Try the questions in the test above first, then open each one here to see the correct answer and why every other option is wrong.
01After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (6 AH), the Muslims conquered Mecca in 8 AH. The direct cause of the conquest was:
Practice question Unit: History
Athe Muslim victory over Hawazin at Hunayn
Hunayn took place right after the conquest of Mecca, so it cannot be its cause.
BArab delegations coming to Medina to declare their Islam
The delegations came after the conquest, in the Year of Delegations (9 AH), so they were not its cause.
CQuraysh breaking the treaty by helping its allies against Khuza'a ✓ Correct answer
Quraysh helped its allies, Banu Bakr, against Khuza'a, the Muslims' ally; this broke the treaty and directly led to the conquest.
DQuraysh attacking Medina with a large army of confederates
The confederates' attack on Medina was at the Trench (5 AH), before the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.1 (impact of key figures and events on the course of history), indicator 1, p. 8
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02If Abu Bakr al-Siddiq had not confronted the apostasy movements after the Prophet's ﷺ death, the most likely political result would have been:
Practice question Unit: History
AThe tribes uniting into a state stronger than the Islamic state in Madina
The rebelling tribes had no unified project to form a stronger state; they were scattered.
BThe state's capital moving directly from Madina to Mecca
The Ridda wars had nothing to do with moving the capital; Madina remained the seat of government.
CThe Peninsula staying united with no need for an army
Unity could not have continued without confronting the rebels; it took decisive armies.
DThe break-up of the unity achieved in the Prophet's ﷺ time ✓ Correct answer
By confronting the Ridda, Abu Bakr preserved the unity of the Peninsula and the state; without it the tribes would have broken away from Madina.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.2 (the role of historical events in shaping societies), indicator 1, p. 8
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03Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) began calling his people to monotheism by calling:
Practice question Unit: History
AHis wife Sarah
His wife Sarah believed in him, but she was not where his call to his people began.
BThe king of his people
He argued with the king about his Lord at a later point; the king was not the first he called.
CThe temple priests
Calling the priests is not mentioned as the start of his mission.
DHis father ✓ Correct answer
He started with the person closest to him and called his father to leave idol worship, as the Qur'an recounts.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.3 (understanding historical change across eras), indicator 1, p. 8
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04Order these events from earliest to latest: (1) the Battle of Siffin (2) the conquest of al-Andalus (3) Uthman's martyrdom (4) the Year of Unity
Practice question Unit: History
A3 – 1 – 4 – 2 ✓ Correct answer
The correct order is Uthman's martyrdom (35 AH), Siffin (37 AH), the Year of Unity (41 AH), then the conquest of al-Andalus (92 AH).
B1 – 3 – 4 – 2
Uthman's martyrdom (35 AH) came before Siffin (37 AH), so Siffin cannot come first.
C3 – 4 – 1 – 2
Siffin (37 AH) came before the Year of Unity (41 AH), so the Year of Unity cannot precede it.
D3 – 1 – 2 – 4
The conquest of al-Andalus (92 AH) came after the Year of Unity (41 AH), not before it.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.4 (cooperation and conflict between groups and nations through history), indicator 2, p. 8
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05Which statement combines a natural feature and a human feature in describing a place?
Practice question Unit: Geography
AMountain ranges and seasonal valleys run through it
Mountain ranges and valleys are both natural, so the statement has no human feature.
BIt has many factories and hospitals
Factories and hospitals are both built by people, so the statement has no natural feature.
CIts soil is fertile and a modern road network crosses it ✓ Correct answer
Soil fertility is natural while a road network is made by people, so the statement combines both kinds.
DIts climate is dry and its plant cover is sparse
Climate and plant cover are both natural, so the statement has no human feature.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.5 (human–environment relations and skills of locating places and directions), indicator 1, p. 9
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06A solar eclipse occurs when the three bodies are lined up in the order:
Practice question Unit: Geography
ASun, Earth, Moon
In this order the Earth lies between the Sun and Moon, which is the arrangement for a lunar eclipse.
BSun, Moon, Earth ✓ Correct answer
The Moon lies between the Sun and Earth and blocks the Sun's light from part of the Earth, which is a solar eclipse.
CMoon, Sun, Earth
In this order the Sun lies between the Moon and Earth, an arrangement that does not occur.
DEarth, Sun, Moon
In this order the Sun lies between the Earth and Moon, an arrangement that does not occur for these bodies.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.6 (the universe and the solar system), indicator 3, p. 9
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07In a country the birth rate is 30 per 1,000 and the death rate is 10 per 1,000 per year. The natural increase rate is:
Practice question Unit: Geography
A0.2%
This is a hundred times too small; a gap of 20 per 1,000 means 2%, not 0.2%.
B2% ✓ Correct answer
Natural increase = births − deaths = 30 − 10 = 20 per 1,000, which is 2%.
C4%
This doubles the correct value and does not come from subtracting the death rate from the birth rate.
D20%
The figure 20 is per 1,000 people; converting it to a percentage divides it by 10, giving 2%.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.7 (population characteristics, settlement patterns and economic activity), indicator 1, p. 9
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08The distance between two cities on a map is 4 cm and the map scale is 1 : 50,000. The real distance between them is:
Practice question Unit: Geography
A2 km ✓ Correct answer
4 × 50,000 = 200,000 cm = 2,000 m = 2 km.
B20 km
This comes from a unit slip of one extra zero; 200,000 cm is 2 km.
C0.2 km
This comes from dropping a zero in conversion; 200,000 cm is 2 km, not 0.2 km.
D200 km
This comes from skipping the centimetre conversion; 200,000 cm is 2 km.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.8 (using maps and modern geographic technologies), indicator 2, p. 9
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09The state issued a new law, and the ministries took charge of applying it and following up its implementation. The authority performing this role is the:
Practice question Unit: Citizenship Education
Ajudicial authority
The judicial authority rules on cases and disputes; it does not follow up how laws are applied inside the ministries.
Bregulatory authority
The regulatory authority makes the laws; applying them is the work of the executive authority.
Cadvisory authority
The advisory authority is not one of the state's three authorities in the Basic Law.
Dexecutive authority ✓ Correct answer
The executive authority, including the Council of Ministers and the ministries, applies laws and carries out public policy.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.10 (explaining the concept of government, its system and authorities, and Saudi regulations and laws), indicator 1, p. 10
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10A short diagnostic test shows that a third of a teacher's students cannot read maps well. The most suitable plan for the coming lessons is:
Practice question Unit: Teaching Methods and the Curriculum
AMoving straight to complex maps of the Kingdom because time is short and cannot be spared
Jumping to complex maps compounds the difficulty for those who lack the basics.
BRepeating the previous lesson in the same way two or more times until time runs out
Repeating the same method changes nothing about the cause of the weakness.
CReplacing the maps in the unit with written texts and photographs only
Dropping the maps abandons a skill central to the subject instead of building it.
DStarting with a map of the classroom, then the school, then the neighbourhood, with practice on symbols and directions ✓ Correct answer
Moving from the familiar to the wider, with practice on symbols and directions, builds the skill on what students already know.
Reference: ETEC Social Studies Teacher Standards (2020), Standard 6.38.12 (applying social studies teaching methods), indicator 3, p. 10
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