History Of South Africa

History Of South Africa South Africa was settled by the Dutch in 1652 as an ending point for ships on their way to the East Indies. The Dutch first settled the area that was to be Cape Town and with time expanded across the entire tip of southern Africa. Fruit and vegetables were grown here to battle the problem of scurvy aboard passing ships. South Africa changed hands and became a British colony, after the Napoleonic wars in 1815. Most of the Dutch went north to escape from the English. Here they developed tribe- a well known community, and over the period of time they migrated South from Central Africa. Overt there a war resulted between the Dutch Boers and the Zulus, a powerful tribe led by Shaka. The Boers won and created an Afrikaner state in the north. In 1899 there were the Boer Wars as a result of the English trying to capture this Afrikaner state. In 1910 South Africa became a union which is a coalition between the English and Afrikaner states. In 1960 South Africa became independence from British rule and became a republic. During the 90s, with the release of Nelson Mandela- president, South Africa went through an amazing transformation. South Africa (Africas southernmost nation) is also Africas largest and most developed economy. Today South Africa produces high-tech equipment and is a world leader in the output of gold and diamonds. Johannesburg and its satellite cities are home to more than 8 million people and generate 9 percent of all economic activity in Africa. In the 21st century, South Africa is a democratic country representing all its diverse people-often called the rainbow nation. Today South Africa is making up for decades of social disruption and lost education, but high unemployment and the AIDS epidemic threaten economic progress. NELSON MENDELAS CONTRIBUTION Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 and served aspresident of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first ever to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. South Africa was a troubled nation for a long time and things are not perfect yet, but he fought hard for victory. Years after he started his journey, he became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Nelson Mandelas political path started from 1944 when he and 5 comrades organized the African National Congress Youth League. He was appointed league president and in 1952 he was elected as national volunteer-in-chief of the ANCs Defiance Campaign, a civil disobedience campaign against discriminatory legislation. And this was the start of his resistance against apartheid aws. The following years were marked with Mandelas arrestment, banned and imprisoned accompanied with contributions to the freedom struggle. In the year 1959 Mandela and 155 members of the ANC were arrested. Mandela went underground leading his army to bring freedom and peace back to all South Africans. After 17 months he was arrested and sent to Robin Island which is the most notorious prison in South Africa, on a life sentence. Nelson Mandela established teaching community at Robben Island even when he was in prison and he never gave up his struggle. Finally the rest of the world began to see the sheer wrongness. The government was left with no choice but it had to freed Mandela and other people. Nelson then formed the first multi-racial government in South Africa and due to this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and became President. After this he changed the country and freed a nation. Between 1960 and 1994 as a president, Mandela organized the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights and to keep an eye on political violations committed by both supporters and opponents of apartheid. He introduced large number of social and economic programs to improve the standard of living of black people of South Africa. In 1996 Mandela presided over the enactment of a new South African constitution, which established a strong central government based on majority rule. Through this it was made possible to prohibit discrimination against minorities, including whites. In the year 1998, it was his 80th birthday and Mandela wed the politician and humanitarian Graca Machel who was the widow of the former president of Mozambique. The next year, Nelson finally retired from politics at the end of his first term as president. Nelson Mandela will be remembered always for his humility, empathy, leadership power and strong efforts towards South African liberation. CULTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA The South Africa culture is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity. Culture in South Africa is about as diverse as it can come. The black South African still has a large number of rural inhabitants who lead largely poor lives. Though cultural traditions survive most strongly among black South African, aspects of traditional culture have declined as the black South African have become increasingly urbanised and westernised. Urban black South Africans, generally, speak English or Afrikaans in addition to their native languages. Some smaller but significant groups of blacks also speak Khoisan languages. Some of them are speakers of the endangered languages most of whom belong to the KhoiSan family, that receive no official status. The life style of members of middle class, who are predominantly white, is very similar in many respects to that of people found in Western Europe, North America and Australasia. Some of them often study and work abroad for a great experience to the world market. Indian South Africans are very particular about their heritage, languages and religious beliefs, being Christian, Hindu or Muslim and speaking English, with Indian languages like Hindi, Telugu, Tamil or Gujarati. South Africa is a multi-cultural society and defining distinct subgroups by skin colour. The mixture and joining in South Africas urban areas, along with the suppression of traditional cultures during the apartheid years which shows that the old ways of life are vanishing but traditional black cultures is still prevailing across the country. Marriage customs and taboos differ across the different groups but the majority of the traditions are based on the beliefs in a mannish divinity, inherited spirits, and paranormal forces. Generally, polygamy (a marriage which includes more than two partners) is accepted and lobolo (dowry) is usually paid. Zulu is one of the strongest surviving black cultures and massed Zulu singing at Inkatha Freedom Party demonstrations is a powerful expression of this ancient culture. The Xhosa also have a strong presence; they are known as the red people because of the red-dyed clothing worn by most adults. The Ndebele are a related group, who live in the north-western corner of what is now Mpumalanga in strikingly painted houses. The distinct culture of the Afrikaners has developed in a deliberate isolation, which saw them wandering around with cows and the Bible while 19th-century Europe experimented with democracy and liberalism. Till today, rural communities are revolving around the conservative Dutch Reformed Churches, however Afrikaner redneck is extremely far from a tautology. Apart from the Afrikaners, most of the European South Africans are of British extraction. The British generally tend to have the dominance over the business and financial sectors. There is also a large and prominent Jewish population and a significant Indian population. Though South Africa is a home to a great diversity of cultures, most were suppressed during the apartheid years when day-to-day practice of traditional and contemporary cultures was ignored, and destroyed. In the society, one can be jailed for owning a politically incorrect painting, serious art was forced underground and blandness ruled in the galleries and theatres. SOCIETY SOCIAL STRATIFICATION Classes and Castes Foundation of Cape Town was done in 1652. There were various indicators of racial unfairness. Slaves were of mixed parentage, they rated high than Africans. Since three centuries the system of racism slowly attained a legal status in society. In that process, class and economic status of darker people confined as lower. Despite of racism these people obtained a formal education and a European-style middle class cultural and economic identity as merchants, farmers, colonial civil servants, clerks, teachers, and clergy also many prominent leaders were born including Nelson Mandela. Symbols of Social Stratification Before colonialism, the aristocratic chiefs symbolized their authority by wearing special animal-skin clothing, ornaments, and the power of military equipments, by functioning of chiefly courts and assemblies and they were also entitled by custom to display, mobilize, and increase their wealth by acquisition of many wives and large herds of cattle. Inkhatha march served as a status symbol, with fine horses, pioneer wagons, and horse-drawn carts giving way to imported luxury automobiles. POLITICAL LIFE Government African communities were based on the hereditary period of rule, in which the senior son of the highest or great wife of a chief succeeded his father. Whereas succession was not straightforward, and brothers, older sons of other wives, and widows all competes for power. A decade later, Afrikaner emigrants from the Cape ( voortrekkers ), established the independent republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, ruled by an elected president and a popular assembly called a volksraad . Leadership and Political Officials Democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela was one of the most admired political figures in the world. There are nine provinces, each with a premier selected by the local ruling party and provincial ministerial executives. Social Problems and Control Legacy problems amount to a social crisis. Unrepresentative government and repressive racial regulations created mistrust of the law among the black majority. Unemployment is rapidly increasing since 1994 which leads to highest crime rates. The education and health care facilities are failing. The established black townships are tapped under unemployment, crime, and insecurity, including drug dealings, alcoholism, rape, domestic violence, and child abuse. Military Activity The South African Defense Force was notorious for its unstable intervention in the civil war in Angola in the mid-1970s. After 1994, the army has renamed by South African National Defense Force (SANDF). It achieved progress toward racial integration under the command of recently promoted black officers drawn from the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe, and the military budget experienced reductions that have limits ability of the SANDF to respond military emergencies. Major military venture since 1994 leads of an invasion force to save Lesothos elected government which was poorly planned and executed. Peacekeeping missions were doubted by high rates of HIV infection. SOCIAL WELFARE AND CHANGE PROGRAMS Land restitution and reform, judicial reform, pro-employee labor regulations, welfare grants, free primary schooling, pre-natal and natal medical care, tough penalties for crimes and child abuse, and high taxes and social spending are all part of the ruling partys efforts to address the social crisis. These problems have been difficult to deal with because only 30% of the population contributes to national revenue and because poverty is widespread and deeply rooted. This effort has been made more difficult by restrictions on the level of deficit spending the government can afford without deterring local and foreign investment. An extreme level of social spending, however, has eased social tension and unrest and helped stabilize the democratic transformation. SOCIALIZATION Infant Care Baby care is traditionally the sphere of mothers, grandmothers, and older sisters in all communities. Among the social problems affecting these communities prevalence of early teenage pregnancy. Many white middle-class families have part/full-time servants who assist with child care, including the care of infants. The employment of servants to rear children exposes children to adult caregivers of other cultures and allows unskilled women to support their own absent children. Child Rearing and Education Primary context of family is for the socialization of the young. The African extended family system provides a range of adult caregivers and role models for children within the kinship network. African families have shown elasticity as a socializing agency, but repression and poverty have damaged family structure among the poor. Middle-class families of all races socialize their children in the manner of suburban Europeans. Today a unified system of formal Western schooling includes the entire population, but the damage done by the previous educational structure has been difficult to overcome. Schools in black areas have few resources, and educational privilege still exists in the wealthier formerly white suburbs. Expensive private academies and schools maintained by the relatively wealthy Jewish community are among the countrys best. Rates of functional illiteracy remain high. Higher Education There are more than twenty universities and numerous technical training institutes which are of varying quality and many of them are nominated as black ethnic universities under apartheid have continued to experience political disturbances and financial crises. Now racially mixed universities are also experiencing financial difficulties in the face of a declining pool of qualified entrants as well as slow rate of economic growth. RELIGION Religious Beliefs South Africa is a deeply religious country with high rates of participation in religious life. The population is tremendously Christian with only very small Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu minorities. Other important denominations include Roman Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Anglicans. Indigenous Black African religion centered on veneration of and guidance from the ancestors, belief in various minor spirits, spiritual modes of healing, and seasonal agricultural rites. The drinking of cereal beer and the ritual slaughter of livestock accompanied the many occasions for family and communal ritual feasting such as births, initiation, marriage, and funerals. Religious Practitioners Indigenous African religious practitioners included herbalists and diviners who attended to the spiritual needs and maladies of both individuals and communities. In some cases their clairvoyant powers were employed by chiefs for advice and prophesy. Historically, Christian missionaries and traditional diviners have been enemies, but this has not prevented the dramatic growth of hybrid Afro-Christian churches, religious movements, prophetism, and spiritual healing alongside mainstream Christianity. Other important religions include Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism. For the Afrikaners, the Dutch Reformed Church has provided a spiritual and organizational foundation for their nationalist cultural politics and ideology. Rituals and Holy Places All religions and ethnic sub national groups have founded shrines to their tradition where momentous events have occurred, their leaders are buried, or miracles are believed to have happened. The grave of Sheikh Omar, for example, a seventeenth-century leader of resistance to Dutch rule in the East Indies who was transported to the Cape and became an early leader of the Malay community, is sacred to Cape Muslims. Afrikaners regard the site of the Battle of Blood River (Ncome) in 1838 as sacred because their leader Andries Pretorius made a covenant with their God promising perpetual devotion if victory over the vastly more numerous Zulu army were achieved. The long intergroup conflict over the land itself has led to the sacralization of many sites that are well remembered and frequently visited by a great many South Africans of all backgrounds. Death and the Afterlife In addition to the beliefs in the soul and afterlife of the varying world religions in South Africa, continued belief in and consultation with family ancestors remains strong among Black Africans. People at a Zulu market Zulu is the largest South African language group, with about nine million speakers, but it does not represent a dominant ethnic grouping. Formal communal graveyards, not a feature of pre-colonial African culture, have since become a focus of ancestral veneration and rootedness in the land. Disused graves and ancestral shrines have most recently figured in the land restitution claims of expropriated African communities lacking formal deeds of title to their former homes. THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN INDIA AND SOUTH AFRICA India and South Africa share history and festivals which reminds of the heritage. They both are richly diverse countries. The people in India and South Africa are majority of dark skin. Indians and South Africans like spicy food. The Poverty rate of South Africa and India is almost the same. Animal life also similar in both the countries, where elephant and monkey are the two most common animas among India and South Africa. Jungles are also there in both the countries with the similar landscape. Indian weather and South African weather is hot. Both Indians and Africans were slave by the outsiders. India and South Africa both are rich by their culture. Both India and South Africa are still developing. India and South Africa has geniuses who know every thing in their field. India has a national holiday on 2nd October for celebrating the great mans birthday is also a significant day in South Africa. Both India and South Africa are seen as the backward places by some of the countries.

Civilize Them With A Stick

1) Study Guide Questions for Test #1To Prepare for Test #1, I recommend that you write down your responses to the following questions. You do not have to turn this assignment in for credit. If you are unclear about the answers after reading the chapters, contact me. If you'd like me to look over your answers before your test, email them to me. This assignment is designed to help you prepare for the test. You will only be tested on material that relates to the study guide questions: Chapter 1 Study Guide Questions:1. Define and describe sociology. 2. Describe the sociological imagination and apply the sociological imagination to one aspect of your own life. 3. Define and distinguish the macro and micro levels of social life. 4. Describe and distinguish the functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist theoretical perspectives. Explain how each perspective would attempt to understand a college degree. Obedience Video Study Guide Questions:1. Describe Milgram’s experiment, his research findings, and your own reaction to the video. 2. Discuss ways in which the findings of the Milgram experiment relate to things that occur in the real world. 3. In what way did proximity to the subject affect obedience? In what way did proximity to the authority figure influence obedience? How did groups influence obedience? (hint: variations are shown at the end of the video) 4. What are the independent variable(s) and dependent variable(s) in the study (Chapter 2 of the textbook defines these terms). 5. What was the operational definition of obedience (Chapter 2 defines this term) Chapter 2 Study Guide Questions:1. Define objectivity and explain why it is important2. Describe the 6 steps of the scientific method and be prepared to assess whether or not the scientific method has been followed in an exam question that provides your with a research study to assess.3. Define operational definition. Be prepared to identify and assess the validity of an operational definiti on in an exam question that provides you with  information about a research study.4. Define and distinguish independent, dependent, and control variables. Be prepared to identify and distinguish independent and dependent variables in an exam question that provides you with information about a research study.5. Explain the difference between correlation and a causal relationship between variables.6. Define and distinguish validity and reliability.7. Define sample and explain the importance of a random sample. Be prepared to identify sampling issues and discuss the importance of a random sample in an exam question that provides you with information about a research study.8. Briefly describe and be prepared to identify the following research methods: survey, experiment, field research and secondary data analysis.9. Distinguish mean, median and mode. Explain why the median income in the U.S. is a better measure of the â€Å"middle value† than the mean (hint: consider the impact of incomes such as that of OprahWinfrey, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates on an average).Chapter 3 Study Guide Questions:1. Define culture. 2. Define and distinguish material and non-material culture. 3. Define and distinguish norms and values. 4. Describe the types of norms (mores and folkways). Provide one example of the different types of norms that relate to your own life. 5. Define sanctions. Provide one example of sanctions that have influenced your own behavior 6. Define and distinguish ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Explain how the article, â€Å"Civilize Them With a Stick† Relates to ethnocentrism. 7. Define and distinguish subculture and counterculture. 8. Define culture shock.

Glow Sticks

Wh Mia Foust Mr. Dunlap Honor Chemistry, Per 7 December 21, 2010 Glow Sticks Since glow sticks have been invented, consumers have wondered how scientists are able to create these magical sticks of light. They work without producing heat. They don’t need a battery or a bulb, Magic? This â€Å"cool† light is called luminescence. Unlike incandescence, which is light from heat energy, luminescence can be emitted at normal or lower temperatures.There are several types of luminescence, bioluminescence, is what happens in fireflies: as the â€Å"bio† prefix indicates, it’s caused by a chemical reaction in living things, cathodoluminescence, is caused by electron beams. And Chemiluminescence. Chemilumiescence is the magic behind the glow stick. Chemiluminescence is what happens in glow sticks. The energy that is needed is supplied by chemical reactions. The chemical reaction of chemiluminescence releases energy that is absorbed by electrons in molecules. Electrons in the atoms make a quantum leap once they absorb the energy from the reaction.The electrons must either jump to or fall back from one quantum level to another quantum level this is the quantum leap. (1) The electron jumps to a higher level; at this point the electron is in what is called the excited state, or a higher quantum. As the electron returns to the lower state, it releases the energy as a photon of light; the photon is the light that we see. To make this easier to understand, think of a rock being picked up. When a person picks up a heavy rock, it takes energy, just as it takes energy for an electron to jump to a higher energy level.When the person drops the rock and it falls to the ground, the energy is released as sound energy. And in the case of the electron, the energy that is released is light energy instead of sound energy. Planck’s equation, E = hv was created by Max Planck and Albert Einstein. The equation relates the energy of a Quantum leap â€Å"E† to the frequency, or color of the light that is given off â€Å"v†. Chemists have been fascinated with â€Å"cold light† for as long as there have been fireflies flying around the night skies. In the first steps to making their very own â€Å"cold light,† they knew what was equired: a molecule that radiates light when it is excited and an energy source to excite that molecule. In the early 1960s, a young chemist by the name of Edwin A. Chandross was looking for a way to describe chemiluminescence. Chandross knew that peroxides had a large amount of potential energy. He concluded that they were likely to be participants in the future of chemiluminescence. In his work, Chandross was able to produce a reaction that produced a â€Å"cold light†. However, it wasn’t very efficient. Although Chandross’s work wasn’t efficient, it was a major step in the right direction for chemiluminescence. Edwin A.Chandross didn’t realize that his discovery had great potential. Sadly he never patented it. Around the same time, another chemist by the name of Michael M. Rauhut began studying some of Chandross’s work. Rauhut and his team began searching for a reaction that would be powerful enough to be practical to use. Eventually they designed a phenyl oxalate ester that, when mixed with hydrogen peroxide and a fluorescent dye, produced a reaction not quite as efficient as a firefly. The group called it Cyalume, which became its name when Rauhut’s company, American Cyanamid, began selling it as one of their chemical light products.The basic structure of a glow stick is particularly simple. It contains the somewhat bendable plastic outer shell and the easily broken inner glass vial. When the glow stick is ready to be used, an individual will grip each end of the glow stick and bend it. As the flexible external plastic casing of the glow stick begins to bow, it comes in contact with the internal glass vial, and beg ins to apply pressure to it. Because the inner glass vial is less flexible than the plastic, it will fracture sooner than the outer plastic. The outcome is that the glass vial breaks and spills its contents into the larger compartment of the glow stick.It is the breaking of the glass vial that gives glow sticks their distinctive snapping noise when activated. When the glass vial is broke. The contents are able to mingle and react with the liquids in the main compartment. The chemical reaction begins and the glow stick lights up. (2) Refer to Figure 1. The outer compartment contains fluorescent dye and phenyl oxalate ester. Floating inside that solution is the small glass vial that contains hydrogen peroxide. When the phenyl oxalate ester and the hydrogen peroxide are mixed, it creates a reaction that produces peroxyacid ester. The Peroxyacid ester then decomposes to create carbon dioxide.This releases energy that excites the electrons in the florescent dye and causes them to jump to a higher energy level. Then as the dye becomes less excited, it releases energy, and the electrons produce light as they drop back down to a lower energy level. (3) Examine figure 2. Glow stick products usually last anywhere from 4 – 10 hours at normal temperatures. A change in temperature will cause the stick to glow brighter or longer. Normally the particles travel at a slow speed; however an increase in temp will increase the heat/energy and cause the particles to travel faster and collide with greater force.Chemical reactions cause chemical bonds to be broken and then reformed between different atoms, creating new substances. (4) Companies often tell consumers to pop their glow sticks into the freezer to keep it glowing longer. This is because the lower temperatures slow down the reaction rate. Particles move slower and collide less, making the reaction slower at lower temperatures. The amount of time the glow stick lasts also depends of the color of the dye. Reds and gr eens last the longest, while blues through pinks last a shorter amount of time. See figure 3. Glow sticks have many practical and recreational uses.People are thinking of new uses for glow sticks and glow light products every day. Along with being used for entertainment and fun, glow sticks can be used for safety purposes. For instance glow sticks have contributed to helping many through natural disasters, search and rescue, and they are even used a great deal by military members. Glow sticks have been used in the military since 1962. The military has found a variety of uses for glow sticks including non-tactical military ops, safety, and night operations. The military uses glow sticks for night missions, and safety, to keep track of others.The military uses glow sticks also for non-tactical military ops, by marking others movements, and the trails that are to be traveled. Now glow sticks are put into all standard issue military safety kits. They have found they are very useful and are a lightweight, low hazard, and easy to store. The military issues about 15 million glow stick units a year. (5) Civilians use glow sticks for recreation and fun. Consumers use them for activities such as camping, fishing, hunting, fans wear them at concerts, and children wear them to be cool at fairs and carnivals.Because of their size, convenience, price, and safe to use anywhere source of light, glow sticks are a product nearly everyone enjoys. Many boaters use glow sticks for nighttime cruses to keep track of one another on the water. The most popular type of glow stick is the standard six-inch stick, and the most popular color is green because it last the longest. There are many stories where glow sticks have contributed to saving peoples lives in search and rescue missions. When people are lost and being searched for and they have a glow stick they can be found more easily in the dark. Glow sticks are truly magic in their own way.They have helped many in different ways. Sci entist like Chandross and Rauhut, who have helped pave the way for increased safety measures for men and women in uniform, and who help adoring fans create ambiance at concerts should be thanked. Figure 1 (6) Figure 2 (7) [pic] Figure 3 (8) [pic] Work Cited Cool Blue Light Experiment Kit. 1996, 16-17 (1) How Chemical Glow sticks work. http://glowgranny. com/articles/ chemical_glow_sticks_working. htm. 11/25/10 (2) Huang, Jason. Customer Service Rep, Happy Glow. jason. [email  protected] com 11/25/10. â€Å"interview† (3) Using heat to speed up reactions in the kitchen http://www. ynami cscience. com. au/tester/solutions/chemistry/juniorsciencefoodchem/homechemistry1. htm. 12/1/10 (4) History of glow sticks in the military www. militaryglowsticks. com/pages/history-of-glow-sticks-in-the-military. html 11/25/10 (5) User and Applications. http://jeanbont. pbworks. com/w/page/23323157/Applications 12/19/10 (6) Reactions. http://www. engin. umich. edu/~cre/web_mod/new/glowsticks /reactions. htm 11/25/10 (7) Extreme glow http://www. extremeglow. com/Merchant4/ merchant. mvc? Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Helpful_Photo. 11/23/10 (8) ———————– 08 Fall Mia Foust Glow Sticks

How to Study the Night Before a Test

Theres no need to feel completely frightened if youve procrastinated until the night before a test to study. Although you wont be able to commit much to long-term memory in a one-night cram session, you can learn enough to pass the test using these techniques. How to Study the Night Before a Test Eat a nutritious meal and prepare a few healthy snacks so you wont need to get up laterSet up in a comfortable spot with your study materials (pencils, note cards, highlighters) and class materials (notes, quizzes, tests, handouts, study guides)Focus for 30 to 45 minutes, then break for 5Take notes and use mnemonic devices to improve recallAim for comprehension over memorizationExplain concepts and ideas to a third partyGet a good nights sleep Physical Needs The brain and the body are linked, so before you sit down to start a study session, its a good idea to take care of your body: go to the bathroom, get some water or tea, and be sure youre dressed in a way that wont distract you (nothing scratchy or stiff). Focus and calm are crucial to studying seriously; to get your body on the same page, try doing some deep breathing and yoga stretches to help you get your mind off any other concerns. Essentially, this prep is meant to get your body to help you, not distract you, so you have no excuses to break your study focus. Snacking during or before studying can be helpful, but choose wisely. The ideal meal is something without a lot of sugar or heavy carbs that can lead to an energy crash. Instead, grab some high-protein grilled chicken or scramble some eggs for dinner, drink green tea with acai, and follow it all with a few bites of dark chocolate. Its always easier to stay on task and process information when your brain has been given what it needs to function properly. The other upside is that by eating something before you begin studying, youll be less tempted to get hungry (and distracted) and quit studying early. To further head off any distracting snack attacks, be prepared ahead of time. When you go to your study area, bring a snack with you. This should be something high in nutrients and mess-free, like mixed nuts, dried fruit, or a protein bar. Avoid highly processed foods like chips, and beware of sneaky foods like granola bars that are full of hidden sugar that will leave you stranded in an hour or so. One Step at a Time Start by getting organized. Get all the materials that relate to the test youre taking—notes, handouts, quizzes, book, projects—and lay them out neatly in a way that makes sense to you. You might organize them by topic, in chronological order, or in some other way that works. Perhaps you like to use color-coded highlighters or stacks of notecards. The point is that theres no one way to organize: You have to find the best system that helps you make connections with the material. By the night before a test, you should already have a good baseline of knowledge on the test topics. That means your goal here is to review and refresh. If your teacher gave you a study guide, start with that, quizzing yourself as you go along. Refer to your other materials if you cant remember an item on the guide, and then write it down. Use mnemonic devices to help you remember bits of information that you wouldnt otherwise, but try to avoid just memorizing everything: its harder to recall straight facts than it is to have a network of connected ideas that you can rely on. If you dont have a study guide or if youve finished going over it, prioritize notes and handouts. Things like dates, names, and vocabulary words are likely to show up on tests, so study those first. After that, review the bigger-picture stuff: material that covers cause-and-effect relationships within the topic area and other ideas that could show up on an essay question. For these, memorization is less important than having a solid enough understanding to explain it back on a written answer. It can seem overwhelming, especially if you have a lot of material to review, so take it slowly. A good rule of thumb is to focus for 30- to 45-minute increments followed by 5-minute breaks. If you try to cram in all the information the night before the test, your brain will overload and youll have to work to regain your focus on studying. This is why its also useful to review for a few days before the test, not just the night before so you can spread out the material and review everything multiple times over of a few separate sessions. Buddy System If you really want to test your understanding of the material, try explaining it to someone who isnt in the class. Get a family member or friend and teach them as much as you can remember. This will let you see how well you understand the concepts and how well you can make connections (to prepare for short-answer or essay questions). If you have a partner or a family member to help you, have them quiz you on the material. As you go, make a list of anything you get stuck on or cant remember. Once youve been quizzed, take your list and study that material repeatedly until youve got it. Finally, write down all your mnemonic devices, important dates, and quick facts on one sheet of paper, so you can refer to it the morning before the big test. Final Preparations Nothing will make you do worse on a test than pulling an all-nighter. You may be tempted to stay up all night and cram in as much as is possible, but by all means, get some sleep the night before. When testing time comes, you wont be able to recall all the information you learned because your brain will be functioning in survival mode. On the morning of the test, make sure to eat a healthy breakfast for plenty of energy. Throughout the morning, run through your review sheet: while youre eating, at your locker, or on the way to class. When it comes time to put the review sheet away and sit down for the test, you can rest easy knowing that youve done everything possible to help your brain get through the test with flying colors.