Transcript Nationalism - Copley-Fairlawn City Schools


WWI had multiple causes & effects,
arising from militarism, imperialism,
nationalism & alliances.

The global scope of WWI increased the
human costs of war.
New technologies & practices [use of
poison “mustard” gas, trench warfare,
machine guns, airplanes (for
reconnaissance), submarines, & tanks]
affected the outcome of the war
 WWI was fought mostly in Europe; the
United States became one of the Allied
Powers.

After the Treaty of Versailles ended WWI,
the League of Nations as formed in an
attempt to create a forum for peacefully
solving disputes between nations.
 The failure of President Woodrow Wilson’s
Fourteen Points for peace, along with
the refusal of the United States to join the
League of Nations, had far-reaching
consequences

By the early 1900s, much of Asia and
nearly all of Africa had been colonized
by European nations.
 Colonies provided raw materials and
new markets for European
manufacturing.
 Desire to increase their empires led to
competition and power struggles among
European nations.


The spread of nationalism in Europe led to a
dangerous arms race, in which nations built
up their armies (& navies, for some) to
maintain equal strength with their
neighbors.
› Britain had the world’s strongest naval power.
 Other European nations built up their navies to be
able to compete with Britain.
› By 1900, Germany had largest & best-trained
army in Europe
 Draft increased the size of army during peacetime.
Military agreements to protect the other
in case of attack.
 Long chains of allying countries formed.

› Several countries could be drawn into
conflict if one was attacked by one other.
 Since many of the agreements were secret,
attacking country may not know the
consequences of their actions until it was too,
late.

Central Powers – Germany & AustriaHungary


Later joined by Bulgaria & the Ottoman Empire
Allies – Great Britain, France, and Russia
› The United States (eventually) joined the side
of the Allies.
Feeling of pride and loyalty people have for
their country or for other people who share
a common history, language, or culture.
 Swept the European continent during the
1800s.
 Rise of nationalism led to minority groups to
call for independence

› Czechs and Slovaks in Austria-Hungary – wished
to form their own nation
› Poles wanted an independent Poland – had
been divided by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and
Russia.

Bosnia area was part of the AustriaHungary Empire, but many Serbs lived
there.
› Serbs and Serbia wanted Bosnia to be part
of Serbia.
› Black Hand – Gavrilo Princip – assassinated
Archduke Francis Ferdinand – heir to the
Austria-Hungary throne.
 THIS WAS THE SPARK THAT IGNITED ALL THE
CAUSES TO EXPLODE INTO WWI.
The assassination of Francis Ferdinand (a
sign of showing nationalism) sparked the
alliances into action!
 European nations were already heated
with one another over imperialistic
competition.
 European nations were ready to go to war,
due to their militarism efforts.
 An assassination of one person, no matter
what his position, should never be able to
lead to WORLD WAR, but everything else
was in place, and thus, World War I began.

Neutrality
 Militarism
 Nationalism
 Imperialism

Neutrality
 Militarism
 Nationalism
 Imperialism

If you said NATIONALISM, you would be
CORRECT!

Explain how the system of alliances that
was formed in Europe before WWI
caused most European nations to draw
into the conflict.

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

Alliances were formed between European
nations.
Many of them were secret agreements.
An attack against one nation would be
considered an attack against any of the
nations in alliance with the nation that was
attacked.
Attacking nations had alliances as well, and
often didn’t know who the country they
attacked was in alliance with.
An attack against one nation could result in
MANY nations going to war with one another
as a matter of defending those in their alliance.
Remember: The United States tried to
remain NEUTRAL – not taking sides in the
conflict – when WWI began in Europe.
 US was trading with both sides and
benefitting financially.
 Americans were divided among ethnic
lines, due to common heritage – Some
favored the Central Powers; some favored
the Allied Powers.
 America had long-standing ties with Britain
(our fore-fathers were from there) and
France (helped us in the Revolutionary
War).


Germany used U-boats, submarines, to
sink neutral ships going in and out of
Britain.
› They would attack without warning.
› Wilson issued a warning to knock it off- OR
ELSE.
› Germany didn’t want US to enter the war
yet… Sussex Pledge – said they would give
warning and investigate before sinking ships.
Germany sank the Lusitania – a British
passenger ship that had 128 Americans on
board.
 Zimmerman Note – Germany offered
Mexico help getting back “lost lands” (NM,
TX, AZ, CA) if Mexico would declare war
against the United States and, thus, join
WWI on the side of the Central Powers.

› This would make the US have to focus on
Mexico and not be able to send all troops to
Europe to help the Allied Powers.
The Zimmerman Note
 Shared German ancestry
 The sinking of the Lusitania
 Germany’s submarine warfare.

The Zimmerman Note
 Shared German ancestry
 The sinking of the Lusitania
 Germany’s submarine warfare.
If you said SHARED GERMAN ANCESTRY,
you would be CORRECT!


Fourteen Points – Peace plan developed by
Wilson
› Self-Determination – Right of national groups to
›
›
›
›
have their independence and own
governments; Countries formed around
nationalities of people, rather than splitting
national groups by borders.
End to secret agreements.
Free sees and trade
Disarmament (reducing of military force) of
major powers.
Fair hearings on colonial claims – giving
colonized people an equal voice in decisions.

Formation of the League of Nations – 14th
Point – to handle international disputes
BEFORE they caused war.

Wilson pushed for Peace Without Victory
› Wilson realized that if you punished Germany
too, much they would want revenge later.
› Britain, France, and other European
countries wanted Germany to pay for
starting the war.


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


Not signed by US – Congress would not sign
because the League of Nations would lead
the US to become entangled in European
affairs in the future.
German colonies in Africa and Asia were
given to Britain, France, Japan, Australia,
and New Zealand.
Poland was re-created – taking land from
Germany and Russia
Germany had to pay LARGE reparations.
Germany had to take full blame for the
war.
Germany had to limit their military
Land Germany gained from Russia
(Treaty of Brest-Litovsk) was made into
Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania (Taken from
Germany and not given back to Russia).
 Austria-Hungary Empire Divided

› Austria and Hungary became independent
nations.
› Italy & Romania took some of the land that
was once A-H
› Czechoslovakia & Yugoslavia were created
– Grouped together different ethnic groups –
major impact later in the 20th century.

Ottoman Empire broken up
› Turkey, Greece, and Britain took over former
Ottoman lands.
Central Powers were defeated, but
destruction was felt on both sides.
 Western Front – much of France – lay in
ruins.
 30+ nations involved
 Nearly 8 million soldiers died.
 24 million soldiers wounded.
 Many civilians were killed or wounded.
 Total Dollar Amount – Around $186 billion




Countries were rebuilding after WWI - Had to borrow
money from other countries to rebuild, putting them
even more in debt.
Bitter resentment built up from the Treaty of Versailles
caused countries like Germany to want revenge.
When the Depression spread from the US to Europe,
countries turned to dictatorial leaders to return them
to their former glory. (No money makes people feel
even worse… THEY WANT ANSWERS & HELP and
NOW!)
› Germany – Hitler - Nazism
Italy – Mussolini - Fascism
Spain – Franco - Fascism
Russia –Lenin - then Stalin - Communism
Japan – Hirohito - Militarism
Civil War (Russian Revolution) & WWI left
Russia in shambles… New Communist
regime under Lenin… Sounded good at
first, but after Lenin died, Stalin defeated
rivals and became dictator and wanted to
build a powerful industrial economy… He
killed his enemies and objectors by the
1000s.
 Foreshadowing: The Russian Revolution set
the stage for the basic conflict of the 20th
century: Communism vs. Capitalism –
Russia vs. United States – COLD WAR

Colonial Rebellion in Asia & the Middle
East
All of SE Asia was taken over by European
powers during the 19th century. But after
WWI, Burma, Indochina (Laos, Cambodia,
Vietnam) and Indonesia began to seek
independence. The demand for self-rule
would not lead to complete
independence for several decades.


British rule in India – Mohandas Gandhi
urged people to resist the government
nonviolently….
› After 15 years of resistance, the British
government created the Government of
India Act (1935) – Britain remained in power,
but Indians were given a voice in
government and established provinces
governed only by Indians.

Nations in the Middle East had expected to
become independent after WWI. They had
been loyal to the Allies, providing much
needed oil…
› Britain & France established control of the oil-rich ME
through the League of Nations.
› Arab nations sought to gain independence from
imperialist control.
 1922 – British allowed an Arab prince to become king of
Iraq; North African nation of Egypt won independence
 1925 – Iran was taken over by an army officer who
became the shah (king)
 1932 – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established.

Much like in the US… Businesses closed.
People were unable to pay loans.
People were out of work. There were
limited sources to obtain money.
US entered the 1920s PROSPEROUS!
 US was turning toward isolationism again,
but had mutually acceptable trade
relations with Latin American countries.
 Industry was booming – More consumer
goods were available

› Workers had more free time – more time to
spend money

Middle class prosperity attributed to
several factors: Economy expanded,
wages rose, work house decreased.

Farmers (for the most part) did not feel
the upside of the roaring 20s.
› They had mortgaged more land to produce
the food needed for the war effort.
› After the war was over, they had to cut back
› Surpluses drove prices for farm goods down.



Red Scare developed – Fear of communist and
anarchist take over – because union
membership grew and unions were strong.
Immigration Restriction Act (1924) – growing
distrust of immigrants – Nativism increased in
the US.
Reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan
› Fear that African-Americans would demand more
rights; Many African-Americans fought in Europe for
Europeans’ independence, yet they didn’t enjoy the
rights they fought for abroad at home.
› African-Americans faced lynchings; Race riots
peaked after WWI.
Great Migration – Millions of AfricanAmericans left the rural South for Northern
and Western cities (NY, Chicago, Detroit,
LA), due to mistreatment/Jim Crow laws in
the South.
 Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age

› Centered in Harlem, NYC
› Authors: Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston,
Countee Cullen, James Weldon Johnson, Jean
Toomer
› Jazz Musicians: Louis Armstrong, Fletcher
Henderson, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith

African-Americans put the US on the
map, culturally, with Jazz.
› Prior to the Jazz Age, most American music
was “borrowed” from some place else.
› Jazz combined blues, ragtime, New Orleans
brass band music, and spiritual hymns.
› It was a innovation! It spread throughout the
US and into Europe and then the rest of the
world!

REPUBLICAN DECADE
Presidents: (Pro business/Laissez-faire policies)
› Warren Harding
› Calvin Coolidge
› Herbert Hoover
Amendments
› 18th – Prohibition
› 19th – Women’s Suffrage (Right to vote)
Stock Market Speculation & Crash
Not all Americans enjoyed economic
prosperity. African Americans had a much
higher unemployment rate than other
American groups. Many who lived in cities
couldn’t afford life’s basic necessities. Yet,
many Americans prospered and the it
seemed limitless!

Economy had started to slow, but it wasn’t
realized until too, late. (Records were not
kept regarding business sales, demand
decreases, etc. as they are now.)
 Banks were making risky/unwise loans to
stock market investors.
 Buying stock ON MARGIN – Only had to put
a portion of the cost of the stock down…
You could sell before paying it off… Inflated
the stock market.


Stock market was riding the bubble, and on
Wednesday, October 23, 1929, the bubble
burst… Next day – Black Thursday.
› Investors rushed to cash in their investments.
› Stock prices fell
› Panic fed itself… People began withdrawing
their money from banks.
› Banks couldn’t meet depositors demands and
closed… People lost their life savings.
› Crash: BLACK TUESDAY – October 29, 1929.

Hoover didn’t do enough to help
people after the crash.
› He believed in “the American system of
rugged individualism.” Basically, he believed
that everything would work itself out and
that the government shouldn’t step in to fix
something that was in the business realm.
› He eventually established the Reconstruction
Finance Corp to channel assistance to
farmers and businesses in need, but it was
too little, too late.
Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt
easily beat Hoover in the election of
1932.
 FDR immediately started working to fix
the Depression… He believed that the
government should try anything… If it
didn’t work, move on and try something
else.
 NEW DEAL – FDR’s plan to attack the
Depression


New Deal outlined 3 main goals:
› Relief for the Jobless
› Plans for Economic Recovery
› Prevent Another Depression (Reform)
The New Deal enlarged the federal
government
- Created a slew of agencies & organizations
- Often called “Alphabet Soup” agencies.

Alphabet Soup lives on!
› Social Security Administration
› Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
(FDIC) insures bank deposits
› Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
regulates the stock market
› National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
protects and regulates labor unions
› Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers
loans & insurance to homeowners

Cultural Environment
› Artists and writers used the Depression as the
backdrop/topic for their work and used their
work for social commentary.
 Works Progress Administration (WPA) put artists
to work writing local folk lore, painting murals,
putting on performances, etc.
 Some famous works, which you may have
heard: War of the Worlds (radio broadcast),
Snow White & the Seven Dwarves, Gone With
the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath

There is debate about how much good the
New Deal did for the United States.
› Critics would claim that the Federal
Government’s deficit spending (spending more
than it takes in through taxes), putting the nation
into debt.
› The critics also believed that the New Deal was
interfering too, much in people’s lives and was
giving the federal government too, much
power.
› Supporters felt that the New Deal efforts
gave the American people hope and
provided them with money to be able to eat
and survive.
› Supporters also argued that it saved the
nation’s democratic system, as the US was
able NOT to turn to a dictatorial
government, like many of the nations in
Europe had/were done/doing.
› Looking back (hindsight is 20/20) we can see
that the New Deal did NOT end the Great
Depression…
 World War II began in Europe in 1939, when
Hitler invaded Poland, and the United States
started producing for the war effort… That’s
what took the United States out of the Great
Depression
WWII started in Europe with Germany
invading its neighbors, and spread into
the Pacific, with Japan conquering
China and many Pacific Island nations.
 The causes of WWII included a policy of
appeasement toward Hitler, the
expansion of the Axis powers and the
actions of the Allies.

The US maintained an isolationist stance
while helping its European allies until
Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor caused the
US to enter the war.
 As US soldiers went to war, Americans at
home mobilized to support the war effort.
 A tragic part of the war was the shameful
internment of Japanese Americans (and
others with Axis ancestry).

The United States emerged from WWII as
one of the dominant powers in world
affairs.
 The end of WWII was quickly followed by
the beginning of the Cold War.


Some are the same/similar to those of WWI:
› Nationalism
› Imperialism & Expansion (Appeasement of Germany
added to this cause; Continuing to sell Japan items needed for
their war/military efforts added to this cause.)
› Alliances
› Militarism (Continuing to sell Japan items needed for their
war/military efforts added to this cause.)

Some are different:
› Treaty of Versailles (Bitterness & Resentment and
consequences of such)
› The Great Depression

Germany wanted to expand its territory
and power in Europe.
› March 1938 – Marched into Austria and made it
a province
› British (Neville Chamberlain) believed it would be
better to give Hitler what he wanted to avoid
war --- APPEASEMENT.
› September 1938 – Hitler moved to take over the
Sudetenland in Western Czechoslovakia; Munich
Conference – Britain, France, & Italy agreed to
permit Hitler to take over the Sudetenland if he
promised not to take the rest of Czechoslovakia.
--- APPEASEMENT AGAIN!
Appeasement did not work!
 Hitler began looking at Poland as a
potential land to conquer; Britain
warned that it would defend Poland.
 September 1, 1939 – Germany invaded
Poland; Blitzkrieg – Lightening War
 2 days later (September 3rd) – Britain &
France declared war on Germany.

Before WWII began, Germany & the
Soviet Union signed a nonaggression
pact… Both agreed not to attack each
other.
 In June of 1941, Germany attacked the
Soviet Union (Breaking the pact).

› May have cost Germany the war.
› Soviets now could attack Germany from the
east.
› Germany had to divide its troops to fight on
both sides.
Americans maintained a policy of
isolationism.
 Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts –
forbidding the US to sell weapons or give
help to countries at war.

› Germany invaded France and threatened
Britain.
› FDR persuaded Congress to pass the Lend-Lease
Act (1941) – Allowed US to give American ships
and supplies to Britain & the Soviet Union… FDR
promised “all measures short of war” to help.
› US had created an “Arsenal of Democracy” –
way to explain why we weren’t completely
neutral or isolated.

Japan wanted to increase its holdings in
the Pacific
› Went to war with China (1937)
 Britain & US condemned Japan’s actions, but
continued to sell machinery, oil, steel, and
scrap metal to the Japanese
› Japan had taken over French & Dutch
territories in the Pacific when WWII broke out
in Europe.

When war began in Europe and the
Japanese supported Germany and took
over the French & Dutch territories in
Asia -- the U.S. cut off sales of oil and
scrap metal to the Japanese (embargo)
and began sending warships into Asian
waters.
› US and Japan tried to negotiate and talk
things out…
› Talks were abruptly halted….

Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on
December 7, 1941.
› SURPRISE ATTACK!
› Killed 2500 Americans
› Sank or damaged 8 battleships
› Destroyed 8 airplanes
› Shocked the American public!
December 8, 1941 – Congress declared war
on Japan.
Germany & Italy immediately declared war on
the U.S.
TOTAL WAR situation – All resources
organized for the war effort
 Women worked in the factories (Rosie the
Riveter posters) and served in the armed
forces – noncombat duties.
 Draft extended to men ages 18-45
 Factories made planes and tanks.
 Farmers produced more to feed soldiers
overseas and civilians at home.
 Rationing & recycling employed.

Americans were worried about enemy
spies.
 Discrimination against German, Italian,
and Japanese Americans was prevalent.
 Japanese-Americans were put into
relocation (internment) camps for fear
that they would aid the enemy.

› In 1988, Congress awarded (surviving)
Japanese-Americans who had been
interned $20,000 as an official apology from
the federal government.
War fought on two fronts, or in two
different “theaters”.
 WWII Theaters of War:

› European Theater
› Pacific Theater
At first, the US concentrated its efforts in
the Pacific & in Italy/North Africa.
 The US (Dwight Eisenhower) in charge of
D-Day invasion (Operation Overlord)

› Largest seaborne operation in military history.
› More than 140,000 soldiers (American, British,
& Canadian) stormed the beaches of
Normandy France on June 6, 1944
 This effort eventually allowed the Allies to push
the Germans back across Europe from the west,
while the Soviets (Russians) were crushing from
the east.
Eventually, the Allied forces met in
Torgau, south of Berlin.
 They stormed into Berlin.
 Hitler committed suicide and the Allies
captured Berlin.

› VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) – May 8, 1945

US used island hopping strategy and the
help of the Navajo Code Talkers in the
Pacific.
› Conquered islands one by one on the way
to main land Japan.
› Navajo (Native American) soldiers were able
to talk in their native language to give
directions/orders to pilots.
 The enemy couldn’t understand them.
› June 1942 – Americans broke Japan’s secret
communication codes; Won Battle of
Midway

FDR died (April 1945); Truman takes over.
› Truman learns of secret new weapon –
Manhattan Project – atomic bomb
› Bomb tested in July of 1945

Allied leaders meet in Potsdam Germany
› Truman issues warning to Japan: Surrender
or face “prompt and utter destruction.”
› Japan ignores warning (Potsdam Declaration)
› US drops atomic bombs on Japan
 August 6, 1945 – Hiroshima
August 9, 1945 - Nagasaki
1941
December 7 – Japan
attacks Pearl Harbor
1942
June- US defeats
Japan at the Battle
of Midway
Nov 8 – Allied army
invades North Africa
1943
February – German
forces in Stalingrad
surrender to the
Soviet Red Army
July 10 – Allied army
invades Italy
1944
June 6 – D-Day –
Allied army invades
German-occupied
France
October – US Navy
destroys Japanese
naval forces at Leyte
Gulf
December – Battle of
the Bulge begins;
Germans make
strong stand before
being defeated in
January 1945.
1945
January – Allies win
Battle of the Bulge
April 12 – FDR dies;
Harry Truman
(In 1945 – not exact date)
becomes President
Concentration
May 8 – V-E Day –
camps are
Germany surrenders;
discovered (Examples:
War
ends
in
Europe
Auschwitz & Dachau)
1945 (Continued)
August 6 & 9 – US
drops atomic bombs
on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki
August 14 – Japan
agrees to surrender
September 2 –
V-J Day (Victory in
Japan Day); Japan
officially surrenders
aboard the USS
Missouri in Tokyo Bay
Estimated deaths: 13 million soldiers
 23 million soldiers wounded
 75 million people world wide may have
died.
 Millions lost their homes & possessions –
became refugees
 Much of Europe & Japan destroyed
 Europe’s economy ruined – millions in
poverty

Estimated 6 million Jews died in
concentration camps in Germany &
Poland… THE HOLOCAUST
 Nuremberg Trials – Leaders of Germany
& Japan put on trial

› 12 sentenced to death
› Hideki Tojo – Japanese General who ordered
attack on Pearl Harbor - executed

Stronger sense of nationalism throughout
the world increased
› Colonies in Africa & Asia demanded
independence from European rule.
› British granted India independence
› French were forced out of SE Asia
› Other European colonies in Africa & Asia
received their independence

Soviet Union and United States emerged
from WWII as the world’s 2 most powerful
nations.
› Soviets refused to remove armies from
Eastern Europe after the war.
 Soon cut off all contact between Eastern
Europe and the West.
 Intense rivalry developed between
democratic nations (led by the US) and
Communist nations (led by the Soviet Union)
 COLD WAR BEGINS!
UNITED NATIONS FORMED
Because of the terrible destructiveness of
WWII, the Allies were determined to keep the
postwar world at peace and to prevent the
rise of powerful, warlike dictatorships. The US,
along with Soviet Union, Great Britain, France
and China, took the lead in establishing the
UN.

Originally 50 member nations. (Today- 191)
Japan not allowed to become a
member until 1953 (punishment); Italy
had to wait until 1955; Germany – 1973.
Both Palestinian Arabs & Jews lived
together in the region in the Middle East
known as Palestine for 100s of years.
 Jerusalem – Holy to Muslims, Jews, &
Christians
 After WWI, Britain was put in charge of
Palestine.

› British had promised to support a Jewish
homeland in Palestine, much to the dismay
of Arabs in the region – wanted Palestine to
be part of a new Arab state.
Fighting between Jews & Arabs broke
out in the region following WWII.
 British handed over the problem to the
UN in 1947.
 UN chose to divide Palestine into Jewish
and Arab regions, but Arab nations
opposed the idea.
 1948 – Jewish residents of Palestine
proclaimed the state of Israel.


Combined army (Egypt, Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon, & Iraq) invaded Israel, but was
crushed by the Israeli army.
› The US immediately recognized Israel as a
nation.
› Arab nations in the region did NOT.
The conflict ensued!
(More about the Israeli-Arab-Palestinian conflict when we
talk about The Cold War and Post-Cold War Era.)
This is a continuation of Test Taking Tips
and Strategies that have been
presented in Sessions 1-3.
 To be sure you’ve got all of the
strategies, refer to the past OGT Social
Studies Prep PowerPoint presentations
 OGT Social Studies Prep PowerPoints can
be found on Ms. E’s web page –
www.copley-fairlawn.org/estright

When in doubt, use common sense.
 Accept the situation in the problem at
face value…

› DON’T READ TOO MUCH INTO IT!
› These problems will not require you to make
huge leaps of logic.
› If you have to go beyond creativity and
make a leap of logic in order to have an
answer choice answer the question – LOOK
AT THE OTHER CHOICES!

Don’t overcomplicate the problem by
creating relationships or explanations
that don’t exist.
› These are normal problems – rooted in
REALITY – so don’t “what if” or “it would, if…”!

Applicable relationships or explanations
may not be readily apparent…
› You just have to figure things out.
› Use your common sense to interpret
anything that is not clear.
If you’re having trouble with a word in
the question or answer choice, try
breaking it down/dissecting it.
 Take advantage of EVERY CLUE that the
word might include.
 Prefixes & suffixes can be a big help; they
usually allow you to determine basic
meaning.

› Examples: Pre = Before; Post = After; Pro =
Positive; De = Negative

From prefixes & suffixes, you can get an
idea of the general meaning of a word.
› Try to put it in context.

Beware of any traps.
› Example: Just because CON is the opposite
of PRO does NOT mean that CONgress is the
opposite of PROgress.
Hedge Phrases are phrases such as:
likely, may, can, will often, sometimes,
almost, mostly, usually, generally, rarely,
and sometimes.
 They are inserted to cover every
possibility.

› Often an answer choice will be wrong simply
because it leaves no room for exception.
› Avoid answer choices that have DEFINITIVE
WORDS like “exactly” and “always.”

Switchbacks are words and phrases
frequently used to alert you to SHIFTS OF
THOUGHT.
› The most common switchback word is “BUT.”
› Others: Although, however, nevertheless, on
the other hand, even though, while, in spite
of, despite, regardless of

CORRECT ANSWER CHOICES will rarely have
completely new information included.
› Answer choices are typically straightforward reflections of
the material asked about and will directly relate to the
question.
› If a new piece of information is included in an answer
choice that doesn’t even seem to relate to the topic
being asked, the answer choice is probably INCORRECT.

All of the information needed to answer the question
is usually provided for you.
› You should not have to make guesses that are
unsupported.
› You should not have to choose answer choices that
require unknown information that cannot be reasoned on
its own.
Don’t get lost on technical terms.
 Don’t spend too much time on any one
question (Within reason… An extended response will

likely take you longer than a multiple choice question
and IT’LL BE WORTH MORE POINTS!)

You can’t use a dictionary, so if you don’t
know what a term means, odds are you
aren’t going much further with that!
› You should immediately recognize terms as
those you know and those you don’t know.
› If you don’t know a term, work with the other
clues you have and the other answer choices
and terms provided… Then move on.

Contextual Clues will help you find the
answer that is MOST right and IS
CORRECT.
› An answer can be right, but NOT correct.

Understand the context in which a
phrase or statement is made.
› This will help you make distinctions that are
important for choosing the right answer
choice.
If your mind goes blank when seeing a
question, TAKE A DEEP BREATH!
 Force yourself to go through the question
STEP BY STEP.

› Mechanically go through the steps of
answering/solving the problem/question
using the strategies that you know and have
learned.
Don’t be a clock watcher.
 Stay calm
 Maintain a pace YOU’ve set for
YOURself.
 When you get towards the end of testing
time, don’t freak out!

› Remember you won’t have as much of the
test left at that point, so you’re right on track!
› Take the remaining time provided if needed.
› Don’t worry about how quickly others
around you are getting done.


The BEST way to pick an answer choice is to
eliminate all of those that are wrong, until
there’s only 1 left and you’ve confirmed it’s the
right choice.
Be careful of going with the first choice that
looks right.
› Don’t make a mistake due to rushing.
› READ THROUGH ALL THE CHOICES.
 Make sure there’s not another choice that’s equally as
obvious as the first you saw.

There are only 2 times you should stop before
checking other answers: When you are
positive the answer you’ve selected is correct
and when time is almost out and you need to
make a quick guess.
Make sure you’ve answered all the
questions (on the OGT answer document).
 Get credit for everything that you know –
don’t miss questions due to careless
mistakes.
 If you have time, go back over the answer
selection a 2nd time to make sure you’ve
selected the BEST answer choice(s) and
haven’t made a silly error – like marking
something you didn’t mean to mark.

› This quick check will be worth it!

More than likely, the correct answer
choice will paraphrase or summarize a
point and not use the exact same
wording.
› Sometimes an answer choice will repeat
word for word a portion of the question or
reference section
 BEWARE! IT COULD BE A TRAP.

Scientific/Scholarly sounding answers are
better choices than those that use slang.
› Example:
 An answer choice beginning with the words
“To compare the outcomes…” is more likely to
be correct than one that starts “Because some
people insisted…”
Avoid wild, “out there” answers.
Avoid answer choices that have
controversial ideas presented as fact.
 Choose calm, rational answer choice
statements.
 Avoid choices that use definitive,
uncompromising, no-wiggle-room
statements.
 Choices that use hedge phrases give the
answer “wiggle room” and should be
looked at as possible correct answer
choices.



A family of answer choices is when 2 or 3 answer
choices are very similar in wording, yet they often
have the opposite meaning.
› Example:
 According the map, you can deduce that the Republican
candidate won the support of the Southern states.
 According the map, you can deduce that the Democratic
candidate won the support of the Southern states.

Usually the correct answer choice will be in that
family of answer choices.
› The “odd one out” answer choice or the one that doesn’t
seem to fit the wording of the other choices is more likely
to be incorrect.
 Example:
(This would be added with the ones in the example above.)
 There’s no way to tell from the map which party won the
Southern states.