RAS- Social Studies Skills and Big Ideas Part II

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 be bad for Alabama's economy.

• The tax bill will hurt small businesses in Alabama.

Which statement is an example of a fact?

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

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

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

• World War I took place between 1914-1918

What statement is an example of an opinion?

• World War II was more horrific than World War I.

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

• A majority of the world's countries participated in World War II.

• Japan's surrender in 1945 officially ended 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 contains more opinions than facts.

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

• 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.

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

World War I may not have ended all wars that would come later, but at the time, it was one of the deadliest conflicts in history. An estimated 15 million soldiers and civilians were killed in the war. New warfare technologies, like armored tanks and airplanes, added to the death and destruction of the war.

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

• This source is not credible because it was not written by an expert in the field.

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

• This source is credible because it contains facts and information that are accurate.

• This source is credible because it contains opinions that are shared by other authors.

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 opposes a woman's right to vote.

• McKee opposes a woman's right to protest.

• McKee supports a woman's right to vote.

• McKee supports blocking women's voting rights.

What is historical causation?

• A connection between events in which the first event caused the events that follow

• The act of identifying relationships between two or more events in history

• A statement meant to convince others that their perspective is the best one

• A source of evidence that can be depended on to be consistently accurate

A connection between events in which the first event causes the events that follow is known as?

• conclusion

• historical causation

• cause and effect relationship

• claim

A connection between two events that does not necessarily mean one caused the other is called?

• causation

• claim

• hypothesis

• correlation

Which example describes a primary source?

• A fictional book written about Neil Armstrong landing on the moon

• A video recording of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon

• An article analyzing the historical significance of Neil Armstrong's moon landing

• A song recounting the events of Neil Armstrong's first walk on the moon