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Grade 8: Social Studies Flashcards

6 cards from real STAAR practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Grade 8: Social Studies flashcards as text

  1. What is a primary source?

    Answer: An original document or artifact from the time period being studied

    A primary source is an original document, artifact, or firsthand account created at the time of the event being studied.

  2. Which branch of the U.S. government has the power to declare laws unconstitutional?

    Answer: Judicial

    The judicial branch, led by the Supreme Court, has the power of judicial review to declare laws unconstitutional.

  3. What is the economic term for the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year?

    Answer: Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

    Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country in a given year.

  4. Which event directly triggered the United States' entry into World War II?

    Answer: The bombing of Pearl Harbor

    Japan's surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, led the U.S. to declare war and enter WWII.

  5. What is the term for a government policy of keeping trade within its borders by taxing imported goods?

    Answer: Protectionism

    Protectionism involves using tariffs and trade barriers to protect domestic industries from foreign competition.

  6. What was the Reconstruction period in U.S. history?

    Answer: The period after the Civil War focused on reintegrating Southern states and addressing rights of formerly enslaved people

    Reconstruction (1865–1877) was the post-Civil War period in which the U.S. government worked to reintegrate Confederate states and define the rights of freed enslaved people.