Grade 7 Social Studies

Grade 7 social studies vocabulary: 312 terms

Every term from the flashcards above, written out and grouped by strand. Use it to revise without clicking through the cards, to search the page for a word, or to print the list.

Civics & Government

authoritarianism

rule with sharply limited public competition, accountability, or civil liberty

due process

fair legal procedures before government deprives a person of protected interests

federal system

a constitutional division of authority between national and regional governments

human rights

rights and freedoms held by every person because of human dignity

parliamentary system

a system in which the executive normally emerges from and remains accountable to the legislature

presidential system

a system with a separately elected executive serving a defined term

rule of law

the principle that public power is constrained by known, general, and fairly applied law

unitary system

a system in which ultimate constitutional authority rests with the central government

Culture & Society

adaptation

a change made to fit new needs, settings, or meanings

anthropology

the comparative study of humans, cultures, societies, language, and biological life

archaeology

the study of past human life through material remains and their contexts

atoll

a low ring-shaped coral island or chain surrounding a lagoon

Austronesian

a large language family whose speakers expanded across Island Southeast Asia and much of the Pacific

belief

an idea accepted as meaningful or true within a person or community

cultural diffusion

the spread of ideas, practices, objects, or technologies through contact

customary tenure

community-specific systems of rights and responsibilities for land and water

ethnography

in-depth study developed through observation, participation, interviews, and context

infrastructure

systems and facilities that support social and economic activity

innovation

a new or significantly changed idea, process, or tool

institution

an organized structure that shapes community life and authority

interpretation

an explanation of a text, practice, event, or tradition

intra-tradition diversity

differences among people and communities within the same broad tradition

kinship

social relationships of descent, marriage, adoption, responsibility, and belonging

knowledge network

people and institutions connected through exchange of information

Lapita

an archaeological tradition associated with early Austronesian settlement in parts of Remote Oceania

material culture

objects and built spaces that people make, use, and value

Oceania

a broad region including Pacific islands, Australia, and nearby societies, defined differently by purpose

pluralism

engagement among people with different commitments under conditions of equal civic dignity

practice

an action or observance through which people express or sustain meaning

religion

a varied category involving beliefs, practices, communities, institutions, identities, and traditions

sociology

the study of social relationships, institutions, groups, and patterned inequality

stratigraphy

the study of layered deposits and their relationships

survey

a structured method for collecting responses from a sample

technological determinism

the mistaken idea that technology alone drives inevitable social change

technology

knowledge and tools used to solve problems or achieve purposes

unintended consequence

an effect that was not part of the original plan

voyaging canoe

a long-distance vessel designed through specific Pacific engineering traditions

wayfinding

navigation through integrated knowledge of stars, swells, winds, clouds, birds, and other signs

worldview

a framework of ideas and values through which people interpret life and society

Current Issues & Human Rights

algorithm

a defined process a platform may use to rank, recommend, or moderate content

civic action

individual or collective effort to influence public decisions or community conditions

current issue

a publicly significant question or problem still developing or contested

disinformation

false or misleading information deliberately created or spread to deceive

lateral reading

leaving a source to investigate its reputation, evidence, and claims elsewhere

malinformation

genuine information deliberately used, often out of context, to deceive or cause harm

misinformation

in the intent-based framework used here, false or misleading information shared without intent to deceive

stakeholder

a person or group affected by or able to affect an issue

Economics & Personal Finance

annual percentage rate

a standardized yearly measure of borrowing cost, abbreviated APR

automation

use of technology to perform tasks with less direct human operation

comparative advantage

the ability to produce at a lower opportunity cost than another producer

complement

a good used together with another

compound interest

interest calculated on principal plus previously added interest

credit

the ability to borrow now and repay under agreed terms

deductible

the amount a policyholder pays before covered insurance payment begins

demand

the quantities buyers are willing and able to purchase at different prices

diversification

spreading investments across different assets to reduce concentration risk

equilibrium

a model point where quantity supplied equals quantity demanded

fiduciary

a person legally required in a particular role to put a client’s interests first

human capital

knowledge, health, skills, and experience that can support productive activity

labor standard

a rule concerning wages, hours, safety, organizing, discrimination, or other work conditions

market

an institution through which buyers and sellers exchange goods, services, or resources

opportunity cost

the next-best alternative given up by a choice

premium

the amount paid for insurance coverage

price ceiling

a legal maximum price

principal

the original amount borrowed or invested

substitute

a good that can replace another for some purpose

supply

the quantities sellers are willing and able to offer at different prices

supply chain

the linked stages that produce and deliver a good or service

tariff

a tax on imported goods

Geography & Spatial Thinking

boundary

a line or zone separating political or geographic areas

demography

the study of populations and how they change

formal region

an area defined by one or more measurable shared characteristics

functional region

an area organized around a node and the connections linked to it

immigrant

a person who moves into a country to live there

migration

movement from one place to another for temporary or long-term residence

nation

a community connected by shared identity, history, or culture, not always a state

perceptual region

an area people recognize through ideas, identity, or experience

population density

the number of people living within a defined area

pull factor

a condition that attracts people toward a place

push factor

a condition that encourages or forces movement away from a place

refugee

under the 1951 Convention framework, a person outside their country of nationality who has a well-founded fear of persecution for a specified reason and is unable or, because of that fear, unwilling to rely on that country’s protection; for a stateless person, the parallel test concerns return to the country of former habitual residence

region

an area grouped by shared features, connections, or perceptions

sovereignty

authority to govern within a political and legal framework

state

a political unit with territory, population, government, and claimed sovereignty

urbanization

growth in the share or number of people living in urban areas

Indigenous Histories

confederacy

an alliance of distinct political communities for shared purposes

Haudenosaunee

the people of the Six Nations Confederacy, with a continuing government and homelands

Indigenous nation

a people with collective identity, history, governance, land relationships, and continuing political existence

land stewardship

responsible relationships and practices used to care for lands and waters

Mississippian

a broad archaeological term for interconnected societies with mound centers in parts of eastern North America

oral tradition

knowledge transmitted through spoken performance with community-specific methods and authority

Pueblo peoples

distinct Indigenous nations of the Southwest with long-lived communities and varied languages

Inquiry & Evidence

audience

the people a source is designed to reach

authorship

information about who created or sponsored a source

axis

a reference line showing the measurement scale on a graph

citation

information that allows another person to locate a source

claim

an answer or position that can be supported and challenged with evidence

conflict of interest

a personal or organizational interest that could influence judgment

context

the circumstances of time, place, audience, and purpose surrounding a source

convergence

movement of evidence toward a shared conclusion

correlation

a relationship in which two measures vary together

corroboration

support created when independent evidence agrees on a relevant point

counterclaim

a competing answer or interpretation that a writer addresses fairly

credibility

the degree to which a source is trustworthy for a particular claim

denominator

the total or base used to calculate a fraction, rate, or percentage

discrepancy

a meaningful difference between sources or data

evidence

relevant information used to support or test a claim

expertise

relevant knowledge or skill developed through study or experience

independent source

a source not merely copying the same underlying account

legend

a guide explaining symbols, colors, or categories in a map or graphic

manipulation

a design or editing choice intended to distort interpretation

method

a planned way to collect and analyze information

omission

relevant information that a source leaves out

perspective

a viewpoint shaped by position, experience, knowledge, and purpose

plagiarism

presenting another person’s words or ideas as one’s own

projection

a method for representing Earth’s curved surface on a flat map

provenance

the documented origin and history of a source

purpose

the result a creator hopes a source will accomplish

qualification

language that narrows a claim to match the evidence

reasoning

the explanation connecting evidence to a claim

relevance

the degree to which evidence bears on the question

research ethics

principles that protect accuracy, consent, privacy, and human dignity

research question

a focused question that can be investigated with evidence

scale

the relationship between a representation and the quantity, distance, or range it depicts

scope

the boundaries of a project, including its time, place, and subject

source log

a record of source details, notes, and how each source was used

sufficiency

having enough varied evidence for the size of a claim

supporting question

a smaller question that helps answer part of a larger question

triangulation

using different sources or methods to investigate the same question

variable

a feature or condition that can differ and be observed or measured

World History

abolition

organized efforts to end the slave trade or slavery

Anabaptist

a varied reform tradition emphasizing believers’ baptism and other distinctive practices

Angkor

a major Khmer urban and political complex in present-day Cambodia

anticolonialism

ideas and movements opposing colonial domination

ayllu

an Andean kin and community organization connected to land and reciprocal obligations

bureaucracy

a system of offices and officials organized to administer government

Byzantine Empire

the modern name for the medieval eastern Roman Empire centered at Constantinople

caliphate

a political institution led by a caliph that took different forms over time

calligraphy

the artistic practice of skilled writing

capital

resources invested to produce future income or output

caravan

a group traveling together, often for trade and safety

caravel

a small sailing vessel associated with Portuguese Atlantic voyages

cartography

the making and study of maps

cash crop

a crop produced mainly for sale

caste

a broad and debated term for South Asian systems of social classification

Catholic Reformation

renewal and institutional reform within Catholic Christianity

celadon

a high-fired ceramic known for glaze colors, notably developed in Korea and elsewhere

chattel slavery

a legal system treating enslaved people as transferable property for life and often by descent

chinampa

an intensively cultivated raised-field system used in the Basin of Mexico

Chola

a South Indian dynasty especially powerful from the ninth through thirteenth centuries

Christendom

a historical idea of Christian society and political order, especially in medieval Europe

citizenship

legal membership with rights, duties, identity, and participation

civil service examination

a competitive system used in several Chinese dynasties to recruit some officials through tested learning

classical

associated with ancient Greek and Roman cultures in this context

clergy

people formally authorized for religious leadership within a tradition

codex

a screenfold or bound manuscript containing pictorial and written information

colonialism

direct political rule and exploitation of a territory by an outside power

colonization

the establishment of outside control over land and people through settlement, rule, or exploitation

Columbian Exchange

large-scale post-1492 movement of organisms, people, and diseases between hemispheres

confessionalization

the development of distinct religious communities and institutions linked with states

Confucianism

diverse traditions of ethical, social, political, and educational thought associated with Confucius and later thinkers

conquistador

a Spanish conqueror in the Americas

Constantinople

the imperial capital founded at Byzantium and later renamed Istanbul

constitution

a fundamental framework organizing government and limiting or assigning power

contact zone

a place where groups meet under conditions that may include exchange and unequal power

conversion

adoption of a religious identity or commitment through varied individual and social processes

cosmopolitan

connected to people, languages, and ideas from many places

cost of living

the expense of basic needs in a place and period

counterrevolution

organized resistance seeking to stop or reverse revolutionary change

creole

in this context, a locally born person of European ancestry in colonial Latin America; meanings vary

crusade

a campaign authorized with particular religious privileges in Latin Christian traditions

Crusader States

Latin Christian polities established in the eastern Mediterranean after the First Crusade

customary law

rules and practices recognized through established local custom

deism

a varied belief emphasizing a creator known through reason and nature

Delhi Sultanate

a series of Muslim-led dynasties ruling much of northern India from the thirteenth century

demographic collapse

a severe population decline caused by interacting mortality and social disruption

devshirme

an Ottoman levy of selected Christian boys for conversion and imperial service

dhimmi

a historical legal category for some protected non-Muslim communities under Muslim rule

diaspora

a community dispersed from an earlier homeland while maintaining varied connections

diplomacy

management of relations through negotiation, ceremony, alliance, and information

division of labor

separation of production into specialized tasks

ecological imperialism

colonial expansion aided by transferred organisms and environmental change

emancipation

release from slavery or another system of legal domination

empiricism

an approach emphasizing knowledge built through observation and experience

Enlightenment

varied seventeenth- and eighteenth-century movements emphasizing inquiry, criticism, and debate about nature and society

entrepôt

a port where goods are stored, exchanged, and redirected

epidemic

a disease occurrence affecting many people in a place and period

estate

a broad social order or a landed property, depending on context

experiment

a planned procedure used to investigate a question under controlled or documented conditions

externality

a cost or benefit affecting others outside a market transaction

extraction

removal of labor, resources, revenue, or value for outside benefit

factory system

concentrated production using coordinated labor, machines, power, and supervision

fief

a grant of rights or revenue associated with service in some medieval arrangements

fossil fuel

coal, oil, or gas formed over geologic time and burned for energy

griot

a West African specialist who preserves and performs genealogy, history, and oral tradition

guild

an association regulating aspects of a craft or trade

gunpowder empire

a debated comparison emphasizing firearms in several early modern states

Haitian Revolution

the 1791 to 1804 revolution that ended slavery and French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue

heliocentrism

a model placing the Sun rather than Earth near the center of planetary motions

heresy

a belief judged contrary to authorized teaching by a religious institution

Hijra

Muhammad’s and followers’ migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE

holy war

a contested analytical term for warfare given religious meaning or authorization

humanism

study and use of classical texts, languages, rhetoric, history, and moral philosophy

iconoclasm

conflict over the religious use and veneration of images

immunity

the body’s capacity to resist a particular infection

imperialism

a policy or system through which a powerful state extends control over other peoples or territories

Inca

a ruling group and common name for Tawantinsuyu, the Andean empire centered at Cusco

indulgence

in Catholic teaching, remission before God of temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven; historical administration changed

industrialization

the expansion of mechanized production, fossil energy, factories, and related social systems

informal empire

strong external influence without full formal annexation

instrument

a tool that extends or standardizes observation and measurement

Islam

a monotheistic religious tradition that began in seventh-century Arabia

jati

a localized, hereditary social group whose meaning and status varied

justification

a Christian theological concept concerning how a person is made righteous, interpreted differently

Justinian Code

a sixth-century compilation and organization of Roman law

kana

Japanese phonetic writing systems developed alongside use of Chinese characters

khan

a title used by rulers in several Inner Asian traditions

khanate

a polity ruled by a khan

kurultai

an assembly associated with leadership decisions among Mongol elites

labor union

an organization of workers acting collectively over wages, conditions, or rights

laity

members of a religious community who are not ordained clergy

legitimacy

accepted justification for authority and rule

Levant

a historical-geographic term for the eastern Mediterranean region

madrasa

an educational institution, often associated with advanced religious and legal learning

Majapahit

a Javanese-centered polity with wide regional connections

mandala polity

a model of overlapping political influence radiating from centers rather than fixed borders

manor

a landed estate and local economic-administrative unit

Mansa

a title associated with rulers of the Mali Empire

mansabdar

a ranked Mughal official with military and administrative obligations

manuscript

a handwritten document

maritime

connected with the sea, shipping, coasts, or islands

maritime expansion

growth of long-distance power and activity by sea

maroon community

a community formed by people who escaped slavery and defended autonomy

Maya

diverse peoples with related languages and long histories in Mesoamerica who continue today

mechanism

an explanation of the process through which an effect occurs

mechanization

use of machines to perform or intensify work

medieval

relating to the European period conventionally placed between ancient and early modern eras

memory

ways later communities interpret and use the past

mercantilism

policies seeking state power through controlled trade, bullion, and colonial advantage

Mexica

the Nahuatl-speaking people whose capital Tenochtitlan led the Triple Alliance often called Aztec

Middle Passage

the forced Atlantic voyage endured by captive Africans

millet

a later label for varied Ottoman arrangements governing some religious communities

monastery

a community in which monks or nuns follow a religious rule

monsoon

a seasonal wind and rainfall system that shapes Indian Ocean travel and life

mosaic

an image made from small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other material

Mughal Empire

a South Asian dynasty and empire founded by Babur and developed by later rulers

Muhammad

the Arabian religious and political leader regarded by Muslims as the final prophet

Muslim

a person who identifies as a follower of Islam

natural rights

rights argued to belong to people by nature rather than government grant

navigation

the practice of determining position, direction, distance, and route

nominal wage

the amount of money paid without adjustment for prices

Orthodox Christianity

Christian traditions associated historically with eastern churches and distinct institutions

Ottoman Empire

a long-lived dynasty and empire centered in Anatolia and southeastern Europe with territories across three continents

paradigm

a broad framework of assumptions, questions, and methods in a field

pastoralism

a livelihood centered on managing herds, mobility, land knowledge, and exchange

pathogen

a bacterium, virus, or other biological agent that can cause disease

patronage

financial or political support for artists, scholars, and institutions

Pax Mongolica

a debated label for periods of relative security and exchange under Mongol successor states

pilgrimage

a journey to a place of religious significance

plantation

a large agricultural enterprise often associated with coerced or highly unequal labor

plantation complex

interconnected estates, markets, laws, and coerced labor producing export crops

popular sovereignty

the principle that legitimate political power comes from the people

port city

an urban center organized partly around maritime exchange

printing press

a system combining movable type and presswork to reproduce texts efficiently

productivity

output produced per unit of input such as labor time

public sphere

spaces and media where people discuss matters of shared concern

quipu

an Andean knotted-cord system used to record and communicate information

Qur’an

Islam’s sacred scripture, understood by Muslims as revelation to Muhammad

racial ideology

constructed claims about human difference used to organize unequal power

racialization

the process of constructing racial categories and attaching unequal power to them

real wage

the purchasing power of wages after accounting for prices

Reformation

interconnected sixteenth-century movements that challenged and reshaped western Christianity

Renaissance

a group of cultural movements, especially from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries, emphasizing renewal and innovation

republic

a political system in which public authority is not held by a hereditary monarch

resistance

actions that oppose domination, ranging from daily survival to organized revolt

revolution

a rapid and contested transformation of political or social order

sacrament

a sacred rite in Christian traditions, defined differently among communities

Safavid Empire

an Iranian dynasty and empire that established Twelver Shi’a Islam as a state tradition

Sahel

the broad semi-arid transition zone south of the Sahara

salon

a gathering for intellectual and social exchange, often hosted by elite women

savanna

a grassland environment with seasonal rainfall and scattered trees

Scientific Revolution

a debated label for major early modern changes in studying the natural world

scientific society

an organization supporting communication, demonstration, publication, and review

self-determination

the principle that peoples should shape their own political status and future

separation of powers

division of government authority among institutions

serf

a legally unfree peasant bound by obligations that varied across place and time

settler colonialism

a system seeking lasting settler control of Indigenous land and political replacement

shogunate

a Japanese military government headed by a shogun

siege

a military effort to surround and force the surrender of a fortified place

social contract

a theory that political authority rests on an agreement or relationship among people and government

Southeast Asia

a diverse region between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including mainland and island societies

Srivijaya

a maritime polity centered around Sumatra that influenced trade routes

steppe

a broad grassland environment of Eurasia

syncretism

the selective combining or interaction of traditions into new forms

temple complex

a religious institution and built space that could also organize land, labor, art, and patronage

tenement

a multiunit urban residence, often associated historically with crowded rental housing

theme system

a provincial military-administrative system that changed over Byzantine history

toleration

limited or broad permission for people with different religious commitments to live or worship

trans-Saharan trade

exchange across the Sahara linking West Africa, North Africa, and wider networks

translation movement

organized translation and study of works across languages

tributary diplomacy

a varied framework of ritual and political exchange centered on Chinese courts

tribute

payment offered to a ruler or state as a sign of obligation or authority

ulama

Muslim scholars learned in religious sciences and law, with varied roles

umma

the community of Muslims, a term with religious and historical meanings

unpaid labor

necessary work, often care or household work, performed without direct wages

vassalage

a personal relationship of loyalty and obligation among elites

vernacular

the language commonly spoken in a region rather than a learned or official language

wage labor

work performed in exchange for money based on time, task, or output

waqf

an endowment supporting religious, educational, charitable, or public purposes

woodblock printing

a method of reproducing text or images from carved blocks

workshop

a collaborative place of skilled production and training

yam

the Mongol imperial relay and communication network