Example of a 3 Tiered Exam:

Social Studies 8
TIER #1 (Modified to challenge gifted or higher level students)

EDO JAPAN: FINAL EXAM

Short Answer Questions:
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS FULLY AND CAREFULLY BEFORE
ANSWERING EACH.

Please answer each part of each question in full sentences in the

space provided below. There are specific values/points for each question that
are listed beside each part of each question. For every correct piece of
information that you provide, you will receive one point, so be sure to include
as many pieces of information as the corresponding value of points.
Always try to think critically about Japans worldview as you answer each!
Good luck!!
1. Part A. List 3 of the new laws in Japans Exclusion Laws/The Edict of
1635 (3 points)
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Part B. How did the geography and location of Japan help support these
Exclusion Laws or make it easier to continue those laws? (1 point)
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2. Part A. What is Filial Piety? (1 point)
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Part B. List one way that Filial Piety reflects the Japanese worldview in the
Edo period (1 point)
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3. Part A: Describe what Bushido is (1 point)
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Part B. Find one way that Bushido is similar to the teachings of Confucius (1
point)
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4. Part A. Explain two advantages of being a Collectivist society (2 points)
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Part B. Explain two disadvantages of being a Collectivist society (2 points)
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5. Part A. List and discuss one advantage of being a homogenous society (1
point)
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Part B. List and discuss one disadvantage of being a homogenous society (1
point)
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6. Part A. Which cultural belief group would most likely agree with
Tokugawa Ieyasus Exclusion Laws? The Collectivists or Individualists? (1
point)
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Part B. Explain and discuss why this particular group (Collectivists or
Individualists) would most likely agree with the Exclusion Laws. (1 point)
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7. Part A. List 3 things that Japan had that made the country more selfsufficient in the Edo period. (3 points)
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Part B. Why was self-sufficiency important to many Japanese people,
including Tokugawa Ieyasu? (1 point)
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8. Many aspects of land, geography, and nature are important to the values
and beliefs of Japan. List 2 of the elements in land, geography, and nature
that were important to the Japanese people. (2 points)
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TIER #2 (Modified for those students meeting expectations)

EDO JAPAN: FINAL EXAM

Short Answer Questions:

PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS FULLY AND CAREFULLY BEFORE

ANSWERING EACH.

This exam consists of 16 short answer questions.

Please answer each part of each question in full sentences in the
space provided below.
Make sure you give as many answers as the points that are listed for
each question.
4. List 3 of the new laws in Japans Exclusion Laws/The Edict of 1635 (3
points)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. List 1 reason why the Shogun created the Exclusion Laws (1 point)
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6. What makes Japan physically isolated or separated from the other
countries in the world? (1 point)
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7. List 3 resources that Japan had that helped them to live on their own
without help from other countries (3 points)
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8. List 2 reasons why the ocean was important to the Japanese people (2
points)

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9. What is Bushido? (1 point)
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10.

Who was Confucius? (1 point)

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11.

What were 2 things that Confucius taught? (2 points)

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12. What is Filial Piety? (1 point)
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13. Answer yes or no. Was Japan a unified or united, similar group of
people during the Edo period? (1 point)
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14.

What is a homogenous society? (1 point)

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15.

What is important to the people who believe in the Shinto religion? (1

point)
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16.

What is Collectivism? (1 point)

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17.

Answer yes or no. Was Japan a Collectivist society? (1 point)

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18.

What is 1 good thing about living in a Collectivist society? (1 point)

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19.

What is 1 bad thing about living in a Collectivist society? (1 point)

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TIER #3 (Simplified for ESL students)

PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS FULLY AND CAREFULLY BEFORE
ANSWERING EACH.
Good luck!

EDO JAPAN: FINAL EXAM

Multiple Choice Questions:
Circle either:
True if the statement is right and true
or False if the statement is not right or true
20.
Japan was isolated or separate from the rest of the world.
a.) True
b.) False
21.
Japan is made up of islands
a) True
b) False
22.
Most of Japan is covered in dry, flat land.
a) True
b) False
23.
A tsunami happens when there is an earthquake in the ocean floor that
makes large waves.
a) True
b) False
24.
Edo Japan was ruled by a Shogun named Tokugawa Ieyasu
a) True
b) False
25.
Samurai were kings who ruled over Japan
a) True
b) False
26.
The ocean was not important to the people of Japan
a) True
b) False
27.
The people of Edo Japan took care of themselves without any help from other
countries:
a) True
b) False

Multiple Choice Questions:

Circle one right answer for each question below.
1. What did the shogun of Japan do to keep other people away from Japan?
a) He created Exclusion Laws
b) He started wars with other people

c) He stayed in his castle, afraid to come out

d) He built a large fence to wrap around the country
2. How did a person get their position or rank in the Feudal System in the society in
Edo Japan?
a) They choose freely
b) They were born into it
c) They paid for the position or rank that they wanted
d) They fought in wars against one another to find out who would get the
highest position.
3. Who was Confucius?
a) A famous Sumo Wrestler
b) A man who ruled over Japan
c) A sword fighter that was a hero in China
d) A Chinese Scholar whose ideas were taught in Japan
4. What is Shinto?
a) A type of food
b) A spiritual belief or religion in Japan
c) A type of person that loved to dance
d) Music that is often played when someone dies in Japan
5. What is Sumo Wrestling?
a) A special party to celebrate a birthday
b) A game that women often play while they drink tea
c) A sport that comes from Canada that is often played in winter
d) A sport that comes from Edo Japan where men would fatten up and fight to
knock the other person down on the ground
6. What is Collectivism?
a) A type of dance
b) When everyone eats a meal together
c) When the group of people works together and takes care of one another
d) When a person alone is more important than the entire group and each
person takes care of themselves only