HIS 111 Quizzes
The Frankish leader who defeated a Muslim army near Tours in 732 was Answers: a. Charles Martel. b. Clovis. c. Pepin. d. Louis the Pious. e. Charlemagne.
A. Charles Martel
The appropriate chronological order of dynastic eras in China is as follows: Answers: a. Han-Sui-Tang-Song b. Qin-Song-Tang-Sui c. Sui-Tang-Qin-Ming d. Qin-Ming-Sui-Tang e. Han-Qin-Sui-Tang
A. Han-Sui-Tang-Song
Which of the following was not an achievement of Muslim science? Answers: a. the development of the Upanishads b. knowledge of the nature of contagion and contamination c. new developments in optics and chemistry d. astronomical studies in Baghdad e. the development of medicine as a separate field of scientific study
A. The development of the Upanishads
Axum was Answers: a. founded possibly by migrants from the Kingdom of Saba/Sheba in the Arabian Peninsula. b. the home of Mansa Musa. c. the capital city of Kush. d. fatally defeated by the army of Zimbabwe. e. on the Congo River.
A. founded possibly by migrants from the Kingdom of Saba/Sheba in the Arabian Peninsula
The cotton plant apparently originated Answers: a. in the Indus River valley. b. on the Deccan Plateau. c. along the Ganges River. d. along the Malabar coast. e. on the island of Ceylon, or Sri Lanka.
A. in the Indus River valley.
Buddhism was brought to China by Answers: a. merchants from India. b. Chinese fleets returning from the West. c. travelers from Indonesia. d. gurus from Angkor. e. barbarian invasions.
A. merchants from India.
Which of the following is NOT one of the Five Pillars of Islam? Answers: a. Recognition of Abu-Bakr as the legitimate caliph b. Making a pilgrimage to Mecca. c. Prayer five times a day facing Mecca. d. Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. e. Giving charity to the poor.
A. recognition of Abu-Bakr as the legitimate caliph
Sikhism Answers: a. tried to blend Islam and Hinduism. b. ultimately provided a third religious alternative in Persian Afghanistan. c. was founded by Nanak, a guru in Tamiland, in the early 500s. d. followed the Five Pillars of Asoka. e. practiced pacifism spite of attacks from Hindus and Muslims.
A. tried to blend Islam and Hinduism.
The family of languages spoken by people who inhabit the region south of the Sahara Desert and Axum is Answers: a. Swahili. b. Bantu. c. Khoisan. d. Nok. e. Kalaharian.
B. Bantu
All of the following statements about the arrival of Islam in Africa are true except Answers: a. the Arab capture of Carthage unified their hegemony over what they called al-Maghrib b. Berber resistance blocked Arab expansion to the westward continental limits until after 1200. c. Arab merchants played a notable role in trade in much of northern, central, and eastern Africa. d. it began with the Arab defeat of the Byzantines in Egypt. e. Muslim conversion was probably stimulated by tax incentives.
B. Berber resistance blocked Arab expansion to the westward continental limits until after 1200.
The military defeat of the Byzantine armies by the Seljuk Turks, which led to the Crusades, was the Battle of Answers: a. the Tigris. b. Manzikert. c. Yathrib. d. Tours. e. Anatolia.
B. Manzikert
Islam is Answers: a. polytheistic. b. monotheistic. c. secularist. d. polyandrous. e. divinistic.
B. Monotheistic
Who introduced Christianity into China? Answers: a. Portuguese maritime explorers. b. Syrian merchants. c. Marco Polo. d. The Khanate in Russia transmitted it from the Orthodox Church. e. Silk Road travelers.
B. Syrian merchants
During the Han Dynasty, Chinese literature was stimulated by the invention of Answers: a. bronze-block printing. b. paper. c. a vernacular language. d. kabuki. e. sake.
B. paper
Which of the following is not a correct statement about the Mongols? Answers: a. Over time, their upper-class population became Muslim. b. Their westward advance continued on to absorb the Cordova caliphate in Spain. c. They caused great havoc and destruction throughout the Middle East. d. They often engaged in acts of mass brutality. e. Initially, the Mongols were not Muslims.
B. their westward advance continued on to absorb the Cordova caliphate in Spain
The fundamental purpose of Neo-Confucianism was: Answers: a. to broaden the base of literacy in Chinese society. b. to unite the metaphysical speculations of Buddhism and Daoism with the pragmatic Confucian approach to society.. c. to diminish the disproportionate influence of the aristocracy. d. to preserve the essentials of the traditional Chinese way of life in the face of Western advances. e. to re-assess the worth of the individual within traditional Chinese society.
B. to unite the metaphysical speculations of Buddhism and Daoism with the pragmatic Confucian approach to society
Which of the following statements about the Sahara Desert is true? Answers: a. All evidence indicates that it was never anything other than a vast desert region. b. Its western half was under the Atlantic Ocean until 2000 B.C.E. c. At one point, it was an area that was green and flourishing with life. d. It completely cut off Egypt from the rest of Africa. e. It contained no significant trade routes.
C. At one point, it was an area that was green and flourishing with life.
India's "classical age" is traditionally associated with the Answers: a. Angkor dynasty. b. Mughal dynasty. c. Gupta dynasty. d. Maurya dynasty. e. Tughluq dynasty.
C. Gupta dynasty
A significant complication, other than religion, for coexistence of Muslims and Hindus was Answers: a. acceptable practices within artistic representations of humans. b. different treatments of women in their respective societies. c. class and caste. d. concepts of recording time cycles. e. language barriers.
C. class and caste
The geographical obstacle which divides Africa's northern coast from the rest of the continent Answers: a. are the Atlas Mountains. b. is the Kalahari Desert. c. is the Sahara Desert. d. is the Nile River. e. is the Niger River.
C. is the Sahara Desert
A primary contribution of Arab scholarship was the Answers: a. discovery of the rings of Saturn. b. invention of paper. c. preservation and dissemination of the science and philosophies of ancient civilizations. d. creation of original contributions in the areas of astrophysics and geology. e. establishment of the university system of study.
C. preservation and dissemination of the science and philosophies of ancient civilizations
All of the following are correct about the Polynesian peoples except Answers: a. they were seafarers. b. they had sailing canoes up to 100 feet long. c. the Maoris of New Zealand were not among the Polynesians. d. they originated on the island of Taiwan and on the southeastern coast of China. e. they colonized the islands of Tahiti, Hawaii, and Eastern Island.
C. the Maoris of New Zealand were not among the Polynesians
The original reason for the rise of the kingdom of Ghana was Answers: a. its religious ties to the Byzantine Empire. b. its rich silver deposits. c. the role it played in the gold trade. d. its water resources. e. its commerce in silk.
C. the role it played in the gold trade
All of the following are correct about the Ming dynasty except Answers: a. the Great Wall was strengthened. b. it extended its rule into Mongolia and Central Asia. c. there were no contacts with Vietnam or Korea. d. there was considerable internal reform, including increased manufacturing. e. a series of fleets were sent across the Indian Ocean, including all the way to Africa.
C. there were no contacts with Vietnam or Korea.
Slavery in Africa Answers: a. saved its harshest treatment for the domestic and royal servants. b. never involved more than two percent of the population. c. went back to ancient times, long before the arrival of the Europeans. d. was virtually nonexistent in North Africa. e. was introduced by the Muslims.
C. went back to ancient times, long before the arrival of the Europeans
What prevented an all-out attack on Western Europe by the Mongols in the early 13th Century? Answers: a. Fire-lances and gunpowder. b. Successful resistance by Muscovite Russia. c. The death of Genghis Khan. d. Coalition of Islamic and Christian forces against the Mongols. e. The attractive positioning of Baghdad.
C. The death of Genghis Khan.
Which of the following statements is not true about ancient Indian music? Answers: a. It was derived from Vedic chants. b. It emphasized the performer's creativity. c. Music played a major role in religious observances. d. It had no spiritual connection at all. e. Classical Indian music is based on a scale called a raga.
D. It had no spiritual connection at all.
The Muslim sect who were the "partisans of Ali" are the Answers: a. Sunnis. b. Kurds. c. Sufis. d. Shi'ites. e. "orthodox".
D. Shi'ites
Mongol raids from the northwest from the khanate in Samarkand were led by their ruler: Answers: a. Basra b. Ala-ud-din c. Attilla d. Tamerlane. e. Huigadui
D. Tamerlane
Music in African societies Answers: a. was almost exclusively composed of singing, with supporting instruments rarely used. b. was exported to the New World in the eleventh century. c. was rarely related to religious activity. d. employed various musical instruments, including the harp, bells, and the xylophone. e. played no role in most communities.
D. employed various musical instruments, including the harp, bells, and the xylophone
A unique aspect of the ancient Ethiopian civilization was the fact that Answers: a. the Syrians were able to make it a Muslim nation. b. it remained animist in religion until the twentieth century. c. its assimilation by Kush was brought about through the development of trade ties. d. it adopted the form of Christianity practiced in Egypt. e. it was the only Muslim society in the area.
D. it adopted the form of Christianity practiced in Egypt
The Mongols were able to maintain control in China for an extended period because they Answers: a. created a totally new political system that the Chinese found refreshingly appealing. b. outlawed the subversive ideas of Confucius. c. maintained a system of harsh reprisals for Chinese noncompliance. d. maintained commercial policies that were conducive to Chinese prosperity. e. rapidly assimilated into Chinese society.
D. maintained commercial policies that were conducive to Chinese prosperity.
The motives for the voyages of Zhenghe possibly included all of the following except Answers: a. trading profits. b. curiosity. c. to seek information on a earlier emperor who might have escaped into exile. d. military conquest. e. all of the above
D. military conquest
Recent archeological and anthropological discoveries have shown that Answers: a. the process of state-building was more advanced in sub-Sahara Africa than it was in ancient India, China and Mesopotamia. b. Africa was totally isolated from the rest of the world until the tenth century C.E. c. farming and kingship were concepts brought into Africa from Mesopotamia. d. Africans took over the Arabian Peninsula before 1,000 B.C.E. e. African societies were much more involved in worldwide developments of human history than had previously been believed.
E. African societies were much more involved in worldwide developments of human history than had previously been believed.
The city to which Muhammad went to in 622, a journey known as the Hijrah, was Answers: a. Jerusalem. b. Riyad. c. Mecca. d. Damascus. e. Medina.
E. Medina
The first areas of Islamic expansion were to Answers: a. North Africa and Spain. b. India and Afghanistan c. Greece and the Sassanid Empire. d. Egypt and Israel e. the Byzantine and Sassanid empires
E. The Byzantine and Sassanid empires
It can be said of medieval Indian culture that Answers: a. written literature only came with the arrival of Islam. b. India produced no literature of note. c. the south lacked any temple architecture. d. there was never any religious influences in either its art or literature. e. the temples of India are among that civilization's most important artistic contributions.
E. the temples of India are among that civilization's most important artistic contributions
The Kushan peoples Answers: a. settled in Sri Lanka. b. defeated the Aryan invaders of India. c. had been herder-nomads until they moved into the Irrawaddy Valley. d. were, originally, inhabitants of Mesopotamia. e. were of Indo-European background, driven out of Central Asia by the Xiongnu.
E. were of Indo-European background, driven out of Central Asia by the Xiongnu.
What was the principle accomplishment of the Sui Dynasty? Answers: a. Welcoming Marco Polo. b. Adoption of Buddhism. c. Conquering the Korean peninsula. d. Inventing paper. e. Construction of the Grand Canal
E. Construction of the Grand Canal
