World History
First Semester Final Exam Study Guide
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List major contributions and geographical facts about the following River Valley Civilizations
a. Mesopotamia
b. Egypt
c. Indus
d. China
How do we know that Ancient Egyptians placed a great deal of influence on the afterlife?
List at least three women who ruled Ancient Egypt.
What was the significance of Hammurabi’s Code of Laws?
How did the following ancient civilizations contribute to modern governments today?
a. Ancient Greece
b. Ancient Rome
What role did people such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle play in Ancient Greece?
Explain the significance of Rome’s creation of the Twelve Tables.
What was the primary function of the Roman Aqueducts? What other inventions did they inspire?
How did Alexander the Great’s expanding empire contribute to the spread of Hellenistic culture? Why
was Alexandria the center of the Hellenistic world?
Why were the Phoenicians such a prosperous civilization?
List at least 3 characteristics of the following religions
a. Judaism (Ten Commandments)
b. Hinduism (Dharma)
c. Buddhism (Eightfold Path)
d. Islam (Five Pillars)
According to Confucius, what are the Five Basic Relationships in which most people are involved?
How do the Sunni Muslims and the Shia Muslims differ in their beliefs?
Describe the political and social structure of the Mongols before the rise of the Mongol Empire.
How did the Mongols build the largest unified land empire in history?
How was the Mongol Empire divided upon the death of Genghis Khan? List the Khanates and the land
they dominated.
How did the Mandate of Heaven apply to the emperors of China?
Compare and contrast serfs and helots.
List the contributions the follower rulers made to their empires
a. Charlemagne (Holy Roman Empire)
b. Peter the Great (Russian Empire)
c. Justinian (Byzantine Empire)
d. Suleiman (Ottoman Empire)
How were feudalism and the manor system related?
What were the European motives for fighting the Crusades (Holy Wars)? What was the significance of
the 1st Crusade? What was the significance of the 4th Crusade?
What was Joan of Arc’s role in the Hundred Years War? Why was she accused of heresy?
What were some of the functions performed by Christian monasteries?
Who was Eleanor of Aquitaine? How was she a patron of the arts?
How did the Concordat of Worms solve the power struggle between the Church and the Holy Roman
Emperor?
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Explain how lay investiture caused a power struggle between church and state.
What were some of Charlemagne’s political accomplishments? How did he create an efficient
bureaucracy?
What was the result of the Treaty of Verdun?
What contributions did St. Thomas Aquinas make to scholasticism?
What influence did Rome have on the historical and cultural development of the Byzantine Empire?
What impact did the Byzantine Empire have on the development of the Russian Empire and Russian
Orthodox Church?
Why did Constantinople’s geographic location help make it the center of the Byzantine Empire?
How did the bubonic plague affect Europe economically and socially?
List Martin Luther’s chief concerns about the Catholic Church? What impact did his 95 Theses have on
the church?
What impact did Gutenberg’s printing press have on the Protestant Reformation?
What were Henry VIII’s reasons for breaking from the Catholic Church?
Why did the Renaissance begin in the Italian city-states? What effect did it have on art and education?
What were the beliefs of Renaissance humanists?
How did Machiavelli advise rulers to establish and maintain power in The Prince? What is meant by
“the end justifies the means”?
What was a common goal of King Philip II (Spain), Louis XIV (France) and Peter the Great (Russia)?
List the accomplishments of the following Renaissance Artists: Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and
Brunelleschi.
List the accomplishments of the following European explorers: Magellan, da Gama, Cortez, Columbus,
Champlain and Cook.
Why was the Spanish system of encomienda ultimately a failure?
What was the main challenge faced leaders of the Scientific Revolution like Galileo and Descartes?
List the accomplishments of the following key people of the Scientific Revolution: Copernicus, Galileo,
Kepler and Newton.
What events made the Glorious Revolution such a significant event in the history of England?
How does a monarchy differ from a constitutional monarchy?
List the beliefs the following Enlightenment philosophers are known for: Locke, Hobbes, Voltaire,
Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Beccaria.
How did the American Revolution inspire other revolutions around the world?
Explain Napoleon’s rise to power and the role of geography in his defeat.
Be prepared to choose two of the following for the writing portion of your final exam.
* Hebrews and monotheism
* Hammurabi’s Code
* Spartan Society v. Athenian Society
* Series of Changes in Roman Government
* Five Pillars of Islam
* Church v. State during the European Middle Ages
* Protestant Reformation
* Enlightenment Philosophers and their influence on the US Constitution
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