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WHI – SOL Review Packet
1. What defines absolute location?
2. What identifies map orientation?
3. What determines how a measurement on a map corresponds to a measurement on the earth?
4. What is a map?
6. Which maps can be used for ship navigation? Airline navigation? Data representation?
7. More than anything else, what shaped the lives of early hunter-gatherer societies?
8. Homo Sapiens first emerged on what continent? How many years ago?
9. Early hunter-gatherers depended on wild plants and animal life and were sometimes forced to migrate to new locations for food. This
made them what type of people?
10. What were the key characteristics of societies of the Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age)?
12. What were the major characteristics of the Neolithic Era (New Stone Age)?
13. Which social scientists find and interpret evidence of early humans and their lives by locating and analyzing human remains, fossils, and
artifacts?
14. What is carbon dating?
15. What site in England was begun in the Neolithic Age but finished in the Bronze Age?
16. In what region of the world did the first permanent settlements appear?
17. Why were river valleys important to the development civilization?
18. What civilization emerged in the Nile River Valley and Delta?
19. The valleys of what two rivers served as the home to Mesopotamian civilization?
20. Indian civilization first emerged in what river valley?
21. Chinese civilization first emerged in what river valley?
22. Where did the Hebrews settle (originally)?
23. Where did the Phoenicians settle?
24. Where was the Kingdom of Kush located?
26. What is a city-state?
27. What was the first written law code? (it was created by a Babylonian ruler)
28. Most of the ancient river valley civilizations used weapons made from what metal?
29. What was the first civilization to make and use weapons made from iron?
30. What advancements in technology allowed for increased agricultural surpluses?
31. What civilization became famous for trading practices on waterways? What did they trade?
32. Because of agricultural surpluses, certain people were able to engage in tasks and jobs other than farming. What was this development
called?
33. Most early civilizations practiced what form of religious worship? How is that defined?
34. Which group of people were the first to practice monotheism?
35. Who is Abraham and why is he important?
36. Who was Moses and why is he important?
37. What city became the religious home and political center for Jews?
39. What is the holy book of Judaism, and major beliefs of Judaism? What guides them morally?
42. What was the Diaspora?
44. What was the form of writing in Egyptian civilization?
45. What was the form of writing in Sumer?
46. What was the form of language and writing used by the Phoenicians?
48. What were the key characteristics of the Persian rule and government?
49. What was the official religion of Persia? What were its key beliefs?
50. Why is India considered a subcontinent?
52. What physical and geographical barriers made invasion of India very difficult?
53. What group of people were eventually able to invade India? How did they get there?
54. The Indo-Aryans created, in India, a rigidly structured social system known as what?
56. Mathematics, new textiles, and literature were all contributions of the Golden Age of Indian culture, which took place during the rule of
which Dynasty?
57. What religion evolved in India and is still practiced there today?
58. What are the key characteristics and beliefs of Hinduism?
59. What is reincarnation?
60. Explain the concept of Karma?
61. What are the sacred writings of Hinduism?
62. Who founded Buddhism? Where was it founded?
63. What ruler sent Buddhist missionaries throughout Asia? What region was affected the most?
64. What are the key characteristics and beliefs of Buddhism?
65. What are the Four Noble Truths? What is the Eightfold Path?
67. Classical China was centered around what river? What is its other name?
68. How is China geographically isolated?
69. Explain the key characteristics and beliefs of Confucianism.
70. Explain the key characteristics and beliefs of Taoism (Daoism).
71. What is the Great Wall? Why was it built? Who was responsible for its construction?
72. China was governed by a succession of ruling families called what?
73. What idea was used by Chinese rulers to justify their rule? It lasted only as long as what?
74. What facilitated trade and contact between China and other cultures as far away as Rome?
75. What are the four major contributions of classical China to world civilization?
76. What symbol is used to represent opposites in both Confucianism and Taoism?
77. What body of water lies to the East of Greece and was important for trade? What larger body of water was it a part of?
79. What region or nation existed to the North of Greece?
80. Why did Greece lack enough agricultural output?
81. How did the mountainous terrain on the Greek peninsula affect its growth and unity?
82. The Greeks resorted to what in order to deal with overpopulation and lack of arable land?
83. What was the name applied to the Greek’s polytheistic religious beliefs?
84. What three things did Greek mythology explain?
86. Which city-state developed the most democratic system of government in history?
87. What people were considered citizens in Ancient Greece?
89. Athens evolved through what four forms of government (in order)?
92. Sparta had what form of government? Which means what?
93. What were the major qualities and values of Spartan society?
94. What wars were fought by the Greeks from 499-449BC that united Athens and Sparta?
97. What war lasted from 431-404BC and pitted Sparta against Athens?
98. Athens led what military alliance?
99. Sparta led what military alliance? Who won the conflict?
100. What individual led Athens during its Golden Age? What were his major achievements?
101. What is the Parthenon?
103. What poet spoke of the Trojan Wars? What are his epic poems called?
106. What were the three types of Greek columns and what were their major characteristics?
110. Who was Pythagoras and why was he important?
111. Who were the three major philosophers and what were their major contributions?
113. Who adopted Greek culture and spread Hellenistic influences throughout this vast empire?
114. How far did the empire of Alexander the Great stretch?
115. What was the Hellenistic Age and why was it important?
116. What geographical features protected Rome and the Italian peninsula?
117. What was Roman Mythology based on? What did it explain?
118. Who were the major gods and goddesses in Roman mythology and what were they gods of?
119. What was the early form of government in Rome (after the Etruscan kings were deposed)?
120. Who were the Patricians?
121. Who were the Plebeians?
122. Patricians and Plebeians (plus some foreigners) were given citizenship in return for what?
124. Roman law was codifed and called what?
125. What city in North Africa came into conflict with Rome over control of trade? What were the series of wars known as?
126. Who was Hannibal and why was he important?
127. Who won the Punic Wars and what happened to Carthage as a result? to Rome?
128. What four things caused the decline of the Roman Republic?
129. Who was Julius Caesar and why was he important?
130. Who was Augustus Caesar and why was he important?
131. What was the Pax Romana?
135. Who began the teachings that eventually evolved into Christianity?
136. How did Christians come to view Jesus?
137. How did Christian beliefs conflict with Roman Mythology?
138. What are the characteristics, beliefs, and traditions of Christianity?
139. What is the New Testament and why is it important?
141. Who adopted and legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire?
142. What became the main unifying force in Western Europe?
144. Why were Roman roads and aqueducts important?
147. What was the official language of the Roman Empire? It eventually transformed into what?
149. What major principle was passed down to us from Roman law?
150. What factors caused the decline of the Roman Empire?
151. Who moved the capital of the Empire from Rome to Byzantium? What did he rename the city?
152. The Western half of the Roman Empire finally collapsed in what year?
155. Why was Constantinople’s location important to the Byzantine Empire?
156. Who codified old Roman law for use by the Byzantine Empire? What was its name?
157. What were three important achievements of Emperor Justinian?
158. What is the name of religious images used by Greek Orthodox Christians in worship?
159. What was the name of the Byzantine domed church in Constantinople? What type of elaborate artwork did it feature inside?
160. How did Greek and Roman culture survive in the Byzantine Empire?
163. Why was there a division between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity?
164. What led to interaction between Byzantines and the Slavs in Russia?
165. The Slavic oral languages were adapted to the Greek alphabet by who? What was it called?
166. Russians and other Eastern European people adopted what form of Christianity?
167. Who founded Islam?
168. In what geographic region was Islam founded? What two key religious cities are there?
169. The Muslim empire spread through parts of what three continents?
170. What are the key characteristics, beliefs, and traditions of Islam?
171. Identify each of the Five Pillars of Islam.
172. What is the holy book of Islam?
173. How are Jesus, Moses, and Abraham viewed in Islam?
176. Islam is divided into what two branches? Which is more common today?
178. What happened at the Battle of Tours and why was it important?
179. What famous Muslim architectural achievement is in Jerusalem? What happened there?
180. Why were universities important to the Muslim Empire? What did they preserve?
181. What Mathematical achievements are attributed to the Muslim Empire?
182. What became the unifying force in Western Europe during the Middle Ages? Led by who?
186. Describe feudal society during the Middle Ages. How did it work?
187. What was a medieval manor and how did it work?
189. Who was anointed as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 800 AD?
197. How did proximity to China influence Japanese culture?
198. What two religious traditions coexisted in Japan?
199. What are the key beliefs and traditions of Shinto?
200. What were the key characteristics of Axum (East Africa)?
201. What were the important characteristics of Zimbabwe (Southern Africa)?
202. What were the characteristics of the West African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai?
203. What were the characteristics of Mayan civilization (Central America)?
204. What were the characteristics of Aztec civilization (present-day Mexico)?
205. What were the key characteristics of Incan Civilization (South America)?
207. Who led the Norman Conquest and united most of England?
208. English common law had its beginnings during the reign of who?
209. King John limited his power and the power of future kings when he signed what? When?
210. What conflict with France united England as a nation?
211. Who was Hugh Capet and why was he important?
212. Who was Joan of Arc and why was he important?
213. Who were Ferdinand and Isabella and why were they important?
215. Who was Ivan the Great and why was he important?
216. Power in Russia was centralized in the hands of what leader?
217. What were the Crusades and why were they carried out?
219. What were the four major effects of the Crusades?
220. Who were the Mongols, and to where did they extend their empire?
221. What group invaded and conquered the Byzantine Empire?
222. What decimated the population of much of Asia and then Europe during the 14th Century?
223. What was the impact of the Black Death on economic and social institutions? (five)
224. Education was largely confined to what group during the Middle Ages? Therefore they were largely responsible for preserving what?
229. Who is Machiavelli and why was he important?
230. What are the major ideas concerning power expressed in The Prince?
231. What was the name given to people who sponsored works that glorified city-states in Northern Italy?
234. Who was Leonardo da Vinci, and for what was he famous? Who was Michelangelo and for what was he famous?
236. Who was Petrarch and for what was he famous?
237. What is humanism, and why was it important to the Renaissance?
240. What invention and events helped disseminate ideas?
241. Who was Erasmus and why was he important? Who was Sir Thomas More and why was he important?