In-class questions for chapter 11, part 1 Name(s):

  1. Distinguish between the Middle East, the Maghreb, the Arab World, the Islamic World and the Muslim World.
  2. The Middle East includes
  3. Israel
  4. Iraq
  5. Pakistan
  6. Afghanistan
  7. Morocco
  8. All of the above
  9. Some of the above (which?)
  10. None of the above
  11. The term “Middle East“
  12. is the English translation of the ancient Arabic phrase “meqia al-remaa”
  13. came into use during the 600’s AD as the caliphate expanded throughout the region
  14. was invented by the Crusaders
  15. was coined by a US military historian
  16. none of the above
  17. The term ____ refers to North Africa, especially the western portion.
  18. Middle East
  19. Maghreb
  20. Arab World
  21. Islamic World
  22. Muslim World
  23. The term “Arab World” refers to _____.
  24. Saudi Arabia and its neighboring Arabic-speaking countries
  25. the Maghreb plus the Arabic-speaking countries east of Egypt
  26. The 22 Arabic-speaking countries of Africa and the Middle East
  27. None of the above
  28. The term “Islamic World” refers to _____.
  29. countries in the Middle East, since all of the world’s Muslim-majority countries are there
  30. the Middle East, excluding Israel
  31. the Middle East, Indonesia and Malaysia
  32. all Muslim-majority countries, including countries in Europe
  33. None of the above
  34. The term “Muslim World” refers to
  35. the “Islamic World” – the terms mean the same thing
  36. all Muslims outside the Islamic World
  37. the Islamic World plus Muslim-majority areas in non-Muslim-majority countries (like Dearborn, Michigan)
  38. all Muslim-majority (50% or more) countries outside of the Middle East
  39. None of the above
  1. Is one of these terms - the Middle East, Arab World, Islamic World or Muslim World – better to use than the others? If so, why?
  1. What is Shi’a Islam? What proportion of Muslims are Shi’a? In which countries are they the majority?
  2. People who practice Shi’a Islam
  3. are the largest branch of Islam
  4. make up less than 25% of Muslims in the world
  5. make up the majority of Muslims who live in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain
  6. All of the above
  7. None of the above
  8. Some of the above (which?)
  1. When and why did the Shi’as and Sunnis split from each other?
  2. The Shi’as and Sunnis split off from each other ____ because ____.
  3. in the 600’s AD; Shi’as recognized one of Mohammad’s cousins as his rightful successor, while Sunnis recognized a follower of Mohammad who was not related to him
  4. in the 1000’s AD; the Persian empire, with its Sh’ia majority, fell
  5. in the 1300’s AD; Turkey fell to the Sunnis
  6. None of the above
  1. What is the “Fertile Crescent”? Why is it significant, historically? What crucial innovation was developed there?
  2. The Fertile Crescent is important because
  3. farming was invented there
  4. at least three of the world’s earlier civilizations began there
  5. All of the above
  6. None of the above
  1. Which are the major world religions that originated in the Middle East? Where, when and with whom did they originate?
  2. ____ originated in the Middle East.
  3. Islam
  4. Christianity
  5. Judaism
  6. All of the above
  7. ____ was founded in the 500’s AD by an orphan businessman-turned-prophet who, after a supernatural encounter, spread a message of submitting to God. ____ originated with the teachings of a young rabbi named Joshua who referred to God as “abba,” a word some say can be translated as “papa” or “daddy.”
  8. Christianity, Judaism
  9. Islam, Judaism
  10. Christianity, Islam
  11. Bahai, Islam
  12. Islam, Christianity
  1. In what ways did the Middle East influence the world from the 7th century until roughly the 11th century?
  2. The Middle East influenced the world from the 7th century until roughly the 11th century by
  3. conquering vast territories
  4. participating in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean trade routes
  5. funding art and science, leading to important advances
  6. all of the above
  7. b and c
  8. none of the above
  1. Which groups challenged Arab dominance in the 11th through 15th centuries?

Group / Action
1. the Seljuk Turks: ___ / A. urged by the Pope in the 11th century to go defend Christian holy sites in the Middle East
2. the Ottoman Turks: ___ / B. by the 15th century were conquering territory, including parts of Europe
3. the Crusaders: ___ / C. came from Central Asia, in the 13th and 14th centuries, and invaded the Middle East and killed over 1 million people
4. the Mongols: ___ / D. came from Central Asia and conquered most of the Middle East and Turkey in the 11th and 12th centuries
  1. How did the Middle East fall into European hands? How were the present-day borders of many Middle Eastern countries established? How did they become independent?
  2. The Middle East fell into European hands
  3. during the late 1800’s, at the same time as the “Scramble for Africa”
  4. after the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany in World War I, lost, and collapsed
  5. when the British and French bought the area from the Turks in 1901
  6. none of the above
  7. The present-day borders of the Middle East were established
  8. arbitrarily by the Europeans, similar to the way borders in Africa were drawn
  9. by a League of Nations treaty with the newly independent countries
  10. by the Ottoman Empire, just before the end of WWI, since the Ottomans realized they would lose
  11. none of the above
  12. The countries in the Middle East became independent
  13. at the beginning of the Great Depression, when the colonies suddenly became too expensive for Europe to maintain
  14. just before World War II, with the help of Hitler
  15. after the end of the World War II, as the USA urged Europe to free its colonies
  16. all of the above
  1. How many languages are spoken in the Middle East? Which are the five most-spoken languages? What are some of the other languages used?
  2. (True or False) The five most-spoken languages in the Middle East are Arabic, English, Hebrew, French and Yiddish.
  3. (True or False) Other languages in the Middle East include Hindi, English, French, Italian and Russian.
  1. What is the difference between Classical, Modern Standard and spoken Arabic?

Type of Arabic / Description
  1. Classical
/ A. used in schools, TV and newspapers
2. Modern Standard / B. varies hugely from one country to another
3. Common spoken / C. used in the Koran, prayers and medieval literature
  1. What are the “five pillars of Islam”?
  2. The Five Pillars of Islam are
  3. the declaration of faith, prayer, fasting, charity and the pilgrimage to Mecca
  4. the halal diet, reading the Koran, charity, honesty and marriage
  5. prayer, obedience, alms, reading the Koran and piety
  6. None of the above
  7. (True or False) The Muslim declaration of faith states that “there is no truth greater than the Koran”
  8. (True or False) One of the pillars of Islam is that Muslims are expected to pray towards Mecca twice a day.
  9. (True or False) Muslims are expected to abstain from solid food for 21 days each year.
  10. (True or False) Muslims are expected to donate 10% of their income each year.
  11. (True or False) Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca each year, if they can afford to.
  12. Compare and contrast the “five pillars” with practices of other religions.
  1. Does practice of Islam vary? Give examples to support your answer.
  2. The practice of Islam
  3. varies only slightly, due to the universality of the five pillars
  4. varies considerably – even in practices like daily prayer
  5. varies only between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims
  6. none of the above