Mrs. Ruland's Social Studies Page

Glossary of Exam Terms

COMPARE - to note the similarities and/or differences
hint - When comparing two cultures, be sure to include examples from both.

DESCRIBE - to give an account of something; to convey an image or impression in words
hint - When describing, carefully select words that will paint a clear picture

DEVELOP - to make know; reveal; to bring to a more effective state; to cause to grow or expand
example - Develop one of the steps in the experiment by describing it in greater detail

DISCUSS - to argue, debate, talk over
example - Discuss the importance of the invention on farming

EVALUATE - to examine something in order to judge its value
hint - Make sure that you define your criteria for judging and then remember to actually judge

EXPLAIN - to make plain or clear; to make known in detail; to make clear the cause or reason
hint - Make sure your response answers the question why, using the word because

EXPLORE - to look into closely; to examine; to search for; search out
hint - When exploring, your response should include what you discovered

INVESTIGATE - to search or inquire into; examine in detail
example - Read the three newspaper articles to investigate the reasons for the election results

JUSTIFY - to show a satisfactory reason for something done
example - Use examples from the text to justify your response

PREDICT - to foretell the future
hint - Predictions are always based on what you already know from the text

SUMMARIZE - to state a short version of a longer work; to make a brief statement of main points
hint - To summarize, reduce the length to only a few sentences

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Last updated August 6, 2007

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