Cause and Effect AssessmentPart 1:

a.) Define in your own words:Cause:

Effect:

b.) List 3 keywords that signify a cause and effect relationship.

Part 2:a.) Directions: In each of the statements below circle the CAUSE, draw a box around the

EFFECT, and underline the KEYWORD.

1. Playing sports keeps you physically fit so many people who play sports are in great shape.

2. My best grade is in Civics because it is my favorite subject.

3. There is no life on the planet Mercury due to the fact that it is too close to the sun.

4. The class had to have homework quizzes since so many students did not finish their homework.

5. John is a great basketball player because of the many hours he spends practicing.

b.) Directions: In the space below write your own sentence showing a cause and effect relationship. Circle the CAUSE, draw a box around the EFFECT, and underline the KEYWORD.

Part 3:Directions: Below is a list of events that took place between March 11th and March 13th in Japan. Place them in order and label each event as “cause” or “effect.” Hint: Read through the entire list before trying to put them in order. You may write the letter instead of the entire sentence.

A. The government demands that thousands of people evacuate areas surrounding certain nuclear power plants.

B. A Warning System goes into effect and thousands of people living on the coast flee to higher ground.

C. Magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan D. A major tsunami hits the coast line.E. Nuclear Power Plants are overheated and there is a fear that radiation will be released

into the air.

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

Challenge (extra credit): Write a brief paragraph explaining the events in Japan between March 11th and 13th using keywords to emphasis the cause and effect relationships. Include all of the events above and underline each keyword used.

Part 4:Directions: Read the following passage about the conflict in the Middle East, keeping in mind what we have learned about “cause” and “effect.” After you have finished reading answer the questions that follow the passage. NOTE: Underlined words in the passage are words that are defined below.

Definitions:Persecution: Using a plan to harass and cause suffering for groups of people with differences. These differences can be based on race, ethnicity, religion, culture, or gender. Example: During the Holocaust Hitler the Jewish people faced persecution.Anti-Semitism: is prejudice against or hostility towards Jews.Allied: In general, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together to help each other achieve some common purpose.Artificial borders: Borders (like the imaginary line between Pennsylvania and New Jersey) between countries and states that do not line up with what the people living there want.Puppets: Leaders of one country that are controlled by governments from other countries. Refugee camps: a temporary settlement built for refugees, or people misplaced from their homeland. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in a single camp and it can be over-crowded and dirty.

The Middle East Conflict—a brief background1800s to World War II

Towards the end of the 1800s questions arose as to how the Jewish people could overcome increasing persecution and anti-Semitism in Europe. The biblical Promised Land led to a political movement, Zionism, to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine, in the Middle East.

From 1920 to 1947, the British Empire controlled Palestine. At that time, Palestine included all of Israel and today’s Occupied Territories, of Gaza, West Bank, etc. The increasing number of Jewish people immigrating to the “Holy Land” increased tensions in the region.

European countries involvement in the earlier half of the 20th century in the Middle East region contributed to a lot of instability overall. The British Empire, especially, played a major role in the region. During World War I, in 1916, it convinced Arab leaders to revolt against the Ottoman Empire (which was allied with Germany). In return, the British government would support the establishment of an independent Arab state in the region, including Palestine.Yet, in contradiction to this, and to also get support of Jewish people, in 1917, Lord Arthur Balfour, then British Foreign Minister, issued a declaration (the Balfour Declaration). This announced the British Empire’s support for the establishment of “a Jewish national home in Palestine.”

As a further complication, there was a deal between Imperial Britain and France to carve up the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire and divide control of the region. The spoils of war were to be shared. As with the 1885 Berlin Conference where Africa was carved up amongst the various European empires, parts of the Middle East were also to be carved up, which would require artificial borders, support of monarchies, dictators and other leaders that could be regarded as “puppets” or at least could be influenced by these external powers.

Post World War II to 2000After World War II, the newly formed United Nations recommended the partition of

Palestine into two states. The minority Jewish people received the majority of the land even though there were more Palestinians living there.

The United States not only accepted the UN plan, it aggressively promoted it among the other members of the United Nations. US President Harry Truman had been personally moved by the tragedy of the Jews and by the condition of the refugees. Yet he acknowledged later, in his memoirs, that he was “fully aware of the Arabs’ hostility to Jewish settlement in Palestine.” The State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14 1948, but the Arab states rejected the partition of Palestine and the existence of Israel. The armies of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Egypt attacked but were defeated by the Israeli army. Palestinians were then driven out of the new Israel into refugee camps in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and other regions. At least 750,000 people are said to have been driven out, losing everything from their homes to their bank accounts. It should be noted that many Jews were also expelled from surrounding Arab countries.

Since 1948 there have been numerous uprisings and wars over this land. Many innocent civilians, both Jewish people and Palestinians, have lost their lives. The US continues to be involved, usually supporting Israel.2000 to Present

The frustration and injustice of the treatment of Palestinians has angered many citizens in the Arab world against US/Israeli policies. Palestinian frustration has spilled into extremism in some cases as well. Many militant groups from Palestine and other areas of the Middle East have therefore sprung up in recent years as well as past decades, performing acts of what the West and Israel describe as terrorism and what the groups themselves justify as freedom fighting. Suicide bombings, and past acts of terrorism have terrorized Israeli civilians, making peace harder and harder to imagine, yet it has been easy to influence and recruit the young, impressionable and angry into extremist causes. As violence continues, it seems that it will remain easy to find recruits to violent causes.

Land Ownership in Israel/Palestine from 1946 to 1999

Arab League States and Israel

1.) Summarize the above article in one to two sentences. What is the main point?

2.) List three cause and effect relationships described in the above article.

3.) Pick four main events in the above article and create a timeline in the space below.

4.) Think: People who live in Israel have been dealing with terrorism for years. Why do

you think the US’s reaction to terrorism (September 11th, 2011) was different than their

reaction?

5.) Essay: Pick either the current crisis in Japan that we talked about in class or the crisis in the Middle East, as described in the article above. As we know, the United States has been involved in both events. Since you are an expert on both events you are now in charge of US policy. Write a report (200 words or more) addressing the following points on ONE of the issues. 1.) Explain what the current US policy is2.) Evaluate the current US policy

a. What are its strengths? Weaknesses?b. What needs to be changed?

3.) Create your own policy.a. Clearly state what you think the US should dob. List the causes that make your policy necessaryc. Brainstorm potential effects of your policy