe after WWII?
  1. What did the European Economic Community do?
  1. During the Cold War, which countries competed for power?
  1. Why did wars happen in Korea and Vietnam after WWII?
  1. What was the most dangerous threat to the world after WWII?
  1. Why is there violence in Israel?
  1. How did India gain independence from Britain?
  1. What kind of organization did the Soviet states form after the break-up of the Soviet Union?
  1. Television, computers, and internet can all be connected by which technology?
  1. What substance(s), when burned, create carbon dioxide?
  1. What event led many people to believe that women should have suffrage?
  1. In what kinds of countries do women tend to have more rights?
  1. Name two trade agreements that make international trade easier.
  1. Describe Apartheid in South Africa.

  1. Inventions like the compass and astrolabe let Europeans explore far-away places, like Africa, Asia, and the Americas, by boat. The compass and astrolabe helped explorers to find their locations on the ocean, like GPS helps people to use maps today.
  2. After Spanish explorers discovered gold in South America, Spain sent out conquistadors to take over much of South America by force. This made Spain rich and powerful. Other European countries also sent explorers to the Americas to try to find gold.
  3. The French set up trading post colonies in the middle of North America, where they traded furs with Native Americans. The Dutch also set up colonies to trade fur with Native Americans. The French and Dutch treated the Native Americans like business partners.
  4. Because Europeans could not conquer Asia, they formed a trade relationship that was good for both sides. Trade with Asia did introduce European ideas, goods, and Christianity. But the people of Asia were isolationist, and mostly kept their own culture.
  5. Even though some tribes got rich from the slave trade, most African nations were weakened. Tribes lost their strongest and healthiest members to slavery. Tribes had to spend time and money escaping the slave trade.
  6. Europeans wanted to get to Asia because there was high demand for goods like spices, silk, and porcelain.
  7. Mercantilism and more democratic governments (where people had more rights to their own property) combined to create capitalism. In capitalism, people try to make as much profit for themselves as possible. The government doesn’t control trade and business.
  8. Totalitarian and authoritarian governments, dictatorships, and absolute monarchies are examples of unlimited governments.
  9. During the Glorious Revolution in England, the people created a constitution to limit the power of kings and queens. A constitutional monarch has to follow the rules in the constitution. This revolution was called “glorious” because there was no bloodshed or war.
  10. Ways of limiting the government’s power include having a constitution and separation of powers, but these do not guarantee that the government will do what it is supposed to. The most direct way to limit a government’s power is to let people vote.
  11. Philosophers believed that people choose to have governments because governments provide them with certain benefits (good things). The “social contract” is what the people agree to do for their government, and what the government agrees to do in return.
  12. A constitution is like a blueprint for government. It tells what parts the government has and how they are organized. A constitution is also like a rule-book for government. It tells the government what it can and cannot do.
  13. The legislative branch is usually the branch that most closely represents the people. For this reason, the legislative branch is often given the most important powers of government. Two examples of legislative branches are Parliament and Congress.
  14. Because a constitution states the rules of government, it limits the power of the executive branch.
  15. During the Scientific Revolution, laws of nature and reason began to be used to observe the world instead of superstition and traditional beliefs. Scientists also decided to apply these ideas to politics and government, saying that the old belief in divine right of kings might not be the best form of government.
  16. The French Revolution was caused by an unequal class system. The upper class and the church had all the rights and paid no taxes, while peasants had few rights and paid all the taxes.
  17. Simon Bolivar led the creoles in a rebellion against Spain and the peninsulares. He freed 5 countries from Spanish rule and became known as “The Liberator”. Some historians today call him the George Washington of South America.
  18. England was the first country to industrialize, beginning in the textile industry. The industrial revolution soon spread to the US and Japan.
  19. Interchangeable parts made it possible to mass-produce goods. Interchangeable parts also meant machines and goods could be fixed simply by changing a broken part instead of replacing the whole thing.
  20. During the 1900’s, labor unions got many laws passed to protect workers. The 8 hour workday, 40 hour workweek, minimum wage, and workman’s compensation are all examples of laws that unions helped to create.
  21. In 1848, liberals rebelled against the conservatives, their kings, and the aristocracy. Many liberals were workers who wanted more economic equality.
  22. Greece, Italy and Germany had all been created when people in these places broke away from empires. Nationalism in Europe created a lot of violence and led to an increase of militarism in many places.
  23. Belgium made a colony in the Congo, a country in Africa. The Congo had very profitable rubber tree plantations. The colony in the Congo made so much money that other European countries wanted to explore and colonize Africa, too.
  24. The British Empire became the largest empire in the world. Britain took control of South Africa. India became “the jewel of the crown.” The empire covered so much of the globe that the phrase “the sun never sets on the British Empire” was used to describe it.
  25. The Spanish-American War, Roosevelt Corollary, the Great White Fleet, Panama Canal, and Matthew Perry’s visit to Japan were all examples of how the US was trying to control other places. All of these events were examples of US imperialism.
  26. Many imperialists thought that their cultures were superior, or better, than other peoples’ way of life. Imperialist countries wanted to “civilize” the places they took over by building railroads, hospitals, schools, and Christian churches.
  27. The Zulu Wars, Sepoy Rebellion, and Boxer rebellion had three things in common. First, they were all nationalist rebellions against foreigners and their influence. Second, they all failed to remove the imperialist countries. Third, they all ended in the imperialist countries having even more control than they had before.
  28. The US announced an Open Door Policy with China, saying that everyone should have equal rights to trade.
  29. In order to become an industrial country, Japan needed raw materials. Korea had many resources that Japan needed, but the Chinese also wanted control there.
  30. In Russia, many people wanted to get rid of the ruler, Czar Nicholas II. A group of people called Bolsheviks wanted Russia to stop fighting WWI, which was bankrupting Russia. Bolsheviks also wanted to get rid of the class system to make everyone equal.
  31. The Treaty of Versailles was the plan that was used to end WWI. 2 of Wilson’s 14 points did make it into the Treaty: the creation of the country Poland and a League of Nations. The League was a big group of countries that would talk things out instead of fighting.
  32. In the US, President Roosevelt created a program called the New Deal. The New Deal created a welfare state in the US. The New Deal created jobs and put people to work through programs like the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
  33. Benito Mussolini created the Fascist Party in Italy. In Fascism, everyone was expected to give up their own freedom to make the country stronger.
  34. The US did not want to get involved in another war. President Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Act, which loaned out supplies to the Allies. The US entered the war on the Allied side after Japan bombed a US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
  35. The Japanese surrendered after the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
  36. Hitler’s “Final Solution” for the Jews was to send them all to concentration camps where they would eventually be killed. Poison gas chambers were set up in the camps to kill many people at once. The deaths of 6 million Jews became known as the Holocaust.
  37. The US, Canada, and Western Europe formed a pro-capitalist military alliance called NATO. Russia and the Eastern European communist states formed a communist alliance called the Warsaw Pact.
  38. The European Common Market, also known as the European Economic Community, was a trade alliance in capitalist Western Europe. The trade alliance took down trade barriers like tariffs. This made it easier to trade. These countries hoped they could make more money by working together.
  39. After WWII, the US and the Soviet Union were the two most powerful countries in the world. They did not get along because the US believed in capitalism, while the Soviet Union believed in communism.
  40. Because the US believed in the Domino Theory, The US invaded both Korea and Vietnam to try to stop communist governments from taking over there.
  41. After WWII, the biggest threat to world peace was nuclear annihilation. The event that brought the world closest to nuclear war was the Cuban Missile Crisis.
  42. The Israeli conflict today is both a religious war and a cultural war. It is a religious war between Jews and Muslims, and a cultural war between Jews and Arabs. Also, many Arab countries feel like Europe and America are imperialist because they support Israel.
  43. Gandhi used nonviolence to fight against British control of India. He led his people in boycotts of British goods, like cloth and salt, and participated in hunger strikes to win freedom for India.
  44. Nationalism in all 15 Soviet states led to independence for all of them by 1991. Therefore, the Soviet Union no longer existed. The states came together as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), an alliance of free states.
  45. Satellites make it possible for television, radio, and internet signals to be sent anywhere on the globe, even in faraway places.
  46. Carbon dioxide, produced by the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil, causes smog, a smoky fog in the air that is unhealthy to breathe. It can cause acid rain, which eats away at things and kills plants. It may also cause changes in the earth’s temperature.
  47. In WWI, many women went to work in factories and other jobs that had always been held by men. Women’s importance during the war convinced many people that women should have suffrage. The suffrage movement was especially strong before the 1920's.
  48. Women in industrialized, democratic countries usually experience more freedoms and better rights than women in traditional or fundamentalist religious societies.
  49. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and the European Common Market (also called the European Union) are two examples of free-trade agreements. These agreements have made international trade easier because there aren’t as many rules to follow.
  50. South Africa had a system called apartheid until 1989. Apartheid was a system of forced segregation. Africans were not allowed to live in white communities and could only hold the worst jobs. Protesters were arrested or beaten by police.

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