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Grade 8 Social Studies practice sheet

Alberta Curriculum · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________

  1. Question 1

    Confucian ideas in Japan stressed…

    • the freedom to ignore rules
    • staying away from people
    • respect for family, order and duty
    • trade with other countries only
    Show answer

    respect for family, order and duty

    Hint: Confucian teachings from China shaped ideas about loyalty and respect.

  2. Question 2

    Why did Tokugawa rulers make daimyo spend alternate years in Edo?

    • To help the lords learn English.
    • To lower taxes.
    • To help the shogun keep control of the lords.
    • To teach the lords to farm.
    Show answer

    To help the shogun keep control of the lords.

    Hint: The system of 'alternate attendance' kept daimyo busy, costly and watched.

  3. Question 3

    Tokugawa period or Meiji period? Sort each description.

    Sort into: 🏯 Tokugawa (before 1868) · 🚆 Meiji (after 1868)

    • 🚆first railway opens
    • 🏛️emperor is the centre of government in Tokyo
    • 🏫national schools for children
    • 🪖an army of ordinary citizens
    • 🏯the shogun holds real power
    • 🚢foreign trade limited to Nagasaki
    • 🗾daimyo rule their domains
    • ⚔️samurai ranked at the top
    Show answer

    🏯 Tokugawa (before 1868): the shogun holds real power, foreign trade limited to Nagasaki, daimyo rule their domains, samurai ranked at the top · 🚆 Meiji (after 1868): first railway opens, emperor is the centre of government in Tokyo, national schools for children, an army of ordinary citizens

    Hint: The Tokugawa shoguns ruled until 1868 and limited foreign contact. The Meiji period began in 1868 with rapid modernization.

  4. Question 4

    Why did the fall of Constantinople in 1453 matter to Renaissance Italy?

    • Printing ended.
    • Cars were invented.
    • Scholars moved west with ancient Greek writings.
    • Italy lost its cities.
    Show answer

    Scholars moved west with ancient Greek writings.

    Hint: Greek knowledge spread through Italian cities.

  5. Question 5

    Which statement best compares Leonardo's and Michelangelo's work?

    • They were the same person
    • Both used knowledge of the body and nature, but in different art forms and styles.
    • They worked only in Japan
    • Neither made art
    Show answer

    Both used knowledge of the body and nature, but in different art forms and styles.

    Hint: Leonardo was a painter and inventor; Michelangelo a sculptor, painter and architect.

  6. Question 6

    Why did the Reformation spread quickly in parts of Europe?

    • Printing was banned.
    • Nobody wanted change.
    • Many rulers and townspeople supported it, and printed pamphlets carried its ideas.
    • It started in the Americas.
    Show answer

    Many rulers and townspeople supported it, and printed pamphlets carried its ideas.

    Hint: Printing let ideas travel quickly.

  7. Question 7

    What was the capital city of the Mexica?

    • Cuzco
    • Florence
    • Edo
    • Tenochtitlan
    Show answer

    Tenochtitlan

    Hint: It was built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

  8. Question 8

    Why did the Spanish crown support explorers?

    • To stay inside Spain.
    • To give land to the Mexica.
    • To gain wealth and power, and to spread Christianity.
    • To end all trade.
    Show answer

    To gain wealth and power, and to spread Christianity.

    Hint: Rulers expected to gain resources and new territory.

  9. Question 9

    What does 'siege' mean?

    • a trade agreement
    • a festival
    • surrounding a city to cut off its supplies and force it to give up
    • a sea voyage
    Show answer

    surrounding a city to cut off its supplies and force it to give up

    Hint: The Spanish and their allies surrounded Tenochtitlan in 1521.

  10. Question 10

    A museum label gives a date, a place and who made an object. Why are these details useful?

    • They make the object older
    • They hide the object
    • They are decoration
    • They help judge the source and place it in time.
    Show answer

    They help judge the source and place it in time.

    Hint: Details about a source help us interpret it.

Answer key

  1. 1. respect for family, order and duty (Japan: Land, Beliefs & Values)
  2. 2. To help the shogun keep control of the lords. (Tokugawa Japan & Isolation)
  3. 3. 🏯 Tokugawa (before 1868): the shogun holds real power, foreign trade limited to Nagasaki, daimyo rule their domains, samurai ranked at the top · 🚆 Meiji (after 1868): first railway opens, emperor is the centre of government in Tokyo, national schools for children, an army of ordinary citizens (From Isolation to Adaptation)
  4. 4. Scholars moved west with ancient Greek writings. (Where the Renaissance Began)
  5. 5. Both used knowledge of the body and nature, but in different art forms and styles. (Renaissance Art, Printing & Science)
  6. 6. Many rulers and townspeople supported it, and printed pamphlets carried its ideas. (Renaissance & Reformation)
  7. 7. Tenochtitlan (The Mexica & Tenochtitlan)
  8. 8. To gain wealth and power, and to spread Christianity. (Spain & the Age of Exploration)
  9. 9. surrounding a city to cut off its supplies and force it to give up (Contact & Conquest in Mexico)
  10. 10. They help judge the source and place it in time. (Worldviews & Historical Sources)

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