Grade 8 · Social Studies · Unit 1 of 10
Japan: Land, Beliefs & Values
Islands, mountains and the ideas that shaped Japan
What your child practises
Japan's islands and mountains, its farming and fishing, and the Shinto, Buddhist and Confucian ideas that helped shape how people lived and what they valued.
Alberta Curriculum learning outcome: 8.1 · Japan's geography, and the beliefs and values (Shinto, Buddhism, Confucian ideas) that shaped its worldview
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
In a rice paddy, fields are flooded. Why?
- To catch fish only
- To frighten insects
- Rice grows well with its roots in shallow water.
- To keep the farmers cool
Show answer
Rice grows well with its roots in shallow water.
Hint: Rice paddies were shaped to hold water.
Question 2
Japan lies where tectonic plates meet. What natural hazard is common there?
- earthquakes
- blizzards
- locust swarms
- tornado outbreaks across plains
Show answer
earthquakes
Hint: Many earthquakes and volcanoes happen around the Pacific plate boundaries.
Question 3
Why did the sea help Japan stay separate from mainland Asia?
- The sea is frozen all year.
- There are no ships.
- Japan is joined to Korea.
- Water lies between Japan and its neighbours.
Show answer
Water lies between Japan and its neighbours.
Hint: Being an island nation made it easier to limit contact.
Question 4
How do a society's beliefs and values shape its worldview?
- They guide what people think is important and how they act.
- They have no effect on people.
- They only matter to rulers.
- They change every day.
Show answer
They guide what people think is important and how they act.
Hint: Worldview is shaped by religion, philosophy, geography and experience.
Question 5
Which ocean lies to the east of Japan?
- the Indian Ocean
- the Arctic Ocean
- the Pacific Ocean
- the Atlantic Ocean
Show answer
the Pacific Ocean
Hint: Japan is on the western edge of the Pacific.
Question 6
Shinto, an old belief in Japan, honours…
- kami, the spirits in nature and special places
- only foreign gods
- only the shogun
- machines
Show answer
kami, the spirits in nature and special places
Hint: Shinto shrines are found near mountains, trees and waterfalls.