Second Six Weeks Test- Version A
1. Political organization during the first civilizations tended towards
a. Social bands or tribes with chiefs.
b. Empires.
c. Large states.
d. Theocratically run governments.
e. City-states or smaller regional states.
2. Due to geography the political structure of the ancient Greek city-states was
a. Achieved unification under Pericles.
b. Was a history of early, long-lasting centralized government.
c. Stabilized after the conquest by Persia.
d. Was very similar to that of Egypt.
e. Usually consisted of independent, autonomous city-states.
3. Under whose leadership did Athens become the most sophisticated of the poleis?
a. Solon
b. Cleisthenes
c. Pericles
d. Pisistratus
e. Plato
4. In which polis did women have the most freedom?
a. Sparta
b. Corinth
c. Athens
d. Thebes
e. Syracuse
5. The mandate of heaven
a. Gave the Chinese emperors limited power that could be removed if bad government was occurring.
b. Created the notion of the Chinese emperors as gods.
c. Positioned China as a theocracy ruled by priests.
d. Allowed the ruler to serve as a link between the heavens and the earth.
e. Originated with the Indo-Europeans before they reached China.
6. What was the school of philosophical thought that returned order to China after the Period of Warring States?
a. Confucianism
b. Draconianism
c. Daoism
d. Legalism
e. Neo-Confucianism
7. In the ancient world, the main producer of silk was
a. Japan.
b. Ceylon.
c. China.
d. India.
e. Vietnam.
8. During its early history, Rome was dominated by the
a. Greeks.
b. Persians.
c. Minoans.
d. Etruscans.
e. Assyrians.
9. Arab desert dwelling pastoral nomads and traders are called
a. hajj.
b. hijra.
c. gadis.
d. Bedouin.
e. Berbers
10. The Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca is known as the
a. hajj.
b. hijra.
c. gadis.
d. sharia.
e. jizya.
11. No religious leader could follow Muhammad, so political authority rested in the position of the
a. ulama.
b. caliph.
c. hajj.
d. sultan.
e. shia.
12. Western Roman imperial power ended in 476 C.E. with the invasion of
a. The Germanic and Hunnic tribes under Atilla the Hun.
b. The conquest of Italy, North Africa and Spain by the Eastern Roman Emperor, Justinian.
c. The creation of the Frankish empire under Clovis I.
d. The creation of the Holy Roman Empire under Otto I.
e. The Muslim conquest of Egypt, North Africa and the Middle East.
13. The issue that confronted Muslims following Muhammad’s death, and the issue which eventually split Muslims into Shia and Sunni sects involved:
a. Toleration or persecution of Christians and Jews.
b. Who was Muhammad’s legitimate successor.
c. Conversion of non-Arabs to Islam.
d. The morality of the holy war (jihad) against enemies of the faith.
e. The accuracy of different translations and versions of the Quran.
14. Which of these is an example of patriarchal society in the ancient world?
a. Young men went to live with their wives’ families.
b. Family descent and property inheritance were traced through the female line.
c. A woman could have had more than one husband.
d. After marriage, a woman moved to the residence of her husband’s family.
e. Women and men had equal legal rights as written into the first law codes.
15. Unlike Sumer and Egypt, the Indus Valley or Harappan civilization
a. Became a geographic center for a unified, continuous culture lasting millennia.
b. Was secure from nomadic incursions and invasions.
c. Never developed a military social class.
d. Writing has never been translated.
e. Developed a monotheistic religion.
16. The leading civilization during the Post-classical Era (450-1450 C.E.) was
a. The Christian West.
b. The Byzantine Empire.
c. India.
d. Sea-based trading states such as Venice and the Swahili states.
e. Islam.
17. The basis of many modern legal codes is founded on the
a. Byzantine Orthodox liturgy
b. Emperor Constantine’s Legal Code
c. Emperor Justinian’s Legal Code
d. Roman Common Law
e. Hammurabi’s Law Codes
18. The proper order for Chinese dynasties is:
a. Qin, Han, Zhou, Shang
b. Qin, Zhou, Han, Shang
c. Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
d. Han, Shang, Qin, Zhou
e. Shang, Zhou, Han, Qin
19. The first empire builder in Sumer was
a. Hammurabi
b. Sargon
c. Gilgamesh
d. Alexander the Great
e. Xerxes
20. The greatest threat to the Byzantine Empire throughout its history was
a. The fall of the western Roman Empire
b. Religious uprisings
c. Foreign invasions
d. Political Corruption
e. The Crusades
21. The division of the Christian Church in 1054, the “Great Schism” occurred over
a. Conflict over which Apostles to include in the Bible
b. The use of icons in religious rituals
c. The influx of foreigners to the church
d. The influence of the Quran on Biblical teachings
e. The tyranny of insane Roman emperors
22. The Five Pillars of Islam include all of the following EXCEPT
a. the confession that “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”
b. prayer five times a day, facing the holy city of Damascus
c. fasting during the month of Ramadan
d. Alms, or giving charity to the poor
e. the hajj, or pilgrimage to worship Allah at the Ka’aba
23. Economically, classical empires and cultures
a. Remained largely agricultural but had considerable commercial contacts.
b. Relied exclusively on slave labor to perform labor.
c. Favored merchants, who became the social elites, and commercial interests.
d. Developed advanced labor-saving technologies.
e. Limited their trans-regional contacts.
24. The Chinese explained rebellions, civil wars, and invasions as
a. The ruler’s loss of the Mandate of Heaven.
b. The whims of the gods, who played tricks on humans.
c. The failure of the people to respect authority.
d. A decline in the role of the family and ancestor worship.
e. Repercussions for the interference of women in government.
25. The major impact of Alexander the Great’s conquests was
a. The elimination of foreign influences from Greek culture.
b. The establishment of a unified government for the Eastern Mediterranean.
c. The birth of mystery religions and the forced migration of the Jews.
d. The spread of Greek culture throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.
e. The destruction of regional trade and commerce.
26. In comparison to the Hindus, Persians and Chinese, religiously the Greeks
a. Most resembled Hinduism’s polytheism with its caste system.
b. Never developed a major religion.
c. Developed a compassionate system similar to Buddhism.
d. Sought universal harmony in a manner similar to Daoism.
e. Avoided portraying gods with human characteristics.
27. Greek philosophers attempted to understand human nature through
a. Emotion, especially the desire for love and brotherhood.
b. Its rigid adherence to societal norms with rewards and punishments.
c. Human sin, salvation, and redemption.
d. Human relationships to the state and society at large.
e. Rational observation and deduction.
28. Roman classic culture
a. Owed a great deal of its diversity to trade with China.
b. Developed in relative isolation.
c. Borrowed heavily, especially from the Etruscan, Greek, and Hellenistic states.
d. Influenced heavily the cultures of Africa and Southwest Asia.
e. Was highly innovative in the arts and science.
29. Agricultural surpluses seem to have led most directly to
a. The rise of cities.
b. The outbreak of warfare.
c. Monotheistic faiths.
d. The extinction of Paleolithic peoples and cultures.
e. Specialized services and socially differentiated hierarchies.
30. The first simplified alphabet, containing only twenty-two letters, was created by the
a. Mesopotamians.
b. Assyrians.
c. Hebrews.
d. Phoenicians.
e. Babylonians.
31. Egypt was united around 3100 B.C.E. by the conqueror
a. Menes.
b. Khufu.
c. Sargon of Akkad.
d. Hatshepsut.
e. Hammurabi.
32. Athenian democracy was open to
a. All Athenians.
b. Males as long as they owned property.
c. All Athenian citizens.
d. All males.
e. All Greek citizens.
33. The easternmost point of Alexander's conquests was
a. Alexandria.
b. Persepolis.
c. India.
d. Susa.
e. Athens.
34. What was the Chinese political philosophy that called for clear and strict laws?
a. Confucianism
b. Legalism
c. Daoism
d. Buddhism
e. Hinduism
35. Which group of people was the greatest military threat to the Han dynasty?
a. the Hmong
b. the Koreans
c. the Mongols
d. the Japanese
e. the Xiongnu
36. The Indian political scene changed dramatically in 520 B.C.E. when new administrative techniques were introduced after the invasion of the
a. Aryans.
b. Greeks.
c. Chinese.
d. Austronesians.
e. Persians.
37. The first ruler to unify India was
a. Cyrus the Great.
b. Ashoka Maurya.
c. Chandragupta Maurya.
d. Harsha.
e. Shihuangdi.
38. Satrapies were
a. Mesopotamian kings.
b. Egyptian administrators.
c. Persian administrative units.
d. demons of the Lydian underworld.
e. Arabian merchants
39. In the early stages of the Roman republic the patricians elected two
a. Kings.
b. Consuls.
c. Tribunes.
d. Archons.
e. Senators.
40. The period known as the pax romana was started by
a. The Gracchi brothers.
b. Julius Caesar.
c. Lucius Cornelius Sulla.
d. Augustus Caesar.
e. Mark Antony.
41. At the center of Mecca is the holiest shrine of Islam. It is the
a. Sharia.
b. ulaama.
c. Muslim.
d. Kaaba.
e. Quran.
42. In Pre-Islamic times, the status of Mecca was enhanced by
a. The presence in the city of a Christian bishop.
b. The Ka’aba, a religious shrine which attracted pilgrims.
c. Its merchants control of trade throughout the Middle East.
d. Its alliance with the Sassanid Persian Empire.
e. The freedoms given its slaves and women.
43. During the Post-classical Age, 450 – 1450 C.E.
a. Europe achieved its domination of the world.
b. The Americas established contacts with Africa and Asia.
c. Nomadic peoples dominated the great civilizations of the world.
d. The first international as opposed to regional connections arose.
e. Trade was limited.
44. The Post-classical world ended when the
a. Black Death devastated civilizations on three continents.
b. Ming in China, Mughals in India, and Russian tsars overthrew the Mongols.
c. Portuguese ships rounded Africa and reached India.
d. Mongol, Mameluk, and Turkish invasions devastated three continents.
e. Spanish discovered the Americas.
45. Although Islam developed in Mecca and Medina from urban roots, all of these influenced Islam’s origins EXCEPT:
a. The harsh environment of a desert.
b. Clan identity and rivalries.
c. Greco-Roman culture.
d. Bedouin culture.
e. Merchants and commerce.
46. The reasons for the Arab’s (Muslim) successful conquest of the Middle East and North Africa was most likely due to
a. The promise of booty to be won.
b. Overpopulation in the Arabian Peninsula.
c. Desire to convert others to Islam.
d. The weaknesses caused by their long wars of Islam’s two main adversaries, Persia and Byzantine Empire.
e. The unity provided by their faith in Islam.
47. The decline of the Abbasid power was due to all of these reasons EXCEPT:
a. The difficulty of governing a widespread empire.
b. Invasions of European crusaders.
c. Regional loyalties.
d. Shi’ia dissenters and slave revolts.
e. Rebellious governors and new dynasties
48. The Seljuks
a. Conquered the Abbasid Caliphate and Byzantine Empire.
b. Favored the Shia sect and became its protector.
c. Settled in the lands of modern Turkey and became the Abbasids’ protector.
d. Were unable to stop the Crusades or end Crusader control of Jerusalem.
e. Became a sect of Islam devoted to learning, mysticism, and medicine
49. The impact of the Crusades
a. Disrupted the Muslim world.
b. Had little effect on the military capabilities of the Europeans.
c. Led to the collapse of the Abbasid caliphate.
d. Was greater on the Europeans because it brought Europe into contact with Muslim civilizations and their accomplishments.
e. Encouraged mass European migrations to the lands of the Eastern Mediterranean.
50. The Sufis
a. Condemned scientific and cultural borrowing from non-Muslim sources.
b. Helped spread Islam.
c. Objected to the violence and social strife, which befell the Abbasid world.
d. Led religious wars against Christians in Europe and the Middle East.
e. Attempted to blend Islam with Judaism and Christianity
51. The Abbasid reign ended when
a. Mongol soldiers sacked Baghdad.
b. The Seljuk Turks overran the empire.
c. Christian Crusaders took Jerusalem.
d. The Mameluks invaded the empire.
e. Shia governors and troops revolted and murdered the last caliph.
52. Although India was frequently invaded over the centuries before the arrival of the Muslims,
a. There was little change to the continual rule of the Guptas.
b. Contacts between invaders and local peoples remained limited.
c. India was largely isolated from its neighbors.
d. The Hindu and Buddhist level of material culture assimilated most invaders.
e. Invaders had no impact on the Indians.
53. Islam was spread through West and East Africa as well as Southeast Asia by
a. Jihad or holy war.
b. Mass conversions ordered by the rulers and monarchs.
c. Wandering Sufi mystics.
d. Merchants who established Muslim families and traditions.
e. Migration to the areas by large groups of Muslims.
54. Unlike the Romans in the Western part of the empire, the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire,
a. Were never invaded or threatened by pastoral nomads.
b. Recognized the political influence of the Pope and Catholic Church.
c. Continued to use Latin as their chief language until their fall.
d. Became Muslim.
e. Did not succumb to Germanic invasions in the 5th centuries.
55. Within the Byzantine state, as had been the case with government in most of the dynasties of China, the chief power and influence was
a. Emperors and their trained bureaucrats.