Social Studies and General Knowledge
What this domain tests
Social Studies and General Knowledge covers civics, geography, Liberian and African history, and basic world knowledge. You should know how government is organized, how to read maps and timelines, and a set of core facts about Liberia and its region.
Core rules
- Liberia was founded through the American Colonization Society; settlers arrived in 1822, and independence was declared in 1847.
- Monrovia is the capital; Liberia's counties include Maryland, whose capital is Harper, home of Tubman University.
- The three branches of government are executive, legislative, and judicial; each checks the others.
- Latitude measures distance north or south of the equator; longitude measures east or west of the prime meridian.
- In timelines, BCE dates count backward: 500 BCE is earlier than 300 BCE.
Worked example
A map scale says 1 cm represents 5 km. Two towns are 7 cm apart on the map. What is the real distance? Set up the proportion 1 cm / 5 km = 7 cm / x km. Cross-multiply: x = 35 km. Check by reasoning: each centimeter is 5 km, so seven centimeters is seven groups of 5 km, or 35 km.
Traps
- Confusing 1822 (settlement) with 1847 (independence).
- Mixing up the functions of the branches of government.
- Treating longitude lines as parallel; they converge at the poles.
- Reversing the order of BCE dates.
- Guessing at current events instead of using stable knowledge.