OH YAH! You are finished the course. Now it is time to prepare for the Government Exam.

Where do you start? Know what is on your exam: – You have everything you need in your course outline. – Table of Specifications, Command Verb List and Marking Rubric. It tells you what your exam will physically look like and what Prescribed Learning Outcomes will be concentrated on.

Questions your Table of Specifications answers: Your exam is two hours long, but you may take an extra hour to write. You will write: – 12 M/C questions on Government – 14 M/C questions on Autonomy and International Involvement. – 17 M/C questions on Society and Identity – 12 M/C questions on Human Geography 55 Multiple Choice Questions in all.

The Multiple Choice:

The Government Section

POLITICAL SPECTRUM There is always a question on where do Canadian political parties fall in the spectrum. They may ask where Fascism, Communism, Capitalism, or Libertarians fall on the spectrum.

The History Section The History Section always starts off with the WWI questions and proceeds chronologically to the end of the course in the year It is broken up into Autonomy and International Involvement and Society and Identity.

Autonomy and International I

Society and Identity

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NEWSPAPER QUESTIONS M/C questions with the aid of a newspaper are always on the exam. Look closely at the date and the headline. Both of these provide you with valuable information. Montreal GazetteFall, 1970 The FLQ Strikes Again. No English is Safe

MAPS: Know the following maps: – WWI Europe (Any area Canada was involved in.) – WWII Europe (Any area Canada was involved in.) – Cold War Europe (Yugoslavia) – South East Asia (Korea) – Middle East (Iraq) – Canada – African Continent

Dates: Chronological Order of Events MC Questions are common.

1. D-Day 2. Dieppe 3. Liberation of the Netherlands What is the chronological order for these events? A.1,2,3 B.2,1,3 C.1,3,2, D.2,3,1

Human Geography 4 5

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Political Cartoons: There will be political cartoons. Generally there are more in the Human Geography section. Do not ‘over think ‘ them, but remember to read everything in the cartoon. Captions and Dialogue. Know what the major players look like: i.e. Bennett and King

Population Pyramids: There are always population pyramids on the exam. They are usually keyed towards early expanding and contracting

Demographic Transition Model There is always a DTM on the exam. Usually they ask questions on what would happen in each stage. They are usually keyed to Stage 1 and Stage 4.

GRAPHS Make sure you know how to read graphs. Look for TRENDS.

Quotations Often a quotation will be used and then they will ask you what it means. If we do not work hard to protect our water resources today, we will not have them for our future generations. B. Rusk 2010

There are usually one or two close answers, but the BEST answer should be chosen. Look for absolutes. These are usually wrong. Read the whole question before bubbling. Put a mark beside the response that hit you right away. If one or more seems correct mark this one as well. Now you have only two choices. Re-read the question one more time and choose the BEST choice.

If you don’t know which is the best choice choose the longest response. Circle each question you had to guess on and come back to them after you have done the rest of the exam. Don’t leave questions out. Study your terminology lists, as these are important M/C questions.

Writing the Test - Essays There are two essay questions. Do not leave one out. You have two hours + one hour extra. If you are short of time, it is better to write two mediocre answers than just one good one.

You will write TWO ESSAY questions: – There is one HISTORY essay question and one GEOGRAPHY essay question. – They may make a question that refers to ‘Governmental Policies’ as they relate to Canadians, so don’t discount the Government. Each essay will be weighted equally. Know your RUBRIC….

Writing the Test - Essays Be Careful on Geography options. Many students make the mistake of just relying on common knowledge Make sure you use specific course content and employ terms we have learned.

Writing the Test - Essays Know what the command words mean – see your Course Outline, as they are defined there.

Writing the Test - Essays Always plan before you write. Never just write off the top of your head. There is little to no space in the booklet to use, so use any space in the multiple choice booklet to plan. Above all, your writing needs a thesis – a controlling statement. This is a one sentence answer to the question.

Writing the Test – Essays Sample Charts The kind of chart you should use depends on the question. A history question might ask you to cover a time period – like from If so use a chronology chart like the one to the left, to make sure you use information from the whole time period.

Writing the Test – Essays Sample Charts A chronology question that asks you to assess something over a time span could use a diagram like the one to the right – for example: – To what extent has Canada been tolerant to its immigrants throughout the period 1914 to 2000.

Writing the Test – Essays Sample Charts SPERM-G – This is an acronym for: Social, Political, Economic, Religious, Military, and Geographic. – Not all of these categories might relate to any given question, but if several do, then making a chart that includes them will help you write a thorough paper that doesn’t miss important material. – This chart might accompany the question: Explain how much Canada changed as a result of World War I.

Any question that asks you to look at two sides of an issue could use a chart like the one to the right. An example of such a question might be: To what extent is global warming a problem for Canadians? Writing the Test – Essays Sample Charts

Writing the Test – Essays Write in essay format. This will ensure that you are organized. – Introduction (with thesis). – Body (at least 3 points of a paragraph each). – Conclusion.

Writing the Test – Essays You will not be given a full mark if you do not have your response in essay format.

Writing the Test – Essays Write small. One of our biggest complaints about the essay booklet is that it does not give enough space. We have complained for years and nothing has been done about it. Once again, write small! Write legibly. If a marker cannot read your writing it cannot be credited. If your handwriting is as bad as mine, print! Use all of the time allowed. Once you leave the test, you cannot return. Do not rush. Check your work and edit neatly (there is no space to write a good copy, so do not rewrite). Use your Multiple Choice to help you with your essays.

Biggest Concerns with your Essay Responses Do not list. EXPLAIN your responses. Use your Terminology. Don’t get your events or terms confused. Missing Thesis Statements Not following the command verb.

Your Job Today Go through the Provincial E-Exams You will have 30 minutes to try your hand at the exams, so follow my instructions on how to access them.

Group Essay Outlines Choose a group of three. Take the essay question you are given and generate a ‘chart of knowledge’ for that question on your chart paper. Create a THESIS STATEMENT for that question.

You have 35 minutes to complete this task. When the 35 minutes is up. Tape your chart onto a place on the wall. Next, I will ask your group to discuss your response. Just highlight the key points. Use your vocabulary.

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