Mr. Turano
AP World 10: Summer Reading Assignment
Introduction: The Summer Reading Assignment for AP World 10 involves reading Genghis Khan
and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford.
In terms of approaching the reading assignment, read the entire book first and then come back to
the introduction at the end. As you read, answer the questions below.
Once you are finished, read the introduction – it will make more sense to you. You will have an
exam on the book when you return in September 2015. These notes will be important for the exam.
The answers will be collected and count as part of your test grade
Chapter 1: Reign of Terror 1162-120
1.) What did you learn about the people of the steppe in regard to family, religion, women,
marriage, children, as well as diet?
2.)How would Genghis Khan’s early childhood play an important role in shaping his future?
Chapter 2: Tale of Three Rivers
1.) What lessons does Temujin learn in his war with his enemies?
2.) How does the khuriltai illustrate the power of community?
3.) Describe the battle techniques of the Mongols?
Chapter 3: War of the Khans
1.) Why is the khuriltai in 1206 considered to be “the most important ever in steppe history”?
2.) Describe Temujin’s view of the state, land, and lineage.
3.) How did Temujin, now Genghis Khan, limit the causes of dissension and promote peace in his
new empire?
4.) Why did Genghis adopt a writing system?
Chapter 4: Spitting on the Golden Khan
1.) What is the significance of this chapter’s title?
2.) What was the largest kingdom in China in the thirteenth century? All other armies?
3.) How did they use the peasants to defeat their enemy?
4.) Describe the impact Genghis Khan had on the Silk Route?
Chapter 5: Sultan versus Khan
1.) In capturing a new city, who did Genghis Khan execute? Which groups were considered
valuable? Why were the aristocrats expendable?
2.) Why was the Caliph in Baghdad considered an ally rather than an enemy to the Mongols?
3.) Compare and contrast the use of brutality in warfare between the Mongols and their
contemporaries?
4.) Why is Genghis Khan considered a destroyer of cities not the slayer of people?
5.) Explain Genghis’ warning “Conquering an army is not the same as conquering a nation”
Chapter 6: The Discovery and Conquest of Europe
1.) How did Ogadei’s inauguration reveal the internal problems under his watch following his
father’s death?
2.) What name did the family of Genghis Khan take around the summer of 1229?
3.) What was Karakorum? What problems would it face?
4.) Why did Christianity grow under Ogadei’s reign?
5.) Why were the Russians unable to stop the onslaught of the Mongolians? How did they use siege
tactics to destroy their walled cities?
6.) Why were the Mongols referred to as Tatars? How did the Mongols crush the Poles, Germans,
Bulghars and Hungarians?
7.) What impact did the Mongol victories have on the Jewish communities in Europe?
Chapter 7: Warring Queens
1.) What role did the Mongol women play while their men were on the battlefield?
2.) What role did Torgene play in the Mongol Empire? What were her greatest accomplishments?
3.) How was religion treated differently under the Mongols than their western counterparts?
Chapter 8: Khubilai Khan and the New Mongol Empire
1.) Why was Khublai Khan considered the greatest khan among the Mongols?
2.) How did Kublai Khan “Sinicize” his image?
3.) Describe how Kublai Khan tried to modernize his empire? (legal system, economy, education
etc..)
4.) Why was Khublai Khan able to defeat the Song Empire but unable to defeat the Japanese and the
people of Java?
Chapter 9: Their Golden Light
1.) How did the trip of Rabban Bar Sawma illustrate the changing role and image of the Mongol
Empire from Genghis to Khublai Khan?
2.) How did these changes impact on their understanding of geography and the role of
transportation within the empire?
3.) What did the reliance on imported goods reveal about feudal Europe?
4.) Of all the cultures the Mongols worked with, who had the most advanced pharmacology?
Chapter 10: The Empire of Illusion, Epilogue, The Eternal Spirit of Genghis Khan
1.) Describe the economic, social and political impact the Black Death had on the Mongol Empire?
2.) How did the Mongol empire continue despite its fall?
3.) Throughout the Renaissance in Europe, the Mongols were generally treated with adulation. Why
did this change?
Now Read the Introduction.
Don’t forget that you will also have an exam on the reading when you return to school in September
2015. If you have any questions about the assignment, please feel free to message or email Mr.
Turano using the website or my email: pturano@stjohnsprepschool.org. Have a wonderful Summer
and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in the Fall.