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Semester Test Study Guide–7th Grade History: Topic 1

Total questions: 61

Worksheet time: 31mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What was the first plant food cultivated in the Americas?

a)

Rice

b)

Maize

c)

Barley

d)

Wheat

2.

Which environmental change do scientists believe allowed migration by land to the Americas?

a)

Sea levels lowered

b)

Temperatures increased drastically

c)

Deserts expanded

d)

Rainfall increased significantly

3.

Most theories about the first Americans speculate that they migrated from which continent?

a)

Asia

b)

Europe

c)

Africa

d)

Australia

4.

Which civilization carved large stone heads?

a)

Aztec

b)

Olmec

c)

Maya

d)

Inca

5.

Which group of people developed a 365-day calendar?

a)

Maya

b)

Inuit

c)

Zulu

d)

Vikings

6.

Which native North American culture built dwellings in the walls of steep cliffs?

a)

Iroquois

b)

Puebloans

c)

Cherokee

d)

Sioux

7.

What caused prehistoric Americans to begin expanding their food choices?

a)

They wanted to trade with neighboring tribes.

b)

They discovered new cooking techniques.

c)

When they ran out of food, they had to expand and find other options.

d)

They followed animal migration patterns for sport.

8.

What was made possible by the invention of farming?

a)

Native American groups now had a more reliable source of food than only hunting.

b)

Native American groups could now travel to the moon.

c)

Native American groups invented electricity.

d)

Native American groups stopped using tools.

9.

What is the definition of 'Civilizations'?

a)

a kind of plant

b)

highly developed society

c)

a weather phenomenon

d)

a type of animal

10.

What is the definition of 'Irrigation'?

a)

a process of removing weeds from fields

b)

a technique for storing grains

c)

a system that supplies water to crops by artificial means

d)

a method of harvesting crops

11.

What is the definition of 'nomadic'?

a)

moving from place to place

b)

living in one place permanently

c)

building large cities

d)

farming in one location

12.

What is the definition of 'strait'?

a)

a deep valley with a river running through it

b)

a mountain range separating two countries

c)

a narrow passage of water between two larger bodies of water

d)

a large area of land surrounded by water

13.

What is the definition of 'culture'?

a)

a people’s shared values, beliefs, traditions, and behaviors

b)

the physical geography of a region

c)

the economic system of a country

d)

the political leaders of a society

14.

Define the following: A small, fast Portuguese ship used during the age of exploration; usually had 3 sails.

a)

Caravel

b)

Galleon

c)

Junk

d)

Dhow

15.

Define the following: A point of land that sticks out into water, much like a peninsula.

a)

Valley

b)

Bay

c)

Cape

d)

Island

16.

Define the following: To travel completely around something. (Fill in the blank)

a)

Navigate

b)

Circumnavigate

c)

Illuminate

d)

Excavate

17.

Define the following: Spanish explorer in the Americas during the 1500s. (Fill in the blank)

a)

Settler

b)

Missionary

c)

Conquistador

d)

Viceroy

18.

Define the following: Resistance of an organism to infection or disease.

a)

Immunity

b)

Infection

c)

Pathogen

d)

Antigen

19.

Define the following: A communal Native American structure; a town in Spanish-ruled lands.

a)

Presidio

b)

Pueblo

c)

Mission

d)

Mesa

20.

Define the following: Religious community where farming was carried out and Native Americans were converted to Christianity. (Fill in the blank)

a)

Pueblo

b)

Mission

c)

Colony

d)

Presidio

21.

Define the following: A fort. (Fill in the blank)

a)

Presidio

b)

Mission

c)

Plaza

d)

Rancho

22.

Define the following: An economic theory that a nation’s power depends on its ability to increase wealth by accumulating precious metals. (Fill in the blank)

a)

Feudalism

b)

Mercantilism

c)

Socialism

d)

Capitalism

23.

Define the following: To sell goods to other countries. (Fill in the blank)

a)

Export

b)

Import

c)

Manufacture

d)

Consume

24.

A settlement of people living in a new territory controlled by the home country is called a _______.

a)

Empire

b)

Colony

c)

Province

d)

Republic

25.

A religious movement in the 1500s that rejected or changed some Roman Catholic teachings and practices and established the Protestant Church is known as the _______.

a)

Reformation

b)

Renaissance

c)

Crusades

d)

Inquisition

26.

A form of Christianity that began in opposition to the Catholic Church is called _______.

a)

Orthodoxy

b)

Protestantism

c)

Gnosticism

d)

Anglicanism

27.

A much-sought sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, located along the north coast of North America, is called the _______.

a)

Panama Canal

b)

Strait of Gibraltar

c)

Northwest Passage

d)

Suez Canal

28.

A fleet of warships is called an _______.

a)

Armada

b)

Convoy

c)

Squadron

d)

Battalion

29.

A global trade of people, goods, technology, ideas, and diseases that occurred during the 1500s and 1600s is known as the _______.

a)

Industrial Revolution

b)

Columbian Exchange

c)

Age of Enlightenment

d)

Silk Road

30.

Who was the first European to step foot in the present day United States?

a)

Christopher Columbus

b)

Juan Ponce de Leon

c)

Francisco Pizarro

d)

Hernán Cortés

31.

Who was the first European to reach the Americas?

a)

Christopher Columbus

b)

Vasco da Gama

c)

Ferdinand Magellan

d)

Amerigo Vespucci

32.

Describe a day in the life of a sailor.

a)

Sailors only worked during storms, otherwise they spent their days fishing and swimming. They had several changes of clothes and personal servants.

b)

Each day began with prayers & hymns, one hot meal per day, worked 4 hour shifts around the clock (pumped seawater out of bottom of boat, cleaned the deck, set the sails, adjusted ropes, watched cargo), had 1 set of clothes that were rarely washed, ships had no bunks, crew members slept on the deck.

c)

Sailors spent most of their time relaxing, reading books, and attending social gatherings on the ship. They had private rooms and comfortable beds.

d)

Sailors enjoyed luxury cabins, multiple hot meals per day, and wore freshly laundered uniforms. Their work was limited to daytime hours only.

33.

Who wrote stories about the riches of Asia, causing others to want to explore there?

a)

Marco Polo

b)

Christopher Columbus

c)

Vasco da Gama

d)

Ferdinand Magellan

34.

What does “Renaissance” mean?

a)

Rebirth in French

b)

Golden Age in Greek

c)

Revolution in Latin

d)

Discovery in Italian

35.

What was salt used for?

a)

To make clothes

b)

To preserve meat and flavor foods

c)

To build houses

d)

To power vehicles

36.

How did Native Americans get the name “Indians?”

a)

Christopher Columbus thought he landed at the Indies, so he nicknamed the people already there “Indians.”

b)

They were named after the Indian Ocean by early explorers.

c)

Native Americans called themselves Indians to honor their ancestors.

d)

The name was given by British settlers who confused them with people from India.

37.

What did the Treaty of Tordesillas do?

a)

It ended the Thirty Years' War in Europe.

b)

It divided land between Spain and Portugal; Portugal disagreed with where the line would be drawn. This Treaty moved the line farther west.

c)

It created the United Nations to promote world peace.

d)

It established the first permanent English colony in the Americas.

38.

How did America get its name?

a)

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer who realized South America was a separate continent from Asia.

b)

Christopher Columbus named it after himself.

c)

It was named after the Native American tribes.

d)

America was named after a mythical land in Europe.

39.

Why did explorers want to find a Northwest Passage?

a)

They wanted to escape religious persecution.

b)

They wanted to discover new lands for settlement.

c)

They wanted to find a direct route to Asia so they could trade more, which resulted in making more money.

d)

They were searching for gold and other precious metals.

40.

Which group was less of a threat to the Native Americans?

a)

The Dutch

b)

The French

c)

The Spanish

d)

The British

41.

Define the following: Constitution - ____________

a)

document stating the basic form and rules of a government

b)

a type of economic policy

c)

a famous historical monument

d)

a scientific theory about evolution

42.

Define the following: Establish - ____________

a)

to ignore

b)

to create

c)

to forget

d)

to destroy

43.

Define the following: Tolerance - ____________

a)

willingness to allow or overlook

b)

strictness in enforcing rules

c)

refusal to accept differences

d)

enthusiasm for new experiences

44.

Define the following: Dissident - ____________

a)

person who refuses to go along with an official or prevailing belief or practice

b)

person who always agrees with authority

c)

person who follows all rules without question

d)

person who leads a group or organization

45.

Define the following: Lamentable - ____________

a)

delightful

b)

regrettable

c)

joyful

d)

unpredictable

46.

Define the following: Covenant - ____________

a)

pact; contract

b)

promise; hope

c)

agreement; wish

d)

law; rule

47.

Define the following: Patroon - ____________

a)

religious leader

b)

wealthy colonial landowner

c)

skilled craftsman

d)

colonial governor

48.

Define the following: proprietary colony - ____________

a)

a colony governed directly by the king

b)

a colony in which an owner, or proprietor, owned all the land and controlled the government

c)

a colony ruled by elected representatives

d)

a colony established for religious freedom

49.

Define the following: Pacifist - ____________

a)

someone who enjoys competitive sports

b)

someone who supports aggressive military action

c)

someone who opposes the use of war or violence to settle disputes

d)

someone who prefers to travel alone

50.

Fill in the blank: An _________ is a person who pledges his or her labor for an amount of time in exchange for some payment.

a)

indentured servant

b)

landowner

c)

apprentice

d)

sharecropper

51.

Fill in the blank: A ________ is one who flees his or her home to seek refuge or safety from some danger or ill.

a)

Refugee

b)

Tourist

c)

Citizen

d)

Resident

52.

Squanto & Samoset were important because:

a)

They helped the Pilgrims survive by teaching them local agriculture and acting as interpreters.

b)

They were leaders of the Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony.

c)

They were English explorers who mapped the New World.

d)

They were Native Americans who opposed the Pilgrims.

53.

What happened in 1621 that we still celebrate today?

a)

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated

b)

The Declaration of Independence was signed

c)

The Boston Tea Party occurred

d)

The Mayflower Compact was signed

54.

The Mayflower Compact was:

a)

an agreement to establish self-government in the Plymouth Colony

b)

a treaty with Native Americans

c)

a charter from the King of England

d)

a plan for trade with other colonies

55.

The mystery of Roanoke refers to:

a)

the unexplained disappearance of the settlers from the Roanoke Colony

b)

the discovery of gold in Roanoke

c)

the founding of the first university in Roanoke

d)

the signing of a peace treaty with Native Americans in Roanoke

56.

The Middle Passage refers to the journey endured by slaves. What was this journey like?

a)

It was a brutal voyage across the Atlantic Ocean where enslaved Africans faced overcrowding, disease, and harsh treatment.

b)

It was a comfortable trip across the Atlantic with plenty of food and freedom.

c)

It was a short walk from one African village to another.

d)

It was a peaceful migration to new lands with voluntary travelers.

57.

During the Middle Passage, slaves were ______ together for more than a month.

a)

chained

b)

fed

c)

freed

d)

entertained

58.

During the Middle Passage, slaves were crammed into dark, ______ lower decks.

a)

unventilated

b)

luxurious

c)

spacious

d)

decorated

59.

During the Middle Passage, slaves were given little ______ and water.

a)

food

b)

money

c)

clothing

d)

medicine

60.

Captives who died on the trip during the Middle Passage were ______ overboard.

a)

thrown

b)

buried

c)

rescued

d)

hidden

61.

Survivors of the Middle Passage faced the slave market, where they were sold to plantation owners, farmers, and ______ owners.

a)

business

b)

school

c)

church

d)

factory