Grade 4 Social Studies practice sheet
Alberta Curriculum · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
Question 1
Why might a leader far away have a hard time making good decisions for a colony?
🗺️- they live next door
- they have too little time off
- they know everything
- they may not understand what people there need
Show answer
they may not understand what people there need
Hint: Distance made it hard to understand local needs.
Question 2
Why did Cartier's claim for France not mean the land belonged to France in the eyes of the people living there?
🤔- they had no ideas
- they were visiting
- they agreed in writing
- they had lived there for generations and did not agree to it
Show answer
they had lived there for generations and did not agree to it
Hint: Claims by explorers did not ask the people already there.
Question 3
New France had few farmers compared with the fur trade. Which statement fits?
🦫- there were no furs
- no one traded
- the fur trade pulled many men away from farming
- there was no land
Show answer
the fur trade pulled many men away from farming
Hint: Fur trading drew people inland.
Question 4
Why did Europeans come to the east coast to fish?
🐟- to find gold bars
- to catch cod
- to catch dinosaurs
- to look for camels
Show answer
to catch cod
Hint: The Grand Banks had huge cod stocks.
Question 5
Why did Britain choose to let Quebec keep French civil law?
🤝- to keep the peace and loyalty of the people
- to teach French to the British
- because it had no laws
- to move everyone away
Show answer
to keep the peace and loyalty of the people
Hint: Britain wanted stability.
Question 6
Why did arrival of Loyalists change life for many First Nations?
🌲- settlers needed land and the nations lost use of it
- nothing changed
- the Loyalists left
- First Nations got more land
Show answer
settlers needed land and the nations lost use of it
Hint: Settlement often took land that Indigenous peoples used.
Question 7
Why do Canadians today see responsible government as a step toward democracy?
🗳️- voters choose the people who control the government
- judges choose the leaders
- only the king decides
- leaders are chosen by birth
Show answer
voters choose the people who control the government
Hint: It is the idea behind elections today.
Question 8
Why do many Indigenous people see Confederation differently?
🌎- their nations and lands were not part of the decisions
- they weren't alive
- they all agree with each other
- Confederation was only in the Arctic
Show answer
their nations and lands were not part of the decisions
Hint: Different groups have different views of the same event.
Question 9
Why do rights come with responsibilities?
⚖️- so no one has any rights
- so everyone's rights are respected
- so rights can be taken away
- so rules can be ignored
Show answer
so everyone's rights are respected
Hint: When we respect others' rights, everyone is safe.
Question 10
What does it mean to have influence?
💪- to speak quietly
- to be very tall
- to own a boat
- the power to affect what others do or decide
Show answer
the power to affect what others do or decide
Hint: A group with influence can shape events.
Answer key
- 1. they may not understand what people there need (Who Held Power?)
- 2. they had lived there for generations and did not agree to it (Jacques Cartier)
- 3. the fur trade pulled many men away from farming (Champlain & New France)
- 4. to catch cod (The Fur Trade & Natural Resources)
- 5. to keep the peace and loyalty of the people (The Treaty of Paris)
- 6. settlers needed land and the nations lost use of it (United Empire Loyalists)
- 7. voters choose the people who control the government (Rebellions & Responsible Government)
- 8. their nations and lands were not part of the decisions (Confederation & Alberta)
- 9. so everyone's rights are respected (Citizenship)
- 10. the power to affect what others do or decide (Who Held Power?)
Want more than 10 questions?
In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback. See all social studies units.