GED Study Guide

1 6/15/2018 MyGED : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print1/24 GED Study GuideSOCIAL STUDIESWhat you need to know about the GED Social studies Test 1 You should be familiar with basic social studies concepts, but you're not expected to havein-depth knowledge of each topic. Remember, the social studies test is not a memorization test! You don t need to know the capitalsof countries or the timeframes that certain wars ll need to understand social studies concepts, use logic and reasoning, and drawconclusions (which is using your critical thinking skills in social studies ). This Study Guide and the example questions in it will help you get an idea of what s going to be onthe don t need to know everything in this Guide !

2 If you want to see how close you are to passing, the GED Ready official practice test is a greatway to help you determine if you re ready. Test OverviewTopics Reading for Meaning in Social studies Analyzing Historical Events and Arguments in Social studies Using Numbers and Graphs in Social StudiesTime (to take the test) 70 minutes No breaksFormat Calculator allowed Access to calculator reference sheet Multiple choice and other question types (drag and drop, fill in the blank, hot spot, anddrop down)What you'll be tested onThe GED test will measure your strength in the skills below. Click on a skill to learn more about : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print2/246/ 15/2018 MyGED : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print3/24 Reading for Meaning in Social Studies1 Main ideas and details in social studies readingsYou'll be presented with social studies passages and be asked to.

3 Determine the main ideasUse details to make inferences or claimsSocial studies passages often make particular claims about a topic and then provide detailsthat the author uses to support the assertions studies readings may be from a primary source (created by someone with firsthandknowledge of an event) or a secondary source (created by someone at a later time who didnot have firsthand knowledge of the event). Sometimes these documents are complex orwritten in an "old-fashioned" style, and it takes skill to read and understand what the mainpoint or points of the reading are - which might not be obvious to you on the first example, a reading about American History might argue that the cause of the AmericanRevolution was the unfair taxation of the American colonies.

4 The reading might thenprovide details or examples of unfair taxation that support the author's , you might read an excerpt of a letter written by a soldier during the Civil War. Thisprimary source document explains the perspective of that individual and what he was doingor experiencing at the time. As a reader, your task might be to explain or summarize themain points or theme of what the soldier was trying to QuestionsMain ideas and details in social studies readings This excerpt is from the "Declaration of Sentiments" presented to the Seneca FallsConvention by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are createdequal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; thatamong these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

5 That to secure theserights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent ofthe governed. Whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of theseends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and toinsist upon the institution of a new : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print4/24 Question:What concept is a main idea of this excerpt?nationalismAnatural rightsBimperialismCmajority ruleD6/15/2018 MyGED : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print5/242 Social studies vocabularyYou'll be presented with social studies passages which include common social studiesterms and example, the term "capitalism" describes the main economic system that is in place inthe You may need to be able to understand what that term means in order todistinguish it from other economic systems, such as "socialism" or "communism.

6 "Example QuestionsSocial studies vocabulary The chart below describes the four methods used to amend the 1 Step two-thirds vote in both houses of CongressRatified by three-fourths of thestate two-thirds vote in both houses of CongressRatified by ratificationconventions in three-fourths ofthe national constitutional conventioncalled by two-thirds of the statelegislaturesRatified by three-fourths of thestate national constitutional conventioncalled by two-thirds of the statelegislaturesRatified by ratificationconventions in three-fourths ofthe statesFour Methods of Amending the ConstitutionThe 17th AmendmentThe 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided to give statelegislatures the power to select senators.

7 The purpose was to ensure thatthe interests of the states were represented in that national legislature. However,some argued that the people should directly elect their senators. They thoughtthe interests of the states would be preserved because the people were thesource of all government : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print6/24 The first of nearly 300 congressional resolutions calling for direct election ofsenators came in 1826. Over the next 85 years, an amendment to directly senators was debated extensively. Finally, in 1913, the 17th Amendment,which allowed for the direct election of senators, was :What does the word convention mean in both the chart and The 17th Amendmentpassage?

8 Cultural traditionAformal assemblyBagreed-upon contractCpreferred writing styleD6/15/2018 MyGED : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print7/243 How authors use language in social studiesYou'll be asked to identify how authors use language, (for example, imagery or facts) toestablish their points of view or studies authors use language to support their arguments in a variety of differentways. One author might use facts to create an argument, while another might usemetaphors to create more of an emotional example, an author writing about competition in the communications industry might citefacts about company revenues, profits, or market share.

9 Another writer discussing theeffects of competition on cell phone prices might provide examples of how consumers feltabout their treatment by cell phone service providers. These authors have differentpurposes and use different kinds of language to support their purposes. As a reader, it isimportant to be able to identify the different characteristics of writing in order to be able tounderstand and evaluate the meaning of the QuestionsHow authors use language in social studies This excerpt is from President Barack Obama's 2017 farewell democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted.

10 When votingrates in America are some of the lowest among advanced democracies, weshould be making it easier, not harder, to vote. When trust in our institutions islow, we should .. insist on the principles of transparency and ethics in publicservice. When Congress is dysfunctional, we should draw our congressionaldistricts to encourage politicians to cater to common sense and not remember, none of this happens on its own. All of this depends on .. eachof us accepting the responsibility of citizenship, regardless of which way thependulum of power happens to be Constitution is a remarkable, beautiful gift.