Study Guide

Field 037: Middle School Social Studies
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

Expand All | Collapse All

Objective 0001
World History (Standard 1)

1. A historian would most likely use the concept of feudalism when examining a political system in which the structure of authority is based on:

  1. the mutual obligations of political elites and their retainers.
  2. competition between large landowners and leaders of major urban centers.
  3. the dictates of an absolute monarch.
  4. negotiations between leading members of various social classes.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of historical concepts, terms, sources, and perspectives. In medieval Europe, feudalism was a system of social relationships in which lords granted land to vassals in exchange for their loyalty and military assistance. Historians are particularly likely to employ the concept when examining the mutual obligations of political elites and their retainers.
Objective 0001
World History (Standard 1)

2. Which of the following responses best describes an important consequence of the Columbian Exchange that resulted from European exploration and settlement of the Americas?

  1. It decimated European coastal areas through the introduction of infectious diseases.
  2. It transformed the diets of European peoples through the introduction of new foods.
  3. It altered European habits of dress through the introduction of new fabrics.
  4. It increased European farm output through the introduction of new agricultural practices.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the causes and consequences of European exploration, conquest, and colonization during the first global age, 1450-1750 CE. The introduction of corn, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, strawberries, and other foods as a consequence of the Columbian Exchange brought about important changes in the diets of European peoples.
Objective 0001
World History (Standard 1)

3. Which of the following responses best describes a major cause of World War I?

  1. ethnic and religious conflicts within the Ottoman Empire
  2. social and economic conflicts within the German Empire
  3. class struggles within the Russian Empire
  4. nationalist struggles within the Austrian Empire
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the origins and consequences of World War I. The assassination of Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand in June 1914—the event that triggered the series of military mobilizations that resulted in World War I—was carried out by Serbian nationalists hoping to exacerbate ethnic and nationalist tensions within the Austrian Empire.
Objective 0002
U.S. and Indiana History (Standard 2)

4. Which of the following statements best describes a major difference between French and English relations with Native Americans in the period prior to 1750?

  1. French settlers were less likely to adopt Native American cultural practices.
  2. English settlers had more extensive commercial contacts with Native Americans.
  3. French settlers were less likely to encroach on Native American lands.
  4. English settlers made a greater effort to convert Native Americans to Christianity.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of Native American cultures prior to European settlement and the interactions between Native Americans and Europeans. Unlike the English, who placed relentless pressure on Native Americans as they moved steadily westward from the Atlantic coast, French settlements in North America were confined largely to coastal areas and the St. Lawrence River Valley.
Objective 0002
U.S. and Indiana History (Standard 2)

5. European immigration to the United States between 1890 and 1910 contributed most to the:

  1. development of the trans-Mississippi West.
  2. emergence of an economy based on mass consumerism.
  3. political ascendancy of the Republican party.
  4. growth of religious diversity in U.S. society.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the transformation of the U.S. economy and the urbanization of U.S. society. As a consequence of immigration from eastern and southern Europe in the decades after 1890, the United States changed from a predominantly Protestant society to a much more religiously diverse nation of Protestants, Catholics, and Jews.
Objective 0003
Geography (Standard 3)

6. The spread of hip-hop culture from its emergence in New York during the 1970s to its prominence on the national and global music scene best illustrates which of the following geographic concepts?

  1. cultural assimilation
  2. spatial diffusion
  3. cultural relativism
  4. parallel invention
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of geographic terms, concepts, themes, and elements. Spatial diffusion is the process by which an idea, product, or cultural practice such as hip-hop music is dispersed from its place of origin to more distant areas and regions.
Objective 0003
Geography (Standard 3)

7. Which of the following responses best explains why agricultural crops grown in the inland mountainous areas of Central America differ from crops grown in the lowland coastal areas of the region?

  1. Crop choices in coastal areas are limited by soil conditions.
  2. Variable transportation costs determine which crops are best suited to the two areas.
  3. In inland areas, indigenous traditions dictate agricultural decisions.
  4. Variations in elevation have created different climate zones in the two areas.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of physical and human characteristics of, and relationships between, world regions and places. The different climates of the inland mountainous and lowland coastal areas of Central America are conducive to the cultivation of different types of crops. The bananas and sugarcane grown in the lowlands would never survive in the colder climate of the mountains. On the other hand, the barley and wheat grown in mountainous areas would fare poorly in the much warmer climate of the lowlands.
Objective 0004
Government and Citizenship (Standard 4)

8. Which of the following excerpts from the U.S. Constitution can best be used to help students understand the principle of federalism?

  1. "The times, places, and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof."
  2. "The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes have been committed."
  3. "The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states."
  4. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the political ideals, core values, and fundamental principles of U.S. government. Federalism is a system of government in which power is shared by a central government and constituent political units such as states or provinces. The position of the states within the U.S. federal system is defined by the constitutional provision reserving to them all powers not limited to the national government nor prohibited to them by the Constitution.
Objective 0004
Government and Citizenship (Standard 4)

9. Citizens of the United States are generally more reliant on statutory law than on constitutional law for the performance of which of the following functions of government?

  1. setting and achieving social goals
  2. promoting national unity
  3. limiting the powers of government
  4. protecting individual rights
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the central role of law in U.S. government and society and the operation of the U.S. legal system. Whereas the main function of constitutional law is to define the extent of governmental power and the rights of citizens, statutory law comprises a wide range of legislative enactments, many of which are designed to establish and achieve social goals.
Objective 0005
Economics (Standard 5)

10. A specialty paper company makes a major capital investment in plant and machinery as part of an effort to lower per-unit production costs. The company's actions best illustrate how firms in a market economy seek to:

  1. maintain product prices
  2. take advantage of economies of scale.
  3. diversify their product line.
  4. increase the net worth of an enterprise.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and operation of market economies. Economies of scale are the cost advantages that firms obtain from the increased productivity made possible by capital investments in the modernization of plant and machinery. If efficiently done, the expansion of production capacity will tend to lower the per-unit cost of producing any given item.
Objective 0005
Economics (Standard 5)

11. Which of the following practices is the clearest warning signal that an individual has credit problems?

  1. using credit cards to pay for fixed expenses
  2. making interest payments on more than one credit card
  3. using one credit card to pay another
  4. attempting to increase the credit limit on a credit card
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of principles and practices related to consumer economics and personal finance. Individuals who use one credit card to pay off purchases made on another card are doing nothing to reduce their overall level of debt and may be adding to it. This is a clear sign that a person may have credit problems that should be addressed immediately to avoid even more serious financial difficulties.
Objective 0006
Social Studies Literacy and Research Skills (Standard 6)

12. A political scientist would most likely conduct a survey for which of the following purposes?

  1. to evaluate the costs and benefits of a legislative proposal
  2. to assess popular reaction to a legislative proposal
  3. to examine the likely consequences of enacting a legislative proposal
  4. to determine legislative sentiment for or against the proposal
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of methods and procedures used in social studies research. A major use of surveys is to secure standardized information about a given population's attitudes or opinions concerning matters such as a proposed legislative initiative.
Objective 0006
Social Studies Literacy and Research Skills (Standard 6)

13. Use the population pyramids below to answer the question that follows.

According to information presented in the population pyramids, it is most likely that during the next decade:

  1. Uganda will need to spend more money on school construction.
  2. Germany will need to spend more money on health care.
  3. Uganda will need to spend more money on infrastructure development.
  4. Germany will need to spend more money on welfare programs.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to interpret social studies issues and information presented in various graphic formats. Compared with Germany, Uganda has a much higher proportion of people in the lowest age cohorts. As a result, during the next decade Uganda will likely need to spend a higher proportion of available funds than Germany on providing educational facilities for the large number of school-age children.
Objective 0007
Middle School Social Studies Instruction and Assessment (Standard 7)

14. Which of the following learning activities provides the greatest opportunity for the integration of multiple content areas?

  1. Explain the effects that industrialization in the United States had on immigration, urbanization, labor, and government regulation.
  2. Compare the living standards of countries in Europe and the Americas using a variety of data including the gross domestic product.
  3. Identify countries and use latitude and longitude to locate capital cities in Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific.
  4. Explain the essential ideas of constitutional government including limited government, checks and balances, rule of law, due process of law, and representative government as they appear in founding documents.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of instruction and assessment for social studies. An examination of the effects that U.S. industrialization had on immigration, urbanization, labor, and government regulation would provide students with opportunities to integrate information and concepts from history, geography, political science, economics, and sociology.
Objective 0007
Middle School Social Studies Instruction and Assessment (Standard 7)

15. A middle school social studies teacher who wants to deepen student understanding of economic fluctuations would likely be most successful having students:

  1. create a graph showing changes in U.S. consumption of various commodities for different time periods.
  2. compare current data on standards of living in several North American, European, and Asian nations.
  3. gather and analyze historical data on gross domestic product in the United States for different time periods.
  4. create a chart comparing the distribution of wealth in two contemporary nations.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of instructional strategies and resources for promoting student understanding of social concepts and skills related to social studies. Gross domestic product (GDP) is the market value of all final goods and services produced in an economy during a given period of time. Having students gather and analyze historical data on GDP in the United States over different time periods would enable them to identify major fluctuations in the national economy during those years.