Review
 The Sasanid Empire was centered in the area that is
present-day
 a) Lebanon.
 b) Egypt.
 c) Afghanistan.
 d) India.
 e) Iran.
 Ans: e
 What role did the Arabs play in the rivalry between the
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Sasanid and Byzantine Empires?
a) They played a significant role as merchants and
military mercenaries.
b) They played a significant role as negotiators and
diplomats.
c) They were unknown to these empires.
d) They were viewed as “inferior” peoples and therefore
were virtually ignored by these powers.
e) They became a financial drain to these empires
through welfare plans.
Ans: a
 The establishment of Zoroastrianism and Christianity as
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official faiths in the Byzantine and Sasanid Empires set the
precedent for what future event?
a) The rise of Islam as the focus of an empire
b) The dominance of monotheism in all subsequent
empires
c) The rejection of religion as an official political focus
d) The rise of corrupt leadership in those empires
e) The worldwide spread of Christianity
Ans: a
 The Arab community prior to the seventh century C.E.
 a)
was polytheistic.
 b) was devoted to Zoroastrianism.
 c) practiced Christianity but split between
monophysitism and Nestorianism.
 d) was persecuted by Jews and Christians.
 e) was devoted to fire-worshiping rituals.
 Ans: a
 Mecca is an important city because it.
 a)
has an unusually cold climate for the Arabian
peninsula.
 b) is a caravan city and pilgrimage site of the Ka'ba.
 c) is the rival city to Jerusalem.
 d) is abundantly watered and needs no irrigation for
crops.
 e) is the birthplace of Abraham.
 Ans: b
 Muhammad conceived Islam after
 a)
experiencing revelations.
 b) dreaming about Ishmael from the Old Testament.
 c) many years of religious study in a mosque.
 d) being possessed by a shaitan.
 e) reading the Bible.
 Ans: a
 Muslim means
 a)
first followers.
 b) the one true religion.
 c) holy people.
 d) one who makes submission.
 e) chosen for purity.
 Ans: d
 Islam means
 a)
surrender to the will of God.
 b) the one true religion.
 c) the true belief.
 d) leader of God's people.
 e) the Chosen People.
 Ans: a
 Islam means
 a)
surrender to the will of God.
 b) the one true religion.
 c) the true belief.
 d) leader of God's people.
 e) the Chosen People.
 Ans: a
 Why did Muhammad leave Mecca for Medina (hijra)?
 a)
He sought more followers in the north.
 b) One of his visions commanded him to.
 c) Meccan leaders were threatened by his popularity.
 d) Muhammad's wife had family in Medina.
 e) Theology argued that Abraham had lived in the
north.
 Ans: c
 The unified community that accepted Islam and
believed that Muhammad was the “Messenger of God”
was called the
 a) jihad.
 b) hijra.
 c) shaitan.
 d) ka'ba.
 e) umma.
 Ans: e
 After Muhammad's death, the Muslim community
 a)
held general elections to replace Muhammad.
 b) abandoned the orthodox teachings of Islam.
 c) chose a caliph, Abu Bakr.
 d) searched the entire peninsula for a suitable
successor, according to Muhammad's last instructions.
 e) embraced his wife, Khadija, as his successor.
 Ans: c
 Muslim religious practice is based on the
 a)
Three Goals to Salvation.
 b) Ten Commandments.
 c) Eightfold Path.
 d) Four Noble Truths.
 e) Five Pillars.
 Ans: e
 Muhammad's revelations from the angel are compiled
in a book called
 a) the Hadith.
 b) the Third Testament.
 c) the Quran.
 d) the Ka'ba.
 e) the Revelations.
 Ans: c
 The subsequent split of supporters to different caliphs,
or successors, divided the umma into
 a) Shi'ites and Sunnis.
 b) Sunnis and Sufis.
 c) Mobad and Quran.
 d) Shi'a and Mobad.
 e) Hadj and Sunni.
 Ans: a
 Which of the following areas was not brought under
Muslim control under the leadership of the caliphs?
 a) Egypt and North Africa
 b) Syria
 c) Spain
 d) Eastern Europe
 e) The Indus Valley
 Ans: d
 Why is the Abbasid rule considered a “golden age”?
 a) It created a refined and cosmopolitan culture in
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Baghdad.
b) The Spanish region was considered the golden
frontier.
c) It used gold as the standard coinage throughout the
empire.
d) It used the golden cow as the focus of religious
worship.
e) It is marked by the rule of the “golden” monarch, Abu
Bakr.
Ans: a
 The ulama were
 a)
government officials.
 b) outcasts.
 c) religious scholars.
 d) rural leaders.
 e) a hired foreign military force.
 Ans: c
 The foundation of Islamic civilization is the Shari'a, or
 a)
taxes.
 b) community.
 c) literature.
 d) philosophy.
 e) law.
 Ans: e
 Sufism was significant in being a(n)
 a)
quest for a direct union with God through rituals
and training.
 b) blending of Christian and Buddhist ideas into
Islam.
 c) rejection of religious formalism.
 d) new doctrine that excluded the lower classes.
 e) attempt to convert more women to Islam.
 Ans: a
 The Mughal ruler who constructed the Taj Mahal was
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a. Shah Jahan.
b. Akbar.
c. Zahir al-Din Muhammad.
d. Osman Bey.
e. Aurangzeb.
 The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires were all
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 E.
a. Christian.
b. anamistic.
c. Zoroastrian.
d. Buddhist.
e. Islamic.
 The Ottoman institution that provided Balkan slaves
for the formation of the Janissaries was the
 a. jizya.
 b. devshirme.
 c. dhimmi.
 d. sharia.
 e. millet.
 B.
 The Ottomans took the Byzantine cathedral Hagia
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Sofia and
a. burned it to the ground as part of the looting after
Mehmed II’s conquest.
b. turned it into a special university for janissaries.
c. restructured its configuration to become the great
palace of the sultans.
d. converted it into the mosque of Aya Sofya.
e. used it as an astronomical observatory.
D.
 Shah Jahan was unable to finish the construction of
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the Taj Mahal because
a. he was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb.
b. he died from smallpox.
c. he was captured by the Ottomans while on a
hunting trip.
d. his country was invaded by Afghan tribesmen.
e. his Mughal rule was interrupted by a Safavid
invasion.
A.