GradeMap

Grade 8 Social Studies practice sheet

BC Curriculum · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________

  1. Question 1

    Put the feudal pyramid in order, from the most powerful to the least.

    • 🏰Nobles (lords)
    • 🛡️Knights
    • 🌾Peasants and serfs
    • 👑King
    Show answer

    King → Nobles (lords) → Knights → Peasants and serfs

    Hint: In the feudal system the king was at the top, followed by nobles, then knights, then peasants who worked the land.

  2. Question 2

    Muslim scholars translated and preserved many writings from ancient Greece. Why did this matter later?

    • Europeans later learned many of these ideas through Arabic translations.
    • It destroyed the ideas.
    • It banned science.
    • It stopped scholars from learning.
    Show answer

    Europeans later learned many of these ideas through Arabic translations.

    Hint: Translation kept knowledge alive and passed it on.

  3. Question 3

    What goods crossed the Sahara in caravans?

    • Gold and salt, among other things
    • Computers and phones
    • Tea from the Americas
    • Potatoes from Europe
    Show answer

    Gold and salt, among other things

    Hint: West Africa had gold; the Sahara had salt. Each wanted what the other had.

  4. Question 4

    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.

  5. Question 5

    Which tool helped sailors find direction at sea?

    • the loom
    • the compass
    • the printing press
    • the abacus
    Show answer

    the compass

    Hint: A magnetized needle always points north, helping ships travel far from land.

  6. Question 6

    What is one way a growing city can change the land around it?

    • The city has no need for resources.
    • Farmland turns into ocean.
    • Forests are cut and farmland is used to supply the city.
    • The land stays untouched.
    Show answer

    Forests are cut and farmland is used to supply the city.

    Hint: Cities need food, wood and water from the land around them.

  7. Question 7

    What was a manor?

    • A market square
    • A lord's estate, including a house, farmland and village
    • A type of castle only
    • A royal army
    Show answer

    A lord's estate, including a house, farmland and village

    Hint: Most people lived on manors, where peasants worked the land for the lord.

  8. Question 8

    Ibn Sina (Avicenna) wrote a medical text that was used for centuries. What was it called?

    • The Prince
    • The Book of Optics
    • The Canon of Medicine
    • The Republic
    Show answer

    The Canon of Medicine

    Hint: It was studied in both the Islamic world and Europe for hundreds of years.

  9. Question 9

    What was the Pax Mongolica?

    • A time of relative peace and safe trade across the Mongol Empire
    • A Mongol war
    • A kind of ship
    • A law code of Rome
    Show answer

    A time of relative peace and safe trade across the Mongol Empire

    Hint: Safe routes made it easier for traders and travellers like Marco Polo to cross Asia.

  10. Question 10

    Why did Italian city-states such as Florence become centres of the Renaissance?

    • They were closed to ideas.
    • They had no merchants.
    • Wealth from trade paid for art and learning.
    • They were ruled by Mongols.
    Show answer

    Wealth from trade paid for art and learning.

    Hint: Rich families, like the Medici, supported artists and scholars.

Answer key

  1. 1. King → Nobles (lords) → Knights → Peasants and serfs (Medieval Europe)
  2. 2. Europeans later learned many of these ideas through Arabic translations. (The Islamic World)
  3. 3. Gold and salt, among other things (Trade & Empires)
  4. 4. Many rulers and townspeople supported it, and printed pamphlets carried its ideas. (Renaissance & Reformation)
  5. 5. the compass (Exploration & Exchange)
  6. 6. Forests are cut and farmland is used to supply the city. (People on the Move)
  7. 7. A lord's estate, including a house, farmland and village (Medieval Europe)
  8. 8. The Canon of Medicine (The Islamic World)
  9. 9. A time of relative peace and safe trade across the Mongol Empire (Trade & Empires)
  10. 10. Wealth from trade paid for art and learning. (Renaissance & Reformation)

Want more than 10 questions?

In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback. See all social studies units.

Try it free