Social Studies Assessments
Third Grade
H3.0.1 Identify questions historians ask in examining the past in Michigan (e.g., What happened? When did it happen? Who was involved? How and why did it happen?)
1. In what year did the Toledo War occur?
A. 1835
B. 1995
C. 1761
D. 2009
Answer: A
2. Which of the following was not a Native American tribe from Michigan?
A. Ojibway
B. Potawatomi
C. Ottawa
D. Seminole
Answer: D
3. Which is a type of home that Michigan Native Americans used?
A. Wigwam
B. Teepee
C. Birchbark
D. Brick
Answer: A
4. What year did the Erie Canal open?
A. 2005
B. 1555
C. 1825
D. 1972
Answer: C
5. What do archeologists do?
A. Do checkups on people
B. Study the way people lived long ago
C. Make laws
D. Study animals and their habitats
Answer: B
6. What could historians learn about Michigan from reading a diary from Henry Ford?
A. The automobile industry
B. How Michigan became a state
C. Michigan’s involvement in the Underground Railroad
D. The agricultural industry
Answer: A
7. What could Michigan archeologists learn about Michigan Native Americans by finding arrowheads and old bones?
A. They had a lot of spare time to make arrowheads.
B. They hunted for food.
C. Brass was plentiful.
D. They lived in tepees.
Answer: B
8. Why do historians ask questions about Michigan’s past?
A. To solve mysteries about the past
B. To entertain each other
C. To create music
D. To create Michigan adventure stories
Answer: A
H3.0.2 Explain how historians use primary and secondary sources to answer questions about the past.
1. “I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna—I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man—The enemy has demanded a surrender...” – from a letter written by William Barret Travis at the Alamo
The passage above is an example of
A. a limited resource.
B. a secondary source.
C. a third person source.
D. a primary source.
Answer: D
2. Pretend your instructor gives you an assignment to write about Henry Ford. You are also asked to include at least one secondary source for your research. Which of these would be an example of a secondary source?
A. A speech given by Henry Ford
B. A diary entry written by Henry Ford
C. A letter written by Henry Ford to his mother
D. A textbook about Henry Ford
Answer: D
H3.0.3 Describe the causal relationships between three events in Michigan’s past (e.g., Erie Canal, more people came, statehood).
1. Before Michigan became a state, in the 1820’s, population began to grow rapidly. Which of the following best explains why?
A. The crops and soil for planting were good
B. The opening of the Erie Canal
C. The start of the automobile industry
D. The hot weather Michigan has all year round
Answer: B
2. What happened after Great Britain got control over Michigan territory in 1763?
A. Chief Pontiac started a rebellion.
B. The British gave up everything including the land.
C. The French were in full control again.
D. The Native Americans left.
Answer: A
3. Which of the following was the result of white settlers moving into Native American lands in the 17th and 18th Centuries?
A. Native Americans signed treaties for the right to stay on their land.
B. Settlers refused to trade with Indians so Indians died because they had no food.
C. Many Indians died because the settlers brought diseases.
D. Settlers had no immunity to the diseases found in Native American society.
Answer: C
4. When people started moving into the Michigan Territory, the population quickly grew. After a short time, it was large enough for Michigan to apply for statehood. The government then wanted the Native Americans to give up their land to make room for settlers from the East.
Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between settlers and Native Americans?
A. Settlers from the East made sure Native Americans held onto their land.
B. Native Americans could keep their land only until settlers needed it.
C. Settlers used up the natural resources in Michigan and then moved on.
D. Native Americans and settlers signed treaties for land.
Answer: B
H3.0.4 Draw upon traditional stories of American Indians (e.g., Anishinaabeg – Ojibway (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi; Menominee; Huron Indians) who lived in Michigan in order to make generalizations about their beliefs.
Non-testable.
H3.0.5 Use informational text and visual data to compare how American Indians and settlers in the early history of Michigan adapted to, used, and modified their environment.
1. The tribes of Michigan used sugar a lot in their diet. What was one way for the tribes to get sugar?
A. They often tapped maple trees for syrup to make sugar.
B. They grew most of their sugar on their farmland.
C. They traded with the Europeans for sugar.
D. They received left over sugar from the Europeans.
Answer: A
2. The French had several trading posts in Michigan in the early years of exploration. Why did they put their forts on rivers and lakes?
A. Travel through Michigan’s thick forests was difficult.
B. The Indians would only lease them land along rivers.
C. The French feared the British would attack over land.
D. The British controlled Michigan’s rivers and streams.
Answer: A
3. The Potawatomie lived in southern Michigan in villages usually built along streams. Their houses were made of poles covered with bark. They grew corn, beans, and squash. They also hunted deer, elk, and beaver. Sap from maple trees was used to make syrup, women made pottery, and men made canoes out of birch bark.
John Allen and Elisha Rumsey founded the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan in January 1824. They bought land from the federal government to resell to settlers and make money. The area had a source of water and plenty of trees needed to run a saw mill. The men bought 640 acres of land and told settlers about their new town. Today, more than 100,000 people live in Ann Arbor.
The two paragraphs above describe two settlements in Michigan in the early 1800s. Which of the following statements is true?
A. People could make money by creating a new town and selling land to settlers.
B. Settlers wanted to live in Indian villages instead of building a new town.
C. Native Americans tried to attract new settlers by building new towns.
D. Settlers had to hunt and fish and borrow from the Native Americans to survive.
Answer: A
4. What activities were common among the Native Americans and the first European explorers in Michigan?
A. Mining
B. Hunting and trapping
C. Manufacturing
D. Lumbering
Answer: B
H3.0.6 Use a variety of sources to describe interactions that occurred between American Indians and the first European explorers and settlers in Michigan.
1. Many of the tribes of Michigan tried to make a living by trading with the Europeans. Some members of the tribes died after they came in contact with the Europeans. What explanation explains why this happened?
A. The Europeans stole all of their food and supplies. They ended up starving.
B. They were killed by the Europeans’ horses and cattle.
C. The cold winter weather was too much for them to handle.
D. The Europeans brought diseases from Europe.
Answer: D
2. Who was the Ottawa chief who led a rebellion in order to capture the Great Lakes region from the British?
A. Chief Adam
B. Chief Pontiac
C. Chief Tecumseh
D. Chief Ottawa
Answer: B
3. The land that is now called Michigan was once owned by the French. The French used this land for hunting, trapping, trading, and also for agriculture. At that time, the French and the British were not getting along. Both countries wanted the land in North America that included Michigan and the areas around it, all the way into parts of Canada. This started the French and Indian War.
The French and Indian War was a war fought between the French and the British for land in North America, but the American Indian tribes fought along with them. That is how it gets its name “French and Indian War.” As a result of this war, the French were forced to give up their North American colonies east of the Mississippi River to the British, including Michigan.
According to the passage, why did the French lose control of Michigan?
A. The French were paid by the British to take over.
B. They lost the area in the French and Indian War.
C. The French had no interest in gaining Michigan.
D. The American Indians fought the French to win control of Michigan.
Answer: B
4. Many of the tribes in Michigan had good relationships with the French because the tribes traded
A. clothes.
B. food.
C. secrets of hunting.
D. fur.
Answer: D
H3.0.7 Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to construct a historical narrative about daily life in the early settlements of Michigan (pre-statehood).
1. Which of the following describes what life was like for women in Michigan when it was a territory?
A. Women usually raised enough crops like corn or squash to feed their families.
B. Women were hunters and trappers in the fur trade.
C. There were lots of jobs available for women who wanted to work.
D. There were not a lot of women because they were scared of attacks by outsiders.
Answer: A
2. American Indian houses were usually made of poles that were tied together and covered with tree bark and deerskin. Settler’s houses were often built of logs. What is the reason for this difference?
A. American Indians did not know how to cut down trees.
B. Settlers built sturdy houses because they planned to stay for a long time.
C. American Indians built houses like tents because they did not travel.
D. Settlers could not kill enough deer to make deerskin wigwams.
Answer: B
3. Which of the following was the result of white settlers moving into Native American lands in the 1600s and 1700s?
A. Native Americans signed treaties guaranteeing them the right to stay on their land.
B. Settlers refused to trade with Indians so Indians died because they had no food.
C. Many Indians died because of the diseases settlers brought with them.
D. Settlers got many diseases because they had no immunity.
Answer: C
4. What would be the most likely method of transportation for an early settler?
A. Horse
B. Train
C. Airplane
D. Covered wagon
Answer: D
H3.0.8 Use case studies or stories to describe how the ideas or actions of individuals affected the history of Michigan.
1. Stevens T. Mason was the first governor of the state of Michigan. Before this, he served as Territorial Governor of Michigan until 1835. President Andrew Jackson decided to replace him when he would not give up the Toledo Strip.
Why did Andrew Jackson fire Stevens T. Mason?
A. He wanted to claim more land in Illinois and Indiana.
B. He supported the expansion of slavery into Michigan Territory.
C. He led 1000 soldiers into Canada to take over the Detroit River.
D. He would not give up claims to land also claimed by Ohio.
Answer: D
2. Both Michigan and Ohio hired people to mark the boundary between them. One of them, William Harris, marked the boundary according to the Ohio Constitution. The other, John Fulton, marked the boundary according to the Northwest Ordinance. The land in between was known as the Toledo Strip. It was claimed by both Michigan and Ohio. What was the result of having two boundary lines?
A. Michigan invaded Ohio and put soldiers along the border to keep Ohioans out.
B. Ohio had to give up claims to the Toledo Strip and rewrite its constitution.
C. Statehood for Michigan was delayed until Michigan gave up claims to the land.
D. Ohio gave up claims to the disputed land and got land from Indiana instead.
Answer: C
3. Michigan gave up its claim of the Toledo Strip. What did Michigan receive in exchange for it giving up the Toledo Strip?
A. Grand Rapids because of its furniture making ability.
B. Detroit because of its car making ability.
C. The upper peninsula because of its natural resources.
D. Lansing because it was our capital.
Answer: C
4. Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863. He started the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and built the first Model T in 1908. In 1913 Ford opened the first assembly line in Highland Park, Michigan. By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model Ts.
Why were more than half of the cars in America Model Ts in 1918?
A. People liked the color.
B. Henry Ford made them affordable for the average worker.
C. No other company made vehicles at this time.
D. Ford paid people to buy his vehicles.
Answer: B
H3.0.9 Describe how Michigan attained statehood.
1. Michigan became a state on January 26, 1837. Michigan had to give up something to attain statehood. What did they give up?
A. The Upper Peninsula
B. Lake Huron
C. Lake Erie
D. The Toledo Strip
Answer: D
2. Which of the following things did Michigan voters have to do to become a state?
A. Give up rights to the Canadians
B. Vote on a new state constitution
C. Pay money to government
D. Abolish slavery in the territory
Answer: B
3. The Toledo War was fought between Michigan and Ohio over a strip of land along their borders. The border was important because it would allow people to be close to the Lake Erie shoreline. Being close to water was very important for trading. Michigan agreed to give up the Toledo Strip if it could have the Upper Peninsula.
Michigan compromised to become a state. Which of the following statements is true about the compromise?
A. Michigan was helped because the Upper Peninsula was rich in copper.
B. Michigan sold bad land back to other states and bought land in Indiana.
C. Michigan had to give up land in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to become a state.
D. Michigan gave up very dry land in Ohio to get control of Lake Huron.
Answer: A
4. What caused Michigan to want to get statehood?
A. Land
B. Money
C. Power
D. Automobile industries
Answer: A
H3.0.10 Create a timeline to sequence early Michigan history (American Indians, exploration, settlement, statehood).
Bottom of Form
1. What European country was the first to control Michigan?