Grade 9 · Social Studies · Unit 2 of 3
Evidence of the Past
Sources, key events and what we inherited
What your child practises
Primary and secondary sources, artifacts and archaeology, bias, dating with BCE and CE, how rivers and land shaped early societies, and ideas Canada inherited from societies of the past.
Saskatchewan Curriculum outcome: DR9.1–DR9.4 · the challenges of learning about the past, key events, the natural environment, and the influence of past societies on Canada
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Put these events in order from earliest to most recent.
- 🔺The pyramids of Giza are built in Egypt
- 🏛️Athens develops democracy
- 🏙️Cities grow in Mesopotamia
- 👑Augustus becomes the first Roman emperor
Show answer
Cities grow in Mesopotamia → The pyramids of Giza are built in Egypt → Athens develops democracy → Augustus becomes the first Roman emperor
Hint: Mesopotamia and Egypt came first, then classical Greece, then the Roman Empire.
Question 2
What do the letters CE stand for?
📅- common era
- city empire
- ancient Caesar
- central Europe
Show answer
common era
Hint: CE counts years after the year 1.
Question 3
Mesopotamia means “land between rivers”. Which rivers?
🌾- the Thames and the Seine
- the Nile and the Congo
- the Tigris and the Euphrates
- the Amazon and the Mississippi
Show answer
the Tigris and the Euphrates
Hint: These rivers watered the farmland.
Question 4
Why did building aqueducts matter to Roman cities?
🏗️- they brought clean water to large populations
- they kept the army out
- they stopped the sea
- they were for decoration only
Show answer
they brought clean water to large populations
Hint: Roman engineering still influences cities today.
Question 5
Why do people in Canada still use some Latin words, like the motto on Saskatchewan's coat of arms?
🔤- Latin influenced many languages and traditions
- Latin is only spoken at sea
- it is the main language of Canada
- Latin is the language of the weather
Show answer
Latin influenced many languages and traditions
Hint: Saskatchewan's motto is “Multis e gentibus vires”.
Question 6
Is it a primary source or a secondary source about ancient Rome? Tap an item, then tap its basket.
Sort into: 🏺 primary source · 📚 secondary source
- ✉️a letter written by a Roman citizen
- 📖an encyclopedia article
- 🎬a documentary made last year
- 🪨a clay tablet from Mesopotamia
- 💻a museum website summary
- 🧩a mosaic from a Roman house
Show answer
🏺 primary source: a letter written by a Roman citizen, a clay tablet from Mesopotamia, a mosaic from a Roman house · 📚 secondary source: an encyclopedia article, a documentary made last year, a museum website summary
Hint: A primary source comes from the time. A secondary source was made later by someone studying the past.