TEXES Social Studies 4-8 Exam
Questions Marking Scheme
Current Update
Second Continental Congress - Answers -A convention of delegates from the Thirteen
Colonies that started meeting in the spring of 1775 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Managed the Colonial war effort and moved incrementally towards independence,
adopting the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Townshend Acts (1767) - Answers -A series of British acts passed beginning in 1767
and relating to the British American colonies in North America.
Thirteen Colonies - Answers -A group of British colonies on the east coast of North
America founded in the 17th and 18th centuries that declared independence in 1776
and formed the United States of America.
Azimuthal Projection - Answers -A stereographic projection onto a plane so centered at
any given point that a straight line radiating from the center to any other point
represents the shortest distance. Can be measured to scale.
Choropleth Map - Answers -A thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent
spatial data as average values per unit area
Fuller Projection - Answers -Maintains the accurate size and shape of landmasses but
completely rearranges direction
Mercator Projection - Answers -A type of cylindrical projection. A modified cylindrical
projection that is helpful to navigators because it allows them to maintain a constant
compass direction between two points.
Reference Map - Answers -A map type that shows reference information for a particular
place, making it useful for finding landmarks and for navigating
Thematic Map - Answers -A map that displays one or more themes, such as population,
or income level-within a specific area.
Spatial Map - Answers -Maps that show relationships between things in space (and no,
that's not outer space...)
Topological Map - Answers -Simplified so that only vital information; lack scale, and
distance and direction are subject to change and variation, but the relationship between
points is maintained
,Cartograms - Answers -Type of thematic map in which some thematic mapping variable
- such as travel time or Gross National Product - is substituted for land area or distance
Dot Maps - Answers -Thematic maps that use points to show the precise locations of
specific observations or occurrences, such as crimes, car accidents, or births
Isolines - Answers -Lines on a map that connect data points of equal value
Cognitive Maps - Answers -Mental representations of how a physical space is organized
Conical Projection - Answers -These projections superimposes a cone over the sphere
of the earth, with two reference parallels secant to the globe and intersecting it.
Distortion increases further from the chosen parallels.
Bonne Projection - Answers -A conical projection, in which areas are accurately
represented but the meridians are not on a true scale.
7 Continents - Answers -Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica,
Europe, and Australia. Asia is the largest while Australia is the smallest.
5 Major Oceans - Answers -Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic.
Pacific Ocean - Answers -Covers 46% of the total water surface of the Earth, and
covers more than a third of the total surface area. Largest of all the Oceans.
Mariana Trench - Answers -Deepest point on the earth; is in the North Pacific Ocean.
Atlantic Ocean - Answers -Bordered by Americas in the wet and Africa and Europe in
the east. Consists of the Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, Baltic Sea and the Gulf of
Mexico. The saltiest ocean. The water in the North circulates clockwise while in the
South in circulates anti-clockwise. Second youngest of oceans, less than 30 million
years old.
Sperm Whale - Answers -Largest living toothed animal found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Coriolis Effect - Answers -An effect whereby a mass moving in a rotating system
experiences a force acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of
rotation. On the earth, the effect tends to deflect moving objects to the right in the
northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere and is important in the
formation of cyclonic weather systems.
Indian Ocean - Answers -Third largest ocean, bordering the eastern coast of Africa, the
shores of the Middle East and India in the north. 20% of all the water on the Earth's
surface is in this ocean. 40% of the world's offshore oil production occurs here. This
ocean is warm enough to keep phytoplanktons low resulting in limited life forms.
,Mumbai Port - Answers -The chief trading port in India on the coast of the Indian Ocean
and is known to be the Gateway of India.
Singapore - Answers -The busiest port in the world located on the Indian Ocean.
Arctic Ocean - Answers -Smallest and shallowest of all the oceans. Includes the
Hudson Bay, the North Sea and Barents Sea. Mostly covered with ice. Located in the
Northern Hemisphere; has the lowest salinity among all the oceans because of the
lower amount of evaporation, flow of heavy freshwater from rivers and streams, and has
limited connection to other oceans.
North Polar Basin - Answers -Divided in to the two oceanic basins, the Amerasian Basin
and the Eurasian Basin by the Lomonosov Ridge.
Lomonosov Ridge - Answers -Underwater ridge in the Arctic Ocean.
Like Deep - Answers -Deepest part of the Arctic Ocean found in the Eurasian Basin.
Antarctic Ocean - Answers -Fourth largest ocean. Referred sometimes as the Southern
Ocean and located near the South Pole. Joins the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and
Indian Oceans and has a great influence on the earth's weather patterns. Youngest of
all oceans and marine life rich.
Mount Everest - Answers -The highest point on Asia located in China and Nepal
Dead Sea - Answers -The lowest point on Asia located in Israel, Jordan and Palestine
Aconcagua - Answers -The highest point in South America located in Argentina
Laguna del Carbon - Answers -The lowest point in South America located in Argentina
Denali - Answers -The highest point in North America located in the United States
Death Valley - Answers -The lowest point in North America located in the United States
Mount Kilimanjaro - Answers -The highest point in Africa located in Tanzania
Lake Assal - Answers -The lowest point in Africa located in Djibouti
Mount Elbrus - Answers -The highest point in Europe located in Russia
Caspian Sea - Answers -The lowest point in Europe located in Russia
Vinson Massif - Answers -The highest point in Antarctica
, Deep Lake - Answers -Also known as Vestfold Hills, the lowest point in Antarctica
Puncak Jaya - Answers -The highest point in Australia located in Indonesia (Papua)
Lake Eyre - Answers -The lowest point in Australia
Continental Crust - Answers -A platform of metamorphic and igneous rock, largely of
granitic composition.
Precambrian Era - Answers -Occured 4.6 billion years ago. Earliest part of Earth's
history set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. Accounts for 88% of the Earth's
geologic time. Subdivided into three eons: Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic.
Metamorphic Rock - Answers -Arises from the transformation of existing rock types, in a
process called metamorphism. The original rock or protolith is subjected to heat (greater
than 150 to 200 C) and pressure, causing physical or chemical change. Makes up a
large part of the Earth's crust and form 12% of the Earth's land surface.
Protolith - Answers -Original rock form; can be sedimentary, igneous, or existing
metamorphic rock.
Igneous Rock - Answers -Also known as magmatic rock is one of the three rock types.
Formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.
Sedimentary Rock - Answers -Types of rock that are formed by the deposition and
subsequent cementation of that material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of
water. The particles that form this rock by accumulating are called sediment.
Sediment - Answers -Naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of
weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or
ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particles.
Silt - Answers -Granular material of a size between sand and clay, whose mineral origin
is quartz and feldspar. May occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as
sediment mixed in suspension with water and soil in a body of water such as a river.
Fluvial Processes - Answers -Processes that are associated with rivers and streams
and the deposits and landforms created by them. These landforms include Basins,
Channels, Delta, Floodplain, Canyons, Islands, Gully, Waterfalls, etc.
Aeolian Processes - Answers -Processes pertaining to wind activity, specifically to the
wind's ability to shape the surface of the Earth. Winds may erode, transport, and deposit
materials and are effective agents in regions with sparse vegetation, a lack of soil
moisture and a large supply of unconsolidated sediments.
Questions Marking Scheme
Current Update
Second Continental Congress - Answers -A convention of delegates from the Thirteen
Colonies that started meeting in the spring of 1775 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Managed the Colonial war effort and moved incrementally towards independence,
adopting the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Townshend Acts (1767) - Answers -A series of British acts passed beginning in 1767
and relating to the British American colonies in North America.
Thirteen Colonies - Answers -A group of British colonies on the east coast of North
America founded in the 17th and 18th centuries that declared independence in 1776
and formed the United States of America.
Azimuthal Projection - Answers -A stereographic projection onto a plane so centered at
any given point that a straight line radiating from the center to any other point
represents the shortest distance. Can be measured to scale.
Choropleth Map - Answers -A thematic map that uses tones or colors to represent
spatial data as average values per unit area
Fuller Projection - Answers -Maintains the accurate size and shape of landmasses but
completely rearranges direction
Mercator Projection - Answers -A type of cylindrical projection. A modified cylindrical
projection that is helpful to navigators because it allows them to maintain a constant
compass direction between two points.
Reference Map - Answers -A map type that shows reference information for a particular
place, making it useful for finding landmarks and for navigating
Thematic Map - Answers -A map that displays one or more themes, such as population,
or income level-within a specific area.
Spatial Map - Answers -Maps that show relationships between things in space (and no,
that's not outer space...)
Topological Map - Answers -Simplified so that only vital information; lack scale, and
distance and direction are subject to change and variation, but the relationship between
points is maintained
,Cartograms - Answers -Type of thematic map in which some thematic mapping variable
- such as travel time or Gross National Product - is substituted for land area or distance
Dot Maps - Answers -Thematic maps that use points to show the precise locations of
specific observations or occurrences, such as crimes, car accidents, or births
Isolines - Answers -Lines on a map that connect data points of equal value
Cognitive Maps - Answers -Mental representations of how a physical space is organized
Conical Projection - Answers -These projections superimposes a cone over the sphere
of the earth, with two reference parallels secant to the globe and intersecting it.
Distortion increases further from the chosen parallels.
Bonne Projection - Answers -A conical projection, in which areas are accurately
represented but the meridians are not on a true scale.
7 Continents - Answers -Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica,
Europe, and Australia. Asia is the largest while Australia is the smallest.
5 Major Oceans - Answers -Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic.
Pacific Ocean - Answers -Covers 46% of the total water surface of the Earth, and
covers more than a third of the total surface area. Largest of all the Oceans.
Mariana Trench - Answers -Deepest point on the earth; is in the North Pacific Ocean.
Atlantic Ocean - Answers -Bordered by Americas in the wet and Africa and Europe in
the east. Consists of the Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, Baltic Sea and the Gulf of
Mexico. The saltiest ocean. The water in the North circulates clockwise while in the
South in circulates anti-clockwise. Second youngest of oceans, less than 30 million
years old.
Sperm Whale - Answers -Largest living toothed animal found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Coriolis Effect - Answers -An effect whereby a mass moving in a rotating system
experiences a force acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of
rotation. On the earth, the effect tends to deflect moving objects to the right in the
northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere and is important in the
formation of cyclonic weather systems.
Indian Ocean - Answers -Third largest ocean, bordering the eastern coast of Africa, the
shores of the Middle East and India in the north. 20% of all the water on the Earth's
surface is in this ocean. 40% of the world's offshore oil production occurs here. This
ocean is warm enough to keep phytoplanktons low resulting in limited life forms.
,Mumbai Port - Answers -The chief trading port in India on the coast of the Indian Ocean
and is known to be the Gateway of India.
Singapore - Answers -The busiest port in the world located on the Indian Ocean.
Arctic Ocean - Answers -Smallest and shallowest of all the oceans. Includes the
Hudson Bay, the North Sea and Barents Sea. Mostly covered with ice. Located in the
Northern Hemisphere; has the lowest salinity among all the oceans because of the
lower amount of evaporation, flow of heavy freshwater from rivers and streams, and has
limited connection to other oceans.
North Polar Basin - Answers -Divided in to the two oceanic basins, the Amerasian Basin
and the Eurasian Basin by the Lomonosov Ridge.
Lomonosov Ridge - Answers -Underwater ridge in the Arctic Ocean.
Like Deep - Answers -Deepest part of the Arctic Ocean found in the Eurasian Basin.
Antarctic Ocean - Answers -Fourth largest ocean. Referred sometimes as the Southern
Ocean and located near the South Pole. Joins the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and
Indian Oceans and has a great influence on the earth's weather patterns. Youngest of
all oceans and marine life rich.
Mount Everest - Answers -The highest point on Asia located in China and Nepal
Dead Sea - Answers -The lowest point on Asia located in Israel, Jordan and Palestine
Aconcagua - Answers -The highest point in South America located in Argentina
Laguna del Carbon - Answers -The lowest point in South America located in Argentina
Denali - Answers -The highest point in North America located in the United States
Death Valley - Answers -The lowest point in North America located in the United States
Mount Kilimanjaro - Answers -The highest point in Africa located in Tanzania
Lake Assal - Answers -The lowest point in Africa located in Djibouti
Mount Elbrus - Answers -The highest point in Europe located in Russia
Caspian Sea - Answers -The lowest point in Europe located in Russia
Vinson Massif - Answers -The highest point in Antarctica
, Deep Lake - Answers -Also known as Vestfold Hills, the lowest point in Antarctica
Puncak Jaya - Answers -The highest point in Australia located in Indonesia (Papua)
Lake Eyre - Answers -The lowest point in Australia
Continental Crust - Answers -A platform of metamorphic and igneous rock, largely of
granitic composition.
Precambrian Era - Answers -Occured 4.6 billion years ago. Earliest part of Earth's
history set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. Accounts for 88% of the Earth's
geologic time. Subdivided into three eons: Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic.
Metamorphic Rock - Answers -Arises from the transformation of existing rock types, in a
process called metamorphism. The original rock or protolith is subjected to heat (greater
than 150 to 200 C) and pressure, causing physical or chemical change. Makes up a
large part of the Earth's crust and form 12% of the Earth's land surface.
Protolith - Answers -Original rock form; can be sedimentary, igneous, or existing
metamorphic rock.
Igneous Rock - Answers -Also known as magmatic rock is one of the three rock types.
Formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.
Sedimentary Rock - Answers -Types of rock that are formed by the deposition and
subsequent cementation of that material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of
water. The particles that form this rock by accumulating are called sediment.
Sediment - Answers -Naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of
weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or
ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particles.
Silt - Answers -Granular material of a size between sand and clay, whose mineral origin
is quartz and feldspar. May occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as
sediment mixed in suspension with water and soil in a body of water such as a river.
Fluvial Processes - Answers -Processes that are associated with rivers and streams
and the deposits and landforms created by them. These landforms include Basins,
Channels, Delta, Floodplain, Canyons, Islands, Gully, Waterfalls, etc.
Aeolian Processes - Answers -Processes pertaining to wind activity, specifically to the
wind's ability to shape the surface of the Earth. Winds may erode, transport, and deposit
materials and are effective agents in regions with sparse vegetation, a lack of soil
moisture and a large supply of unconsolidated sediments.
