Shawnee Mission School DistrictDepartment of Curriculum

InstructionSocial Studies

Kansas Assessment

Practice Materials

Grade Six

1. The Athenians practiced ____________ democracy.

A) representative

B) indirect

C) direct

D) partial

2. A government ruled by a few people is a(n)

A. dictatorship

B. democracy

C. monarchy

D. oligarchy

3. A government in which citizens make the decisions is a(n)

A. aristocracy

B. democracy

C. monarchy

D. oligarchy

4. The region where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow is called ________________.

A. the Fertile Crescent

B. Mesopotamia

C. The Persian Gulf

D. Egypt

5. The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia arose in a region that is part of what present-day

country?

A. Egypt

B. Iran

C. Iraq

D. Turkey

6. Hammurabi’s Code was mainly intended to bring _________________ to people living in the

Babylonian Empire

A. education

B. justice

C. obedience

D. punishment

7. Hammurabi created a ____________ to help him control and rule his empire.

A. set of courts

B. series of taxes

C. code of law

D. network of spies

8. Hammurabi’s Code is

A. system for translating cuneiform into English

B. laws the people of the Babylonian Empire had to follow

C. the first four books of the Hebrews’ Old Testament

D. a set of signals Babylonian soldiers used during battle

9. A direct democracy was used the by Greek

city-states of

A. Athens

B. Marathon

C. Phoenicia

D. Sparta

10. Athens’ main rival was the city-state of

A. Anatolia

B. Marathon

C. Sparta

D. Thermopylae

11. The basic form of government in Greece was the

A. city-state

B. county

C. metropolis

D. nation

12. The Greek city-states formed the ______________ for mutual protection.

A. Acropolis

B. Delian League

C. Parthenon

D. Persian Compact

13. The Roman _______________ was a powerful body of 300 members that advised high

Roman officials.

A. assembly of plebeians

B. House of Republicans

C. republic

D. Senate

14. About 450 B.C., growing tension caused the _____________ to pass the Twelve Tables, which

established Roman citizens’ basic rights and duties.

A. consuls

B. plebeians

C. generals

D. patricians

15. To limit their power, each Roman ______________ had the power to veto the actions of the other.

A. assembly

B. consul

C. dictator

D. senator

16. Patrician consuls such as _____________

resisted Caesar’s growing power.

A. Augustus

B. Cicero

C. Hannibal

D. Octavian

17. All of the following had a role in Roman government except

A. consuls

B. dictators

C. gladiators

D. patricians

18. When a Chinese emperor held the Mandate of Heaven, it meant

A. he could do no wrong in the eyes of the people

B. he was a god whose commands must be obeyed

C. he had the gods’ support and approval to rule

D. he was also the head of China’s official church

19. The Chinese people believed that a dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven if

A. an emperor died at a young age

B. an emperor mistreated his people

C. a ruler behaved foolishly or badly

D. a flood or earthquake occurred

20. Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism are examples of ________________ popular at

various times in Chinese history.

A. dynasties

B. heavenly mandates

C. philosophies

D. religious practices

21. Confucianism spread from China to Japan,

Korea, and Vietnam because of

A. conquest

B. cultural diffusion

C. the Han dynasty

D. Emperor Shi Huangdi

22. The Silk Roads are called trans-Eurasian because

A. they carried large amounts of trade

B. they stretched across Europe and Asia

C. the connected China and Mesopotamia

D. they connected China and Mesopotamia

E. they were used by Europeans and Asians

23. Who is best known as “The Father of the Constitution”?

A. George Mason

B. Thomas Jefferson

C. James Madison

D. George Washington

24. Who is best known for his insistence on

a “Bill of Rights” added to the Constitution? A. George Mason

B. Thomas Jefferson

C. James Madison

D. George Washington

25. Who was the first President of the United States? A. George Mason

B. Thomas Jefferson

C. James Madison

D. George Washington

26. Who is known as the “Father of the Declaration of Independence?”A. George Mason

B. Thomas Jefferson

C. James Madison

D. George Washington

27. In what way does the Constitution keep any one branch of government from becoming too

powerful?

A. through the Senate and the House of Representatives

B. with amendments and bills

C. through the Bill of Rights

D. with a system of checks and balances

28. The President of the United States has the power to order the army into battle. Which branch

of the United States government does the President represent?

A) Judicial Branch

B) Executive Branch

C) Legislative Branch

D) Federal Branch

29. The Legislative Branch of our Federal Government is….

A) The branch that carries out the laws and is headed by the President

B) The branch that decides the meaning of the laws and is headed by the Supreme Court

C) The branch that enforces the laws and is headed by the FBI

D) The branch that makes the laws and is headed by Congress

30. The United States government is divided into different branches. Which branch of the

government has the power to declare war?

A) Executive Branch

B) Judicial Branch

C) Legislative Branch

D) Federal Branch

31. When Florida experienced an unexpected freeze, the price of orange juice went up in

Kansas. What economic term does this describe?

A) Needs and Wants

B) Imports

C) Scarcity

D) Economic Interdependence

32. Which of the following is the best example of an American import?

A) The United States buys cell phones from Japan

B) The United States sells wheat to Russia

C) The United States produces petroleum

D) The United States sells barbeque sauce to Canada

33. Susan goes to the mall to spend her birthday money. She finds a Hannah Montana CD and a pair of Aeropostle shoes. She decides to buy the

CD. What is her opportunity cost?

A) The cost of the CD

B) The Shoes

C) Her birthday money

D) all of the other things that she saw at the mall that she would like to own

34. Alex sets up his lemonade stand on the hottest day of the year. All of his friends went out to swim and fish at Shawnee Mission Park. Because Alex

was working at his lemonade stand, he was unable to join his friends for a swim. What is the benefit of

making this choice?

A) Fewer customers

B) No fish and no sunburn

C) Less time with friends

D) Increased profits.

35. Letter A on the map to the rightA

marks the location of what country?

A) Spain

B) England

C) France

D) Germany

36. What was the main reason that Spanish rulers sent explorers to the Americas?

A) They wanted to become famous

B) They wanted to find gold and spices

C) They wanted to conquer the Aztecs

D) They wanted the explorers to become conquistadors

37. Which statement identifies a result of the British Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Intolerable

Acts, and the publication of Common Sense?

A) The battle of Saratoga was fought

B) The colonies declared their independence from Great Britain

C) The Treaty of Paris was signed

D) The English Bill of Rights was written

38. What was the historical significance of the Virginia House of Burgesses?

A) It established an official state religion

B) It began a tradition of military rule in the English colonies

C) It introduced a tradition of representative government in the English colonies

D) It declared Virginia’s independence from Great Britain

Answer key for PowerPoint slides

6th grade social studies Kansas assessment preparation

Released indicators from KCA

1. In ancient China, an emperor had the authority to rule under

A) nirvana.

B) the Mandate of Heaven.

C) monotheism.

D) the Ten Commandments.

2. The cause-and-effect diagram below shows events that led to the fall of Athens in 404 B.C..

Which best completes the diagram?

A) War breaks out with Sparta.

B) Slave revolts weaken the political system.

C) Alexander the Great declares war on Greece.

D) Long droughts destroy agricultural production.

3. The map below shows Europe and North Africa, with two countries labeled.

If a person were traveling directly from Italy to Egypt, he or she would be going in which direction?

A) northeast

B) northwest

C) southeast

D) southwest

4. The diagram below shows the achievements of a certain ancient civilization.

Which ancient civilization best completes the diagram?

A) India

B) Rome

C) China

D) Egypt

5. The diagram below shows some of the

beliefs of a religion.

Which religion best completes the diagram?

A) Islam

B) Judaism

C) Hinduism

D) Buddhism

6. In which classical Greek city-state did democracy begin?

A) SpartaB) CorinthC) AthensD) Thebes

7. Trade routes between ancient Egypt and Nubia were mainly affected by which geographic feature?

A) junglesB) desertsC) steppesD) mountains

8. The ancient civilization of Mesopotamia was located

A) in the Nile River valley.

B) on the Arabian Peninsula.

C) in the Fertile Crescent.

D) on the Indian Subcontinent.

9. How did the pharaohs organize and unite the efforts of the Egyptian people?

A) They paid laborers to build the pyramids.

B) They founded colonies throughout the region.

C) They provided a written constitution to the government.

D) They established a public school system for the peasants

10. In the Roman Republic, who were elected by the people to serve for one year as the chief officers of the government and the military?

A) consuls

B) tribunes

C) tyrants

D) gladiators

11. In which form of government do the people elect their representatives?

A) republic

B) monarchy

C) aristocracy

D) dictatorship

12. Which best explains why people in ancient Greece focused on overseas trading rather than farming?

A) The land was too marshy to grow enough crops.

B) The land was too mountainous to grow enough crops.

C) The climate was too rainy to grow enough crops.

D) The temperature was too high to grow enough crops.

13. The map below shows Europe, with four countries marked A, B, C, and D.

Which letter on the map marks the location of Spain?

A) A

B) B

C) C

D) D

14. The diagram below describes reasons a European country explored the Americas.

Which country best completes the diagram?

A) Spain

B) Russia

C) England

D) the Netherlands

15. The timeline below shows some important events that took place during the colonial era. Which letter on the timeline marks Parliament's passage of the Stamp Act, one of the first attempts to make the colonists pay for the defense of the colonies?

A) A

B) B

C) C

D) D

16. The diagram below shows some of the powers of the president of the United States.

Which power best completes the diagram?

A) prints money

B) enforces laws

C) judges criminals

D) chooses senators

17. During the colonial era, which founding father wrote Poor Richard's Almanac?

A) John Adams

B) Benjamin Franklin

C) Thomas Jefferson

D) George Washington

18. Which factor would increase the supply of wheat in Kansas?

A) higher taxes

B) fewer farmhands

C) more pests

D) improved weather

19. Klara wants to attend a summer camp. In order to save money to attend the camp, she decides to stop buying tickets to the movies. Which is the main cost of Klara's decision?

A) the fee for camp

B) the time spent at camp

C) the time spent at the movies

D) the taxes on the movies missed

20. Which group of American Indians built adobe shelters on cliffs to protect themselves from heat and enemies?

A) Plains

B) Pueblo

C) Woodland

D) Northwest Coast

21. Which was the first representative assembly in the American colonies?

A) Stamp Act Congress

B) Virginia House of Burgesses

C) Continental Congress

D) Massachusetts General Court

22. At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the Great Compromise

addressed the problem of how

A) presidents are elected.

B) individuals are granted citizenship.

C) states are represented in Congress.

D) justices are appointed to the Supreme Court.