Praxis® Elementary Education:
Social Studies (7004)
Practice Test & Study Guide

World and regional geography: the spatial patterns of people, places, and environments across the globe; major world regions and their defining geographic, cultural, and economic characteristics; the five themes of geography — Location (absolute: coordinates; relative: in relation to other places), Place (physical and human characteristics), Human-Environment Interaction (how humans adapt to and modify their environment), Movement (people, goods, ideas), and Regions (areas sharing common characteristics).

Physical geography: major landforms (mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys, peninsulas, islands, isthmuses); bodies of water (oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, bays, gulfs, straits); physical features of major continents; climate zones (tropical, dry, temperate, continental, polar); how physical geography influences human settlement patterns, economic activity, and cultural development.

Political geography: the seven continents and their countries; world capitals; the 50 U.S. states and capitals; cardinal directions and intermediate directions; using geographic tools — types of maps (physical, political, topographic, climate, road, thematic); map elements (title, legend/key, compass rose, scale, grid); latitude and longitude for absolute location; time zones.

Human-environment interaction: how humans adapt to environments (clothing, shelter, food, transportation); how humans modify environments (deforestation, irrigation, urbanization, dam building); environmental consequences of human modification; natural resources and their distribution; sustainable development.

Anthropology and sociology — people, society, culture, and community: how culture is defined and transmitted across generations; components of culture (language, religion, customs, traditions, arts, technology); cultural diffusion (how cultural elements spread between groups); how geography shapes culture; social institutions (family, community, government, religion) and their roles; comparing cultural practices across world regions; the relationship between geography, culture, and economic development.

Major contributions of classical civilizations: Ancient Egypt — Nile River geography, pharaohs, hieroglyphics, pyramids and monumental architecture, achievements in mathematics and medicine, polytheistic religion, mummification; Ancient Greece — city-states (Athens and Sparta), Athenian democracy, Olympic Games, Greek philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle), Homer and epic poetry, art and architecture, Alexander the Great and Hellenistic culture; Ancient Rome — Roman Republic (consuls, Senate, SPQR), Roman Empire (expansion, Augustus Caesar, Pax Romana), Roman law, Latin language influence on European languages, spread of Christianity, decline and fall; Major ancient civilizations of Asia (China — dynasties, Silk Road, paper, gunpowder, compass; India — Indus Valley, Hinduism, Buddhism, Maurya and Gupta empires) and the Americas (Maya, Aztec, Inca — geography, agriculture, calendar, architecture, social organization).

Relationships between ancient and modern: how ancient Greek democracy influenced modern democratic governments; how Roman law influenced legal systems; how Greek philosophy influenced scientific thinking; how ancient trade routes shaped cultural exchange.

Medieval through early modern developments: feudalism in Europe; the Black Death and its demographic and social consequences; the Renaissance — humanism, art (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael), scientific revolution; the Reformation — Martin Luther, Protestant movement, religious conflict; Age of Exploration — Portuguese (Dias, Vasco da Gama), Spanish (Columbus, Magellan), effects on indigenous peoples.

20th-century world history: World War I — causes (militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism — MAIN), major events, Treaty of Versailles and its consequences; the Great Depression and its global impact; World War II — rise of fascism and Nazism, Holocaust, major theaters, Allied victory, creation of the United Nations; Cold War — U.S. vs. Soviet Union, nuclear arms race, proxy wars, Berlin Wall, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, collapse of the Soviet Union; decolonization and independence movements in Africa and Asia; globalization — increasing economic, cultural, and political interconnection.

European exploration and colonization: major explorers and their sponsors (Columbus/Spain, Cabot/England, Cartier/France, Champlain/France); motivations for exploration — God, Gold, and Glory; the Columbian Exchange (transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between Eastern and Western hemispheres) and its impact on both sides; establishment of the 13 original British colonies and their regional characteristics (New England, Middle, Southern); relationships between European colonists and Native American peoples (cooperation, conflict, treaty violations, forced removal).

American Revolution: causes — taxation without representation, Proclamation of 1763, Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Intolerable Acts; key figures (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Thomas Paine); key documents — Declaration of Independence (1776, Jefferson — "all men are created equal," grievances against the king, principles of natural rights and self-governance); major battles (Lexington and Concord, Saratoga, Valley Forge, Yorktown); outcome — American independence from Britain in 1783.

Creating democratic government: Articles of Confederation and their weaknesses (no power to tax, no executive branch, no national currency, states supremely powerful); Constitutional Convention of 1787 — Great Compromise (House based on population, Senate equal representation), Three-Fifths Compromise, creation of the Constitution; The Federalist Papers; Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments) and why they were added.

19th-century developments: Manifest Destiny — westward expansion, Louisiana Purchase (1803), Lewis and Clark expedition, Mexican-American War, Oregon Territory; Industrial Revolution — railroads, factories, urbanization, immigration; causes of the Civil War — slavery, states' rights, economic differences between North and South, election of Lincoln; major Civil War figures (Lincoln, Grant, Lee, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe); Reconstruction — 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments, Freedmen's Bureau, rise of Jim Crow laws; immigration and urbanization 1880–1920.

20th-century developments: Progressive Era reforms (women's suffrage — 19th Amendment 1920, child labor laws, Sherman Antitrust Act); U.S. entry into World War I (1917) and its aftermath; Great Depression — causes (stock market crash 1929, bank failures, drought/Dust Bowl), FDR and the New Deal; World War II — Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, U.S. entry, Manhattan Project and atomic bomb, Holocaust, Allied victory; Cold War — Marshall Plan, NATO, Korean War, McCarthyism, Vietnam War, civil rights movement, moon landing; civil rights movement — Brown v. Board of Education, Montgomery Bus Boycott, March on Washington, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Founding principles of U.S. government: popular sovereignty (government derives authority from the people); limited government (government power is restricted); separation of powers (executive, legislative, judicial branches have distinct powers); checks and balances (each branch can limit the power of the others); federalism (power divided between national and state governments); republicanism (citizens elect representatives to govern on their behalf). Know all six principles and be able to apply them to scenarios.

Three branches of government and their interactions: Legislative Branch (Congress = House of Representatives + Senate) — makes laws, declares war, controls federal budget, impeaches officials; Executive Branch (President + Cabinet + federal agencies) — enforces laws, commands military, appoints judges, negotiates treaties, signs or vetoes legislation; Judicial Branch (Supreme Court + federal courts) — interprets laws and the Constitution, declares laws unconstitutional (judicial review established by Marbury v. Madison 1803). Checks and balances examples: President vetoes legislation (executive check on legislative); Congress overrides veto with 2/3 vote (legislative check on executive); Supreme Court declares law unconstitutional (judicial check on legislative).

Key founding documents: Declaration of Independence (1776) — natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness), social contract theory, list of grievances against King George III, formal break from Britain; U.S. Constitution (1787) — framework for government, seven articles, supreme law of the land; Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments) — specific rights protected from government infringement (1st: speech/religion/press/assembly/petition; 2nd: arms; 4th: unreasonable search and seizure; 5th: self-incrimination; 6th: fair trial; 8th: cruel punishment; 10th: reserved powers to states); Gettysburg Address (1863, Lincoln) — dedicated the battlefield, redefined the Civil War as a fight to preserve democratic government, evoked "all men are created equal."

Global political systems and citizenship: democracy (citizens have political power, free elections, protected rights); monarchy (king or queen, may be constitutional or absolute); autocracy/dictatorship (one person holds all power); theocracy (governed by religious law); oligarchy (small group holds power); citizenship rights and responsibilities in the United States — rights (vote, free speech, due process), responsibilities (pay taxes, jury duty, obey laws, serve in military if called); civic participation — voting, community service, contacting representatives, petitioning government.

Supply and demand: the law of demand — as price increases, quantity demanded decreases (inverse relationship); the law of supply — as price increases, quantity supplied increases (direct relationship); market equilibrium — the price at which quantity supplied equals quantity demanded; factors that shift supply (input costs, technology, number of producers) and demand (income, preferences, price of related goods, expectations, number of buyers); shortage (quantity demanded exceeds quantity supplied at current price → price rises to equilibrium); surplus (quantity supplied exceeds quantity demanded → price falls to equilibrium).

Scarcity, choice, and opportunity cost: scarcity — the fundamental economic problem (unlimited wants vs. limited resources); because resources are scarce, every choice involves a trade-off; opportunity cost — the value of the next best alternative foregone when making a choice; economic resources — natural (land, water, minerals), human (labor, entrepreneurship), and capital (tools, machines, factories); goods (physical products) vs. services (non-physical products); needs vs. wants.

Role of money and banking in economic decision-making: barter (direct exchange of goods/services) and its limitations; functions of money — medium of exchange, unit of account, store of value; characteristics of good money — durable, portable, divisible, uniform, limited supply, accepted; banking — commercial banks accept deposits and make loans; the Federal Reserve System (the U.S. central bank) — sets monetary policy, regulates banks, controls money supply and interest rates; credit and interest; the difference between saving (setting aside current income for future use) and investing (using money to generate returns over time).

Government role in the economy: public goods (national defense, infrastructure, public education) — non-excludable and non-rivalrous; regulation of markets — antitrust laws (preventing monopolies), consumer protection, environmental regulation; taxation — types (income tax, sales tax, property tax), progressive vs. regressive taxation; government spending — how the federal budget is allocated; fiscal policy (adjusting taxes and spending to stabilize the economy) vs. monetary policy (Federal Reserve adjusting interest rates and money supply).

Economic effects of technology and trade: how technological innovation increases productivity; specialization and comparative advantage — countries and individuals benefit by specializing in what they produce most efficiently; imports (goods brought into a country) and exports (goods sent out); trade barriers — tariffs, quotas, embargoes; globalization — increasing economic interdependence of nations; how trade can benefit consumers (lower prices, more variety) while displacing some workers.

The inquiry process in social studies: formulating compelling questions that require research and reflection (not just factual recall); gathering information from multiple sources; organizing and categorizing information; analyzing and interpreting data; drawing evidence-based conclusions; communicating findings effectively; evaluating the credibility, relevance, and bias of sources. Social studies inquiry applies the tools and habits of historians, geographers, economists, and civic actors to understand the social world.

Primary vs. secondary sources: primary sources are original, firsthand documents or artifacts created at the time of the event being studied — diaries, letters, speeches, photographs, government documents (Declaration of Independence, acts of Congress), newspaper articles from the period, census records, maps created at the time, oral histories; secondary sources are accounts or analyses created after the fact by people who did not directly experience the events — textbooks, encyclopedia articles, biographies, documentaries, historical analyses. Know how to identify each type, evaluate their reliability, and explain why a historian might prefer one over the other for a specific research purpose.

Distinguishing fact from opinion: a fact is a statement that can be proven true or false through evidence; an opinion is a statement that reflects a value judgment, belief, or interpretation — not directly verifiable. In social studies, this distinction is critical for evaluating sources, understanding bias, and teaching media literacy. Know how to identify loaded language, perspective, and bias in primary and secondary source documents.

Applying social science inquiry tools: maps — reading and interpreting physical, political, historical, and thematic maps; using latitude and longitude; understanding map projections and their distortions; timelines — constructing and interpreting chronological timelines; understanding chronology, periodization, and historical causation from timelines; tables and graphs — reading and interpreting bar graphs, line graphs, circle/pie graphs, and data tables presenting social studies data (population, trade, economic output); identifying trends, patterns, and anomalies in data; making inferences from data displays.