CSET Multiple Subjects - History and
Social Science Vocabulary Test
Questions & Answers47
Aqueduct - ANSWERS-A man-made channel constructed to convey water from one location to
another
Bear Flag Revolt - ANSWERS-A brief attempt at the beginning of the Mexican-American War to
establish an independent California republic
Bushido - ANSWERS-The code of knights in feudal Japan, the equivalent of chivalry in Europe
California's Mission System - ANSWERS-A "sacred expedition" in which twenty-one Spanish
Catholic missions were established, spaced to be a single days travel apart on El Camino Real
(the Royal Road)
Californios - ANSWERS-Residents of the rancho system in California just before the Mexican-
American War, mainly comprised of Mexican citizen who idetified more as Californios than
Mesicans
Capitalism - ANSWERS-An economic system regulated by the state that encourages the
accumulation of weath and property by individuals
Caste - ANSWERS-A division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or
privledge, profession, or occupation, not allowed to move from one caste to another
Central Valley Project (CVP) - ANSWERS-A federal water project undertaken by the Bureau of
Reclamation in 1935 as a long-term plan to effectively use water in California's central valley
,Check and Balances - ANSWERS-Written into the Constitution, this concept is one of the
cornerstones of our republic, encompassing three branches of governement and a system for
them to act as watchdogs for the others
Circumnavigate - ANSWERS-To sail completely around the earth
Code of Hammurabi - ANSWERS-The first known written legal code, developed in ancient
Babylong, predated the justinian Code by about 2,000 years
Communism - ANSWERS-An economic system in which the state controls the means of
production and distributes the profits
Conquistadores - ANSWERS-Spanish exploreres that sought the riches of Central and South
America, establishing colonies along the way
Daimyo - ANSWERS-Japanese feudal lord
Democratic-Republican Party - ANSWERS-One of the first two political parties in the United
States, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; opposed the Federalist party and was
strongly in favor of individual rights
Economics - ANSWERS-A social science deaing with the production, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services
Emancipation Proclamation - ANSWERS-A proclamation made by President Lincoln in1863
freeing all slaves in regions still fighting against the Union
,Executive Branch - ANSWERS-A branch of the system of checks and balances that sees that the
country's laws are executed
Federalism - ANSWERS-A system of government consisting of self-regluating regions (states)
united by a central (federal) government
Federalist Papers - ANSWERS-A series of articles written in 1787 by Alexander Hamilton, James
Madison, and John Jay to gain popular support for the then-proposed Constitution
Feudalism - ANSWERS-A social economic, and political system in which power is decentralized,
and a varying number of lords hold land on which they allow others to live and work in return
for loyalty and service
Fief - ANSWERS-Land held by lorders under the feudal system
Forty-niners - ANSWERS-Nickname for the influx of people that arrived in California, staring in
1849, in search of gold
Free-soliders - ANSWERS-A minor but influential political party int he pre-Civil War period that
opposed the extention of slavery into the western territories
Gentleman's Agreement - ANSWERS-A 1907 treaty with Japan that allowed wives to joing their
husbands in the U.S. on the condition that the Japanese government deny exit visas to any men
wishing to emigrate to the United States
Great Awakening - ANSWERS-A religious revival in the colonies during the first part of the 18th
century
, Great Compromise - ANSWERS-A decision made by the Constitutional Congress splitting
Congress into two houses, one based on population (House of Rep) and the other based on
equal representations (Senate)
Hunter/Gatherer Societies - ANSWERS-An early society in which men hunted for meat and
women gathered more readily available food
Initiative - ANSWERS-A process that gives individual citizens, or groups of citizens, the power to
place a proposed law on the ballot
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) - ANSWERS-British reaction to the Boston Tea Party, including
more rigid restrictions on colonial town meetins and other harsh penalties
Judicial Branch - ANSWERS-A branch of the system of checks and balances that interprets
Congressional laws
Justinian Code - ANSWERS-Consdiered to be the basis for the justice system in use throughout
much of the Western world, including the United States
Land Commission - ANSWERS-Established to settle the Californio's land claims during the first
few years of California's statehood
Law of Supply and Demand - ANSWERS-The basic economic principle stating that is suppply is
greater than demand, the value of the product is lower, if demand is greater than supply, the
value is higher
Legislative Branch - ANSWERS-The branch of the system of checks and balances that makes
Congressional laws
Social Science Vocabulary Test
Questions & Answers47
Aqueduct - ANSWERS-A man-made channel constructed to convey water from one location to
another
Bear Flag Revolt - ANSWERS-A brief attempt at the beginning of the Mexican-American War to
establish an independent California republic
Bushido - ANSWERS-The code of knights in feudal Japan, the equivalent of chivalry in Europe
California's Mission System - ANSWERS-A "sacred expedition" in which twenty-one Spanish
Catholic missions were established, spaced to be a single days travel apart on El Camino Real
(the Royal Road)
Californios - ANSWERS-Residents of the rancho system in California just before the Mexican-
American War, mainly comprised of Mexican citizen who idetified more as Californios than
Mesicans
Capitalism - ANSWERS-An economic system regulated by the state that encourages the
accumulation of weath and property by individuals
Caste - ANSWERS-A division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or
privledge, profession, or occupation, not allowed to move from one caste to another
Central Valley Project (CVP) - ANSWERS-A federal water project undertaken by the Bureau of
Reclamation in 1935 as a long-term plan to effectively use water in California's central valley
,Check and Balances - ANSWERS-Written into the Constitution, this concept is one of the
cornerstones of our republic, encompassing three branches of governement and a system for
them to act as watchdogs for the others
Circumnavigate - ANSWERS-To sail completely around the earth
Code of Hammurabi - ANSWERS-The first known written legal code, developed in ancient
Babylong, predated the justinian Code by about 2,000 years
Communism - ANSWERS-An economic system in which the state controls the means of
production and distributes the profits
Conquistadores - ANSWERS-Spanish exploreres that sought the riches of Central and South
America, establishing colonies along the way
Daimyo - ANSWERS-Japanese feudal lord
Democratic-Republican Party - ANSWERS-One of the first two political parties in the United
States, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; opposed the Federalist party and was
strongly in favor of individual rights
Economics - ANSWERS-A social science deaing with the production, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services
Emancipation Proclamation - ANSWERS-A proclamation made by President Lincoln in1863
freeing all slaves in regions still fighting against the Union
,Executive Branch - ANSWERS-A branch of the system of checks and balances that sees that the
country's laws are executed
Federalism - ANSWERS-A system of government consisting of self-regluating regions (states)
united by a central (federal) government
Federalist Papers - ANSWERS-A series of articles written in 1787 by Alexander Hamilton, James
Madison, and John Jay to gain popular support for the then-proposed Constitution
Feudalism - ANSWERS-A social economic, and political system in which power is decentralized,
and a varying number of lords hold land on which they allow others to live and work in return
for loyalty and service
Fief - ANSWERS-Land held by lorders under the feudal system
Forty-niners - ANSWERS-Nickname for the influx of people that arrived in California, staring in
1849, in search of gold
Free-soliders - ANSWERS-A minor but influential political party int he pre-Civil War period that
opposed the extention of slavery into the western territories
Gentleman's Agreement - ANSWERS-A 1907 treaty with Japan that allowed wives to joing their
husbands in the U.S. on the condition that the Japanese government deny exit visas to any men
wishing to emigrate to the United States
Great Awakening - ANSWERS-A religious revival in the colonies during the first part of the 18th
century
, Great Compromise - ANSWERS-A decision made by the Constitutional Congress splitting
Congress into two houses, one based on population (House of Rep) and the other based on
equal representations (Senate)
Hunter/Gatherer Societies - ANSWERS-An early society in which men hunted for meat and
women gathered more readily available food
Initiative - ANSWERS-A process that gives individual citizens, or groups of citizens, the power to
place a proposed law on the ballot
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) - ANSWERS-British reaction to the Boston Tea Party, including
more rigid restrictions on colonial town meetins and other harsh penalties
Judicial Branch - ANSWERS-A branch of the system of checks and balances that interprets
Congressional laws
Justinian Code - ANSWERS-Consdiered to be the basis for the justice system in use throughout
much of the Western world, including the United States
Land Commission - ANSWERS-Established to settle the Californio's land claims during the first
few years of California's statehood
Law of Supply and Demand - ANSWERS-The basic economic principle stating that is suppply is
greater than demand, the value of the product is lower, if demand is greater than supply, the
value is higher
Legislative Branch - ANSWERS-The branch of the system of checks and balances that makes
Congressional laws
