Thinking Skills

What is an example of historical causation?

• European explorers arriving in the Americas brought new diseases with them, which spread to Indigenous people and caused many deaths.

• The changing weather between seasons causes many bird species to migrate south for the winter and lay their eggs in warmer climates.

• Rainbows are caused by sunlight in specific atmospheric conditions.

• People who left too early or too late on the Oregon Trail often died because of harsh weather conditions, lack of food, and disease

A historian using the skill of periodization will:

• figure out which historical events came first.

• explain why a historical event is still important today.

• break up historical events into units with distinct start and end points.

• decide whether a historical event is important or not.

The skill of dividing history into eras based on important features is called _____.

• continuity

• periodization

• chronological thinking

• sequencing

A time when a major change happens is called _____.

• periodization

• continuity

• chronological order

• a turning point

Continuing without change over a long period of time is called _____.

• chronological order

• periodization

• continuity

• a turning point

Which statement presents an argument based on historical causation?

• The first Europeans to arrive in the Americas did so in the 15th century.

• Contact with Europeans resulted in disease outbreaks for Indigenous peoples.

• Spain, Portugal, France, and Britain were all colonial powers in the Americas.

• Both African people and Indigenous peoples were enslaved on colonial plantations.

Which statement is the most likely conclusion you can draw from the cause-and-effect relationship shown in the diagram?

• Americans enjoyed buying mass-produced goods.

• The Industrial Revolution hurt the economy of the United States.

• The Industrial Revolution made goods more expensive to produce.

• The Industrial Revolution made goods cheaper to produce.

Which statement is the most likely conclusion you can draw from the cause-and-effect relationship shown in the diagram?

• The Transcontinental Railroad made it easier for more American settlers to move west.

• The Transcontinental Railroad made it harder for more American settlers to move west.

• Most American settlers considered the Transcontinental Railroad a failure.

• Most American settlers refused to travel on the Transcontinental Railroad.

Which statement is the most likely conclusion you can draw from the cause-and-effect relationship shown in the diagram?

• The British treatment of the American colonists was one of the causes of the American Revolution.

• The British treatment of American colonists had no effect on daily life in the colonies.

• The British treatment of American colonists was one of the reasons the British got rid of their colonies in North America.

• The British treatment of American colonists inspired support for the British king.

Which statement is the most likely conclusion you can draw from the cause-and-effect relationship shown in the diagram?

• Learning to domesticate plants and animals changed the way humans lived.

• Humans continued to hunt and gather food even after they developed complex societies.

• Learning to domesticate plants and animals had little impact on human societies.

• Humans decided to move around more after they learned how to domesticate plants and animals.