6th Social Studies Test B1
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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Practice Test
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Name:
Test:
6th Social Studies Test B1
Date:
Teacher:
Practice Test
Use the list below to answer question 1.
•the development of machine guns and use of barbed wire
•the use of improved submarines or U-boats to sink enemy shipping
•the invention of the tank to cross trenches
•the first use of airplanes as weapons
1. The development and use of these weapons are most closely associated with which of the following?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the French Revolution.
World War I.
the Russian Revolution.
World War II.
2. Canada is the world’s second largest country in terms of land area. However, about 75 percent of
Canada’s population lives within 100 miles of its southern border. Which statement does not provide
a reason why so many Canadians live in their country's southern region?
A.
B.
C.
D.
More jobs are available in Canada’s southern region.
Canadian law encourages people to live in its southern region.
Much of Canada’s northern region is tundra.
Canada’s southern region has a milder climate than its northern region.
3. In the 1500s, to which area in the New World would a conquistador most likely be sent?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the area now called Canada
the area now called the Southern colonies
the area called the Middle Atlantic colonies.
the area now called Central America.
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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6th Social Studies Test B1
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Practice Test
4. On which continent today is there only one form of government?
A.
B.
C.
D.
South America.
Europe.
Australia.
North America.
5. In the early 1700s, which New World area would most likely have been governed by a royal
governor who was appointed by the king?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the area called the southern colonies
the area now called Central America
the area now called Brazil
the area now called Canada
6. Geographic factors can have a major influence on where people settle. Which is the main reason that
New York has been so successful as a site for a large city?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It is an area where there has been a lot of farming.
It has large deposits of iron and other ores nearby.
It is a good location for an ocean harbor.
It has been the hub of transportation for the country.
7. To which area of the New World would an English merchant most likely have traveled in order to
establish trade in cotton and tobacco in the early 1700s?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the area now called Central America
the area now called Canada
the area called the New England colonies
the area called the Southern colonies
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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6th Social Studies Test B1
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Practice Test
8. Which sentence best describes the conditions in the Spanish colonies when they became independent
in the early 1800s?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The colonies had developed some industries which made the economy strong.
The colonies had had little experience with democratic governments.
The land which had been equally distributed among the people mostly went to the rich.
The Catholic church had lost most of its influence and power.
9. How do the harmful effects of acid rain demonstrate interdependence among countries?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The effects of acid rain cannot be limited by national boundaries.
Agricultural countries are taken advantage of by industrialized countries.
Each country takes measures to minimize the effects on its own environment.
The immediate economic needs of some countries are more important than environmental
concerns.
10. In most democratic countries, the government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative,
and judicial. In Canada, the legislative branch is the
A.
B.
C.
D.
Parliament.
prime minister.
Supreme Court.
governor general.
11. Which country is Canada’s largest economic trading partner?
A.
B.
C.
D.
France
Mexico
Great Britain
United States
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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6th Social Studies Test B1
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12. The cultures of many native North American Indian tribes included which of the following?
A.
B.
C.
D.
a desire for war with other tribes
a written alphabet
a belief in the existence of one god
a close relationship with nature and the land
13. Which statement about Great Britain’s parliamentary system of government today is true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Members of both houses of Parliament are elected for life.
The queen decides which laws Parliament will debate.
Members of Parliament do not belong to political parties.
The prime minister is not directly chosen by voters.
14. Which statement best describes how the Aztec and Inca Native American civilizations altered their
physical environment in order to improve their lives?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They used horses to pull plows and to lift water from deep wells.
They built stone walls around cities to keep out enemies.
They terraced hillsides to increase land available for farming.
They built dams on rivers to prevent flooding and make crossing easier.
15. Why is the United States often called a “nation of immigrants”?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The majority of Americans were born in another country.
There is no limit on the number of people allowed to immigrate.
Anyone who moves to the United States automatically becomes a citizen.
No one country is the original homeland of a majority of Americans.
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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6th Social Studies Test B1
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Practice Test
16. Which is a problem caused by the rapid growth of Mexico’s population?
A.
B.
C.
D.
There are not enough jobs for all of those who wish to work.
Tourism has decreased as a big business because of the large population.
About half of Mexico’s labor force has begun farming to produce needed food.
Fewer products are made in Mexico because of immigration to the United States.
17. The average sea level in the world’s oceans is slowly rising because of the
A.
B.
C.
D.
melting of ice caps at the North and South Poles.
shifting of land masses beneath the ocean floors.
reduced amount of ocean evaporation.
rapid filling of tidal marshes.
18. A capitalist economy is very different from a communist economic system or a socialist economic
system. Which of the following is found in a capitalist economy?
A.
B.
C.
D.
free labor
free enterprise
government control of industry
government control of agriculture
19. In the 1500s, the Spanish conquered the Aztecs and established settlements in Mexico. What was one
result of this?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the creation of a mestizo culture
the growth of the Native American population
the introduction of corn as a major crop
the spread of the Aztec religion
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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6th Social Studies Test B1
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Use the statements below to answer question 20.
• The name Mexico comes from the name they called themselves, Mexico.
• They sacrificed captured enemy soldiers. They thought these sacrifices would keep the Sun in the sky
and would put off the destruction of their world.
• The capital, Tenochtitlan, was connected to other cities around Lake Texcoco by causeways and raised
dirt roads.
20. These statements best describe the
A.
B.
C.
D.
Aztecs.
Navajo.
Pueblo.
Mayas.
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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6th Social Studies Test B1
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Use the graph below to answer question 21.
21. Based on the information in the graph, which conclusion can be made?
A. In 1950 there was less land available to produce agricultural goods than there was in 1995.
B. Between 1950 and 1995 the total value of imported agricultural goods to the United States was
greater than the total value of exported agricultural goods.
C. Around 1975 increased agricultural production in the United States made it less dependent on
imported agricultural goods.
D. In 1995 there were more United States workers producing agricultural products than there were
in 1950.
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6th Social Studies Test B1
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22. When a country has a free enterprise economic system (market system), which of these statements
correctly defines this system?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Basic goods in the country are provided to all people without charge.
The government controls most of the businesses in the country.
Workers in the country own many of the companies that employ them.
Companies produce goods of their choice and consumers decide whether to buy the goods.
23. When a government decides to increase a tariff, it increases the amount of a tax placed upon
A.
B.
C.
D.
people’s property.
imported goods.
people’s income.
exported goods.
24. Which of the following countries is located on the Mediterranean Sea?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Spain
Russia
Germany
Norway
25. The manufacturing process in which machines, and not people, do most of the work is known as
A.
B.
C.
D.
the factory system.
automation.
capitalization.
the union system.
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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Use the map below to answer question 26.
26. Which type of weather would you expect to find in Darwin in January?
A.
B.
C.
D.
hot and humid
mild and sunny
warm and rainy
cold and rainy
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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27. The diet of Native Americans who lived in the northwest region of North America before the arrival
of Europeans depended upon
A.
B.
C.
D.
fish.
corn.
wheat.
buffalo.
28. Which of the following best explains why corn (maize) became one of the most important crops
grown by early Native Americans?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It was a part of their religion and was considered holy food.
It grew well in the American climate and was a reliable source of food.
Many Native American groups considered animals to be holy so they only ate plants.
Many Native Americans preferred the taste of corn to the taste of squash, beans, and peppers.
29. Which continent contains the world’s largest tropical rain forest?
A.
B.
C.
D.
South America
Australia
Asia
Africa
30. On which water route would steel, iron ore, and agricultural products from the north-central United
States and south-central Canada most likely be shipped to Europe?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Hudson Bay
the Mississippi River
the Missouri and Ohio Rivers
the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway
Sixth Grade Social Studies
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