SAT · History & Social Studies · Beginner

• country

  n. a land that is its own nation

  France is a country in Europe.

• nation

  n. a large group of people with one land

  Our nation has a long history.

• king

  n. a male ruler of a country

  The king ruled the land for many years.

• queen

  n. a female ruler of a country

  The queen lived in a large castle.

• war

  n. a fight between countries or groups

  The two nations went to war.

• peace

  n. a time without war or fighting

  The people wanted peace in their land.

• law

  n. a rule made by a country

  Everyone must follow the law.

• rule

  n. a statement of what you can or cannot do

  The new rule changed the game.

• vote

  v. to choose a leader or idea by marking a choice

  Adults can vote in the election.

• leader

  n. a person who guides a group

  The leader made an important speech.

• people

  n. a group of human beings

  Many people live in this city.

• city

  n. a large town where many people live

  The city has tall buildings.

• money

  n. coins and bills used to buy things

  She saved her money for a year.

• trade

  n. the buying and selling of goods

  Trade between the towns grew quickly.

• work

  n. a job or task done for pay

  He found work in the new factory.

• land

  n. the solid part of the earth

  The farmers owned a lot of land.

• army

  n. a large group of soldiers

  The army marched across the field.

• fight

  v. to struggle against someone using force

  The soldiers had to fight for their land.

• build

  v. to make something by putting parts together

  They will build a new school here.

• history

  n. the study of past events

  We learn history in school.

• past

  n. the time that has already happened

  We can learn from the past.

• change

  v. to make or become different

  New laws can change a country.

• power

  n. the ability to control people or events

  The king held great power.

• group

  n. a number of people or things together

  A group of leaders met to talk.

• member

  n. a person who belongs to a group

  She is a member of the council.

• right

  n. something the law allows you to have or do

  Voting is an important right.

• freedom

  n. the state of being free to act

  The people fought for their freedom.

• tax

  n. money people pay to the state

  Workers pay a tax on their wages.

• market

  n. a place where goods are bought and sold

  Farmers sold food at the market.

• buy

  v. to get something by paying money

  People came to buy bread and milk.

• sell

  v. to give something for money

  Merchants sell goods in the town.

• town

  n. a place smaller than a city

  The small town had one church.

• ruler

  n. a person who governs a country

  The ruler made all the decisions.

• soldier

  n. a person who serves in an army

  The young soldier was very brave.

• battle

  n. a fight between armies

  The battle lasted for three days.

• slave

  n. a person owned and forced to work

  The slaves longed to be free.

• free

  adj. not under the control of others

  All people should be free.

• noble

  n. a person of high rank in society

  The noble owned much of the land.

• border

  n. the line where one land meets another

  Soldiers guarded the border at night.

• state

  n. a part of a country with its own rules

  Each state makes some of its own laws.

• court

  n. a place where the law is decided

  The judge spoke in the court.

• judge

  n. a person who decides cases in court

  The judge listened to both sides.

• crime

  n. an act that breaks the law

  Stealing is a serious crime.

• prison

  n. a place where criminals are kept

  The thief was sent to prison.

• flag

  n. a cloth symbol of a country

  The flag waved over the building.

• unite

  v. to join together as one

  The states chose to unite.

• divide

  v. to split into parts

  The war divided the country.

• settle

  v. to make a home in a new place

  Many families came to settle in the west.

• explore

  v. to travel to learn about a place

  Sailors set out to explore new lands.

• discover

  v. to find something for the first time

  They hoped to discover a new route.

• ship

  n. a large boat for travel or trade

  The ship carried goods across the sea.

• gold

  n. a valuable yellow metal

  Miners searched the hills for gold.

• farm

  n. land used to grow crops or raise animals

  The family worked on a small farm.

• crop

  n. a plant grown for food

  The dry summer hurt the crop.

• factory

  n. a building where goods are made

  The factory made cloth for the city.

• machine

  n. a device that does work

  New machines made the work faster.

• worker

  n. a person who does a job

  The workers asked for higher pay.

• wage

  n. money paid for work

  His wage was too low to live on.

• wealth

  n. a large amount of money or goods

  The trade brought wealth to the port.

• poor

  adj. having little money

  Many poor families lived in the city.

• rich

  adj. having much money

  The rich merchant built a fine house.

• class

  n. a group of people of similar rank

  The working class lived near the mills.

• slavery

  n. the practice of owning people

  The new law ended slavery.

• capital

  n. the city where a government is based

  The capital is the largest city in the country.

• hero

  n. a person admired for brave deeds

  The brave soldier became a hero.

• harvest

  n. the gathering of crops

  The autumn harvest was very good this year.

• president

  n. the elected head of a country

  The president gave a speech to the nation.

• mayor

  n. the leader of a city or town

  The mayor opened the new library.

• council

  n. a group that makes local decisions

  The council voted on the new park.

• speech

  n. a talk given to many people

  Her speech inspired the crowd.

• unity

  n. the state of being joined as one

  Unity made the small states stronger.

• enemy

  n. a person or group that opposes you

  The two nations were old enemies.

• weapon

  n. a tool used to fight

  The soldiers carried simple weapons.

• defend

  v. to protect from attack

  The people fought to defend their city.

• attack

  v. to use force against someone

  The army planned to attack at dawn.

• win

  v. to gain victory in a contest

  The rebels hoped to win the war.

• lose

  v. to fail to win

  A weak army may lose the battle.

• rebel

  n. a person who fights against rulers

  The rebel led the people against the king.

• throne

  n. the special seat of a king or queen

  The young prince sat on the throne.

• prince

  n. the son of a king or queen

  The prince would one day rule the land.

• castle

  n. a large strong building for a ruler

  The castle stood on top of a hill.

• village

  n. a small group of homes in the country

  A quiet village sat by the river.

• governor

  n. a person who leads a state or region

  The governor signed the new law.

• priest

  n. a religious leader

  The priest spoke to the gathered people.

• temple

  n. a building used for worship

  People prayed at the old temple.

• god

  n. a being worshipped by people

  The people built statues of their god.

• belief

  n. something a person holds to be true

  Their belief shaped how they lived.

• custom

  n. a usual way of doing things

  The custom was passed down for years.

• record

  n. a written account of events

  The clerk kept a record of the meeting.

• event

  n. something that happens

  The war was a key event in history.

• period

  n. a length of time in history

  The peaceful period lasted fifty years.

• ancient

  adj. very old, from long ago

  The ancient city was buried for centuries.

• modern

  adj. belonging to the present time

  Modern laws protect workers' rights.

• public

  adj. open to or shared by all people

  The park is a public space for everyone.

• private

  adj. belonging to one person, not shared

  The land was private property.

• treasure

  n. a store of valuable things

  The sailors searched for hidden treasure.

• debt

  n. money that is owed

  The country fell into deep debt after the war.

• goods

  n. things that are made and sold

  The ship was full of goods from far away.

• farmer

  n. a person who grows crops

  The farmer planted wheat in spring.

• voyage

  n. a long journey by sea

  The voyage across the ocean took many weeks.

Related decks

• SAT Vocabulary: Core

  English · 45 cards

• SAT Vocabulary: Advanced

  English · 45 cards

• SAT · History & Social Studies · Intermediate

  English · 100 cards

• SAT · History & Social Studies · Advanced

  English · 100 cards