CSET Multiple Subjects - History and
Social Science Vocabulary Questions and
Answers
1. Aqueduct: A man-made channel constructed to convey water from one location to another
2. Bear Flag Revolt: A brief attempt at the beginning of the Mexican-American War to establish
an independent California republic
3. Bushido: The code of knights in feudal Japan, the equivalent of chivalry in Europe
4. California's Mission System: 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)
5. Californios: Residents of the rancho system in California just before the Mexican-American
War, mainly com-prised of Mexican citizen who idetified more as Californios than Mesicans
6. Capitalism: An economic system regulated by the state that encourages the accumulation of
wealth and property by individuals
7. Caste: A division of society based on ditterences of wealth, inherited rank or privledge, profession,
or occupation, not allowed to move from one caste to another
,8. Central Valley Project (CVP): A federal water project undertaken by the Bureau of
Reclamation in 1935 as a long-term plan to ettectively use water in California's central valley
9. Check and Balances: 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
10. Circumnavigate: To sail completely around the earth
11. Code of Hammurabi: The first known written legal code, developed in ancient
Babylong, predated the justinian Code by about 2,000 years
12. Communism: An economic system in which the state controls the means of
production and distributes the profits
13. Conquistadores: Spanish exploreres that sought the riches of Central and South
America, establishing colonies along the way
14. Daimyo: Japanese feudal lord
15. Democratic-Republican Party: One of the first two political parties in the United
States, led by Thomas Jetterson and James Madison; opposed the Federalist party and was strongly
in favor of individual rights
,16. Economics: A social science deaing with the production, distribution, and consumption of
goods and services
17. Emancipation Proclamation: A proclamation made by President Lincoln in1863
freeing all slaves in regions still fighting against the Union
18. Executive Branch: A branch of the system of checks and balances that sees that
the country's laws are executed
19. Federalism: A system of government consisting of self-regluating regions (states)
united by a central (federal) government
20. Federalist Papers: A series of articles written in 1787 by Alexander Hamilton, James
Madison, and John Jay to gain popular support for the then-proposed Constitution
21. Feudalism: 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
22. Fief: Land held by lorders under the feudal system
23. Forty-niners: Nickname for the influx of people that arrived in California, staring in 1849,
in search of gold
24. Free-soliders: A minor but influential political party int he pre-Civil War period that
, opposed the extention of slavery into the western territories
25. Gentleman's Agreement: 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
26. Great Awakening: A religious revival in the colonies during the first part of the 18th
century
27. Great Compromise: 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)
28. Hunter/Gatherer Societies: An early society in which men hunted for meat and
women gathered more readily available food
29. Initiative: A process that gives individual citizens, or groups of citizens, the power to
place a proposed law on the ballot
30. Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts): British reaction to the Boston Tea Party,
including more rigid restrictions on colonial town meetins and other harsh penalties
31. Judicial Branch: A branch of the system of checks and balances that interprets
Congressional laws
32. Justinian Code: Consdiered to be the basis for the justice system in use throughout
much of the Western world, including the United States
33. Land Commission: Established to settle the Californio's land claims during the first few
years of California's statehood
34. Law of Supply and Demand: 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
Social Science Vocabulary Questions and
Answers
1. Aqueduct: A man-made channel constructed to convey water from one location to another
2. Bear Flag Revolt: A brief attempt at the beginning of the Mexican-American War to establish
an independent California republic
3. Bushido: The code of knights in feudal Japan, the equivalent of chivalry in Europe
4. California's Mission System: 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)
5. Californios: Residents of the rancho system in California just before the Mexican-American
War, mainly com-prised of Mexican citizen who idetified more as Californios than Mesicans
6. Capitalism: An economic system regulated by the state that encourages the accumulation of
wealth and property by individuals
7. Caste: A division of society based on ditterences of wealth, inherited rank or privledge, profession,
or occupation, not allowed to move from one caste to another
,8. Central Valley Project (CVP): A federal water project undertaken by the Bureau of
Reclamation in 1935 as a long-term plan to ettectively use water in California's central valley
9. Check and Balances: 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
10. Circumnavigate: To sail completely around the earth
11. Code of Hammurabi: The first known written legal code, developed in ancient
Babylong, predated the justinian Code by about 2,000 years
12. Communism: An economic system in which the state controls the means of
production and distributes the profits
13. Conquistadores: Spanish exploreres that sought the riches of Central and South
America, establishing colonies along the way
14. Daimyo: Japanese feudal lord
15. Democratic-Republican Party: One of the first two political parties in the United
States, led by Thomas Jetterson and James Madison; opposed the Federalist party and was strongly
in favor of individual rights
,16. Economics: A social science deaing with the production, distribution, and consumption of
goods and services
17. Emancipation Proclamation: A proclamation made by President Lincoln in1863
freeing all slaves in regions still fighting against the Union
18. Executive Branch: A branch of the system of checks and balances that sees that
the country's laws are executed
19. Federalism: A system of government consisting of self-regluating regions (states)
united by a central (federal) government
20. Federalist Papers: A series of articles written in 1787 by Alexander Hamilton, James
Madison, and John Jay to gain popular support for the then-proposed Constitution
21. Feudalism: 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
22. Fief: Land held by lorders under the feudal system
23. Forty-niners: Nickname for the influx of people that arrived in California, staring in 1849,
in search of gold
24. Free-soliders: A minor but influential political party int he pre-Civil War period that
, opposed the extention of slavery into the western territories
25. Gentleman's Agreement: 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
26. Great Awakening: A religious revival in the colonies during the first part of the 18th
century
27. Great Compromise: 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)
28. Hunter/Gatherer Societies: An early society in which men hunted for meat and
women gathered more readily available food
29. Initiative: A process that gives individual citizens, or groups of citizens, the power to
place a proposed law on the ballot
30. Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts): British reaction to the Boston Tea Party,
including more rigid restrictions on colonial town meetins and other harsh penalties
31. Judicial Branch: A branch of the system of checks and balances that interprets
Congressional laws
32. Justinian Code: Consdiered to be the basis for the justice system in use throughout
much of the Western world, including the United States
33. Land Commission: Established to settle the Californio's land claims during the first few
years of California's statehood
34. Law of Supply and Demand: 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
