Social Studies
What the test asks
Social studies items span history, geography, economics, government/civics, and culture, plus the skills of using maps, timelines, and primary sources. Expect U.S. and Texas history milestones, the structure of government, and basic economic concepts.
Concepts to master
- U.S. history sequence: colonization, Revolution, Constitution, westward expansion, Civil War, Reconstruction, civil rights.
- Texas history: Spanish and Mexican influence, the Texas Revolution (1836), annexation (1845).
- Government: three branches, checks and balances, federalism, Bill of Rights.
- Geography: map types, latitude/longitude, regions, human-environment interaction.
- Economics: scarcity, supply and demand, opportunity cost, goods/services.
- Skills: primary vs. secondary sources, chronology, cause and effect.
Traps
Date and cause-effect confusions are frequent-know that the Constitution followed the Articles of Confederation because the Articles created a weak central government. Primary vs. secondary source identification is a common item: a diary is primary; a textbook is secondary. Map traps involve confusing latitude (horizontal, N/S) with longitude (vertical, E/W). Also watch for questions asking for the best civic example versus a merely related one.
Rule of thumb
For any historical event, ask what caused it, what changed, and who was affected. For sources, ask who made it, when, and why-that answers most analysis items.
Worked example: A letter written by a soldier in 1863 is a primary source; a documentary made in 2000 about that war is secondary. The letter offers firsthand perspective but may be biased.