Unit 5 Practice MCQ
Passage
"All the world knows that since the first days of the Ottoman state, the lofty principles of the Qur'an and the rules of the Shari'a were always perfectly preserved. Our mighty sultanate reached the highest degree of strength and power, and all its subjects reached the highest degree of ease and prosperity. But in the last one hundred and fifty years, because of a succession of difficult and diverse causes, the sacred Shari'a was not obeyed nor were the beneficent regulations followed; consequently, the empire's former strength and prosperity have changed into weakness and poverty. It is evident that countries not governed by the Shari'a cannot survive. Full of confidence in the help of the God, and certain of the support of our Prophet, we deem it necessary and important from now on to introduce new legislation in order to achieve effective administration of the Ottoman government and provinces." Mustafa Reshid Pasha, Ottoman Foreign Minister, imperial decree announcing the Tanzimat reforms, 1839
Passage
"I read with interest the recent article in your newspaper entitled 'Should a Woman Demand All the Rights of a Man?' In my view, to answer that question correctly, we first need to examine the roles of men and women in civilization—especially modern civilization—because what may have been true in ancient times no longer applies in our present situation. Modern civilization has moved beyond the condition of the past because, in the past, society was characterized by roughness and reliance on physical power, where victory went to him who was the strongest or the best able to endure hardship, or to him who perpetrated the most atrocities, such as killing people, etc., —in other words, to him who was farthest from women's gentle nature and compassionate heart. By contrast, the basis of our modern civilization is good upbringing and the refinement of morals, through the development of literary knowledge, courtesy, and compassion for the oppressed. This is something that women are better at. So all our doctors and scientists who exalt man's strong muscles, his wide skull, his long arm-to-body ratio and the like, miss the point entirely. Those physical facts, while undeniable, no longer grant man the right of preference over woman in regard to modern civilization." Letter from an anonymous female reader to the Egyptian journal Al-Hilal, 1894
Passage
"The Kamaishi iron deposit consists of several clusters of oxidized iron ore on volcanic rock. It is quite different from the clayed iron ores layered upon coal beds that are commonly found in Britain. The quality of the Kamaishi ore can be categorized as magnetic iron ore of the highest rank. It contains 70% iron, while clayed ore contains only 20-30%. Therefore, in order to produce high quality iron, it was necessary for the government to build a charcoal blast furnace and to order a furnace from Britain. As British engineers were informed that the Kamaishi deposit was rich and the surrounding woods were abundant, they designed a huge charcoal furnace. However, the operation was interrupted within only ninety days. Recently I had a chance to investigate the situation at Kamaishi. After the investigation, I found that despite the claim that Kamaishi is a rich deposit, first of all, the real estimation of the exposed deposit is only about 130 thousand tons. Moreover, because of its mountainous location, it is very difficult to mine and transport. Even if we were able to do so, it would not be commercially successful. Furthermore, within two years the entire woods surrounding Kamaishi will be depleted as a source material for charcoal." Ito Yajiro, Japanese government inspector, report issued to the Meiji government following the failure of the state-owned Kamaishi Iron Works, 1882
Which of the following is an accurate comparison between the economic development of Japan and the economic development of Russia in the nineteenth century? Responses A Both countries industrialized, with the state playing an important role in the process. B Both countries remained dependent on the West for their economic development. C Japan's economy remained predominantly agrarian, while Russia became a major industrial power. D Russia's industrialization occurred in the early 1800s, while Japan's industrialization occurred in the late 1800s.
A Both countries industrialized, with the state playing an important role in the process.
Poster from the Seventeenth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1934. Poster text: "Raise the Flag of Lenin, It Gives Us Victory!" Banners at bottom read: "Long live the invincible party of Lenin!" "Long live the great guide of the international proletarian revolution, Comrade Stalin!" The ideology reflected in the poster was most directly the result of which of the following developments in the nineteenth century? Responses A Growing discontent with traditional forms of government led to the development of new political ideas. B Rebellions against imperial rule led to the formation of new independent states. C Demands for an expanded suffrage including women and the working class challenged existing political hierarchies. D Enlightenment philosophers and writers increasingly turned to empiricism and denounced the role of religion in political life.
A Growing discontent with traditional forms of government led to the development of new political ideas.
"The proletariat [working class] grows together with the growth of capitalism. But the day when power goes over into the hands of the proletariat depends immediately not on the level of the productive forces, but on a series of subjective factors: tradition, initiative, readiness for struggle. In a country which is economically more backward, the proletariat can come to power sooner than in an advanced capitalist country." Leon Trotsky, Russian communist leader, article, 1906 Which of the following best represents the purpose of Trotsky's statement in the passage above? Responses A To argue that Russia is ripe for a socialist revolution, despite being less industrialized than other European countries B To question the applicability of Marxist class categories outside of western Europe C To demonstrate that historical change is ultimately driven by individuals, rather than by large impersonal processes D To asse
A To argue that Russia is ripe for a socialist revolution, despite being less industrialized than other European countries
Which of the following most directly contributed to the overall trend in the percentages of industrial production and heavy industry as shown in the table for the period 1890-1938 ? Responses A The Japanese annexation of Manchuria B The Meiji reforms C Japan's defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War D Japan's entry into the World Trade Organization
B The Meiji reforms
The decree's statement regarding the change in the situation of the Ottoman Empire, as described in the first paragraph, is a viewpoint that would most likely have been shared by members of which of the following governments in the nineteenth century? Responses A The Russian Empire in the aftermath of its victory in the Napoleonic War B The Qing Empire in the aftermath of the signing of the unequal treaties C The Japanese Empire in the immediate aftermath of the Sino-Japanese War D The Mughal Empire in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion against the British
B The Qing Empire in the aftermath of the signing of the unequal treaties
Which of the following best describes an accurate comparison of the relationship between sailing vessels and steamships in the late nineteenth century that is supported by the data in the table? Responses A The total number of sailing vessels in North America was less than the total number of steamships in Europe. B The total number of sailing vessels in all regions still greatly surpassed the total number of steamships in all regions. C The total number of sailing vessels in all regions was declining in relationship to the total number of steamships in all regions. D The total number of sailing vessels in Asia was less than half the total number of steamships in North America.
B The total number of sailing vessels in all regions still greatly surpassed the total number of steamships in all regions.
The Meiji reforms in Japan resulted in Responses A the strengthening of the power of regional lords at the expense of the emperor B a shift of power away from regional lords and to the emperor C the Tokugawa shogunate's adoption of a unified civil code D the overthrow of the imperial system for a democratic republic
B a shift of power away from regional lords and to the emperor
For the period circa 1890 to 1910, which of the following countries experienced industrialization trends most similar to those for Japan, as shown in the table? Responses A Qing China B Dutch Indonesia C Germany D The Ottoman Empire
C Germany
The decree's references to following the rules of Shari'a would best be interpreted as an attempt to appeal to Responses A members of the Ottoman military establishment who supported the dissolution of elite units such as the Janissaries B Christian and Jewish merchants within Ottoman society who sought to benefit from economic liberalization C Sunni religious elites within the Ottoman government who opposed modernization D Shi'a communities in the Ottoman Empire that wanted a democratic Islamic republic
C Sunni religious elites within the Ottoman government who opposed modernization
The Meiji Restoration of the nineteenth century involved internal reforms that included which of the following? Responses A The establishment of direct parliamentary rule B The strengthening of the samurai class C The modernization of Japan's military D The abolition of private property rights
C The modernization of Japan's military
Which of the following groups in late-nineteenth-century Egypt would have been most likely to support the author's ideas expressed in the letter? Responses A Muslim religious scholars B Subsistence peasants C Urban middle classes D Large landowners
C Urban middle classes
The industrialization of Japan in the nineteenth century most directly led to Japan's adoption of which of the following foreign policies? Responses A A policy of isolation that sought to limit foreign cultural, economic, and political influences B A policy of mediation that sought to prevent conflict among rival states C A policy of promoting regional prosperity through the negotiation of free-trade agreements with Western and Asian states D A policy of imperial expansion that sought to take advantage of the political and military weakness of neighboring Asian states
D A policy of imperial expansion that sought to take advantage of the political and military weakness of neighboring Asian states
Which of the following describes a conclusion about Asia that is best supported by the data in the table? Responses A Although Asia had a smaller number of vessels than Africa had, it had a far larger share of world trade. B Asia's percentage of world trade was only slightly less than that of Latin America, Africa, and Oceania combined. C Asia's total number of sailing vessels was nearly half that of Latin America and Europe. D Although Asia had far fewer vessels than North America had, Asia was responsible for a larger percentage of world trade.
D Although Asia had far fewer vessels than North America had, Asia was responsible for a larger percentage of world trade.
Which of the following was the primary Ottoman response to the processes depicted in Map 2 ? Responses A Attempts to convert the empire's non-Muslim population to Islam B Efforts to transform the empire into a parliamentary democracy C Attempts to reconcile Islamic law with Marxist ideals D Efforts to reform the government despite considerable internal opposition
D Efforts to reform the government despite considerable internal opposition
Which of the following best describes a conclusion about the relationship between steamships and world trade in the late nineteenth century that is supported by the data in the table? Responses A North America had roughly twice the share of world trade as Latin America had because it possessed almost twice as many steamships. B Africa and Oceania's share of world trade was nearly equivalent to Latin America's share of world trade because all three regions had roughly the same number of steamships. C The fact that North America had only the third largest share of world trade by region roughly corresponds to its share of the total number of sailing vessels by region. D Europe's dominance in the total number of steamships roughly correlates to its dominance in world trade.
D Europe's dominance in the total number of steamships roughly correlates to its dominance in world trade.
A historian interpreting the decree would best understand the purpose of the "new legislation" referred to in the second paragraph as an attempt to Responses A establish the Ottoman Empire as a European power by conquering territory in southern Europe B establish Ottoman colonies in sub-Saharan Africa to extract natural resources for factories C allow the Ottoman government to reconquer territories lost to the Safavid and Mughal empires D allow the Ottoman government to compete against industrializing European powers
D allow the Ottoman government to compete against industrializing European powers
Which of the following is true of both Russia and Japan by 1914 ? Responses A Both were characterized by a high degree of ethnic homogeneity. B Both had effective democratic institutions that restrained the power of their monarchs. C Both had low rates of literacy. D Marxism had become a strong influence among urban workers in both countries. E Rapid, state-sponsored industrialized had occurred in both countries.
E Rapid, state-sponsored industrialized had occurred in both countries.
