Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Map
Multiple Choice
True and False
Countries:
North Korea
South Korea
Japan
China
Germany
United Kingdom
Italy
Spain
Greece
Mexico
Brazil
Questions:
Cuba
Peru
Colombia
Panama
Haiti
Quebec
British Colombia
Ontario
Alberta
Newfoundland and Labrador
3.) What is Chinas population? How large are cities and provinces?
Chinas population in 1.34 billion people. There are 40-50 cities that have more than 1 million people.
Many of their provinces have more people than their cities do.
4.) What will China allow couples to do in China? When its propaganda didnt work, what did China do?
China is allowing couples to have 2 kids now instead of one. When their propaganda wasnt working
they started using abortions, heavy fines, and forced sterilizations.
When the famine struck in Fujian province in the 17th century, a large number of Chinese
migrated from the main land to there. The Manchu Dynasty conquered Taiwan in 1683. When the
Nationalists lost to the Communists in 1949 they moved the government to Taiwan.
It is the most important festival in Mongolia It is made up of three games which are Wrestling,
Archery, and Horse Racing.
8.) What was the economy like under the Communist government in Mongolia? When the Soviet Union fell
what happened?
Under the Communist government the state owned and operated most of the factories. When the
Soviet Union fell apart, Mongolia was one of the first Communist Countries to attempt to shift to a
market economy.
9.) What are the economic tigers of Asia? What does this mean?
It is a nation that has rapid economic growth due to cheap labor, high technology, and aggressive
exports. They are highly industrialized and trade with nations around the world. Taiwan, Singapore, and
South Korea are considered economic tigers.
10.) Historically, what led to the division of Korea? (Hint: Japan and Soviets)
After Japans defeat in the war, the northern half was controlled by the Soviets and the southern
half was supported by the United States.
11.) Why did the United States get involved? Why did China enter the war? How would World War III
happen?
The United States wanted to fight the war against the forces of international Communism. They
fought back and forth across the 38th parallel. They U.S. fought to the North Korea, Chinese border. The
Chinese became involved because they started to worry about protecting themselves from what they
called armed aggression against Chinese territory. The fighting stalled and casualties on both sides
began to mount. The American officials worked anxiously to fashion North Koreans some sort of
armistice with the North Koreans. If this did not happen they feared that this war would eventually pull
China and Russia into it and that could lead to WWIII.
The two Koreans marched into the Olympic Stadium under a new flag designed for a single
unified Korea.
13.) Why would North and South Korea form an economic powerhouse?
If they unite North Korea would be able to provide natural resources and raw materials for South
Koreas industries. South Korea is an economic tiger of Asia.
The Japanese flag shows a red sun against a white background. The red sun symbolizes
Amaterasu which is the sun goddess. A myth says that the Japanese emperor and his family are
descended from the goddess.
A shogun was a general of the emperors army with the powers of military dictator.
16.) What was the impact of this decision on Japan? Due to this impact, what did Japan decide to do?
The decision brought the United States into WWII. It ended Japans defeat and surrender in
1945. Eventually Japan became a democracy.
17.) What happened on August 6, 1945? What happened three days later? How many people died?
The United States dropped a bomb on Hiroshima. Tens of thousands of people died and 3 days
later the U.S. dropped a bomb on Nagasaki.
18.) What would happen in the invasion of Japan? What was the Manhattan Project?
As Germany surrendered, U.S. closing in on a victory in the Pacific, allies feared that a final
invasion of the main islands of Japan because they believed there would be heavy U.S. casualties. Since
1942, Allied scientists had been working on an alternative to invading Japan which was the Atomic
bomb. The development of this project was known as the Manhattan Project.
It is when an earth quake occurs under the ocean floor and part of the floor moves. It produces a
huge wave of great destructive power. Japan has established a strict building code. After every
earthquake, engineers study how buildings reacted to make improvements. Schoolchildren participate in
yearly disaster drills with local fire fighters. Organizations offer courses on disaster preparedness and
management.
The population is about 127 million people and 8 out of 10 of those people live on the main
island of Honshu. There are few minority groups which experience discrimination.
European Unit
The Northern European Plain is one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the world. It
stretches across parts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Poland. It has been
used as the main highway to invade Russia. The French led by Napoleon in 1812.
22.) What is the Mediterranean Climate? How does it exist?
It extends from southern Spain and France through Italy to Greece and other parts of the Balkan
Peninsula. Summers are hot and dry with clear sunny skies, while winters are moderate and wet. One
reason for the climate is that mountain ranges block cold north winds from reaching the Iberian Italian
and Balkan Peninsula.
Building Venice required construction techniques that took into account the swampy lands on the
islands. The builders sunk wooden pilings into the ground to help support the structures above. So many
pilings were required that oak forests in the northern Italian countryside and in Slovakia were leveled.
The weight of the buildings are so great that it has compressed the underlying ground. Rising sea levels
and the removal of too much groundwater by pumping.
24.) What did experts worry about a few years ago, involving the Greece debt crisis? Have bailouts worked?
Explain.
Experts worried that Greeces problems would spill over into the rest of the world. The money
mainly goes toward paying off Greeces international loans, rather than making its way into the economy.
People from the north moved to the Balkan Peninsula and built villages in the mountains but the
mountains made these villages isolated from one another. As a result, these villages developed into citystates. A city state is a political unit made up of a city and its surrounding lands.
In 400 B.C., a series of costly wars with Persia weakened the city-states of Greece. Also, the
Athenians fought a ruinous war with Sparta, a rival Greek city-state. In 338 B.C., Macedonia conquered
Greece.
27.) Since it was so large, what did Rome do? What happened?
It split into western and eastern halves. The western empire grew weak. It fell in 476 A.D. and
the Eastern Roman Empire lasted nearly 1000 years longer.
By the 1300s, Italian merchants were growing rich from the trade of luxury goods from Asia. In
October 1347, trading ships sailed into the port of Messina, Sicily, carrying the disease known as the
bubonic plague. Over the next 4 years the plague spread along trade routes throughout Europe. An
estimated 25 million Europeans died which is about 1/3 of the population. The bacterium that causes the
bubonic plague lives in the guts of fleas. The fleas bite rats and infect them. Rats come in contact with
humans and the fleas jump off. The rats come into contact with humans and the fleas jump off of the
dying rat to the humans to feed off them. Humans become infected from flea bites. Humans spread the
disease through coughing, sneezing, and spitting up infected blood or saliva.
29.) What was the Protestant Reformation? What did Martin Luther write? What did it say?
It was the 16th century religious, political, intellectual, and cultural upheaval that splintered
Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern
era. He wrote a 95 theses statement which was a list of questions and propositions for debate.
Political decisions based on the needs of the state rather than ideological or moral reasons.
Other smaller countries forge alliances with larger European powers. The system states that if
one ally is attacked by another that the other members will join the conflict. This is why conflict became
so large and became known at the times as the World War.
32.) What was ultimatum delivered to Serbia by the Austro-Hungarian ambassador? What happened after
this?
The Serbian government must take steps to wipe out terrorist organizations and accept
independent investigation on the assassination or face military action. Austria-Hungary declared war on
Serbia July 28.
33.) What were conditions like in Germany right before the end of WWI?
German troops were low on supplies and exhausted. German generals inform Kaiser, the ruler of
Germany, the war could not be won. People of Germany are starving and begin revolting. Kaiser steps
down and flees to the Netherlands. New German government seeks and armistice or an agreement to end
the fighting.
It is unconditional surrender of Central Powers. The Austrian Empire broken up, new states of
Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. Germanys colonies across the globe come under Allied control.
Germany lost the Sudentland to the Czechoslovakia. Rhineland of Germany became a demilitarized zone.
Collapse of the American stock exchange led to economic disaster in Germany. Germans still felt
anger and humiliation about the defeat in WWI. Germans doubted their democratic government. These
conditions provided a chance for the rise of a new leader, Adolf Hitler, and his party, the Nazis to come to
power. He promised the disenchanted a better life, jobs, and a new glorious Germany.
A German living space which gave space for Hitlers new master race to expand.
Hitler invaded Poland after he promised not to. Britain and France declared war on Germany.
38.) What was Operation Sea Lion? What did some generals urge?
Hitler wanted to defeat England and tasks his general to come-up with a land invasion. They
came up with Operation Sea Lion. Hitler wanted to launch the invasion by mid-September of 1940. It
was called that for the amphibious invasion of England. Everything hinged on defeating the RAF of
Britain.
Hitler cancelled the invasion. Germany would never recover. They lost their most experienced
pilots and lost 1652 planes. England survived.
40.) What was Operation Barbarossa? What were the mistakes of the Germans during Operation Barbarossa?
It was a code name for the German invasion of Russia. It covered a front 2000 miles long.
Germany was at its pinnace and was the strongest in the world. They were undersupplied. They came as
conquerors not as liberators. They wanted to enslave the Slavic population and exterminate the Jews.
A monumental battle that is considered a turning point in the war on the Eastern Front. The
symbolic importance was that it was named after Joseph Stalin the leader of the Soviet Union.
Hitler believed that the invasion was designed to distract the Germans from coming to attack
north of the Seine River.
By December of 1944 the allies had pushed Germany all the way back to the French and german
border. Hitler desperate and needs to change the course of the war. Hitlers advisors instruct him that he
only has enough oil and steel materials to contain the war until August of 1945. Germany on the brink of
total collapse. As result Hitlers generals devise a plan tp launch a massive offensive in the Ardennes
forest.
44.) What happened during the Battle of the Bulge?
During the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans created a 45 miles wide and 65 miles deep bulge in
the U.S. lines and relied on taking U.S. fuel depots to fuel tanks. The U.S. counter offensives were able
to slow the Germans and put them in full retreat.
45.) Who was considered a full, half, and quarter Jew?
An individual with three or more Jewish grandparents was considered a full Jew, an individual
with two Jewish grandparents was considered a half Jew, and an individual with one Jewish grandparent
was considered a quarter Jew.
46.) What were the Einsatzgruppen?
The Einsatzgruppen were special units that would round up and kill Jews.
The mass killings performed by the Nazis took valuable troops, weapons, and supplies from the
front and caused psychological problems for German troops. Also, the ghettos cost a lot of money and
diseases started to spread outside of them.
The Wannsee Conference was held by the Nazis to discuss the "final solution to the Jewish
question." Its purpose was to inform and secure support from government ministries and other interested
agencies that would be involved in the "final solution." It presented the systematic killing of all people
of Jewish descent and the death camps that were to be built.
49.) `Who was Josef Mengele?
Josef Mengele was the chief camp physician of Auschwitz-Birkenau and was known as the
"Angel of Death." He often performed the selections at the camp and had a fascination with twins.
Mengele performed medical experiments on twins, and if one died he would kill the other so he could
perform an autopsy on both at the same time.
Immigration has been a source of recent conflicts in Europe. Increasing numbers of guest
workers from Yugoslavia and Turkey came to West Germany looking for jobs, which caused angry
Germans to commit discrimination and violence against them. Austria had also faced political tensions
because its political leader made controversial remarks that defended former Nazis, which immigrants
found insulting.
Devolution is forces whereby regions or peoples within a state, through negotiation or active
rebellion, demand and gain political strength and sometimes independence at the expense of the country
or region they are a part of. The process of devolution starts when the nationally accepted idea that unites
everyone erodes and regional parts want independence.
52.) What are satellite states?
53.) What happened to Eastern Europe after the Soviet Union collapsed and they voted out communism?
After the Soviet Union collapsed, Eastern Europe became very unstable. People started returning
to their ethnic loyalties, especially in Yugoslavia. 4 out of 6 of the republics voted to become separate
states and Serbia rejected, which lead to civil war.
54.) What have European governments done to protect their way of life? Why have they done this? What are
examples of this?
European governments have taken political positions that appear to be anti-Islamic and do not
help integrate Muslims into the community or make them successful. This is because they want to
discourage immigrants from coming to European countries. Other examples of this are Germany not
awarding German citizenship to children of immigrant parents born on German soil, France restricting
Muslim women's attire, and Muslim housing plans having poor living conditions.
The Amazon River flows more about 4000 miles from west to east and empties into the Atlantic
Ocean. It is fed by over 1000 tributaries, some of which are large rivers themselves, and carries more
water to the ocean than any other river in the world.
56.) What are the energy resources located in this region?
The energy resources of Latin America are oil, natural gas, uranium, and hydroelectric power.
Venezuela sits on top of major oil deposits and Mexico has huge oilfields centered along the Gulf Coast.
57.) Who was Quetzalcoatl? What was the impact of this belief?
Quetzalcoatl was a god worshipped by the Toltec and Aztec people. According to legend,
Quetzalcoatl traveled east across the sea and would one day return and bring peace to his people. This
belief caused the Aztecs to believe that Hernando Cortes and his soldiers were actually Quetzalcoatl and
his servants.
58.) What occurred during the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs?
During the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, Hernando Cortes and his soldiers destroyed the
capital city of Tenochtitlan and built Mexico City on top of the ruins.
59.) What was the hacienda? What was the impact of the natives? What powers did it have?
Haciendas were estates that covered most of Mexico's farmland. Natives lived on the haciendas
and had land there where they could grow their own crops. They were technically free but received
advanced payments from the hacienda owners. They had to stay and work until this was paid off, which
was almost impossible, and they lived in poverty. Also, the haciendas were like towns. They had their
own stores where natives could buy supplies, churches, jails, armies, and administrative buildings. This
gave the haciendas military, judicial, political, spiritual, and financial power.
Porfirio Diaz was a dishonest politician who ruled Mexico for more than 30 years. His harsh and
corrupt rule brought about a revolution and civil war.
Human sacrifices were done because the Aztecs believed that the sun only rose if it had enough
human blood. In 1487, a four-day ritual saw 20000 people killed, and the ritual only stopped because the
priests were exhausted. The people used as sacrifices were people from other groups that the Aztecs
conquered and raided.
62.) Who are the mestizos?
10
There have been issues with safety in Mexico because of drugs. Brutal gangs known as cartels
fight, often in public places, to control the drug trade, killing countless innocent people in the process.
This increased violence has damaged Mexico's tourist industry and driven down foreign investment as
well.
Also, there have been issues with emigration because many Mexicans have been leaving Mexico to travel
to the United States in search of work. Many of these immigrants enter the U.S. with proper
documentation while many others enter illegally. The money that the immigrants send back to their
families in Mexico can be essential to local economies.
64.) How was the Panama Canal built?
The U.S. wanted to build a canal across Panama to connect the Atlantic and Pacific, but Panama
was a province of Colombia and Colombia did not approve of this idea. The U.S. encouraged a
revolution in Panama so when Panama gained its independence it would grant the United States a zone in
which to build its canal.
65.) Explain the Mayans and aspects of their Empire. How did the Mayans decline?
The Mayans built a great civilization that unified most of Central America with the exception of
Mexico. They built a series of city-states with temples and palaces that were ruled by god-kings. Tikal,
which is located in the jungle of Guatemala, is considered to have been the center of the Mayan
civilization. The Mayans were known for their art, science, and agricultural and trade advances. They
developed a writing system, studied astronomy, and traded with other Central American civilizations via
canoes. The Mayan civilization collapsed suddenly by the end of the 9th century, possibly because of the
exhausted environment, war, or extreme drought.
66.) Explain the process of Haitian independence.
Haiti was originally a French colony with an important sugar industry. In the 1790s, Toussaint
L'Ouverture led a slave rebellion and took over the government of the island. This became the first
successful slave revolt and allowed Haiti to become the second independent nation in the Americas.
67.) Why were natives moved to towns?
11
Natives were moved to towns because it made them easier to control. The Spanish towns were
set up in a grid format with churches at the center. The streets being laid out in a grid format made it easy
for small military forces to seal off rebelling blocks.
68.) In 1959, a group of revolutionaries led by who gained control of Cuba? What was the breaking point
between Cuba and the United States?
In 1959, a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro, his brother Raul, and Che Guevara
gained control of Cuba. The breaking point between Cuba and the United States was Cuba joining the
Soviet Union and accepting communism.
69.) Who Francisco Pizarro? Why did he come to South America? What did he do to the Incan Empire?
Francisco Pizarro was a conquistador who wanted to be like Hernando Cortez. He wanted to
come to South America to conquer something and receive an encomienda, which was land that included
native cities or towns and natives that had to work for the encomienda owners. When he and his men met
the Incas, there was a civil war going on between two half-brothers who were fighting for control.
Pizarro invited one of the brothers, who was the current emperor, to meet him and ended up capturing
him and holding him for ransom. Pizarro told the Incas that they would need to fill a room with silver and
gold to get their emperor back, but when they did Pizarro executed the emperor and took the gold and
silver anyways.
70.) What did natives tell the Spanish about the city of gold?
Natives told the Spanish lies about the location of El Dorado in an attempt to get rid of them.
Unfortunately this did not work for the natives and ended up increasing the Spanish Empire because the
Spanish would stay in the native communities and then send men out all over South America to search
for El Dorado.
The conquistadors came from all different walks of life, from nobles to slaves, but most
conquistadors were commoners. All of them were men and most were single. The conquistadors all had a
common goal, which was to become rich, take their new wealth back to Spain, and become high nobles.
They had their own ranks and their treasure was divided up according to a pay scale. The higher-ranking
conquistadors received more treasure, and the king of Spain received 20% of everything.
72.) What were the independence movements in South America? What was their effect?
12
The independence movements in South America were led by Simon Bolivar and Jose de San
Martin. Simon Bolivar helped liberate Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia, and Jose de San
Martin helped liberate Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Once independence was achieved, the countries failed
to unify and work together for common goals because of the geography. People living on the South
American continent tend to live around the continent's edges, and the large mountains and rainforests
limit interactions. This has contributed to underdeveloped and political instability.
73.) Why is Chile a success story? What has been the history of Chilean education?
Chile is South America's greatest economic success story because of its trade. It trades the
products of tis mines and fields with nation as far away as Japan, and its biggest export is copper. The
most important part of its economy is the export of fruit and vegetables to North American markets
because its harvest comes during the Northern Hemisphere's winter.
Also, education is very important in Chile. All children must attend school between the ages of 6
and 13, and public education is free. After primary education, enrollment drops to less than 60%. Chile's
higher education has suffered because of political unrest. Chile's universities had been independent and
of high quality until General Augusto Pinochet and his military coup overthrew Salvador Allende's
government and introduced reforms that undermined higher education. Universities have been able to
regain some of their independence and standards since Pinochet's departure from power.
74.) What happened when Napoleon invaded Portugal?
When Napoleon invaded Portugal, the Portuguese royal family boarded ships and sailed to Brazil
to escape capture. They took their court and royal treasury with them, and for 14 years Brazil was the
heart of the Portuguese Empire, which made Brazil feel very independent.
75.) Explain Brazilian independence.
Brazil was originally a colony of Portugal. After Napoleon's defeat, many people in Brazil
demanded independence, but Portugal wanted to keep Brazil as a colony. Thousands of Brazilians signed
petitions asking for Dom Pedro, the son of Portugal's king, to rule an independent Brazil. Dom Pedro
agreed and declared Brazil's independence in September 1822.
76.) What are the challenges of the Olympic organizers are facing?
13
Domestic ticket sales have been sluggish, a vital subway extension to the Olympic Part won't
start running until a month before the games, and the sites for the cycling and track and field events are
still unfinished.
77.) What are Brasilia, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro the capital, the center, and the heart of?
Brasilia is the political capital of Brazil, So Paulo is the economic heart and largest city of
Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. It was created in 1957 by Oscar Niemeyer and is located in the
interior of Brazil. This is because the Brazilian government wanted to move more people into the interior
to develop its natural resources. Brasilia itself has very unique buildings and was finished in only three
years.
79.) What happened in Argentina?
In the 1970s through the early 1980s, the Argentine military waged a campaign of terror against
those who supported political reform. As many as 30000 people mysteriously disappeared because they
were accused of being terrorists and revolutionaries. Some of these people were tortured and then killed,
and their bodies were never found. The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo still stage weekly protests in the plaza
in Buenos Aires in an attempt to find out what happened to the people who disappeared.
80.) What is an oligarchy?
An oligarchy was a government ruled by the few. In the Spanish colonies, oligarchies censored
the press, limited free speech, punished dissent, and discriminated against those who were not a part of
the Spanish ruling class. Elections were held but new leaders were already determined. If the government
could not control the people, the military would step in and seize power, forming a new harsh
government called a junta.
14
Montreal is Canada's largest city and is located on a large island where the St. Lawrence and
Ottawa rivers meet. Its temperature is below freezing for more than 100 days each year, so to make the
weather more endurable an underground city was developed. This underground city includes a network
of shops and restaurants.
82.) Explain the characteristics of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles is located on the Pacific and has a mild climate all year. People began to pour into
the area because of this, causing the city to expand into the nearby valleys and desert-like foothills. The
rapid population expansion brought problems such as air pollution, inadequate water supplies, and
construction on earthquake-threatened land.
83.) What was the transcontinental railroads?
The transcontinental railroads were built to connect one side of a country to the other. The first
transcontinental railroad was completed across the United States in 1869, and Canada's transcontinental
railroad was completed in 1885. Today, the United States has the largest railway system in the world.
84.) What is the Trans-Canada Highway?
The Trans-Canada Highway is the primary highway in Canada. It stretches over 4860 miles.
The Battle of Bull Run or Manassas was when the Union planned to destroy the railway junction
at Manassas, Virginia, and march on to Richmond. The Union attacked the Confederate lines along Bull
Run Creek but were unable to break through Stonewall Jackson's lines. The Union Army fell to pieces
and ran back to Washington.
86.) What were the struggles of the North and South to start the War?
The South struggled because it could not sustain heavy casualties for a long period of time
because it had a small army to begin with. It also had limited supplies to wage war while the North had
an endless supply. The North struggled because the only way it could win the war was to destroy the
army of the South, but the North was unable to defeat Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. The South
had effective generals and leadership while the North did not.
87.) What was the Battle of Antietam? What was the Emancipation Proclamation?
15
The Battle of Antietam was when Lee invaded the North to take the fighting out of the South and
win the war. This became the bloodiest day of fighting. 12410 Union soldiers died and 13724
Confederate soldiers died. The Union ended up winning the battle, forcing Lee to retreat into Virginia.
After the victory at Antietam, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and freed all slaves in the
rebellious states.
88.) What happened during the Battle of Chancellorsville? All events.
The Battle of Chancellorsville was the best moment in the war for the South. The Union Army
was twice the size of the Confederate Army and on Lee's flank, but instead of retreating, Generals Robert
E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson split their forces. Jackson went around the Union flank and crushed the
Union Army. On his way back to his own lines at night, Jackson was accidentally shot by his men
because they mistook him for an enemy soldier. He died eight days later. After Jackson's death, Lee
would never win an offensive battle.
89.) What happened at the Battle of Gettysburg?
The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the war. It took place from July 1 to 3 1863 and
was Lee's last invasion of the North. In the three days of fighting Lee lost 60% of his men.
90.) What occurred to end the Civil War?
Lincoln put Ulysses S. Grant in charge of the Union Army. Grant launched an invasion into the
South, invaded Virginia, and exhausted Lee's forces. Lee surrendered to Grant after several deadly battles
and the remaining Confederate groups were defeated by May of that year.
91.) What happened during westward movement in the United States?
During westward movement in the United States, millions of Americans settled in new open
lands west of the Mississippi. To make way for these settlers, the U.S. government removed Native
Americans from their land by force. Many of these Native Americans had already been forced off of their
land in the East and were now being moved to less prosperous areas.
92.) What has been the United States rile in the global society?
16
At first the U.S. avoided foreign involvement because it was able to be self-sufficient and was
protected by two vast oceans. Because of this, the U.S. was the only major nation to escape physical
damage and have a healthy economy at the end of WWII. The U.S. became the leader of the world's nonCommunist nations and had the goal of stopping the spread of Communism. After the Cold War, which
was a competition for world influence between the U.S. and Russia, the U.S. emerged as the world's sole
superpower. It now uses its diplomatic and military power to try to keep the peace and further American
interests, especially in the international community.
93.) What were the several examples of social change in the last half of the 20th century?
In the last half of the 20th century, large numbers of people moved from the cities and suburbs
and also to the West and South. Immigrants continued to come to the country, but they were now mainly
from Latin America. Social unrest resulted in the Civil Rights movement fighting to gain equal rights for
African Americans, feminists seeking equality for women, and students and others protesting the U.S.
involvement in the war in Vietnam. Also, the United States transformed from an industrial based
economy to a service and information based economy because of the use of computers and the Internet.
94.) What occurred to lead to the 2008 recession? What occurred during the recession?
The U.S. housing market collapsed in 2008, triggering a recession. The effects of the recession
were felt around the globe. The government had tried to widen the opportunities for all Americans to buy
homes, and Americans responded by building more homes, buying more residences, and borrowing more
money to do so. Congress repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, which was an act put in place to regulate the
banking industry and prohibit banks from engaging in speculative investments or becoming investment
houses, so as a result, banks and companies created and invested forms of credit that had never been seen
before. The most dangerous form was the bundles of home mortgages to people who could not afford the
monthly payments when the interest rates rose. The banks also traded these bundles to other banks
around the world. When people lost their jobs and the interest rates rose even more, they could not pay
and defaulted on their loans. Banks did not have enough reserves to cover these losses, so the
government took over companies and issued bailouts.
95.) What are the aspects and characteristics of the executive branch?
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The executive branch is made up of the President and Vice President. The President must be a
natural born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident within the U.S. for at least 14 years. The
President must be nominated by a party and win a majority of electoral votes. The President is the chief
executive, which means that they are in charge of enforcing the acts of Congress, the judgments of
federal courts, and treaties signed by the U.S. The President is also the commander-in-chief, which
means that they are the civilian commander of the U.S. armed forces. They travel with the nuclear
football, which has all of the nuclear launch codes. Congress has restricted this power with the War
Powers Resolution, which spells out the conditions under which the President can commit troops without
congressional approval. If Congress disapproves, it can tell the President to pull troops or their funding
will be cut. The Vice President doesn't have much constitutional power, but they have the job of
strengthening the ticket and shoring up the respective presidential candidate's perceived weakness.
96.) What are the aspects and characteristics of the legislative branch?
The legislative branch is broken up into two houses, the Senate and the House of
Representatives. The House of Representatives has 435 representatives who serve 2 year terms, and the
number of representatives each state has depends on its population. The Senate has 100 members who
serve 6 year terms, and each state has two senators. The legislative branch has enumerated powers, which
are the powers given to Congress by the Constitution. These powers include drafting bills to send to the
president to become laws, the right to collect taxes and spend, the power of the purse, regulating
commerce or trade between states, and declaring war.
97.) What are the aspects and characteristics of the judicial branch?
The judicial branch was created by Congress, and its members are appointed by the President
and confirmed by the Senate. There is no fixed term for judges, which insulates them from the temporary
passions of the public and allows them to apply the law with only justice in mind and not electoral or
political concerns. Judges can only be removed by impeachment by the House of Representatives and
conviction in the Senate. When cases are brought to the judiciary, they proceed from district courts to
appellate court and may even end up at the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the land. In the
Supreme Court there is no set number of Justices. There have been as few as 6 and as many as 9
including a Chief Justice. The Supreme Court's task is to interpret the meaning of a law, decide whether a
law is relevant to a particular set of facts, and to rule on how the law should be applied. 7500 requests to
hear cases are filed each year, but the Court usually grants cert to less than 150. When a case is taken to
the Supreme Court, Justices accept legal briefs from parties to the case and then hear oral arguments
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where the parties present their arguments and the Justices ask them questions. The Justices then hold
private conferences, make their decision, and issue the Court's opinion along with any dissenting
arguments that may have been written.
98.) What are the characteristics of the Northeast? What is a megalopolis?
The Northeast covers only 5% of the nation's land area but 20% of the population lives there. It
is divided into two sections called New England and the Middle Atlantic. Maine, Vermont, New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are in New England, and Pennsylvania, New
York, and New Jersey are in the Middle Atlantic. The Northeast is considered the gateway for immigrants
and is one off the most heavily industrialized and urbanized areas in the world. Coal, iron ore, and oil can
be found in this region's states such as Pennsylvania. Also, some parts of the Middle Atlantic states are
often referred to as the rust belt because of their declining and abandoned traditional industries.
A megalopolis is a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together.
Since the Revolutionary War, immigrants have come to the Midwest from all over the world,
including places like Britain, Germany, and Scandinavia. The region is considered the nation's
breadbasket because it has fertile soil, adequate rainfall, and a favorable climate, which enables it to
produce more food and feed more people than any other area of the world. The main products of the
Midwest are corn, wheat, soybeans, meat, and dairy goods. Agriculture is the foundation of many of the
region's industries, including meat packing, food processing, farm equipment, and grain milling. The
region is also located in a central location and has excellent waterways that make it a great trade,
transportation, and distribution center. Most of the region's major cities are developed near these
waterways, such as Chicago.
100.) What has occurred in the New South?
After the invention of air conditioning, the region's stores of oil, coal, natural gas, and water gave
the Southern economy a boost. Many manufacturing and service industries have been drawn to the
region as they fled the harsh weather of the rust belt.
101.) How has the American West developed?
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The American West has grown very rapidly because of air conditioning and irrigation. Water has been
diverted from the Colorado River to reach areas like Las Vegas, Tucson, and Phoenix to aid in their
development. Farming, ranching, food processing, logging, fishing, oil refining, tourism, and the
production of computers are the West's economic activities.
102.) What occurred during the colonization of Canada by France and Britain?
Spain joined France to fight against England. During the war, Britain concentrated on seizing French
and Spanish territories in other parts of the world. Britain won the war, and at the peace conference in
1763 it received Canada from France and Florida from Spain. France was allowed to keep the West Indian
sugar islands but had to give Louisiana to Spain. This strengthened the American colonies significantly by
removing their European rivals to the north and south and opening the Mississippi Valley to westward
expansion.
103.) What led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada? What was it?
Canada had become a land of two distinct cultures, the Roman Catholic French and Protestant English,
and there were many conflicts between the two groups. The British government split Canada into two
provinces, or political units. Upper Canada had an English-speaking majority and Lower Canada had a
French-speaking population. Even though they were divided, there were still conflicts between the two
groups. The British government decided that major reform was needed, so in 1867 it passed the British
North America Act, creating the Dominion of Canada. The Dominion was to be a loose confederation, or
political union, of Upper Canada, Lower, Canada, and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, which were two
British colonies on the Atlantic Coast.
104.) Where do most Canadians live?
Most Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border. This is because the climate is warmer,
the land is more productive, and transportation linking the east and west coasts is more widely available.
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head of the government. Each of Canada's provinces has its own legislature and premier, or prime minister,
and the federal government runs the territories.