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Sample Prompts

The following pages contain sample writing prompts taken from selectedPrentice Hall social studies programs. The writing prompts are organized bysubject and grade. The writing prompts for middle grades world studies andmiddle grades American history are aimed at students in grades 6, 7, and 8.Writing prompts for civics, world geography, world history, U.S. history, eco-nomics, and government are aimed at students in the high-school gradeswhere these subjects are generally taught. Within each category, the samplewriting prompts are divided into short-answer questions, open-ended ques-tions, essay questions, and document- and data-based questions.

These sample writing prompts are provided for a number of reasons. First ofall, they serve as examples of the types of writing assessments described in thisbooklet. They also can be used as a reference for style and content in the indi-vidualized prompts you create according to your curriculum. Finally, theyserve as models for existing prompts you may be evaluating.

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Short-Answer Questions 1. What are two ways in which the vast desert

regions of Southwest and Central Asia affectthe lives of the people who live there?

2. What are the seven major features of anyculture?

3. Why has the Middle East been called “thecrossroads of the world”?

Sample Prompts for Middle Grades World Cultures

4. What were three major contributions of Mus-lim civilization?

5. What role did rivers and seas play in thedevelopment of Western Europe?

6. Describe two themes explored by Renaissanceartists and writers.

20 • Writing for Social Studies Assessment

Open-Response Questions 1. Ethnic and cultural diversity have led to con-

flict in many parts of South Asia. Describe thecauses and effects of two of the following: (a) Conflict between Hindus and Muslims atthe time of independence, (b) Sikh separatismin India, (c) Tamil Sinhalese tensions in SriLanka.

2. The nations of Latin America have taken dif-ferent paths to modernization. (a) Describeone political or economic challenge that hasfaced either Mexico, Argentina, or Brazil. (b) Explain what steps that country took tomeet that challenge.

3. After 1945, the Cold War shaped events inEurope. (a) Describe two ways in which ColdWar tensions affected Europe. (b) Describetwo effects of the end of the Cold War.

4. Western Europe contains a wide variety oflandforms. (a) Describe how geography hasshaped the economic development of oneregion in Western Europe. (b) Describe twoways in which western Europeans have usedtechnology to reshape their environment.

Essay Questions 1. African nations have experienced rapid cul-

tural change in recent years. Write an essaydescribing how three of the following havecontributed to cultural change in one Africannation: (a) urbanization, (b) education, (c) economic development, (d) populationexplosion, (e) westernization, (f) technology.

2. Mohandas Gandhi had a major impact on hiscountry’s development. Write an essay thatdescribes Gandhi’s goals for India, how he set out to achieve those goals and how hisphilosophy reflected both Indian and westerntraditions.

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Writing for Social Studies Assessment • 21

Document- and Data-Based Questions “Bengal sweets are the best in India. I can’t take Bombay or Delhi sweets.”

—Bengali civil servant

“Only in Uttar Pradesh is politics really understood. The Uttar Pradesh is the political heart of India.”

—Gujarati factory owner

“Live in the South? NEVER! Their languages are impossible and one gets only rice, rice, rice!”—Punjabi engineer

Read the quotes above. What kind of bias do these statements imply about thepeople and cultures within India? Do you think these statements support theconclusion that India is a nation characterized by culture diversity? Why orwhy not?

Prime Minister Calls for Vote of Confidence

Labor Party Members Resign from Cabinet

New Coalition Government Seems Fragile

Read the headlines above. To which type of government do the headlinesrefer—an absolute monarchy or a parliamentary democracy? Use evidencefrom the headlines to support your answer.

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Mexico Triples Wheat ProductionWorld Chemical Fertilizer Consumption Rises by 10% Per Year Since 1960

Synthetic Hormones Regulate Plant Size and Growth Rate

IR 58 The Wonder Rice of the 1980s!Philippines End More than 50 Years of Rice Imports

USA Doubles Food Production in 30 Years

Read the headlines above. What effects do you think the developmentsdescribed in the headlines would have on Asian and Latin American nations?In your opinion, would these effects be positive or negative? Support youranswer with examples.


Speaker A: The story of history is the story of class struggles. Revolution isnecessary to overthrow the ruling class and eventually create a classless societyin which no one will be exploited.

Speaker B: The royal power is absolute and the prince need render accountof his acts to no one. Where the word of a king is, there is power. Without thisabsolute authority, the king could neither do good nor repress evil.

Speaker C: Government should leave business alone. It should let the nat-ural law of supply and demand determine what gets produced, how much getsproduced, who does the work, the price of goods, rates of pay, and all othereconomic questions.

Speaker D: Men are born and remain free and equal in right. It is the dutyof every government to preserve and protect these natural and inalienablerights.

Directions: Read the excerpts above, then answer the questions that follow.

Each of the speakers above expresses a viewpoint on the philosophy of gov-ernment. Based on your knowledge of world governments, select two of thetheories and list at least two nations that accepted them and were ruled bythem. In your opinion, were these theories beneficial or detrimental to the suc-cess of the nations as a whole? Support your conclusions with examples.

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Short-Answer Questions 1. Describe three ideas contained in the Declara-

tion of Independence.

2. Describe one reason why Federalists favoredthe Constitution and one reason why Antifed-eralists opposed it.

3. What were three goals of the Lewis and Clarkexpedition?

Sample Prompts for Middle GradesAmerican History

4. Explain why Harriet Tubman was called the“Black Moses.”

5. Describe one way the New Deal helped eachof the following groups: (a) the unemployed,(b) farmers, (c) factory workers.

Open-Response Questions 1. Consider the following four events:

• American victory at Saratoga• French entry into the war against Britain• British defeat at Yorktown• Signing of the Treaty of ParisExplain how each event helped to cause thenext event.

2. Do you think Britain had the right to tax thecolonies? Write an essay to defend yourposition.

3. Write a short essay describing the early battlesof the Revolutionary War and what impact anAmerican victory or defeat seemed to have onthe Patriot cause.

2. (a) Describe the idea of Manifest Destiny. (b) Explain how the nation achieved this goal.(c) What do you think were some of the posi-tive and negative effects of Manifest Destiny?

3. (a) Identify a major ecological problem in theworld today. (b) How is it similar to, and howis it different from, the Dust Bowl problem ofthe 1930s?

Essay Questions 1. Select one of the following and describe the

events of the time that would have had thegreatest effect on you if you had lived at thattime. Be sure to include specific historicaldetails.• A Native American in the Ohio Valley in

1750• Major George Washington in the 1750s• A Son or Daughter of Liberty in 1770• A minuteman on April 19, 1775

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Document- and Data-Based Questions Directions: Read the documents below and then answer the questions thatfollow.

Pledge of Allegiance, 1892The Pledge of Allegiance first appeared in a magazine called The Youth’s Com-panion on September 8, 1892. The original Pledge, attributed to Francis Bel-lamy, stated: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which itstands; one Nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” In 1924, “myFlag” was changed to “the Flag of the United States of America.” Congressofficially recognized the Pledge in 1942. In 1954, Congress added “underGod.”

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to theRepublic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty andjustice for all.”

American’s Creed, 1917In 1917, William Tyler Page, the clerk of the House of Representatives, won acontest sponsored by the city of Baltimore calling for the “best summary ofAmerican political faith.” Page’s poem, which contains phrases borrowedfrom the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and famous Ameri-can speeches, became the American’s Creed on April 3, 1918, when Congressofficially accepted it.

“I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, bythe people, for the people; whose Just powers are derived from the consent ofthe governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereignStates; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles offreedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificedtheir lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its consti-tution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.”

1. Patriotism is love, support, and defense of one’s country. Write a paragraphthat supports the following statement: The Pledge of Allegiance and theAmerican’s Creed are both expressions of American patriotism. In yourparagraph, cite one example from the Pledge of Allegiance and three exam-ples from the American’s Creed to support your answer. Be sure to include atopic sentence in your paragraph.

2. Write a paragraph that identifies principles of government expressed inboth the Pledge of Allegiance and the American’s Creed.


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Directions: Read the documents below and then answer the questions thatfollow.

The “Little Rock Nine” faced incredible opposition from white students,teachers, and parents during their first year at Central High School. Every dayof the school year, the African American students were harassed by other stu-dents. When it became clear that seven black students would be returning toCentral High the next fall, Governor Faubus closed the school rather thanallow integration to continue. The school did not reopen until 1960, andgradually it became more integrated.

A Diary of the StruggleFifteen-year-old Melba Pattillo kept a diary of her experience as one of theLittle Rock Nine:

“September 26, 1957Now I have a bodyguard. I know very well that the President didn’t send thosesoldiers just to protect me but to show support for an idea—the idea that agovernor can’t ignore federal laws.February 13, 1958I sometimes wish I could change myself into a psychiatrist to determine whatmakes me such a hated member of this school. Can they really be treating methis way simply because I am brown, that’s all?February 18, 1958A red-haired, freckle-faced girl, the one who taunts me in homeroom, keepstrailing me in the hallway between classes. Today she spit on me, then slappedme. Later in the day as I came around a corner, she tripped me so that I felldown a flight of stairs. I picked myself up to face a group of boys who thenchased me up the stairs.April 27, 1958I salute the flag every morning as I look at a picture on the homeroom walldirectly in front of me. . . . As the boys behind me call me names and girls toeach side sneer, I look straight ahead. . . . It is a promise that if I salute the flag like a good American, all these integration problems will be worked outeventually.”

The Road From Little RockThirty years later, in 1987, the Little Rock Nine reassembled in their home-town for their first reunion ever. Pattillo described some of the thoughts thatwent through her mind in her book Warriors Don’t Cry:

“My eight friends and I paid for the integration of Central High with our inno-cence. During those years, when we desperately needed approval from our peers,we were victims of the most harsh rejection imaginable. . . . I am proud to reportthat the Little Rock experience also gave us courage, strength, and hope.”

1. What did Pattillo hope to achieve by saluting the flag?

2. Compare Pattillo’s diary entries with her observations 30 years later. Howare her beliefs and attitudes similar or different?

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Directions: Write a brief essay on the topic below using the documents as evi-dence. Be sure to consider the point of view of the writer who created eachdocument. Your essay should include three parts: (1) an introduction thatstates your main point, (2) a body that develops your main point and offersevidence from the documents and your knowledge of American history, and(3) a conclusion that restates your main point. Include specific historicaldetails and use information from the documents.

Essay topic: In the late 1800s, the United States economy was changed by newinventions, remarkably rapid growth, and new forms of transportation andcommunication. What benefits did these changes bring about? What problemsdid they cause?

Document 1: Historian Sandy Lydon, describing the lives of Chinese immi-grants who worked on California railroads, in Chinese Gold (1985)

“Between 1875 and 1880 the Chinese built three separate railroads, laid forty-two miles of track, and drilled 2.6 miles of tunnels to stitch Santa Cruz Countytogether and attach it permanently to the world beyond the Santa Cruz Moun-tains. The Chinese contributed not only their sweat and their muscle, but their lives. At least fifty Chinese were killed in accidents while building thoserailroads . . .

Chinese railroad workers on the Santa Cruz Railroad worked six ten-hourdays a week and were paid one dollar a day. Two dollars per week [were]deducted from their pay for food, while expenses such as clothing and recreationchipped away at the remaining four dollars.”

Document 2: Andrew Carnegie, describing the beginnings of the American steelindustry, in an essay (1901)

“As late as 1810 there were produced in the whole country only 917 tons of steel. . . . It was not [until] 1864, when the last century was almost two-thirdsgone, that the revolution in steel manufacture came to us, and the Iron Agebegan to give way to the new King Steel, for our first Bessemer steel was made inthat notable year, and steel [that earlier had cost] from six to seven cents perpound for ordinary grades has since sold at less than one cent per pound.

There is one element of cost, however, . . . that has not been [reduced], andthat is human labor. [Wages have] risen and the tendency is to higher earningsper man.”

Document 3: Table based on federal government statistics highlighting majorAmerican industries (1890)

Ranking of Major IndustriesInvestment Total Workers Cost of Labor

Textiles: $1 billion Textiles: 824,000 Iron and steel: $285 million

Iron and steel: $998 million Lumber: 548,000 Textiles: $278 million

Lumber: $844 million Iron and steel: 532,000 Lumber: $202 million

Food processing $508 million Food processing: 249,000 Paper and printing: $118 million

Source: John A Garraty, The New Commonwealth (New York: Harper and Row, 1968), p. 82.

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Short-Answer Questions 1. List four rights of American citizens.

2. What two checks does Congress have on theSupreme Court?

3. Name two major sources of state revenue.

Sample Prompts for Civics

4. Name a kind of crime against a person and akind of crime against property.

5. Give two reasons why third parties areformed.

Open-Response Questions 1. Name three ways that the institutions of the

family, religion, and education differ in theneeds they meet and the ways they helpsociety? What three ways do they have incommon?

2. Explain how each of the following influencedAmerican government. (a) the governments ofancient Athens and Rome (b) the history ofEnglish government (c) the ideas of Locke andMontesquieu

3. Describe four purchases you have maderecently and the prices you paid for each. Inan essay answer the following questions andexplain your reasoning:• Which item would you have bought even if

the price were higher?• At what price would you no longer have

been willing to buy each item?• What factors other than price influenced

your decisions to buy?

3. Choose two of the three branches of the fed-eral government. Describe the checks eachbranch has on the power of the other. What isthe importance of each of these checks?

4. What is the advantage of giving Congress,rather than the President, the final say indetermining the federal budget? What is a dis-advantage?

Essay Questions 1. Choose one right protected by the Bill of

Rights. Write an essay explaining how thisright has been important in your life. Use spe-cific examples to support your explanation.

2. Write an essay that describes a new law youwould like to have in your town. Rememberto include what the goal of the law would beand what the punishment would be for break-ing your law.

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Document- and Data-Based Questions Directions: Picture being an immigrant and arriving in this country knowingnothing of the language or customs. Think how important your school wouldbe to you. To Mary Antin, a Russian-Jewish immigrant in 1894, and toErnesto Galarza, writing in 1971, school offered hope and opportunity. Readthe two documents below and then answer the questions that follow.

The Promised Land“Education was free. That subject my father had written about repeatedly, asmaking up his chief hope for us children, the essence of American opportunity,the treasure that no thief could touch, not even misfortune or poverty. It was theone thing that he was able to promise us when he sent for us; surer, safer thanbread or shelter.

On our second day in this country, I was thrilled with the realization of whatthis freedom of education meant. A little girl from across the alley came andoffered to conduct us to school. My father was out, but we had a few words ofEnglish by this time. We knew the word school. We understood. This child, whohad never seen us till yesterday, was able to offer us the freedom of the schoolsof Boston! No application was made, no questions asked, no examinations,rulings, exclusions, no fee. The doors stood open. The smallest child could showus the way.”

The Griddle“The Lincoln School was a sampling of the lower part of town. My pals in thesecond grade were Kazushi, whose parents spoke only Japanese; Matti, a skinnyItalian boy; and Manuel, a Portuguese.

Miss Hopley and her teachers never let us forget why we were at Lincoln; forthose who were foreign-born, to become good Americans; for those who wereAmerican-born, to accept the rest of us. The school was not so much a meltingpot as a griddle where Miss Hopley warmed knowledge into us and roastedracial hatreds out of us.

At Lincoln, making us into Americans did not mean scrubbing away whatmade us originally foreign. No one was ever punished for speaking his nativetongue on the playground. Matti told the class about his mother’s down quilt,which she had made in Italy. Encarnación acted out how boys learned to fish inthe Philippines. Someone showed a Chinese painting. It was easy for me to feelthat becoming a proud American, as Miss Hopley said we should, did not meanfeeling ashamed of being a Mexican.”

1. What does Mary Antin say that gives you an idea of how Russian schoolsdiffered from Boston schools in 1894?

2. What does Ernesto Galarza mean by calling his school “a griddle”? Whatevidence does he give that Miss Hopley succeeded in her goal?


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Directions: Our Bill of Rights is based largely on earlier lists of rights, especiallytwo sources from England: The Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill ofRights (1689). As you read, picture what the English monarchs were able todo before these documents limited their power. Look for ideas that grew intoour Bill of Rights, then answer the questions that follow.

From the Magna Carta

“1. We [the monarch] have granted that the English church shall be free, andshall hold its rights entire and its liberties uninjured. . . .

12. No tax shall be imposed in our kingdom except by the common council ofour kingdom, except for ransoming of our body, for making of our oldestson a knight, and for once marrying our oldest daughter. . . .

20. A free man shall not be fined for a small offense, except in proportion to themeasure of the offense; and for a great offense he shall be fined in propor-tion to the magnitude of the offense, and none of the fines shall be imposedexcept by the oaths of honest men of the neighborhood. . . .

39. No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or dispossessed, or outlawed, orbanished, or in any way destroyed except by the legal judgment of his peersor by the law of the land.

40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny, or delay right or justice.”

From the Bill of Rights

“That levying money [taxing] without grant of parliament . . . is illegal.

That it is the right of the subjects to petition the King. . . .

That the freedom of speech, and debates or proceedings in parliament, ought not to be [challenged or questioned] in any court or place out of parliament.”

1. What are three of the ways English monarchs could have treated peopleunfairly before King John signed the Magna Carta?

2. Explain which protections in our Bill of Rights have roots in the aboveselections from the Magna Carta, and which have roots in the above selec-tions from the English Bill of Rights.

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Short-Answer Questions1. What are the two internal processes that cre-

ate landforms?

2. Name two foods that “migrated” from theAmericas to Europe. Name two foods that“migrated” to the Americas.

3. Discuss two advantages and two disadvan-tages of using coal as a fuel.

Sample Prompts for World Geography

4. What are the major differences between east-ern and western China?

5. Why do the majority of Australia’s cities liealong the coast?


Open-Response Questions 1. Explain how erosion can have both negative

and positive effects and provide at least oneexample of each.

2. Choose one basis—either physical, economic,human, or historical—on which to divide theUnited States into regions different from theones that exist today. Give reasons thatexplain your choices.

2. Write an essay exploring the advantages anddisadvantages of living in a nation in whichmany cultures are represented.

3. Write two essays describing life in Berlin whenthe Berlin Wall still existed. In one essay,imagine life as a Western Berliner. In the other,write from the perspective of an East Berliner.

Essay Questions 1. Write an essay describing what it would be

like to live in one of the Nordic nations duringthe winter and during the summer. Howwould it affect your life if the sun shone onlythree or four hours a day during the wintermonths. What would you do differently dur-ing the summer if it were light outside fortwenty hours a day?

3. The multicultural characteristic of the UnitedStates is sometimes called a “melting pot.” InCanada, it is often called a “mosaic.” Whatdo you think is the difference between theseterms?

4. What are the advantages and the disadvan-tages of an economy based on one crop or oneproduct?

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1. What is the relationship between the location of active volcanoes and thelocation of earthquake zones?

2. Although there is no volcanic activity shown on the map for the region ofthe Himalayas, the area is shaded to show an earthquake zone. Why wouldyou expect earthquakes to occur there?

31488 World Geography TRF Publisher: PHSCH Electronic Artwork Chapter 2, Msp page 43, Earthquakes and Volcanoes Operator: dgs Date: 12-20-93

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Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Document- and Data-Based Questions Directions: The map below shows the location of active volcanoes and earth-quake zones. Study the map, and then answer the questions that follow.

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Directions: Compare the political map and the cartogram below. Then answerthe questions that follow.


31488 World Geography TRF Publisher: PHSCH Electronic Artwork Chapter 28, Msp. page 20, Asia and Australia, Test Form A Operator: dgs Date: 2-15-94 OC's: dgs 2-16-94

Asia and Australia: Political

CHINA

BANGLADESH

MYANMAR

INDIA

PAKISTAN

SRI LANKA

SOUTH KOREA

JAPAN

PHILIPPINES

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

INDONESIA

Gross National Product (GNP)

JAPAN

SOUTH KOREA

CHINA

BANGLADESH

MYANMAR

PAKISTAN

INDIA

SRI LANKA PHILIPPINES

INDONESIA

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

SIZE OF COUNTRIES INDICATES RELATIVE

AMOUNT OF GNP

1. What does the cartogram tell you about Japan?

2. Which country has the larger GNP, Indonesia or Sri Lanka?

3. What do the relative sizes of Australia and New Zealand on both maps tellyou about each country’s GNP?

4. Compare the size of South Korea on the two maps. What does this compar-ison tell you?

5. How does China’s GNP compare with that of Japan?

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Directions: Study the table, and then answer the questions that follow.

Population Data for Four Central American CountriesCosta Rica Panama Honduras Guatemala

Literacy Rate 93% 88% 73% 55%

Infant Mortality Rate 10% 16% 43% 52%(per 1,000 births)

Life Expectancy

Males 76% 73% 66% 62%

Females 80% 78% 71% 68%

Workers in Agriculture 27% 27% 62% 60%

Source: World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1996.

1. What relationship between literacy rate and infant mortality rates does thistable suggest?

2. Identify another relationship from studying the data in the table.

3. Which country shown has the highest standard of living? Give reasons foryour choice.

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Short-Answer Questions 1. List the eight features found in most early civi-

lizations.

2. Describe the social structure of the Aztecempire.

3. (a) What was the Renaissance? (b) When and where did it begin?

Sample Prompts for World History

4. At the start of World War I, which nationsmade up the Central Powers? Which nationsmade up the Allies?

5. What was the outcome of the war inVietnam?


Open-Response Questions 1. Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish writer, said that

history was “the biography of great men.” IbnKhaldun, an Arab historian, defined history as“information about human social organiza-tions.” (a) What is the main differencebetween these two views of history? (b) Howmight each man’s viewpoint have affected theway he wrote about history?

2. One of Hammurabi’s laws states, “If outlawscollect in the house of a wine-seller, and shedoes not arrest these outlaws and bring themto the palace, that wine-seller shall be put todeath.” (a) What was the purpose of this law?(b) Would you consider this a harsh law? (c) What similar laws do we have today?

3. The second half of the twentieth century wasa period of conflicts and achievements. Dis-cuss how tensions between governments orthe people they govern shaped the world from1945 to 2000. Discuss whether the world, indealing with these tensions, became a betterplace in which to live. Be sure to include spe-cific historical details. You must also includeadditional information from your knowledgeof global history and geography.

Essay Questions 1. Confucius said that people are basically good

and can be led by example. Hanfeizi felt thatpeople are basically evil and have to be con-trolled by laws. Select one of these positionsand write three arguments to defend it.

2. Geographic features can positively or nega-tively affect the development of a civilization.Select one geographic feature from your studyof world history and explain how this geo-graphic feature has had an effect on the his-torical development of two civilizations. Besure to include specific historical examples inyour essay.

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Document- and Data-Based Questions Directions: Look at the table below and then answer the question that follows.

Old Stone Age

• 150,000 to 10,000 yearsago

• made weapons and toolsof stone and wood

• fished and hunted for food• sewed clothing of animal

skins• lived in caves• used fire for warmth and

cooking

Middle Stone Age

• 10,000 to 8,000 years ago• life much the same as Old

Stone Age• certain animals were

domesticated (dogs andgoats)

New Stone Age

• 8,000 to 6,000 years ago• learned to farm• raised animals• learned to weave baskets,

make clothing from plantfibers and wool, make claypots

• invented the wheel

Identify and compare the ways in which animals affected the way people livedin the Stone Age.

Directions: Read the excerpts below, and then answer the question that follows.

“The reason men enter into society is to protect their property. And the reasonthey choose a government is to make laws to guard that property. . . . Certainlysociety does not want to give the government the power to destroy the veryproperty which it was chosen to protect. Therefore, whenever government triesto take away and destroy the property of the people, or reduce the people toslavery, it puts itself in a state of war with the people. The people are freed fromany further obedience to that government . . . and have the right to establish anew government.”

—John Locke, Two Treatises on Civil Government (1690)

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that theyare endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among theseare life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, govern-ments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent ofthe governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive ofthese ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute newgovernment.”

—Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence (1776)

What ideas did Thomas Jefferson use from John Locke?

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Directions: Read the excerpt below, and then answer the question that follows.“We differ from other states in regarding the man who holds aloof from publiclife not as ‘quiet’ but as useless; we decide or debate, carefully and in person, allmatters of policy, holding, not that words and deeds go ill together, but that actsare foredoomed to failure when undertaken undiscussed.”

–Speech of Pericles (431 B.C.) in Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

According to Pericles of Athens, what is the responsibility of a citizen in ademocracy? Do you agree or disagree?

Directions: Read the documents below, and then answer the question thatfollows.

“The pretended power of suspending [ending] of laws . . . by [the king’s] author-ity without consent of Parliament is illegal. . . . It is the right of the subjects topetition the king. . . . The levying of money for . . . the use of the crown . . .without grant of Parliament . . . is illegal. The raising and keeping of a standingarmy within the kingdom in time of peace unless it be with the consent of Parlia-ment is against the law. The speech and debates . . . in Parliament ought not tobe . . . questioned in any court or place out of Parliament. . . . Excessive bailought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusualpunishments inflicted.”

—Bill of Rights, England (1689)

“Men are born free and remain equal in rights. . . . Law is the expression of thegeneral will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally or through hisrepresentative in its [the law’s] formation. . . . All citizens, being equal in the eyesof the law . . . no person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in thecases and according to the forms prescribed by law. No one shall be disquieted[attacked] on account of his opinions, including his religious views. . . . Everycitizen may speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible forsuch abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.”

—Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, France (1789)

“Congress shall make no law respecting [having to do with] an establishment ofreligion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging [taking away] thefreedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assem-ble, and to petition the government. . . .

No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the con-sent of the owner. . . .

. . . Nor shall [any person] be compelled . . . to be a witness against himself. . . .

. . . the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impar-tial jury . . . ; to be confronted with witnesses against him. . . .

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel andunusual punishments inflicted.”

—Bill of Rights, United States (1791)

How do these three documents illustrate the spread of the philosophies ofgovernment?


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Directions: Read the documents below and then answer the question that follows.“I remember a period in the early 1960s, when there was a great deal of politicaltension, and we often used to encounter armed police in Soweto. . . . I rememberthe humiliation to which my parents were subjected by whites in shops and inother places where we encountered them, and the poverty. All these things hadtheir influence on my young mind . . . and by the time I went to Orlando WestHigh School, I was already beginning to question the injustice of the society . . .and to ask why nothing was being done to change it.”

—Mosima Gabriel Sexwale (1978)

“Factors such as South Africa’s changing demography [population], the rate ofurbanisation, the striving of the majority of people for a place in the sun, make itimpossible . . . for the anachronistic [outdated] viewpoint of the right wing andsections of government [apartheid] to survive.”

—Van Zyl Slabbert (1998)

According to Sexwale and Slabbert, what factors led to the end of apartheid?

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Short-Answer Questions 1. Why did English Pilgrims come to New

England?

2. Describe the structure of the government cre-ated by the Constitution.

3. Why did Lincoln’s election prompt the seces-sion of southern states?

Sample Prompts for U.S. History

4. What was the result of the Battle ofGettysburg?

5. What did Americans do to try to help oneanother during the Depression?

6. What was the D-Day operation?

7. How did Germany come to be a dividednation after World War II?


Open-Response Questions 1. Thomas Jefferson and his supporters believed

that a Bill of Rights was absolutely crucial tothe protection of liberty. Do you think thisconclusion has proven to be correct? Useexamples from history or from the present toshow your reasoning.

2. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union and theend of the cold war around 1991, relationsbetween the United States and Russia havechanged. Write an essay explaining thechanges. Compare American and Russiangoals today. Do you think Russia is still athreat to American interests?

2. Lincoln came to believe that the Union couldnot survive if slavery were preserved. Give evi-dence to support his conclusion.

3. In your opinion, was Andrew Carnegie morea “captain of industry” or a “robber baron”?Explain.

Essay Questions 1. The Constitution is often referred to as “The

Living Constitution.” Write an essay thatshows how the Constitution is “alive” today.Include answers to these questions: (a) Whatfeatures of the Constitution make it flexibleenough to apply to the nation’s needs today?(b) What freedoms do you enjoy because ofthe Constitution?

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Document- and Data-Based QuestionsHistorical Context: In May 1787, fifty-five delegates came together in Philadel-phia to amend the Articles of Confederation. What they did was create a newConstitution, a plan of government designed to solve the governmental prob-lems experienced under the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution theycreated has remained a flexible, living document that continues to guide thisnation today.

Task: Using information from the documents and your knowledge of UnitedStates history and government, answer the questions that follow each docu-ment in Part A.

PART A: SHORT-ANSWERDocument #1

“The United States in Congress assembled shall never engage in a war, . . . norenter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value there-of, . . . nor borrow money on the credit of the United States, nor appropriatemoney, . . . nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nineStates assent [agree].”

—The Articles of Confederation

Why might it be difficult to have an effective government under the Articles ofConfederation?

Document #2

Year AmendmentRatified Number Excerpt From the Amendment

1870 15 “The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged . . . on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

1920 19 “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged . . . onaccount of sex”

1971 26 “The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, tovote, shall not be denied or abridged . . .”

How do these amendments demonstrate the ability of the Constitution toadapt to a change in attitude about who should have the right vote?

(continued)

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Document #3“Representatives . . . shall be determined by adding to the . . . number of freepersons . . . three fifths of all other persons [slaves].”

—U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2

How was the debate over the counting of slaves for representation resolved inthe Constitution?

Document #4“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in thesame hands, whether one, a few, or many . . . may justly be pronounced the verydefinition of tyranny [cruel or unjust use of power].”

—James Madison, The Federalist, No. 47

How might the system of checks and balances address the fears expressed inthe quote by James Madison?

Document #5“So if a law be in opposition to the Constitution, if both the law and the Consti-tution apply to a particular case . . . the court must decide that case conformably[in agreement] to the law, disregarding the Constitution or conformably to theConstitution, disregarding the law, the court must determine which of these con-flicting rules governs the case. This is the very essence of judicial duty. If, then,the courts are to regard the Constitution, and the Constitution is superior to anyordinary act, the Constitution and not such ordinary act, must govern the caseto which both apply.”

—Marbury v. Madison (1803)

How did the ruling in Marbury v. Madison expand the power of the SupremeCourt?

(continued)


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Document #6The Missouri Compromise

How does the map above demonstrate Congress’ ability to make laws to dealwith the extension of slavery as expressed in the Missouri Compromise?

PART B: ESSAY

Task: Using information from the documents and your knowledge of UnitedStates history and government, write an essay on the following:

Discuss how the Constitution was both (a) a product of its time, and (b) adocument that has had enough flexibility to meet the challenges of the future.

40° N

30° N

120°

W

110°

W

100°

W

90 °W

80 °W

ATLANTIC OCEAN

N

EW

S

0

0 250 500 Kilometers

250 500 Miles

Mich. Terr.

Mo.

Ill. Ind. Ohio

Ark. Terr.

La.

Ala. Ga.

Fla. Terr.

S.C.

N.C.

Va.

Tenn.

Ky.

Pa.

N.Y.

Vt. Me.N.H.

Mass.

R.I.Conn.N.J.

Del.Md.

36° 30' N

States formed by Missouri CompromiseFree states and territories closed to slaverySlave states and territories open to slavery

NEW SPAIN

Oregon Country

(Occupied by U.S. and Great Britain)

Unorganized Territory

Missouri Compromise Line

Miss.

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Short-Answer Questions 1. List the basic economic goals for a traditional

economy, a centrally planned economy, and afree market economy.

2. How does gross domestic product (GDP) dif-fer from gross national product (GNP)?

Sample Prompts for Economics

3. What are three effects of inflation? Give anexample of each.

4. List and describe three characteristics of devel-oped nations and three characteristics of lessdeveloped countries.


Open-Response Questions 1. In recent years, some manufacturing firms

have moved their factories to countries wherenonunion labor is cheap. The companies saythey need to make such moves to reduce costsand compete with foreign companies. Ameri-can unions have fiercely opposed the cuts inAmerican jobs, saying companies must carefor their workers. Which side would you sup-port if you were (a) a U.S. worker; (b) a con-sumer, (c) an investor in the company?Explain your reasoning for each response.

2. Write an essay comparing and contrasting thetransitions to free market economies in Chinaand Russia. Describe three unique aspects ofeach country’s transition. Which country doyou believe will be most successful in the longrun? Why?

2. What might be the advantages and disadvan-tages of trading in futures and options?Choose a specific example to support yourconclusions.

3. Write a summary of the types of taxes youpay on a regular basis, and indicate whetheryou think the taxes you pay are fair or not.

Essay Questions 1. Make a list of five goods you recently bought.

For each item, explain whether you consideryour demand for that good to be relativelyelastic or inelastic, and why. Then, providetwo factors for each item that could changeyour demand for that item.

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Document- and Data-Based Questions Directions: The Fed’s Open Market committee met yesterday for the sixth timethis year. Neil has been tracking Fed moves and goes to the library after lunchto see if the Fed changed interest rates and if so, how. Neil looks on the frontpages of a few newspapers. He expects to find factual news reports there,without the bias of a feature or editorial. Examine the excerpt from the articleNeil reads below, and answer the questions that follow to help you decide ifNeil finds what he needs.

“The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the third time this year, butsuggested it will now pause its aggressive campaign to rein in the galloping U.S.economy.

The central bank said in a statement it was confident that its move shouldaccomplish its chief objective of “markedly” diminishing the “risk of inflationgoing forward.”. . .

Specifically, the Fed raised its target for the federal funds interest rate . . . byone-quarter point to 5.5 percent. Policy makers also raised the discount rate to 5 percent from 4.75 percent. . . . That largely symbolic move was made to keepthe fed-funds target and the discount rate close together.

The moves will ripple through the economy quickly, with consumers andbusinesses likely to see high borrowing costs as a result. Shortly after the Fedmove, major commercial banks . . . followed by limiting their prime rates, whichare used as the basis for a variety of loans, to 8.5 percent from 8.25. . . .

[After the Fed’s announcement], economists and business leaders didn’tblindly embrace the move.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce blasted the move as “unwarranted.” “They clearly had room to wait,” said Martin Regalia, the business lobby’s chiefeconomist. “If this were a football game, they would draw a penalty flag for‘piling on.’”

Staff Reporters Jack M. Schlesinger and Sarah Lueck, The Wall Street Journal,

November 17, 1999

1. Although writers’ opinions and biases do not belong in news stories, reportscan slant their coverage. Look for words or other expressions that mightreveal the writers’ opinion of the Fed’s action.a) Which paragraph discussed the objectives of the Fed’s rate hike?b) Whose opinion about the Fed’s move is given in this paragraph?c) Is the statement regarding the quick ripple effect more fact or

opinion? Explain your answer.d) Where is the criticism of the Fed’s rate hikes discussed?e) Does this criticism reflect bias on the part of the writers? Why or why

not?

2. When drawing a conclusion about the article, take into account all of theinformation and opinions given and how they are presented. Did Neil findstraight news reporting or biased writing? Support your conclusion withsamples from the article.

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10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Thou

sand

sof

View

ers

0–5 6–10 11–15 16–20 21–25 26–30 31–35 56–6036–40 41–45 46–50 51–55Age Groups in Years

Viewer Preference by Age Group

Movie A Movie B Movie C

48,000

Directions: The local video store displayed the graph below to help customersdecide which new movies they might want to rent. Study the graph andthen answer the questions that follow to help you decide which movie ormovies you think would most likely appeal to you.

1. For what age group does the viewership for Movie C begin to increase aftera steep decline? How might you explain this increase?

2. Which movie do you think you would choose? Why?

3. What information not shown on the graph might you want before youdecide?

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Short-Answer Questions1. Explain the difference between a bicameral

and a unicameral legislative body.

2. What are the six basic principles of the Con-stitution?

Sample Prompts for U.S. Government

3. Explain each of the following: expressed pow-ers, implied powers, and inherent powers.

4. (a) Why do interest groups use propaganda?(b) Identify at least three major propagandatechniques.

Open-Response Questions 1. The Second Continental Congress met in vio-

lation of British law. (a) Why did the colonistsfeel justified to rebel? (b) How would yourespond to such a gathering today? (c) Give anexample.

2. Elections, interest groups, the media, and per-sonal contacts all are means of measuringpublic opinion. (a) Describe how each is usedto measure public opinion. (b) What are thelimitations of each?

3. Should the President have the sole power toremove all officials he appoints? Or shouldthe Senate have a role in deciding whether toremove officials that it confirmed? Summarizethe arguments on both sides of this debate.

2. Describe some of the efforts that are beingmade to change discriminatory immigrationlaws in Congress. Write an essay that explainswhy people are criticizing the government andwhat is being done to respond to this criti-cism. State whether you agree or disagree.Give four reasons for your response.

Essay Questions 1. Review the early plans for the U.S. govern-

ment and write an essay explaining fourmajor differences between the Articles of Con-federation and the Constitution. Explain thesignificance of these differences and how theyaffected the young nation.

Then decide which side you favor, and explain why.

4. Thomas Jefferson once said, “When a manaccepts a public trust, he should consider him-self a public property.” (a) What do you thinkthis statement means? (b) Do you agree or dis-agree with this statement? (c) What valuesunderlie this statement?

5. There is a long history in this country of rely-ing on “a jury of one’s peers” to decide courtcases. (a) What does that reveal about tradi-tional American beliefs concerning ordinarycitizens and government officials? (b) Whatdoes the recent trend away from the jury sys-tem reveal about current American attitudes?

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Document- and Data-Based Questions Directions: Read the following and then answer the questions provided.

Locke and JeffersonRecalling the two weeks he spent drafting the Declaration of Independence,Jefferson said: “I turned to neither book nor pamphlet while writing it.” Atthe same time, he freely acknowledged the influence of political philosopherswho had come before him. Discussing the origin of the Declaration, Jeffersonwrote: “Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copiedfrom any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expressionof the American mind. . . .”

Keeping Jefferson’s words in mind, read the following passage from Locke’sSecond Treatise of Government. Here, Locke describes the conditions underwhich people are justified in overthrowing their government:

“Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away, and destroy the property ofthe people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put them-selves into a state of war with the people . . . who have a right to resume theiroriginal liberty, and, by the establishment of a new legislature, provide for theirown safety and security, which is the end for which they are in society.”

The Declaration of IndependenceNow compare Locke’s words to a passage from the Declaration of Indepen-dence, in which Jefferson offers a justification for revolution. After explainingthat people form governments to preserve their rights to “Life, Liberty and thepursuit of Happiness,” the Declaration states:

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends[the preservation of our rights], it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolishit, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles andorganizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effecttheir safety and Happiness.”

1. What are the common themes in these two passages? What are the criticaldifferences?

2. In what ways does Jefferson build on the ideas presented by Locke?


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Directions: Read the documents below and answer the questions that follow.

Due Process and the Death PenaltyNowhere has the right of due process been more significant than in deathpenalty cases. Because of the seriousness of the charges and the seriousness ofthe punishment, courts carefully consider a defendant’s due process rights inthese cases. For many years, however, serious flaws have appeared in thedeath-penalty system across the country.

In 1999, reports from the Chicago Tribune examined all 285 death penaltycases that had occurred in Illinois since the death penalty was reinstated forcapital crimes in 1977. They discovered a system with serious problems, onethat failed to provide many defendants with due process. The Tribunereported:

“With their lives on the line, many defendants have been represented by the legalprofession’s worst, not its best. They have been given the ultimate punishmentbased on evidence that too often is inconclusive, and sometimes nearly nonexis-tent. They have seen their fates decided not by juries that reflect the communityas a whole but by juries that include not a single member of their racial minor-ity. They have been condemned to die in trials so rife with error that nearly halfof the State’s death-penalty cases have been reversed on appeal.”

In fact, 12 men sentenced to death row have been exonerated and released,the same number that have been executed in the State since 1977. Thereporters found that although defendants were provided with lawyers, oftenthese lawyers had been disbarred or suspended from the legal profession.

The Governor RespondsIn February 2000, in response to the Tribune article, Governor George Ryanof Illinois declared a moratorium on all executions in his State. He explainedhis reasoning:

“Until I can be sure that everyone sentenced to death in Illinois is truly guilty,until I can be sure with moral certainty that no innocent man or woman is fac-ing a lethal injection, no one will meet that fate.”

Ryan said that he would not allow another execution in the State until a com-mittee had studied the problem and made recommendations. Illinois became thefirst of the 38 States with the death penalty to have such a moratorium.

1. What did the Chicago Tribune reporters discover about the juries that rulein some death penalty cases?

2. What reason did Governor Ryan give for suspending the death penalty?

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Directions: Read the documents below and answer the questions that follow.

The Right to Declare WarAlthough Presidents have sent U.S. military forces into action more than 200times in the history of the country, Congress has officially declared war onlyfour times. As early as the 18th century, James Madison strongly objected tothe President taking military action without a mandate from Congress:

“[T]he power to declare war, including the power of judging of the causes ofwar, is fully and exclusively vested in the legislature; . . . the executive has noright, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause fordeclaring war; . . . the right of convening and informing Congress, wheneversuch a question seems to call for a decision, is all the right which the constitutionhas deemed requisite or proper; and . . . for such, more than for any other con-tingency, this right was specially given to the executive.”

Even Madison, however, believed that the President could use the militaryto respond to emergency situations, such as a sudden attack, without first con-sulting Congress.

The War Powers ResolutionCongress had passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution in 1964 during the VietnamWar, granting the President the power “to prevent any armed attack againstthe forces of the United States.” Yet many people felt that President Johnsonand then President Nixon went far beyond this mandate. Senator Jacob Javitsstated that once the President committed troops, Congress had little power tochange the course of the war:

“It has been argued that Congress could cut off appropriations or statutorilyprohibit certain actions, like the bombing of Cambodia during the VietnamWar, and accordingly had adequate power to stop the president from continuinga war or war situation with which the Congress disagreed. But the Vietnam Warclearly indicated the inadequacy of these remedies. The Congress can hardly cutoff appropriations when 500,000 American troops are fighting for their lives, asin Vietnam. . . .”

As a consequence, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973,over the President’s veto. The Resolution requires the President to obtain per-mission from Congress to enter into war and gives Congress the power to voteto stop military action initiated by the President.

1. According to James Madison, what is the constitutional role of the Presi-dent in declaring war?

2. Do you think that James Madison would have supported the War PowersResolution of 1973? Why or Why not?


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