6th Grade Social Studies Recuperation Test Study Guide

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the 6th Grade Social Studies recuperation study guide, covering key terms from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, India, Rome, the Byzantine Empire, Africa, Japan, and the European Middle Ages.

Chronology

The arrangement of events in the orders that they happened starting with the earliest and ending with the oldest.

Timeline

A tool that shows historical events in chronological order along a drawn line.

Mesopotamia

A name from a Greek word meaning “between the rivers,” specifically between the Euphrates river and Tigris river.

City-state

A city and surrounding land and villagers it controls.

Polytheism

The worship of many gods that were created by people.

Ancestor Worship

A belief that the spirits of ancestors live on in the afterworld and have powers to help or punish people who are still alive.

Currency

Money; any item of value that is exchanged for goods or services.

Legalism

The belief that people are evil by nature and so may be controlled by strict laws.

Mandate of Heaven

A requirement for a king to be righteous and kind to maintain authority; failure justified removal by force, with the success of a subsequent ruler serving as evidence of divine approval.

Philosopher

A scholar who devotes himself to the pursuit of earthly wisdom.

Seismoscope

A scientific instrument used to detect earth quakes.

Taoism

The Chinese philosophy that promote humility and submission to tao, “the way.”

Acropolis

The center of religious life in Athens, a hill overlooking the city.

Aesop

A greek author who wrote fables.

Democracy

A form of government in witch the city decide the power.

Epic

A Greek literary work that talks about the actions of heroes.

Fable

A short story that teaches a lesson.

Monarchy

A form of government ruled by a king.

Polis

Another name for city state.

Karma

The Hindu belief that a person's deeds, good or bad, determine his state in reincarnation.

Monsoon

A wind that reverses direction with the change of seas.

Plateau

A large, flat area of land that is raised significantly higher than the surrounding land.

Sanskrift

The name of the written language of the Aryans.

Varnas

The four main social classes or categories in ancient Indian society.

Naumachia

Events for which the Colosseum was filled with water.

Republic

A term coming from the Latin phrase Res publica, which means public thing.

Romance languages

Languages including Spanish, French, and Italian that come from Latin.

Cicero

A man known to be great at speaking in public and philosophy.

Iconoclasm

The destruction of religious icons.

Ottomans

The Turks who conquered the Byzantine Empire.

Mansa Musa

A famously rich ruler of Mali who carried tons of gold on his pilgrimage.

Swahili

A Bantu language.

Labor specialization

A key feature of an advanced civilization that allows for efficient production, trade, and economic growth.

Samurai

A warrior, meaning "those who serve."

Amaterasu

The sun goddess, of whom Jimmu Tenno was considered a descendent.

Archipelago

A landform consisting of a large group of islands.

Haiku

A verse form with $17$ syllables.

Bushido

A term meaning "the way of the warrior."

Shogun

The supreme general of the emperor’s army who had the power of a military dictator over officials, judges, taxes, and armies.

Shintoism

The original religion of Japan.

Charlemagne

A great king known as Charles the Great who expanded the kingdom and supported education.

The Black Death

The name the bubonic plague was also known as.

Apprentice

A teen boy who signed up to learn a craft from a master.

"The Hammer"

The meaning of Charles Martel’s nickname "Martel."

Manors

Large pieces of land controlled by lords and farmed by peasants, also known as Fiefs.

Chivalry

A strict code of behavior that knights in the Middle Ages lived by.

Moat

A trench filled with water surrounding most castles to keep intruders out.

Sumptuary laws

Laws made to determine who could wear what and separate the nobles from peasants.

Master

What an apprentice would become once they created a masterpiece and were approved by the guild.