Listed below is a compilation of common social studies stems. This does not include every possible stem, but hopefully will serve as a guide for classifying questions.
Knowing
What was a result of…?
Which situation was the immediate cause of…?
Which… is the best differentiation between… and…? (foils are definitions)
Organizing
When comparing…, what statement can be made about…?
Which heading (phrase) best completes the partial outline below?
What caused… to…?
Which event was most inconsistent with…?
Which best explains the difference between…?
In general, what is the difference between…?
Which describes…? is the best description of…?
What does this statement demonstrate about…?
Which best describes the similarities between…?
Which belief is shared by… and…?
What is one way in which… and… are similar?
The issue of… was settled by which…?
In what order do the above elements… take place during…?
Applying
What key activity does this illustration depict?
What event is portrayed in the illustration above?
In what document can… be found?
Who said, “…”?
Using the map above, what direction would one go in order to travel from…to…?
Using the map above, where would you go to find…?
The illustration above appeared in response to which…?
Above is an editorial cartoon from… that was intended to illustrate which…?
Which is a primary source of information about…?
According to the statements above, which constitutional amendments are under discussion?
Using the map above, what was the largest city in…?
Which word describes/refers to…?
Which word is a synonym for…?
How can the information in this chart be applied to… today?
What evidence is there that…?
How do… apply to…?
What does the problem of… show?
According to the graph above, what does this evidence indicate?
Applying (continued)
Which term means…?
In what way has… impacted…?
Using the map above, which city is located closest to… ° …?
Which is the cause of…?
What was one reason for the development of…?
Which speaker refers to…?
…is an example of…?
The main disagreement between… revolved around…?
Which generalization is best supported by…?
In…, what is the main political goal of…?
(a), (b), and (c) are examples of what?
(a), (b), and (c) came primarily from…?
Which … completes this statement…?
Which statement reflects the philosophy of…?
With which … are… most closely associated?
Analyzing
Which factor had the largest impact on…?
What was a main cause of…?
The most significant feature was…?
Which… was responsible for… as shown in the map above?
Why was… significant?
In the selection, what did… mean?
What was one impact of…?
Which generalization concerning… is most clearly supported by the information provided by the graph?
In the quote above, why does the author state that…?
This is a political cartoon of…. What does the artist want to express?
The picture above is an example of…. These… were intended to do…?
Why was this poster used during…?
Why did…? Why was…?
How has… affected…?
How did… change the way in which…?
What is the function of…?
Which advantages did… have over…?
What challenges do… face in…? (foils list attributes)
Which best explains the challenges… faced in…?
What are the components of…?
During…, which term was created?
Which idea during… validated…?
Which is an accurate analysis of…?
What would be a good title for the timeline above?
Which event was a cause of the other three events?
What is the reason for…? …major reason…? …primary reason…?
What was the main idea of this cartoon?
…was largely the result of…?
Which concept is illustrated in this diagram?
Which statement would most likely be spoken by… and not by…?
According to the map above, which generalization about… is most accurate?
In…, which aspect of society has been most heavily influenced by…?
Which values are most closely associated with…?
Which political idea would the author of this statement most likely support?
Which Supreme Court case is correctly matched with the issue it addressed?
Analyzing (continued)
In this poem, the poet is expressing an opinion about…?
Which patterns exist in…?
Which… characterized…?
What was the main purpose of…?
What was one effect of…?
The… in the cartoon above represents…?
Which best depicts the effect of… and its impact on…?
Which best explains the effects… has had on…?
What was a major result of…?
…has been characterized by…?
Which is the main reason why…?
Which theory explains why…?
According to the selection above, what was the biggest difference between…?
Which speaker describes most clearly the political situation that actually occurred after…?
Which conditions are most characteristic of…?
Why did… make this statement?
…changed political thinking because it supported the idea of what?
What does… symbolize?
Which concept is illustrated in these statements?
Which philosophy had the greatest influence on…?
What was the purpose of…?
Generating
What is the following statement describing for…?
What might… in the illustration above represent?
What can be inferred from this statement?
Which statement explains the importance of…?
Which inference motivated… to…?
Which … best explains the reason why…?
(a), (b), and (c) are major world problems that indicate a need for…?
(a), (b), and (c) are methods most often used by whom?
Why was… a major contribution to the development of…?
These rules reflect what policy?
The economic success of… will most likely lead to which…?
What would be an expected result of…?
What would result if…?
Which is the best prediction of what would happen if…?
What would the most likely reason be for…?
Which statement about the civilizations… can best be inferred by the information on the map above?
In the cartoon above, there are…. What idea might this represent?
This cartoon implies…?
Integrating
The passing of (a), (b), and (c) did which..?
This cartoon, which reflects the period from… to…, suggests which…?
What challenges have many… faced in recent years?
Which… is the best generalization about the information in the chart on forms of…?
Which statement best generalizes…? …describes…?
…might not have been so eager to do which… if…?
Which of these best summarizes why…?
Which was an immediate result of…?
What are two ways that… affected…?
Integrating (continued)
The geography of… has generally led to which…?
(a), (b), and (c) were all significant to their societies because they established what?
(a), (b), and (c) share a belief in which…?
(a), (b), and (c). These most closely reflect which idea?
In…, the primary goal of… has been to do what?
During…, what was the most notable action taken by…?
Which two speakers disagree most with each other about…?
Supreme Court decisions in (a), (b), and (c) established which important legal precedent?
The partial outline below concerns…. Which entry would be most appropriate for line I.?
What is the author of this statement advocating?
Which characteristic of… is part of…?
What was the main obstacle to solve the problem shown in the cartoon?
What is a valid conclusion that can be drawn from this quotation?
What relationship exists between… and…?
The history of… and the policy of… both illustrate a belief in which…?
Which conclusion is supported by the information provided on the map?
Using the map above, what conclusion can be made concerning…?
What general statement can be made about…?
Which… might have occurred if… had…?
What conclusion can be drawn from the statement…?
Evaluating
Which best describes…?
Which statement best describes…? best explains why…? best expresses the main idea of…?
Which statement is correct about…?
Which statement is true concerning…?
This quotation presents a justification for which…?
Data from this graph support the conclusion that… did which…?
How did… justify… to bring about change?
Which is the best interpretation of the information in the chart above?
What was the significance of…?
Which statement about… is an opinion?
Which is a valid conclusion about… in…?
Which statement about the effects of… is most logical?
This quotation best expresses the major goal of which…?
Which statement concerning… is most accurate?
This selection describes the decision… to do which…?
This map best illustrates which concept?
Which conclusion can best be drawn from these statements?
Which event is directly responsible for the inclusion of this statement about…?
Which best completes the statement…?
Which statement is true regarding… in the circular flow model?
Which speaker best represent the attitudes of…?
Which statement provides the best evidence that…?
This poem presents a justification for which…?
Stem terms to know:
differentiation foils depict portrayed generalization philosophy
components validated analysis precedent advocating inference/infer
justification significance inclusion effects obstacle valid
