Social Studies
This domain samples United States history, world history, civics and government, geography, and economics. Items ask you to place events in sequence, identify the purpose of a document or institution, interpret a map or chart described in text, and apply economic reasoning to a short scenario.
Civics core
- Three branches: legislative (Congress, makes law), executive (president, enforces law), judicial (courts, interprets law).
- Separation of powers divides functions among branches; federalism divides authority between national and state governments. These are different concepts and are frequently swapped in distractors.
- Checks and balances: veto, override by two-thirds of both houses, Senate confirmation of appointments and treaties, judicial review, impeachment.
- Bill of Rights: First Amendment protects speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion; Fourth through Eighth protect the accused.
- Reconstruction amendments: 13th abolishes slavery, 14th guarantees citizenship and equal protection, 15th protects voting regardless of race.
Geography and economics
Latitude lines run east–west but measure distance north and south of the equator; longitude lines run north–south and measure east–west. Scale converts map distance to real distance. Economics: scarcity forces choice; opportunity cost is the value of the next-best alternative forgone; demand rises as price falls.
Worked example
Congress passes a bill; the president vetoes it; Congress then repasses it with two-thirds majorities. The veto is an executive check on the legislature, and the override is the legislature's counter-check. A distractor calling this “federalism” is wrong because no state-versus-national power division is involved.
Traps that cost marks
Mixing up federalism and separation of powers; treating a textbook or encyclopedia as a primary source; assigning an event to the wrong era (Civil War 1861–1865, not the Revolution); and reversing latitude and longitude.