Grade 7 Social Science flashcards

31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Hammurabi's Code

A written Babylonian law code from around 1754 BCE, publicly displayed on stone. It set fixed penalties based on retribution, showing how early states used written law to govern large societies.

Cuneiform

A Mesopotamian writing system using wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets. It began as record-keeping for trade and taxes and became one of the earliest full writing systems.

Athenian direct democracy

A system in classical Athens in which eligible citizens voted directly on laws rather than electing representatives. Only adult male citizens could participate, excluding women, enslaved people, and foreigners.

Roman Republic

A Roman government with elected officials, a Senate, and written laws such as the Twelve Tables. It influenced later ideas of representative government, checks on power, and citizenship.

Silk Roads

Overland trade networks linking China, Central Asia, India, Persia, and the Mediterranean. Beyond goods, they spread religions, technologies, and diseases such as Buddhism and plague.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia after 1492. Smallpox devastated Indigenous populations, while maize and potatoes spread worldwide.

Renaissance humanism

A 14th–16th century intellectual movement that studied classical Greek and Roman texts and emphasized human potential and reason. It encouraged inquiry and challenged some Church teachings.

Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century movement challenging Catholic Church authority, sparked by figures like Martin Luther. Printing spread critiques quickly and produced new Christian branches across Europe.

Latitude vs. longitude

Latitude measures distance north or south of the equator, from 0 to 90 degrees. Longitude measures east or west of the prime meridian, from 0 to 180 degrees.

Weather vs. climate

Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions like rain or heat. Climate is the long-term average pattern of a region, shaped by latitude, elevation, winds, and ocean currents.

Plate tectonics

The theory that Earth's outer shell is broken into moving plates. Their collisions and separations cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building at plate boundaries.

Water cycle

The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, and infiltration. It distributes fresh water and links oceans, atmosphere, and land.

Push and pull factors

Conditions that drive people away from a place (war, famine, persecution) or attract them to another (jobs, safety, family). They help explain patterns of human migration.

Population density

The number of people per unit of land area, often people per square kilometer. It is calculated by dividing total population by total land area.

Map projection

A method of transferring Earth's curved surface onto a flat map. All projections distort shape, area, distance, or direction, so mapmakers choose based on purpose.

Watershed

An area of land where all precipitation drains into a common river, lake, or ocean. Pollution in one part of a watershed can affect the whole drainage system.

Popular sovereignty

The principle that government power comes from the consent of the people. It underlies the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution.

Separation of powers

Dividing government authority among legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Each branch has distinct functions so no single group holds all power.

Checks and balances

Provisions that let each branch limit the others, such as vetoes, judicial review, and impeachment. They prevent any one branch from dominating the government.

Federalism

A system dividing power between a national government and state governments. Delegated powers belong to the nation, reserved powers to states, and concurrent powers to both.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. They protect individual liberties such as speech, religion, due process, and trial by jury from government overreach.

Rule of law

The principle that no person or official is above the law. Laws must be written, publicly known, fairly applied, and enforced equally.

Oligarchy

A form of government in which a small group holds power, often based on wealth, military control, or family status. It differs from democracy and monarchy.

Opportunity cost

The value of the best alternative given up when a choice is made. Because resources are scarce, every decision has an opportunity cost.

Factors of production

The resources used to produce goods and services: land (natural resources), labor, capital (tools and machinery), and entrepreneurship. Together they organize economic activity.

Law of demand

The principle that, all else equal, quantity demanded falls as price rises and rises as price falls. It explains the downward slope of a demand curve.

Comparative advantage

The ability to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than another producer. It explains why specialization and trade can benefit both countries.

Tariff

A tax on imported goods. It raises the price of imports, protects domestic producers, and often raises costs for consumers.

Gross domestic product

The total market value of final goods and services produced in a country in a given period. It is a main measure of economic output.

Primary vs. secondary source

A primary source is created at the time by participants or witnesses, such as letters or artifacts. A secondary source interprets such evidence later, like a textbook.

Corroboration

Comparing multiple independent sources to test a claim. Agreement across sources strengthens a conclusion, while disagreement signals a need for further investigation.