6th Grade MP1 Benchmark Exam Study Guide: Vocabulary and Geography

Vocabulary and geography study cards for the 6th Grade MP1 Benchmark Exam covering early human history, historical dating, civics foundations, and world mapping basics.

History

The study of past events, particularly in human affairs, based on written records and evidence.

Secular

Denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis; non-religious.

Primary Source

An original, firsthand document, artifact, or account created by someone who witnessed or took part in an event at the time it occurred.

Secondary Source

Information gathered or created after an event by someone who did not experience or witness the event firsthand.

Government

The organization or system through which a community, state, or nation makes and enforces laws and manages public affairs.

Constitution

A document or set of basic laws and principles that establishes the structure and powers of a government.

Hominid

An early ancestor of humans that walked upright on two feet.

Migrate

To move from one geographic location or region to settle in another.

Ancestor

A person or relative from whom one is descended, typically someone more distant than a grandparent.

Ice Ages

Long periods of freezing weather and global cooling during Earth's prehistoric past, characterized by extensive glaciers.

Prehistory

The period of human time before the invention of writing systems and written records.

Paleolithic

The Old Stone Age, a prehistoric period characterized by the earliest development of stone tools and nomadic hunting and gathering.

Neolithic

The New Stone Age, a prehistoric period marked by the development of agriculture, animal domestication, and permanent settlements.

Hunter-Gatherers

People who survive by hunting animals, fishing, and gathering wild edible plants, seeds, nuts, and berries.

Domestication

The process of adapting wild plants and taming wild animals for human breeding, labor, or food production.

Agriculture

Farming; the science and practice of cultivating land, growing crops, and raising livestock.

Society

A community of people living together in an organized group, sharing common traditions, institutions, and culture.

BC and BCE

BC stands for "Before Christ" and BCE stands for "Before Common Era"; both denote the time period before year 1 on the historical timeline.

AD and CE

AD stands for "Anno Domini" (Latin for "in the year of the Lord") and CE stands for "Common Era"; both denote the time period from year 1 onward.

Compass Rose

A symbol printed on a map displaying cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) and intermediate directions to show orientation.

5 Oceans (ASIPA)

The five principal bodies of water on Earth: Arctic Ocean, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean.

7 Continents

The seven main continuous expanses of land on Earth: Africa, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Europe, North America, and South America.