Grade 7 Social Studies Practice Test

The map shows four numbered routes of some European explorers.

Which route is closest to the voyage of exploration of Bartolomeu Dias?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

The information below relates to the historical development of West Africa.

Which conclusion is supported by the information and your knowledge of West Africa?

• Outside influences caused cities to decline.

• Exhaustion of resources forced cities to change.

• Trading centers promoted regional development.

• Conflicts among cities hindered cultural advancement.

Which effect did the bubonic plague have on European life during the Middle Ages?

• It caused a peasant labor shortage that disrupted feudal society.

• It encouraged many people to move to colonies across the oceans.

• It prompted the start of modern medical techniques that have cured diseases.

• It changed the structure of medieval society because it targeted the upper classes.

The graph below illustrates a demographic change in China during the period of the Song Dynasty.

Which statement offers an explanation for how the Song Dynasty contributed to the change shown on the graph?

• Expanding territorial control to the Korean Peninsula increased the population of China significantly.

• Improving agricultural techniques with irrigation and more productive strains of rice increased food supplies.

• Adopting government policies that led to respect for the family and ancestors resulted in increased birthrates.

• Adopting government policies that encouraged immigration from Central Asia caused people to move to China.

The diagram below gives information about the Age of Discovery.

Which statement completes this diagram?

• American Indians welcomed new Christian religious practices.

• European powers offered justifications for colonization efforts.

• Catholic leaders needed religious converts in the colonies to keep its power.

• Protestant ministers believed converting American Indians offered increased spirituality.

The map below illustrates the Columbian Exchange.

Which statement describes a result for American Indians of the exchanges of animals shown on the map?

• It reduced their warfare.

• It made them more mobile.

• It increased their population.

• It caused a decline in hunting.

The image below shows the cover page of the 1663 edition of John Eliot’s translation of the Bible for American Indians. Based on the image and your knowledge of European history, which conclusion can be made about the reason this book was published?

• English missionaries sought to condemn American Indians.

• English missionaries believed American Indians could read English.

• English missionaries wanted American Indians to convert to Christianity.

• English missionaries refused to help American Indians to change religious practices.

The excerpt describes an example of traditional West African culture.

Which statement explains the reason griots became honored in West Africa?

• Griots became leaders of local religions.

• Griots guided groups to look to the future.

• West African cultures relied on past customs.

• West African economies benefited from the sales of stories.

The list identifies some of the complaints against the Catholic Church during the Renaissance.

Which solution did most people support to combat these abuses?

• to place Church leaders under arrest

• to break away from the Church’s authority

• to replace Church leaders with civil officials

• to encourage the Church to change its policies

The diagram below illustrates an economic development during the latter part of the Middle Ages. Which sentence completes the diagram?

• Manors become more self-sufficient.

• Merchants become more politically powerful.

• Knights become symbols of feudal-society culture.

• Manors become centers of government administration.