Grade 9 · Social Studies · Unit 3 of 8
Imperialism & Colonialism
Empires and their effects
What your child practises
Why powerful countries built empires, the Scramble for Africa, British rule in India, the Opium Wars, new technology, and the lasting effects of colonial rule and resistance to it.
BC Curriculum learning standard: Imperialism and colonialism: motives, methods and effects on colonized and colonizing societies
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
What problem did drawing borders at the Berlin Conference cause for African peoples?
- Borders followed each nation's wishes.
- Every group received the same lands.
- Groups were split apart or forced together, causing problems that lasted for generations.
- No borders were drawn.
Show answer
Groups were split apart or forced together, causing problems that lasted for generations.
Hint: African leaders were not asked, and the lines ignored languages and cultures.
Question 2
King Leopold II of Belgium ran the Congo Free State as his personal colony. What was a result?
- The colony was left alone.
- Belgium paid fair wages.
- The Congolese ruled themselves.
- Congolese people were forced to work harshly to produce rubber and other goods.
Show answer
Congolese people were forced to work harshly to produce rubber and other goods.
Hint: International outrage eventually led Belgium's government to take over in 1908.
Question 3
What was the Indian Rebellion of 1857?
- A treaty with Japan
- A trade fair
- A widespread uprising against British East India Company rule
- A British election
Show answer
A widespread uprising against British East India Company rule
Hint: After it, Britain took direct control of India.
Question 4
Which empire took control of much of India in the 1800s?
- Japan
- Britain
- Russia
- Spain
Show answer
Britain
Hint: Britain ruled India directly after 1858, a period known as the Raj.
Question 5
What is a colony?
- A territory controlled by another country
- A kind of city
- A type of tax
- A school
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A territory controlled by another country
Hint: Colonies were ruled from a distant capital for the benefit of the empire.
Question 6
What was the East India Company?
- A French university
- A Chinese navy
- A British trading company that gained political and military power in parts of India
- A Canadian fur company
Show answer
A British trading company that gained political and military power in parts of India
Hint: Its rule ended in 1858, when the British government took control.