RAS- 7th Grade Social Studies Skills Review Pt. 1

Which example describes a primary source?

• An article analyzing a speech given by President Barack Obama

• A movie about President Barack Obama's years in office

• The transcript of a speech given by President Barack Obama

• A biography about Barack Obama written by David Maraniss

This is an excerpt from a speech given to the Alabama Congress by a state senator:

Passage of this tax bill will cost the great state of Alabama almost $11 million in lost revenue. Restaurants, retail shops, and grocery stores won't be able to stock the items they need to do business. Small businesses will close down all over the state, and the economy will come to a halt.

Which statement best represents the main idea of this source?

• The tax bill will be good for Alabama's economy.

• The tax bill will cost Alabama $11 million.

• The tax bill will hurt small businesses in Alabama.

• The tax bill will be bad for Alabama's economy.

Which statement is an example of a fact?

• World War II resulted in between 50 million and 85 million deaths.

• World War II was a more significant war than World War I.

• There has been no greater war in history than World War II.

• The world was better off because the Allies won World War II.

This is an excerpt from the website World War I by high school student Alexia Dengbai:

I believe World War I was the most destructive war in history. Millions were killed or injured, and cities were destroyed. People suffered greatly. There could never again be a war as destructive as World War I. That is why people called it the "war to end all wars."

Which statement about the credibility of this source is most accurate?

• The source is not credible because it does not contain the date of the war.

• The source is not credible because it contains more opinions than facts.

• The source is credible because the author is an expert on World War I.

• The source is credible because it contains more facts than opinions

An excerpt from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's speech to the Parliament of the United Kingdom on June 18, 1940 ¹ :

I spoke the other day of the colossal military disaster which occurred when the French High Command failed to withdraw the northern Armies from Belgium at the moment when they knew that the French front was decisively broken at Sedan and on the Meuse. This delay entailed the loss of fifteen or sixteen French divisions and threw out of action for the critical period the whole of the British Expeditionary Force. Our Army and 120,000 French troops were indeed rescued by the British Navy from Dunkirk but only with the loss of their cannon, vehicles and modern equipment.

What event does this source describe?

• The rescue of British troops by the French

• An attack on British troops by French soldiers

• The rescue of French troops by the British

• A great military victory for French troops

Daniella McKee is the author of Men on the Wrong Side of History , a book about the women's suffrage movement in Great Britain during the 1800s. She is the granddaughter of one of the founding members of the National Society for Women's Suffrage, a group that rallied to change laws in the United Kingdom that prevented women from voting. McKee is a professor of feminist studies at Windsor College and has written several other books on feminism and women's rights.

Which statement best describes a bias that the author of Men on the Wrong Side of History might have?

• McKee supports a woman's right to vote.

• McKee opposes a woman's right to vote.

• McKee opposes a woman's right to protest.

• McKee supports blocking women's voting rights.

In 1219, Ala ad-Din Muhammad II was the ruler of the Khwarezmid Empire in Central Asia. Genghis Khan, the leader of the Mongol Empire, sent a group of merchants to the Khwarezmid Empire to try to form an alliance. Muhammad, who had heard about the savagery of the Mongols, refused to negotiate and had all of Khan's merchants killed. Khan attacked the Khwarezmid Empire and, in less than two years, completely destroyed it.

Interpretation 1 — Ala ad-Din Muhammad II was right to refuse to negotiate with Genghis Khan because he wanted to protect his people from the Mongols' savagery.

Interpretation 2 — Ala ad-Din Muhammad II was wrong to kill the merchants, but as leader of the Khwarezmid Empire, he was within his rights to refuse to negotiate with Genghis Khan.

Which statement best compares the two interpretations of Ala ad-Din Muhammad II's decision?

• Both interpretations agree that he should have negotiated with Genghis Khan.

• Interpretation 1 opposes his decision, while interpretation 2 supports it.

• Interpretation 1 supports his decision, while interpretation 2 opposes it.

• Both interpretations agree that he was correct to refuse to negotiate with Genghis Khan.