Grade 8 Social Studies practice sheet
Ontario Curriculum · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
Question 1
Why compare several sources about the same event?
- to see different perspectives and check which details are reliable
- to make the research longer
- to avoid reading
- to find the shortest source
Show answer
to see different perspectives and check which details are reliable
Hint: Each source shows part of the story.
Question 2
Which Nova Scotian leader campaigned against Confederation?
- George-Étienne Cartier
- Charles Tupper
- Joseph Howe
- Sir John A. Macdonald
Show answer
Joseph Howe
Hint: Howe feared Nova Scotia would lose control over its own affairs.
Question 3
What was the effect of the Toronto printers' strike of 1872?
- It ended all printing.
- It made children work longer.
- It made trade unions illegal.
- It brought attention to the nine-hour working day and helped lead to the legal recognition of trade unions.
Show answer
It brought attention to the nine-hour working day and helped lead to the legal recognition of trade unions.
Hint: The Trade Unions Act of 1872 followed the strike.
Question 4
Why do many First Nations say treaty promises were not always kept?
- No promises were ever made.
- Governments gave more than promised.
- Some promised supports, land and rights were not fully honoured.
- Every treaty was fully honoured.
Show answer
Some promised supports, land and rights were not fully honoured.
Hint: Disagreements over what was promised and what was delivered are still being addressed.
Question 5
Which Cree leaders were convicted and imprisoned after the events of 1885?
- Poundmaker and Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear)
- Joseph Brant and Tecumseh
- Isapo-muxika and Peguis
- Crowfoot and Sitting Bull
Show answer
Poundmaker and Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear)
Hint: Both were convicted of treason-felony and imprisoned, and both died within a few years of their release.
Question 6
Why is it important for non-Indigenous Canadians to learn about residential schools?
- It removes responsibility
- Reconciliation is the work of everyone, and it starts with knowing the truth
- It makes history shorter
- It is only for Indigenous Canadians
Show answer
Reconciliation is the work of everyone, and it starts with knowing the truth
Hint: Everyone has a role in building respectful relationships.
Question 7
Who was Rev. Josiah Henson?
- a fur trader
- a man who escaped slavery and helped found the Dawn Settlement in Canada West
- an inventor of the telephone
- a premier of Ontario
Show answer
a man who escaped slavery and helped found the Dawn Settlement in Canada West
Hint: His story helped spread the word about slavery.
Question 8
“Home Children” were…
- Indigenous children in residential schools
- children born in Canada to immigrants
- British children sent to Canada, many to work on farms or as servants
- children at boarding schools in Toronto
Show answer
British children sent to Canada, many to work on farms or as servants
Hint: About 100,000 children came between 1869 and the 1930s, and some were treated poorly.
Question 9
Why did the NWMP require prospectors to bring about a year's supplies over the Chilkoot Pass?
- to help the CPR
- to prevent hunger in the Yukon
- to make the trip longer
- to stop gold being found
Show answer
to prevent hunger in the Yukon
Hint: The Yukon could not feed thousands of newcomers.
Question 10
In Toronto, “The Ward” was a neighbourhood where…
- farms covered the land
- only the wealthy lived
- the CPR headquarters stood
- many newcomers lived in crowded, poor housing
Show answer
many newcomers lived in crowded, poor housing
Hint: Housing for the urban poor was often crowded and unsafe.
Answer key
- 1. to see different perspectives and check which details are reliable (Think Like a Historian)
- 2. Joseph Howe (Making a Country)
- 3. It brought attention to the nine-hour working day and helped lead to the legal recognition of trade unions. (Railway & the West)
- 4. Some promised supports, land and rights were not fully honoured. (Treaties & the Indian Act)
- 5. Poundmaker and Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear) (The Métis & the Resistances)
- 6. Reconciliation is the work of everyone, and it starts with knowing the truth (Residential Schools & Truth)
- 7. a man who escaped slavery and helped found the Dawn Settlement in Canada West (Black Communities in Canada)
- 8. British children sent to Canada, many to work on farms or as servants (Newcomers, Rights & Restrictions)
- 9. to prevent hunger in the Yukon (Canada, 1890–1914)
- 10. many newcomers lived in crowded, poor housing (Work, Cities & Reform)
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.