New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
Part I: Multiple Choice (60 points)
Directions: Read each question carefully, and place the letter which indicates the correct answer
in the space on your answer sheet.
1. All of the following statements about Buddhism in China are correct EXCEPT that
1) the spread of Buddhism was facilitated by trade along the Silk Road
2) Chinese Buddhists traveled to India to study at temples and stupas
3) Buddhism gained greater traction in northern China than in the south
4) Buddhist monasteries were established throughout China and central Asia
***5) the Tang Dynasty cracked down on Buddhism as soon as it came to power
2. The decline of the Tang Dynasty most closely resembles which of the following?
***1) the collapse of the Han Dynasty
2) the end of the New World Empires
3) the fall of the Gupta Dynasty
4) the end of the Qin Dynasty
5) the decline of Hellenistic Greece
3. The causes for the decline of the Tang Dynasty can best be described as
1) internal, in the form of aristocratic usurpations of the throne
2) internal, in the form of tensions between religious groups
3) external, in the form of invading Arab armies
4) external, in the form of invaders from Tibet
***5) both internal and external, in the form of military and peasant rebellions and invasions
from northern nomadic groups
4. During the Tang Dynasty, which of the following was restored?
1) traditional bronze-casting techniques
2) the philosophy of Legalism
3) the Great Wall, which had previously been demolished by raiders
4) the Shang writing system
***5) the role of the Confucian scholar-gentry in government
5. In order to support its growing economy, what did the Tang Dynasty have to do?
1) establish an isolationist foreign policy
***2) strengthen China's infrastructure with better roads, waterways, and canals
3) encourage a population increase in order to provide an adequate labor supply
4) grant tax exemptions to merchants
5) enforce a policy of toleration towards tribes living in the mineral-rich western frontier
6. The Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty had
***1) both made lasting advancements in China
2) conquered Japan and Korea
3) enforced Confucianism as a state philosophy
4) both land-based and overseas trade routes
5) a larger military force and a strong bureaucracy
New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
7. Which of the following developments during the Tang Dynasty in China led to the other four?
****1) introduction of new agricultural techniques
2) rapid population growth
3) large-scale urbanization
4) development of new trade routes along the Pacific coast
5) formation of a market economy
8. One feature of Chinese culture that Japan did not integrate into its society was the
****1) importance of civil service examinations
2) extensive use of porcelain
3) subordination of women
4) creation of a bureaucratic form of government
5) philosophical doctrine of Buddhism
9. Intellectual achievements thrived during the Song Dynasty mainly because of which of the
following?
1) The first mandatory education laws were enforced by the empire.
2) Agricultural surpluses gave the social classes more free time to pursue other activities.
***3) Confucian principles of education and the scholar gentry were emphasized
4) Earlier Buddhist priests had ordered the construction of schools and universities.
5) The introduction of movable type by Marco Polo made book-making more efficient.
10. What did the practice of foot-binding encouraged by neo-Confucianism reflect about gender
attitudes during the Song period?
1) It was a way of preserving the sanctity of marriage.
2) Women had to participate in certain rituals in order to maintain their superior religious status.
3) It maintained gender equality since it was practiced by both sexes.
****4) Female subjugation was a common feature of Chinese society.
5) It contributed to social liberation for women during the Song Dynasty.
11. What was the main purpose of the Taika Reforms introduced by the Japanese emperor in 646
C.E.?
1) develop trade alliances with other East Asian regions like Korea and Vietnam
2) limit the power of the landholding aristocrats
3) force Buddhists to convert to the Shinto religion
4) promote manufacturing and commerce as the driving force for the Japanese economy
****5) establish a framework for government like that in Tang China
12. The Japanese code of conduct known as bushido incorporated which of the following?
1) a proclamation of the divine status of the emperor
2) a class system based on people's education
3) upholding the pacifistic tenets of Buddhism
***4) showing bravery in war and performing ritual suicide for disgrace
5) requiring chivalry toward women and the noble families
13. Which of the following best explains why the Tang Dynasty was a period of creativity in arts
and literature?
1) The rulers were foreigners who had brought new traditions to China.
New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
****2) Much of the glory of the Han dynasty had been restored.
3) Artists were given a superior status in Chinese society.
4) Art was used to describe the constant social upheavals and tensions that existed during the
period.
5) New religions like Christianity spread largely through art and literature.
14. How did geography play a similar role in early Greek and Japanese history?
1) The populations of both settled exclusively in coastal villages.
2) The earliest cities sprang up in fertile river valleys.
****3) Both were initially decentralized due to their mountainous terrains.
4) Abundant natural resources made forming trade connections unnecessary.
5) Easy land access led to frequent conquests by foreigners.
15. The introduction of the Taika reforms around 646 C.E. was an attempt by the Japanese
emperor to
****1) implement a bureaucratic form of government similar to that in China
2) resolve the tensions that existed between aristocrats and peasants
3) establish Daoism as the official religion of Japan
4) defend the royal family with a class of noble warriors
5) spread the Shinto religion to Korea
16. The beginning of organized government in Japan during the fifth and sixth centuries C.E. can
be described as
1) a Shinto priestly class that were in charge of religious and administrative affairs
***2) a collection of noble clans that ruled by exercising military and economic power
3) a single ruler who was in charge of the religion, economy, and administration
4) a bureaucracy comprised of educated scholar-gentries much like that in Tang China
5) superior military tribesmen who migrated seasonally
"[The Festival of the Red Leaves was to be a more magnificent sight this year than it had ever
been before and the ladies of the Palace were very disappointed that they could not present. .
.Never had the onlookers seen feet tread so delicately nor head so exquisitely poised; and in the
song which follows the first movement of the dance his voice was as sweet as the song of the
bird that sings in Paradise whose music is Buddha's Law. So moving and beautiful was this
dance that at the end of it the Emperor's eyes were wet, and all the princes and great gentlemen
wept aloud." Excerpt from Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji
17. What does the excerpt above reflect about court life in eleventh century Japan?
1) The royal court allowed members of all social classes to attend the festivals.
*****2) The nobles participated in elaborate rituals and ceremonies in their attempts to pursue
beauty.
3) The customs had few to no influences from China.
4) It reinforced the absolute power of the emperor over the shogun.
5) Despite holding the title, the emperor and his family had a limited role in court life.
18. In what way did Japan's island geography impact its early history?
****1) It remained isolated for thousands of years.
New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
2) It had developed the largest sea trade of the ancient world.
3) Japanese sailors were the first settlers of the New World.
4) It had a centralized monarchy that ruled from the central island of Honshu.
5) It was constantly engaged in warfare with outside Invaders
19. The system of one clan possessing control over administrative, economic, and religious
affairs in Japan came to be known as the
1) bushido
2) caliphate
3) shiki
****4) shogunate
5) bakufu
20. One significant difference between the Japanese samurai and the feudal knights of Western
Europe was
1) the samurai showed loyalty to their deity before their master
****2) the samurai did not have a code of chivalry towards women
3) the samurai had to complete an extensive regimen of intellectual and physical training prior to
becoming a warrior
4) the samurai comprised the personal army of the emperor
5) the samurai were not allowed to own property
21. In what sense was the Japanese feudal system similar to feudalism in Western Europe?
1) The landowners defended their territories themselves.
****2) The social structure was based on the principle of land for loyalty and military service.
3) The code of chivalry required the warrior to protect the lord and the women of the estate.
4) Noble lords remained subservient to the central emperor.
5) Peasants gained their freedom after living on an estate for four years.
22. Which of the following provides an accurate description of a haiku?
1) Feudal Japanese theater that performed comedic or melodramatic presentations of everyday
life or historic events.
2) A style of Japanese art characterized by its depictions of natural landscapes.
3) A multistoried building with the corners of the roof curved up that were used as a Buddhist
temple in Japan.
4) A ritual of the Japanese court in which tea is prepared and served in a specific way.
****5) An unrhymed Japanese poem that combined elements of nature and humanity
23. Which of the following is equivalent between the Japanese feudal system and European
feudalism?
****1) daimyo AND lords
4) vassals AND daimyo
2) knights AND bakufu
5) fiefs AND shoguns
3) samurai AND lords
New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
24. Based on the chart above, in the feudal system of Japan and medieval Europe, the emperor
was similar to the pope in that
****1) both were more ceremonial figureheads than actual rulers
2) both controlled the religion and the state
3) both were elected by the secular rulers
4) both had to abide by a code of chivalry
5) the Mandate of Heaven gave them the right to rule
25. Which of the following descriptions most appropriately applies to both the early Aryans and
the Mongols?
I. Their territories were characterized by small villages lacking monumental architecture.
II. There was frequent squabbling for power among the tribal groups.
III. They had a highly militaristic society that valued the warrior class.
1) I only.
2) II only.
3) I and II only
4) III only.
****5) I, II, and III.
26. Which of the following best describes the Mongols?
****1) Nomadic tribal peoples who were excellent horsemen.
2) Nomadic tribal peoples who dominated the seas.
New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
3) Sedentary farmers who developed a thriving ironworking tradition.
4) Urban city-dwellers whose economy depended on commerce and manufacturing.
5) Buddhist worshipers who were pacifistic.
27. In order to maintain the Pax Mongolica, the Mongols enforced all of the following EXCEPT
1) a postal system that depended on their expert horsemen
2) a writing system based on local languages
3) use of paper currency
****4) adoption of Christianity as the state religion following the conquest of Russia
5) the elevation of merchant and artisan classes in society
28. How did the leadership of Genghis Khan impact then Mongols?
****1) He unified the tribes and led the invasion of China to expand his empire.
2) He introduced Chinese Buddhism and silk-making techniques to the tribes.
3) He discontinued trade with the Arab merchants along the Silk roads.
4) He taught the Mongol peoples subsistence agriculture.
5) He established an administrative bureaucracy
29. As the Mongols displayed, one military advantage that most Eurasian nomad groups enjoyed
over their sedentary counterparts was
****1) a superior cavalry with excellent horseback riding skills
2) a considerably larger military force
3) more familiarity with major seaways
4) larger arsenals with more durable weapons
5) their use of slaves as servants on the battlefield
30. Renaissance artists borrowed what common feature of classical art styles as depicted in the Greek sculpture
above?
New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
1) Deities are shown in human poses.
2) The use of abstract religious symbols.
3) People are depicted participating in athletic events.
***4) The human figure was portrayed in idealized realism.
5) Depicting graphic scenes of warfare and military combat.
31. How did the Byzantine Empire indirectly aid the European Renaissance?
****1) The Byzantines preserved many classical texts that were "rediscovered" by Renaissance scholars
2) The Byzantines ended the threat of the Ottoman Empire conquering Europe at Lepanto
3) The Byzantines were major patrons of Renaissance artists and scholars
4) The Byzantines abandoned Italy, leaving its people free from oppression
5) The Byzantines offered a large cash prize to any person who could defend 900 theses
32. Which of the following contributed the most to the instigation of the European Renaissance?
1) Martin Luther's posting of the Ninety-Five Theses
***2) European trade with the civilizations of the Middle East
3) The writings of Leonardo da Vinci
4) The Papal Bull of the Council of Trent
5) The collapse of Holy Roman Empire
33. W hat was a difference between European art of the Renaissance and the art of the medieval period?
1) Renaissance was more influenced by African art than medieval art
****2) Renaissance art emphasized the individual more than medieval art
3) Renaissance art made more use of the fresco technique than medieval art
4) Medieval art made more use of oil-based paint than Renaissance art
5) Medieval art was more likely to be patronized by an individual than Renaissance art
34. A major reason why the Italian Renaissance witnessed a flowering of artistic talent was that
1) the Catholic Church lifted medieval restrictions on the depiction of secular themes in art
2) the influence of Islamic geometry and mathematics led to a formalization of painting styles
3) Florentine traders returning from China introduced the idea of realistic depiction of people in art
4) archaeological efforts discovered Greco- Roman art that had been unknown for centuries
****5) generous patronage afforded prominent artists the time and resources needed to hone their craft
35. H ow did the Roman Catholic Church play an important role in the development of the Renaissance?
***1) Artists such as Michelangelo were patronized by the Catholic Church
2) The Pope declared at the Council of Trent that humanism was not heretical
3) The Catholic Church encouraged a vigorous debate of its dogma and regulations
4) Some of the greatest writers of the Renaissance were cloistered monks
5) The Church ended its ban on reading the texts of Ancient Greek and Roman scholars
36. Which of the following general tenets of Protestantism MOST shows influence of humanism?
1) The belief that there are a predestined number of people elected to go to heaven
2) The belief that priests cannot transubstantiate bread into the body of Christ
***3) The belief that individuals should read the Bible in the vernacular
4) The belief that there should be one person at the head of the Church
5) The belief that society has entered irreversible decline since the beginning of the Common Era
37. How were the Scientific Revolution and Humanism related?
***1) Both emphasized the study of worldly subjects over divine subjects
2) Both were soon abandoned after the beginning of the Reformation
3) Both were deemed heretical by the Catholic Church
New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
4) Both were based on the teachings of Classical scholars
5) Both were inspired by newly learned knowledge from East Asia
38. In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli, described the
1) effects of mercantilist economic policies on national power
2) need for the Christian ethics of mercy and justice in rulership
3) corruption and political conservatism of the medieval papacy
**4) political tactics through which a ruler could remain in power
5) developments of the Italian Renaissance in military technology
39. Which of the following is correctly associated with the Renaissance?
1) Acceptance of Aristotle as the primary authority from the classical world
2) ***Greater interest in nature and things of the world
3) Disinterest in classical models
4) Gothic architecture
5) A strengthening of religious authority
40. Johannes Gutenberg was responsible for
1) The unification of the Holy Roman Empire in 1537.
2) The construction of Wittenberg cathedral during the fifteenth century.
3) The defeat of the Catholic forces during the Thirty Years War.
4) ***The invention of movable type in the West.
5) The Protestant Reformation.
41. Ibn Battuta was
1) a Morrocan legal scholar who traveled extensively and recorded his observations. *
2) the sultan of Delhi.
3) the leader of the central Asian kingdom that dominated all trade along the silk roads.
4) Marco Polo’s traveling companion.
5) the leading Islamic scholar whose work reintroduced Aristotle to Europe.
42.. In the late 1200s Marco Polo visited the court of
1) Khubilai Khan. *
4) Hung Wu.
2) Chaghatai Khan.
5) Mansa Musa
3) Chinggis Khan.
.
43. The spread of Mongol control
1) laid the political foundation for a surge in long-distance trade. *
2) resulted in a slow but permanent decline in trade.
3) stopped all trade along the old silk roads immediately.
4) had little impact on trade at all.
5) ensured that trade only ran from west to east.
44. Marco Polo’s stories
1) convinced other Europeans that trade with China was far too dangerous to pursue.
2) were a product of forced propaganda by Khubilai Khan.
3) influenced other Europeans to visit China. *
4) played no role in the expansion of European trade because they were lost until the twentieth century.
5) influenced countless Chinese to visit Europe.
45. Humanist moral philosophers believed that
1) people should withdraw from the world and dedicate themselves to prayer.
New Dorp High School
AP Final Exam MP 1
2)
3)
4)
5)
Social Studies Department
Mr. Hubbs
the thought of the middle ages was much more pure than the scandalous ideas of the Renaissance.
people could lead morally virtuous lives while participating in the world. *
the ideals of the Greeks and Romans should be shunned because they were pagan.
intellectual and moral excellence was dependent on a Byzantine model.
46. The greatest contribution of Sui Wendi, the second Sui emperor, was
1) a series of reforms that allowed the Sui to survive for another three hundred years.
2) the construction of the Grand Canal. *
3) his conversion to Buddhism.
4) his conquest of Vietnam.
5) his formation of a lasting trading network with the Byzantines.
47. During the Tang dynasty,
1) powerful neighbors kept the Chinese from expanding.
2) most of far western China fell to barbarian tribes.
3) Japan was brought under complete Chinese control.
4) Chinese armies pushed into Korea, Manchuria, Tibet, and northern Vietnam*****
5) Japanese forces captured northern China.
48. Foot binding is probably the best example of
1) the technological brilliance of the Song dynasty.
2) the influence of Buddhist customs as the religion became popular in China.
3) the increasingly patriarchal nature of Chinese society. *
4) the influence of Japanese traditions on the Chinese.
5) the increasing freedom of Chinese women during the Song dynasty.
49. Above all other virtues bushido emphasized
1) loyalty. *
4) courage.
2) cleanliness.
5) observance of Shinto traditions.
3) deep devotion to the Buddha.
50. Seppuku was
1) ritual suicide. *
4) the name for the Japanese warrior.
2) the author of the world’s first novel.
5) the name for Korean Confucian scholars.
3) the powerful political figure who ruled Japan in place of the emperors.