090313 Grade 6 Social Studies
EA/CBE Content Study Guide
This Exam for Acceleration/Credit by Exam Study Guide can help you prepare for the exam by
giving you an idea of what you need to study, review, and learn. To succeed, you should be
thoroughly familiar with the subject matter before you attempt to take the exam.
Every question that appears on the Exam for Acceleration/Credit by Exam is grounded in the
knowledge and skills statements and student expectations within the state-mandated standards,
the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). It should be noted that an exam will not test
every student expectation. However, it is important that students study and know the entire scope
of the TEKS so that they can develop a complete understanding of the content. The EA/CBEs are
a global exam grounded in the TEKS and are not designed to be a final exam. For a specific
listing of the knowledge and skills for this grade level and subject area, please reference the
TEKS online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148. Since questions are not
taken from any one source, you can prepare by reviewing any of the state-adopted textbooks.
General Introduction
The study of social studies is a process that develops from kindergarten through high school.
This process helps students understand their place in the world and their role as responsible
citizens. Social studies education enables students to develop critical-thinking skills, to prepare
to participate productively in society, and to expand their horizons to include people and places
far removed from their daily lives. The establishment of social studies as a graduation
requirement in Texas’s assessment program attests to its importance and should further
encourage students’ intellectual and civic growth. History is important to students because past
events provide context for understanding both present and future challenges. Students learn to
seek information before forming opinions and to distinguish fact from opinion and bias from
objectivity. Geography works hand in hand with the study of history. Where events occur has
much to do with why they occur. Geography provides a basis for understanding nature and the
influence of climate and terrain on human cultures. In addition, geography plays a significant
role in the growing global economy.
While the successful demonstration of social studies knowledge and skills is now a graduation
requirement, this is only the most basic reason for students to develop social studies literacy. The
greatest benefit—not just to Texas students but also to the state of Texas as a whole—is the
broadened perspective that a solid social studies education provides.
The social studies EA/CBEs are designed to assess those portions of the TEKS deemed essential
to measure by Texas educators, administrators, and other stakeholders. Beginning in
kindergarten, the social studies curriculum builds a skills and content foundation that continues
to develop through high school. In other words, the curriculum is vertically aligned. Vertical
alignment is crucial, since concepts and skills cross grade levels.
The University of Texas at Austin, Continuing & Innovative Education
K-16 Education Center
1
EA6 SS 08468
EA/CBE
Study Guide
In Grade 6, students study people and places of the contemporary world. Societies selected for
study are chosen from the following regions of the world: Europe, Russia and the Eurasian
republics, North America, Middle America, South America, Southwest Asia-North Africa, SubSaharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Realm.
Students describe the influence of individuals and groups on historical and contemporary events
in those societies and identify the locations and geographic characteristics of selected societies.
Students identify different ways of organizing economic and governmental systems. The
concepts of limited and unlimited government are introduced, and students describe the nature of
citizenship in various societies. Students compare institutions common to all societies such as
government, education, and religious institutions. Students explain how the level of technology
affects the development of the selected societies and identify different points of view about
selected events.
Students should use a variety of rich primary and secondary source material such as biographies
and autobiographies; novels; speeches and letters; and poetry, songs, and artwork. Selections
may include Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Motivating resources are also available
from museums, art galleries, and historical sites.
Objective 1
Students demonstrate an understanding of issues and events in U.S. and world history.
Students should:
• understand that historical events influence contemporary events.
• describe characteristics of selected contemporary societies such as Bosnia and Northern
Ireland that resulted from historical events or factors such as invasion, conquests,
colonization, immigration, and trade; and analyze the historical background of selected
contemporary societies to evaluate relationships between past conflicts and current
conditions.
• understand the contributions of individuals and groups from various cultures to selected
historical and contemporary societies.
• explain the significance of individuals or groups from selected societies, past and present;
and describe the influence of individual and group achievement on selected historical or
contemporary societies.
• understand the early development of their nation.
• understand the short-term and long-term consequences of the important events that occurred
during this time period.
• know about the historical events that have shaped our country, and understand why these
events occurred and how these events shape America’s present course.
For a specific listing of the knowledge and skills for this grade level and subject area, please
reference the TEKS online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.
The University of Texas at Austin, Continuing & Innovative Education
K-16 Education Center
2
EA6 SS 08468
EA/CBE
Study Guide
Objective 2
Students demonstrate an understanding of geographic influences on historical issues and
events.
Students should:
• use maps, globes, graphs, charts, models, and databases to answer geographic questions.
• create thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases depicting various aspects of
world regions and countries such as population, disease, and economic activities; pose and
answer questions about geographic distributions and patterns for selected world regions and
countries shown on maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases; and compare selected world
regions and countries using data from maps, graphs, charts, databases, and models.
• understand the characteristics and relative locations of major historical and contemporary
societies.
• locate major historical and contemporary societies on maps and globes; identify and explain
the geographic factors responsible for patterns of population in places and regions; explain
ways in which human migration influences the character of places and regions; and identify
and explain the geographic factors responsible for the location of economic activities in
places and regions.
• understand how geographic factors influence the economic development, political
relationships, and policies of societies.
• explain factors such as location, physical features, transportation corridors and barriers, and
distribution of natural resources that influence the economic development and foreign
policies of societies; and identify geographic factors that influence a society’s ability to
control territory and that shape the domestic and foreign policies of the society.
• understand the impact of physical processes on patterns in the environment. S
• describe and explain how physical processes such as erosion, ocean circulation, and
earthquakes have resulted in physical patterns on Earth’s surface; describe and explain the
physical processes that produce renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as fossil
fuels, fertile soils, and timber; and analyze the effects of physical processes and the physical
environment on humans.
• understand the impact of interactions between people and the physical environment on the
development of places and regions.
• identify and analyze ways people have adapted to the physical environment in selected places
and regions; identify and analyze ways people have modified the physical environment; and
describe ways in which technology influences human capacity to modify the physical
environment.
• know, understand, recognize, and appreciate the geographic issues that affect their daily
lives.
For a specific listing of the knowledge and skills for this grade level and subject area, please
reference the TEKS online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.
The University of Texas at Austin, Continuing & Innovative Education
K-16 Education Center
3
EA6 SS 08468
EA/CBE
Study Guide
Objective 3
Students demonstrate an understanding of economic and social influences on historical
issues and events.
Students should:
• concentrate on the role of economic and social factors in history.
• understand the various ways in which people organize economic systems.
• compare ways in which societies organize production and distribution of goods and services;
identify and differentiate among traditional, market, and command economies in selected
contemporary societies, including the benefits of the U.S. free enterprise system; and explain
the impact of scarcity on international trade and economic interdependence among societies.
• understand the role factors of production play in a society’s economy.
• describe ways in which factors of production (natural resources, labor, capital, and
entrepreneurs) influence the economies of selected contemporary societies; and identify
problems and issues that may arise when one or more of the factors of production is in
relatively short supply.
• understand categories of economic activities and the means used to measure a society’s
economic level.
• define and give examples of primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary industries; and
describe and measure levels of economic development using various indicators such as
individual purchasing power, life expectancy, and literacy.
• understand the relationship among individual rights, responsibilities, and freedoms in
democratic societies, and identify the importance of voluntary civic participation in
democratic societies.
• understand the similarities and differences within and among cultures in different societies;
describe traits that define cultures; identify examples of conflict and cooperation between and
among cultures within selected societies such as Belgium, Canada, and Rwanda.
• understand that certain institutions are basic to all societies, but characteristics of these
institutions may vary from one society to another.
• identify institutions basic to all societies, including government, economic, educational, and
religious institutions; and compare characteristics of institutions in contemporary societies.
• understand relationships that exist among world cultures.
• explain aspects that link or separate cultures and societies; explain the impact of political
boundaries that cut across culture regions; analyze how culture traits spread; explain cultural
borrowing; evaluate how cultural borrowing affects world cultures; evaluate consequences of
improved communication among cultures.
• understand the relationship between artistic, creative, and literary expressions and the
societies that produce them; relate ways in which expressions of culture have been influenced
by the past; describe ways in which societal issues influence creative expressions; and
identify examples of art, music, and literature that have transcended the boundaries of
societies and convey universal themes.
• understand the relationships among religion, philosophy, and culture and explain the
significance of religious holidays and observances such as Christmas and Easter, Ramadan,
and Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah in selected contemporary societies.
For a specific listing of the knowledge and skills for this grade level and subject area, please
reference the TEKS online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.
The University of Texas at Austin, Continuing & Innovative Education
K-16 Education Center
4
EA6 SS 08468
EA/CBE
Study Guide
Objective 4
Students demonstrate an understanding of political influences on historical issues and
events.
Students should:
• understand the concepts of limited governments, such as constitutional and democratic
governments, and unlimited governments, such as totalitarian and non-democratic
governments.
• describe characteristics and identify examples of limited and unlimited governments; and
identify reasons for limiting the power of government.
• understand and identify examples of alternative ways of organizing governments such as rule
by one, few, or many; identify historical origins of democratic forms of government; and
compare how governments function in selected world societies such as China, Germany,
India, and Russia.
• understand that the nature of citizenship varies among societies; describe roles and
responsibilities of citizens in selected contemporary societies including the United States;
explain how opportunities for citizens to participate in and influence the political process
vary among selected contemporary societies; and compare the role of citizens in the United
States with the role of citizens from selected democratic and non-democratic contemporary
societies.
• understand the relationships among science and technology and political, economic, and
social issues and events.
• give examples of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, including the roles of
scientists and inventors, that have transcended the boundaries of societies and have shaped
the world; explain how resources, belief systems, economic factors, and political decisions
have affected the use of technology from place to place, culture to culture, and society to
society; and make predictions about future social, economic, and environmental
consequences that may result from future scientific discoveries and technological
innovations.
For a specific listing of the knowledge and skills for this grade level and subject area, please
reference the TEKS online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.
Objective 5
Students use critical thinking skills to analyze social studies information.
Students should:
• focus on the use of critical-thinking skills to analyze social studies information.
• integrate critical-thinking skills into the studying of the other four objectives.
• apply critical-thinking strategies to both primary and secondary sources.
• apply critical thinking skills to analyze both historical and current information.
For a specific listing of the knowledge and skills for this grade level and subject area, please
reference the TEKS online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.
The University of Texas at Austin, Continuing & Innovative Education
K-16 Education Center
5
EA6 SS 08468
EA/CBE
Study Guide
About the Exam
The EA/CBE consists of 100 objective questions that are equally weighted. The exam may
consist of multiple-choice and true-false questions. The exams will include an exam booklet and
a separate computer graded answer sheet. Student responses must be recorded on the computer
graded answer sheet. Students will be allowed 3 hours to take the exam
Sample Questions
These sample questions will give you a better idea of the types of questions you can expect on
the EA/CBE. These are provided to illustrate the format of the exam. They are not the actual
exam. In order to be successful on the exam, you must study the TEKS for this grade level and
subject area.
1. In the Colonial Era, the New England colonist grew only enough food to provide for
themselves and their families. This type of food production is called
A
B
C
D
subsistence agriculture.
cottage industry.
commercial agriculture.
commercial industry.
2. The heritage of more than half the people of Iran can be traced to this ancient civilization.
A
B
C
D
Hebrews
Egyptians
Persians
Mongols
3. In 1942, American troops were attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This
event caused the United States to enter
A
B
C
D
World War II.
World War I.
the war in Vietnam.
the war in Korea.
Answer Key
Item Number
1
2
3
Correct Answer
A
C
A
The University of Texas at Austin, Continuing & Innovative Education
K-16 Education Center
6