Sample Prompts - Prentice Hall Bridge page

Sample Prompts

The following pages contain sample writing prompts taken from selected Prentice Hall social studies programs. The writing prompts are organized by subject and grade. The writing prompts for middle grades world studies and middle grades American history are aimed at students in grades 6, 7, and 8. Writing prompts for civics, world geography, world history, U.S. history, economics, and government are aimed at students in the high-school grades where these subjects are generally taught. Within each category, the sample writing prompts are divided into short-answer questions, open-ended questions, essay questions, and document- and data-based questions.

These sample writing prompts are provided for a number of reasons. First of all, they serve as examples of the types of writing assessments described in this booklet. They also can be used as a reference for style and content in the individualized prompts you create according to your curriculum. Finally, they serve as models for existing prompts you may be evaluating.

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Sample Prompts for Middle Grades World Cultures

Short-Answer Questions

1. What are two ways in which the vast desert regions of Southwest and Central Asia affect the lives of the people who live there?

2. What are the seven major features of any culture?

3. Why has the Middle East been called "the crossroads of the world"?

4. What were three major contributions of Muslim civilization?

5. What role did rivers and seas play in the development of Western Europe?

6. Describe two themes explored by Renaissance artists and writers.

Open-Response Questions

1. Ethnic and cultural diversity have led to conflict in many parts of South Asia. Describe the causes and effects of two of the following: (a) Conflict between Hindus and Muslims at the time of independence, (b) Sikh separatism in India, (c) Tamil Sinhalese tensions in Sri Lanka.

2. The nations of Latin America have taken different paths to modernization. (a) Describe one political or economic challenge that has faced either Mexico, Argentina, or Brazil. (b) Explain what steps that country took to meet that challenge.

3. After 1945, the Cold War shaped events in Europe. (a) Describe two ways in which Cold War tensions affected Europe. (b) Describe two effects of the end of the Cold War.

4. Western Europe contains a wide variety of landforms. (a) Describe how geography has shaped the economic development of one region in Western Europe. (b) Describe two ways in which western Europeans have used technology to reshape their environment.

Essay Questions

1. African nations have experienced rapid cultural change in recent years. Write an essay describing how three of the following have contributed to cultural change in one African nation: (a) urbanization, (b) education, (c) economic development, (d) population explosion, (e) westernization, (f) technology.

2. Mohandas Gandhi had a major impact on his country's development. Write an essay that describes Gandhi's goals for India, how he set out to achieve those goals and how his philosophy reflected both Indian and western traditions.

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20 ? Writing for Social Studies Assessment

Document- and Data-Based Questions

"Bengal sweets are the best in India. I can't take Bombay or Delhi sweets." --Bengali civil servant

"Only in Uttar Pradesh is politics really understood. The Uttar Pradesh is the political heart of India." --Gujarati factory owner

"Live in the South? NEVER! Their languages are impossible and one gets only rice, rice, rice!" --Punjabi engineer

Read the quotes above. What kind of bias do these statements imply about the people and cultures within India? Do you think these statements support the conclusion that India is a nation characterized by culture diversity? Why or why not?

Prime Minister Calls for Vote of Confidence

Labor Party Members Resign from Cabinet

New Coalition Government Seems Fragile

Read the headlines above. To which type of government do the headlines refer--an absolute monarchy or a parliamentary democracy? Use evidence from the headlines to support your answer.

Writing for Social Studies Assessment ? 21

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Mexico Triples Wheat Production

World Chemical Fertilizer Consumption Rises by 10% Per Year Since 1960 Synthetic Hormones Regulate Plant Size and Growth Rate

IR 58 The Wonder Rice of the 1980s!

Philippines End More than 50 Years of Rice Imports USA Doubles Food Production in 30 Years

Read the headlines above. What effects do you think the developments described in the headlines would have on Asian and Latin American nations? In your opinion, would these effects be positive or negative? Support your answer with examples.

Speaker A: The story of history is the story of class struggles. Revolution is necessary to overthrow the ruling class and eventually create a classless society in which no one will be exploited.

Speaker B: The royal power is absolute and the prince need render account of his acts to no one. Where the word of a king is, there is power. Without this absolute authority, the king could neither do good nor repress evil.

Speaker C: Government should leave business alone. It should let the natural law of supply and demand determine what gets produced, how much gets produced, who does the work, the price of goods, rates of pay, and all other economic questions.

Speaker D: Men are born and remain free and equal in right. It is the duty of every government to preserve and protect these natural and inalienable rights.

Directions: Read the excerpts above, then answer the questions that follow. Each of the speakers above expresses a viewpoint on the philosophy of government. Based on your knowledge of world governments, select two of the theories and list at least two nations that accepted them and were ruled by them. In your opinion, were these theories beneficial or detrimental to the success of the nations as a whole? Support your conclusions with examples.

22 ? Writing for Social Studies Assessment

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Sample Prompts for Middle Grades American History

Short-Answer Questions

1. Describe three ideas contained in the Declaration of Independence.

2. Describe one reason why Federalists favored the Constitution and one reason why Antifederalists opposed it.

3. What were three goals of the Lewis and Clark expedition?

4. Explain why Harriet Tubman was called the "Black Moses."

5. Describe one way the New Deal helped each of the following groups: (a) the unemployed, (b) farmers, (c) factory workers.

Open-Response Questions

1. Consider the following four events: ? American victory at Saratoga ? French entry into the war against Britain ? British defeat at Yorktown ? Signing of the Treaty of Paris Explain how each event helped to cause the next event.

2. (a) Describe the idea of Manifest Destiny. (b) Explain how the nation achieved this goal. (c) What do you think were some of the positive and negative effects of Manifest Destiny?

3. (a) Identify a major ecological problem in the world today. (b) How is it similar to, and how is it different from, the Dust Bowl problem of the 1930s?

Essay Questions

1. Select one of the following and describe the events of the time that would have had the greatest effect on you if you had lived at that time. Be sure to include specific historical details.

? A Native American in the Ohio Valley in 1750

? Major George Washington in the 1750s ? A Son or Daughter of Liberty in 1770 ? A minuteman on April 19, 1775

2. Do you think Britain had the right to tax the colonies? Write an essay to defend your position.

3. Write a short essay describing the early battles of the Revolutionary War and what impact an American victory or defeat seemed to have on the Patriot cause.

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Writing for Social Studies Assessment ? 23

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