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 ! 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.

2 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: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).

3 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. 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; that to secure theserights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent ofthe governed.

4 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."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.

5 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?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.

6 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. 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.

7 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. But it's really just a piece ofparchment. It has no power on its own. We, the people give it power. We, thepeople, give it meaning.. Whether or not we stand up for our or not we respect and enforce the rule of law.

8 That's up to us. Americais no fragile thing. But the gains of our long journey to freedom are not ..Question:6/15/2018 MyGED : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print8/24 Based on the excerpt, which phrase identifies an unstated purpose of PresidentObama's speech?to encourage support for the incoming administrationAto gain support for the newly elected members of CongressBto convince his audience to actively participate in governmentCto convince his audience to be honest when dealing with thegovernmentD6/15/2018 MyGED : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print9/244 Fact versus opinionYou'll be asked to determine when an author is using factual statements or inferences, asopposed to example, an author might begin with the opinion that the 1960s were one of the mostdifficult and divided times in American history.

9 They may go on to cite evidence or facts thatdescribe the Vietnam War, civil rights protests, and the Cuban Missile QuestionsFact versus opinion In January 1991, President George H. W. Bush made a speech about Iraq's invasionof :Which statement from President Bush's speech is an opinion?"The United Nations, with the full support of the United States, hasalready tried to peacefully pressure Iraq out of Kuwait .."A"And our own economy is suffering .. the effects of higher oil pricesstemming from Saddam's aggression.."B".. [E]conomic sanctions are taking a toll, but they are still notforcing Saddam out of Kuwait.."C"We have seen too often in this century how quickly any threat to onebecomes a threat to all."D6/15/2018 MyGED : Study #/ Study / Guide /SOCIAL_STUDIES/print10/245 Claims and evidence in social studiesYou'll be presented with social studies passages and be asked to:Determine whether a claim is or is not supported by evidenceCompare information that differs between sourcesFor example, you might be provided with a passage that discusses the historical expansionwestward of the United States in the 19th century and that argues that the expansion wasbeneficial to the Native American people who had occupied the land previously.

10 Thereading might provide evidence to support that claim and your task could be to evaluatewhether it does. You might also be asked to read information from different sources andanalyze whether the differing versions are credible in supporting the claims that are QuestionsClaims and evidence in social studies This paragraph is paraphrased from Federalist No. 84, an essay by AlexanderHamilton, published in 's EssayNot only is a bill of rights unnecessary, I am sure that in the proposedconstitution it would even be dangerous. Why declare that things will not bedone when there is no power to do them? Why assert that certain rights areprotected when the government has no power to violate those rights? Why statethat there is freedom of the press when the government is not given power thatcan be used to violate freedom of the press?