Tottori Prefectural Public High School Entrance Examination - Social Studies study plan

Locate all 47 prefectures and the 8 Japanese regions on a blank map, writing names from memory in under 10 minutes

Describe the six climate zones of Japan (Hokkaido, Sea of Japan side, Pacific side, Seto Inland Sea, Central Highland, Nansei Islands) and match each to its precipitation and winter-snow pattern

Explain how the Chubu mountain ranges and the seasonal winds produce the difference between the Sea of Japan side and the Pacific side

Read a hypsometric (elevation-tinted) map of Japan and state which regions are mountainous versus plain-dominated

Interpret a population pyramid and identify the stage of demographic transition for Japan, explaining the low birth rate and aging rate figures

Describe the distribution of Japan's major industrial belts (Keihin, Hanshin, Chukyo, Kita-Kyushu) and the shift of manufacturing overseas

Read a land-use or crop-production table and explain why rice, vegetables, and livestock farming are distributed where they are

Compare Japan's trade structure before and after the 1970s (heavy industry to high-tech and services) using a graph

Explain the three largest metropolitan areas and the effects of concentration in Tokyo

Read world maps at several scales and convert between map scales, calculating real distances from scale bars

Identify standard map symbols and grid references and apply them to a topographic map of a Japanese region

Interpret a climograph and classify a location's climate (tropical, dry, temperate, cold, polar) from temperature and rainfall data

Describe the distribution of the world's major climatic zones and relate them to latitude, ocean currents, and altitude

Read a bar or line graph on world population or food production and state two supported conclusions

Sequence the major periods of Japanese history (Jomon through Heian) and place each on a timeline with two defining features

Explain the political and economic structure of the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates, including the role of the warrior class

Describe the unification of Japan under Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate

Explain the Tokugawa social order, the sankin-kotai system, and the policy of national seclusion

Identify two primary-source extracts and state what each reveals about the period it comes from

Explain the causes and consequences of the Meiji Restoration, including the abolition of domains and the introduction of conscription

Describe Japan's industrialization and its wars with China and Russia, and the annexation of Korea

Trace the political and social changes of the Taisho and early Showa periods, including party politics and the rise of militarism

Explain Japan's role in World War II and the postwar occupation reforms, including the new constitution

Describe the postwar economic miracle and the bubble economy and its collapse

Connect one Japanese historical event to a contemporaneous world event and explain the link

Explain the three branches of government under the Constitution of Japan and the principle of separation of powers

Describe the election system, the role of political parties, and the significance of the sovereignty of the people

Explain the fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution and give one example of a limit on each

Describe the structure of the Japanese economy, including the role of small and medium enterprises and the service sector

Explain the functions of taxation, social security, and public finance, and the problem of the national debt

Distinguish between direct and indirect taxes and explain the consumption tax debate

Explain the role of the United Nations and its principal organs, and one recent peacekeeping or development activity

Describe the major international organizations (WTO, IMF, World Bank, EU, ASEAN) and their functions

Explain globalization, regional integration, and the North-South divide using data on GDP per capita and trade

Describe three global issues (climate change, food security, refugees) and the international frameworks addressing them

Explain Japan's role in international cooperation, including official development assistance and peacekeeping

Analyze a news article on an international issue and identify the actors, interests, and possible solutions

Complete two full-length practice tests under timed conditions and score each by domain

Identify your three weakest domains and write a targeted review list for each

Re-read and correct every error from the practice tests, writing the reason for each correction

Practice short-answer and data-expression questions, writing answers in complete sentences with evidence from the data

Review the timeline and concept maps from earlier weeks and test yourself on dates, figures, and terms