Practice Questions
1. Which of the following is the most accurate statement regarding Southernization: a. certain developments that
first occurred in Southern Asia and later spread to other areas, b. idea of zero that spread from India to other areas, c.
the square sail that spread from Malaysia to other areas, d. the compass making its way to Europe, e. all of the above
are examples or descriptions of Southernization.
2.
The 9th century colonies established by the traders of the Indian Ocean differed from those of the
Mediterranean in that: a. they seldom retained political ties to their homeland, b. they always retained ties to their
homeland, c. they were more prone to recurrent warfare, d. trade in their region was more competitive.
3.
Which of the following people groups migrated from the area of present day Cameroon and spread their
language and culture throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa? a. Hindi, b. Bantu, c. Kushans, d. Mauryans.
4.
Turkic slaves from central Asia who were used as body guards for the Abbasid leaders in Baghdad, and as the
standing army for the Fatimids: a. Ummas, b. Sassanids, c. Saracens, d. Mamluks.
5.
European region, called al Andalus in Arabic, conquered by Muslims in the 8 th century, is found in present
day: a. France, b. Constantinople, c. Spain, d. Italy.
6.
A hereditary slave society never developed in the Islamic world because: a. all slavery was illegal according to the
Quran, b. people of the book (Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians) could not be enslaved, c. slavery of Muslims was
illegal according to the Quran, d. slaves usually converted to Islam, often causing their masters to free them, and the
offspring of slave women and Muslim men were free.
7.
Which of the following accurately describes a characteristic shared by Afro-Eurasian urban centers before 600
C.E.? a. Cities promoted cultural homogeneity, b. Cities gained increasing economic independence from hinterland
regions, c. Cities served as centers of commercial activity, d. Cities were generally politically independent of larger
political units.
8.
Why is the period in Europe between 500 CE and 1300 CE called the “Middle Ages”? a. Europe was invaded by
Muslim nomads from the Middle East, b. It was the beginning of the rise of the middle class, c. Europe at this time
was controlled by peoples in its central area rather than by the people of the Mediterranean as it had been in the past,
d. It came between the Greco-Roman “Classical” civilizations and the Renaissance.
9.
Which of the following describes an important similarity between the ancient Persian Empire and the Roman
Empire? a. Both attempted to impose an exclusive state religion on their subjects, b. Both had economies that relied
heavily on overseas trade, c. Both were multiethnic empires that incorporated local elites in the imperial government,
d. Both were centered on the Mediterranean Sea.
10. The investiture controversy primarily concerned conflicts: a. between the eastern and western churches regarding
territorial rights, b. between the pope and the patriarch of Constantinople over the sacking of Constantinople in the
Fourth Crusade, c. between the pope and the kings of western Europe over who had the authority to appoint bishops,
d. between the Byzantine emperor and the kings of western Europe over territorial boundaries.
11. Western Europe and the Byzantine Empire differed politically because: a. western Europe maintained more of
the political traditions of the Roman Empire, b. the Byzantine Empire maintained more of the political traditions of
the Germanic peoples, c. the Byzantine Empire gave political and religious authority to a patriarch while western
Europe gave it to the pope, d. the Byzantine Empire maintained a centralized government while western Europe broke
apart into localized political entities.
12. Kievan Russia: a. adopted the manor system from the Byzantine Empires and the feudal system from western
Europe, b. based its economic wealth on trade and traded extensively with the Byzantine Empire, c. conquered
Muslim territories around the Baltic Sea to extend its regional control, d. accepted Roman Catholicism as the faith of
the region and welcomed catholic missionaries.
13. Many historians believe the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture led to societies that were
more: a. isolated, b. egalitarian, c. patriarchal, d. dispersed
14. Which of the following best illustrates the reasons that the barbarians are presented as “evil and despicable
intruders”? a. barbarians were illiterate, and thus they could not write their own version of events, b. barbarians
themselves wrote these stories to get “civilized” people to fear them, c. barbarians believed that to appease their gods
the inhabitants of the “civilized” towns must be wiped out, d. most 19 th century historians were racists who viewed the
Asians as inferior and thus presented the Asian nomads as sub-human.
15. Which of the following best describes the Tang tributary system? a. a labor system that required each family
member to send the oldest son to serve in the court of the Chinese emperor, b. a requirement that each family in China
pay one-half of its income to the Chinese emperor, c. a system of payment that the Mongols created to control the
flow of money in each of their khanates, d. gifts given by independent states in East an Southeast Asia to acknowledge
the supremacy of China, e. a system of waterways that flowed from the center of the Grand Canal to bring water to all
parts of China.
16. The Tang elite blamed Buddhism for the social upheaval occurring at the end of the empire because: a.
Buddhism taught that the emperor was inherently evil, b. Buddhist followers were required to rebel against the
government to prove their loyalty, c. Buddhist monks convinced the emperor to adopt Buddhism rather than
Confucianism as the model for the state government, d. Buddhism had come to China from India and therefore was a
foreign influence that went against traditional Confucian ideals, e. Buddhist monasteries were never willing to
cooperate with Chinese princes and support their efforts to rule.
17. How does one, during the Song dynasty, earn a position as a bureaucrat in the imperial court? a. tributes given
to the emperor, b. by being born into the royal family, c. by taking exams, d. by distinguishing oneself on the
battlefield, e. by earning the status of bodhisattvas.
18. How did the emperor in Japan maintain his status even during times of civil war? a. the emperor did not exercise
any real political power, b. the emperor, who exercised considerable power, was believed to have been placed on the
throne by the gods, c. the emperor’s policy was to always ally with the side that is winning the battle, d. the emperor
would pay those who threatened him hefty sums of money to remain in power.
19. Humanism can best be described as: a. the belief that humans are above the gods and can outwit them, b. the belief
that humanity must do away with worldly pleasures and focus on internal peace, c. the belief that humanity can
understand the laws that govern nature, d. the belief that all people are born equal.
20. Which of the following is true regarding Mongol rule in China? a. the Mongols developed a hierarchy based partly
on region, b. Chinese traditions and customs were eradicated, c. an egalitarian culture was created that weakened the
Confucian social structure, d. the tax system, along with paper money, was abolished.
21. Mongol conquest had what effect on China? a. the Mongols eradicated most traces of traditional Chinese culture, b.
the Mongols carried out numerous atrocities against the Chinese population, c. the Mongols shut down foreign trade
along the Silk Road, d. the Mongols reunited and revitalized the Chinese state.
22. Which of the following was an important long-term demographic impact of the spread of new rice varieties in
East Asia during the period circa 600 C.E. to 1200 C.E.? a. A decrease in the size of East Asian cities outside the
rice-growing area, b. The large-scale settlement of nomadic central Asians into farming communities, c. A rapid
increase of East Asian populations, d. The movement of large numbers of East Asians from cities to farms.
23. Ibn Battuta’s travels suggest: a. that commerce allowed for one to travel through the entirety of the Indian Ocean
trade routes, b. that Southwest Asia and East Asia were beginning to close their borders following the fall of the
Mongols, c. that one could not travel to China without the aid of the Mongols. d. that only Muslims could find safe
passage through the Indian Ocean.
24. Which of the following is a true statement? a. Ships from Caffa were the only source of the plague to Europe, b. it
is unlikely that the attack at Caffa played a decisive role in the spread of plague to Europe, c. the biological warfare
used at Caffa initiated the spread of plague to Europe and to the Middle East, d. conclusive evidence proves that
biological warfare was not used at the siege of Caffa.
25. One reason we see population growth in Europe during the 13 th century:
a. cannibalism ended, b. many people developed more productive farming techniques, c. the earth cooled, d. the
Mongols stopped invading France, e. monasteries were banned, which encouraged many people to marry and
have children.
26. Which best describes the difference between the tribute system of the Tang and the tribute system of the
Aztecs? a. the tribute given to the Aztecs was symbolic, b. the Tang were dependent on the tribute for the capitals
economic structure, c. the Aztecs only accepted slaves as a form of tribute, d. the Aztecs were dependent on the tribute
for one quarter of the capital’s food requirements, e. none of the above.
27. Which of the following posed the greatest threat to the Classical empires (Roman, Han and Gupta)?
agriculturalists, b. pastoralists, c. urbanites, d. seafaring traders, e. Mesopotamians
a.
28. Which of the following describes why populations ballooned during the Classical Age? a. disease within the
empires died out, b. disease pools in the empires grew less virulent (lethal) as immunities developed, c. sanitation
systems were developed that rid the empires of disease, d. migration into the empire increased population, lessening
the impact of disease, e. a mini ice age occurred that kept the major diseases at bay for several centuries.
29. Innovation, which first appeared in Mesopotamia around 3300BCE, to keep track of commercial transactions:
a. iron tools, b. writing, c. domestication of animals, d. horticulture, e. irrigation
30. Which of the following describes a major difference between life in Egypt and life in Mesopotamia? a. Egypt
had no political structure, b. Mesopotamia suffered erratic flooding, which led to complex city-states, c. Egypt had to
rely on irrigation and canal building to halt the unpredictable flooding, d. Mesopotamia’s reliable flooding made for a
much easier life than in Egypt.
31. According to this theory, the ruler had been chosen by the supreme deity and as long as he ruled justly, he
would retain the support of the deity.
a. Confucianism, b. Legalism, c. Daoism, d. Centralism, e. Mandate of Heaven
32. The existence of two radically different principles, one good and one evil, is called:
a. mysticism, b. dualism, c. nemesisism, d. nihilism, e. anomalism
33. Which best describes the difference between Confucianism and Buddhism?
a. Buddha taught that class is determined at birth, b. Confucius taught that all people are born equal, c. Buddha
taught that women should be subservient to men, d. Buddha taught equality, e. Confucius taught that in order
to have a strong state the rulers must be willing to impose high taxes on the ruled.
34. One should be cautious in citing Athens as a glorious democracy because: a. it fell to neighboring city-states
because of its political woes, b. the right to participate in the political process was only given to the merchant class, c.
the vast majority of people in Athens, including women and merchants, were not allowed to participate, d. the direct
democracy of the Athenians was ineffective, inefficient and lead to later tyrants.
35. Set out the basic tenets of Jewish belief and practice: a. Book of Acts, b. Ten Commandments, c. New Testament,
d. Genesis
36. Which of the following people did the Phoenicians come into conflict with as they traveled further into the
western Mediterranean(conflict reached its height at Sicily)? a. Egyptians, b. Sea People, c. Greeks, d. Lydians.
37. The idea of reincarnation: a. contradicted the caste system, b. reinforced the caste system, c. did not influence the
caste system, d. spread throughout India and helped to end the caste system, e. was only learned and studied by the
upper castes.
38. The caste system: a. strengthened the Indian governmental structure, b. was the foundation for Indian democracy, c.
promoted a healthy lifestyle and cleanliness for all, d. spread to surrounding areas, such as central China and eastern
Mesopotamia, e. weakened the Indian governmental structure.
39. Which of the following is a TRUE statement about the Greek and Indian systems? a. Both the Greeks and
Indians developed caste systems, though they were based on different ideas, b. The Indian system was based on
reincarnation and the Greek system was based on laws of nature, c. Neither system allowed for diversity, d. The Greek
system was a response to the Indian caste system.
40. These were used as handbooks of religious ritual, consisting of songs that were recited aloud during sacrifices.
Soon however they became unintelligible, even to priests.
a. vedas, b. brahmans, c. polis, d. varna
41. The Roman Republic was separated into these two classes: a. workers and industrialists, b. patricians and
plebeians, c. proletariats and bourgeoisie, d. Latin and Etruscan.
42. Evidence that representatives of Rome visited China in 166 C.E. shows that: a. Rome was a more advanced
society, b. China sought out foreign technology, c. Rome and China were military allies, d. Rome and China were
linked by far-flung international trading networks.
43. The Qin government abolished slavery because: a. it thought that making people work for the state for free was
immoral, b. slavery was against the tenets of both Confucianism and Buddhism, c. slaves did not pay taxes but free
people did, d. it was forced to do so by the great slave revolt of 208 BCE.
44. Confucianism and Hinduism are similar in that: a. both are based on the teachings of an individual, b. both were
introduced by outsiders seeking to control the native population, c. both promote gender equity, d. both promote a
rigid social hierarchy with limited social mobility, e. both accommodate diverse practices in a large population.
45. The greatest obstacle to Indian unity: a. the spread of Buddhism into India, b. social stratification, c. limited trade
and commerce, d. the rugged Indian terrain, which did not allow roads to be built, e. the constant wars with
neighboring civilizations.
46. The region of Southeast Asia first rose to prominence and prosperity because: a. the two large kingdoms around
it fell into ruin and decay, b. Europeans traded there, c. of its intermediary role in the trade between southern and
eastern Asia, d. the land was unfit for agriculture and trade was the only way to make a living.