Name______Date______
Period______
THE BIRTH OF AMERICAN IMPERIALISM QUIZ
MATCHING (1 point each): Write the letter of the key term from the list below next to the correct definition.
Each choice will be used once.
KEY TERMS
A. AnnexC. Banana RepublicE. Imperialism
B. NationalismD. Sphere of InfluenceF. Social Darwinism
DEFINITIONS
1. ____ The act of stronger nations dominating weaker nations economically, politically, culturally or militarily.
2. ____ The late 19th century idea that described humans competing in a struggle for existence in which natural
selection results in “survival of the fittest.”
3. ____ A Central American nation dominated by United States business interests.
4. ____ An area of economic and political control exerted by one nation over another nation or other nations.
5. ____The act of joining a new territory to an existing country.
6. ____Devotion to one’s country.
MULTIPLE CHOICE (1 point each):Circle the letter that corresponds to the most appropriate response.
7. The increased need for natural resources and new markets are examples of
a. economic factorsc. military factors
b. nationalistic factorsd. humanitarian factors
8. Imperialists who wanted to introduce Christianity and modern civilization to other people of the world are examples of
a. economic factorsc. military factors
b. nationalistic factorsd. humanitarian factors
9. What event was referred to as “Seward’s Folly?”
a. Annexation of the Midway Islands in 1867.c. Negotiating trade relations with Japan in 1853.
b. Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867.d. Investment in banana republics.
10. American businessman Minor C. Keith provided financial services to various Central American nations. What company did he own?
a. AT&Tc. United Fruit Company
b. Standard Oild. Kodak
11. Who was influential in convincing Congress to build a modern navy?
a. James G. Blainec. Henry Cabot Lodge
b. Alfred T. Mahand. Albert J. Beveridge
TRUE OR FALSE (1 point each): Write TRUE if the statement is true or FALSE if the statement is false. “T” and “F” are not acceptable answers.
12. ______Improved transportation and communications made it easier for imperial nations to control
colonies.
13. ______A surplus of goods and food did not require America to seek colonies.
14. ______The United States had one of the world’s most powerful navies by 1900.
15. ______Most Americans saw themselves as potential rulers of oppressed foreign peoples.
16. ______Most Americans sought new markets and favorable trade relations with foreign countries.
SHORT ANSWER RESPONSE ( 4 points): Write your response to the following question in 4-6 complete sentences in the space provided.
17. Explain the three reasons why lobbyists advocated the need for a modern navy to Congress?
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MAP USAGE (1 point each): See the provided map on the next page for instructions.
Formative Assessment Tool Rationale
This quiz will be administered the first few days after introducing the United States’ reasons for pursuing imperialistic goals. Content standard 11.4.2 addresses two issues: the Spanish-American War and South Pacific expansion. This quiz addresses the latter issue because the Spanish-American War was America’s excuse to increase American possessions in the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, students need to first understand the reasons for expansion before analyzing the results of it. For example, students must grasp the concepts of nationalism, imperialism, and Social Darwinism as well as economic and military factors, to comprehend American foreign policy during the late 19th century before discussing the Spanish-American War.
With regard to learning objectives, the quiz assesses exactly what I taught in previous lessons. The first student learning objective listed on my planning matrix says, “Students will be able to classify reasons America sought colonial possessions around the turn of the last century from political, economic and military aspects.” Students will recall, apply and analyze the content they learn when they take the quiz. This assessment tool will determine my lesson planning for the coming week. The results will tell me if I need to refresh content and move onto a new lesson or re-teach the assessed content.
The matching section reflects the guidelines discussed in class. For example, the list of descriptions and list of options are short and homogeneous. Both lists are clearly titled and arranged in a logical order to alleviate any confusion students may have with this portion of the quiz. Each description is labeled with a number while the key terms are labeled with letters. The directions are very clear telling students to write the letter of the key term from the word list next to the correct definition. The quiz indicates that each option will be used once. Like all sections, the matching portion has a clearly listed point value.
The multiple choice options meet the guidelines discussed in class. Grammatical clues are eliminated in all five multiple choice questions. For example, all four choices on item seven are plural nouns, which are in agreement with the stem which says, “The increased need for natural resources and new markets are examples of.” This format makes all four choices are plausible because grammatical clues are eliminated.
Each multiple choice item has only one correct answer to avoid student confusion and haggling over any other possible correct answers submitted by students. However, all choices are plausible because they are all similar within context. I have avoided using negative questions and the terms “none of the above” and “all of the above.” The questions are written in a creative and effective manner so the students know there is only one answer, yet they still have to think, hopefully, without being confused.
The true or false items are definitely true or false. Each statement is short, yet clearly written so students can understand them. Double negative statements and words of infinite degree have been avoided. The directions clearly state that the words “true” and “false” need to be written because credit will not be awarded for “T” and “F” responses.
The short answer response instructions clearly state what information the students must include in their responses. Students know how they should respond and how long the response should be by writing four to six complete sentences. Plenty of space in the form of ten lines is provided for students to write their responses. The point value is higher than the objective portion because students are required to think of their own answer instead of choosing an option prepared by me. The goal is for students to display their understanding of a key issue by conveying it in their own words. A written response requires students to think more.
The map usage and labeling portion allows students to orient themselves with one of the geographic areas related to the imperialism unit. The other geographic area is Central America and the Caribbean Sea. These areas were the focus of American imperialistic policy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Therefore, students need to be familiar with the part of the world that is related to the lessons and unit. In addition, this information enriches their knowledge base through general geographic knowledge.
The map usage only requires students to label only territory and bodies of water learned in the previous lessons. The map itself is on a page by itself so it is large enough for students to label the required items. Students are instructed to, “See the provided map on the next page for instructions.” The directions instruct students to locate and write the names of the required items clearly or no credit will be awarded. The directions also account for issues such as the name of an item cannot fit inside that item. The point values and items to be located are clearly labeled.
As shown in the following the table of specifications, the quiz addresses the following content
standard:
11.4.2 Describe the Spanish-American War and U.S. expansion in the South Pacific.*
*If a majority of the students perform well on the quiz I will introduce the Spanish-American War. Students need to know the reasons America pursued imperialism before discussing a result of it.
Table of Specifications
Outcomes to Assess / Item Types with Item NumbersContent Standard / Objective / Matching
(1 pt each) / Multiple
Choice
(1 pt. each) / True
False
(1 pt. each) / Short
Answer
(4 pts.each) / Map Usage
(1 pt. each)
11.4.2 Describe the Spanish-American War and U.S. expansion in the South Pacific / SWBAT:
Classify reasons America sought colonial possessions around the turn of the last century from political, economic and military aspects. / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6 / 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 / 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 / 17 / No item numbers are present as students will write their responses on the map.
Six items.
I hope that students understand that four factors influenced the United States to pursue an imperialistic policy in the 1890s. Those factors are economic, military, humanitarian and nationalistic. For example, American manufacturers sought new markets to sell their goods because a surplus existed in the states. The American populace could not buy all the goods and eat all the food that was produced. Therefore, business leaders persuaded Congress to obtain colonies to act as markets for the goods surplus. As a result, the United States must provide a modern navy to protect these colonies from foreign competitors. At the same time, Christianity and modern civilization would be brought to developing countries. These three factors would result in a new sense of American pride or nationalism. All four of these factors are the reasons that encourage America to declare war on Spain.
Points are assigned based on the difficulty of the task. For example, the objective portion and map usage items are one point each since students have to choose or write the correct answer. On the other hand, the short response carries a higher point total because students are required to create their own response instead of choosing one.
This quiz is a reliable assessment tool because it presents the learned content in a variety of formats. Secondly, this quiz is only assessing what has been learned so far and, thus, determines how well students have understood said content. The scoring can be handled consistently on all five formats based on difficulty level and the fact that point values are clearly listed.
This assessment tool meets standardization requirements because it is administered to all students under the same conditions. For example, all students will complete the same response formats in the same amount of time. The point system applies to everyone who takes the quiz because it will be scored the same way.
This quiz is valid because it assesses what has be taught and learned in class. This quiz contains the foundation for this unit and, if students grasp the content, then they will understand the results of America’s imperialistic policy. Specifically speaking, students who score well will understand why events like the Spanish-American War, Hawaiian annexation, the Open Door Policy and Panama Canal construction occurred. Students will be able to apply the concepts to these and other related events. The quizzes content will prepare students for other formative assessments like the role play activities and the summative assessments like the timeline and exam.
This quiz is practical because it is easy to grade with an answer key and the written responses are brief. In addition, the quiz can be administered within 20 minutes. Finally, the quizzes three sheets can be reproduced quickly into two sheets via two-sided copying.
The quiz results will determine what my next step is in teaching this unit. The results will tell me if I need to refresh this content or re-teach it in preparation for the next lesson. If students have difficulty answering questions 7, 11, 14 and 17, then I will re-teach the necessity of a modern navy is to protecting foreign markets. I would review that economic and military factors guided American foreign policy in the 1890s, which resulted in the construction of the Great White Fleet and America’s so-called empire. This review would address the economic surplus that could be sold to foreign markets because domestic consumers had enough. If most students score well on this quiz, I would introduce the Spanish-American War because that conflict was the second step of American imperial policy, which catapulted her into the international community of world powers.