SOCIAL STUDIES SOL REVIEW QUESTIONS

Historical Personalities

1. What was Benjamin Franklin known for? Discovery of electricity

2. George Washington Carver? Research on peanuts and development of peanut products.

3. Jane Addams? Working with and for the poor in society

4. John Paul Jones? Famous naval commander in the Revolutionary War

5. Betsy Ross? Sewed one of the first American flags

6. George Washington? Commander of the American forces in the Revolutionary War and first president

7. Abraham Lincoln? 16th president who served during the Civil War and freed the slaves

8. Harriet Tubman? A slave during the Civil War who helped many slaves escape on the Underground Railroad

9. Booker T. Washington? Helped blacks in many ways, especially in education; founded the first black university

10. Susan B. Anthony? Helped to win the right to vote for women in the U.S.

11. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Helped to get better treatment of and rights for blacks

12. Rosa Parks? Refused to give up her bus seat to a white man which led to a black boycott of bus riding for over a year

13. Helen Keller? Multi-handicapped woman who overcame her weaknesses and graduated from college

14. Thomas Jefferson? Wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the 3rd president

15. Pocahontas? Powhatan Indian girl who helped the first English colonists at Jamestown

Historical Holidays

For these holidays, know who is honored, why we celebrate it and which month the holiday is in: Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Presidents’ Day, Lee/Jackson/King Day, Flag Day, Veterans’ Day, Memorial Day.

Ancient Civilizations

Be able to identify and know where each of the following is located:

1. Great Wall of China

2. Pyramids of Egypt

3. Parthenon of Athens, Greece

4. Colosseum of Rome

Geography

1. What is a rural community? One that is out in the country some distance from a town or city; it may have forests or farms or it may be a fishing community on a coast.

2. What is a suburb? It is a community just outside a large city. It may have its own homes, schools, and some stores, but most people commute into the city to work.

3. What is an urban area? A large city or an area with many large towns close together (like Norfolk and Virginia Beach). It usually has many tall buildings, lots of traffic, and many cultural opportunities (like theaters, museums and galleries).

4. What is a peninsula? Land surrounded by water on 3 sides

5. What mountain range is to our west? the Appalachians

6. What valley do we live in? Shenandoah Valley

7. What bay borders Virginia on the east? Chesapeake Bay

8. Be able to locate Richmond and Washington, D.C., on a map. Also know what states border Virginia.

9. What is the largest river in the U.S. that runs from north to south? Mississippi

10. What states would be in the southwestern part of the U.S.? California, Arizona, New Mexico, etc. The southeast? Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, etc. The northwest? Washington, Oregon, Idaho, etc. The northeast? Maine, Vermont, etc.

Christopher Columbus

1. In what year did Columbus reach America? 1492

2. From what country did he sail? Spain

3. Why did he make his voyage? To find a shorter route to India, China and Japan in order to buy goods there, bring them back to Europe to sell, and get rich.

4. Name his three ships. The Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria

5. What did he name the area he discovered and why? The Indies because that’s where he thought he was.

6. Identify other explorers of the New World and why they were famous. Ferdinand Magellan of Spain whose expedition was the first to sail around the world; Amergo Vespucci of Italy after whom America was named; Jacques Cartier of France, who explored the St. Lawrence River; Juan Ponce de Leon of Spain, who explored Florida; Christopher Newport, who brought colonists to Jamestown from England.

Economics

1. What is a scarcity? When there isn’t enough of something to go around

2. What do you call your second choice that you have to give up when choosing between two things? Opportunity cost

3. When there is a scarcity of a product in stores (like lettuce), what happens to the price? It usually goes up. And when there’s plenty of a product? The price goes down.

4. What could cause a scarcity of bread in the supermarket? A drought in the Midwest where wheat grows, a strike by bakers, etc.

5. What are taxes? Money we pay the government to provide us with goods (like roads, schools, government buildings, etc.) and services (like the armed forces, teachers, government workers, forest rangers, etc.)

6. What are the 3 factors of production? Natural resources (things found in nature that people use like stone, soil, fresh water, trees, etc.); Human resources (people who make goods and services); Capital resources (things made by people used to produce goods and services, like tools, machines, factories, trucks, roads, etc.)

Civics

1. What is our national bird? The bald eagle

2. What is the nickname of our flag? Old Glory

3. What group of people make the laws of the United States? Congress (Senate and House of Representatives)

4. What group makes the laws of Virginia? The House of Delegates

5. How do these people get these jobs? Citizens elect them

6. Who is the President of the United States? George Bush

7. Who is the Governor of Virginia? Mark Warner

8. Know the Pledge of Allegiance.

9. What group of people in Washington, D.C., decide if laws are constitutional? The Supreme Court

10. What are some of our rights in this country? To be able to choose what church we attend, to own guns, to have a speedy trial if we’re arrested, to be able to have meetings when and where we want them, etc.

11. What are some of our responsibilities? To vote, to obey laws, etc.

12. What can happen if you break the laws of our state or country? You may be arrested, go to jail or prison, or pay fines.

13. Know that most blacks in our country were slaves between 1665 and 1864. Even after the blacks were freed, they suffered from unfair treatment such as having to sit in the back of buses, not being able to use the same public facilities as whites, and not having the same opportunities for education and employment as whites. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others worked hard to gain equal rights for blacks. He gave speeches and led parades to let people know that everyone should be treated the same.

14. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Thomas Jefferson

15. What are our “inalienable rights?” Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

16. What does “inalienable” mean? Cannot be taken away

17. Name the 3 branches of government and tell what each does. Executive (President - enforces the laws); Legislative (Congress - makes the laws); Judicial (Supreme Court - decides if laws have been broken).