Exam 2 - Ch. 5-8

Which of the following slowed Hinduism from becoming a universalizing religion?

Hinduism was intertwined with the varna system, which was specific to South Asia.

Which of the following is a part of the teaching of the Epicurean school of philosophy?

Peace could only be found by seeking pleasure, avoiding pain, and not caring about life's worries.

Aside from expanding the state's borders, which of the following was the prime motivation for ambitious Roman military leaders during the first few centuries BCE?

Personal glory and acquiring great wealth

Which of the following best characterizes economic changes in China's economy in the first few centuries BCE?

Power shifted away from the agrarian elite and into the hands of traders and financiers.

Which of the following represents Hellenistic influence on Buddhist art?

Presenting the Buddha and bodhisattvas in realistic human form

Which of the following was an innovation in Greek art that derived from the ways axial age thinkers perceived the place of humans in the cosmos?

Representing naturalistic views of nude human figures

In the first few centuries BCE, how did Rome respond to Greek culture?

Roman elites immersed themselves in Greek culture in order to appear "civilized."

What distinguished government in Warring States China from other societies in Afro-Eurasia?

Rulers forged an alliance with scholarly elites.

Which of the following characterizes Laozi's beliefs about government?

Rulers should "do nothing" to interfere with the natural process of change.

Which of the following accurately characterizes the acceptance of Hellenistic culture?

Ruling elites were attracted to Hellenism because of its powerful modes of thinking and behaving.

Which of the following facilitated the spread of Brahmanism in south and Southeast Asia?

Sanskrit emerged as a common language of the elites.

To help secure the frontier along the desert regions, Emperor Wu:

established military and farming settlements in which soldiers and their families could develop agricultural communities.

Liu Bang, after seizing power and establishing the Han dynasty, attempted to stabilize his rule by:

establishing an image of the Qin dynasty as cruel and oppressive, and Han rule as a return to morality.

In exchange for tax exemption, Constantine gave the Christian church:

responsibility for the urban poor.

In contrast to the Qin dynasty, the Han Empire was distinguished by:

the alliance between the imperial family and the scholar-gentry class.

As the Bantu peoples began to migrate out of West Africa:

they moved rapidly, merging themselves into local populations and adopting their traditions and rituals.

What was the context for the foundations of early Christianity?

A direct confrontation with Roman imperial authority

Which of the following is evidence of the economic growth of the Mediterranean city-states?

A new aristocratic culture featuring public displays of wealth

In what way did Chinese philosophy change under the rule of Emperor Wu?

A new view of Confucianism turned Confucius into a lawgiver and uncrowned monarch.

Which of the following identifies a political accommodation that followed the sudden death of Alexander the Great?

Alexander's generals carved out regional kingdoms modeled on those of the rulers the generals had defeated.

Which of the following accurately compares Greek philosophers, such as Socrates, and other axial age thinkers, such as Confucius and the Buddha?

All stressed the importance of honor and integrity over wealth and power.

What was one of the most important factors that led to establishment of one-man rule of the Roman Republic?

Ambitious generals whose rivalry led to a series of civil wars

Aristotle's philosophical approach differed from that of Socrates and Plato in which of the following ways?

Aristotle believed that to understand the world, one must collect as much evidence as possible and then deduce patterns from that data.

Which of the following was a long-lasting cultural impact of Qin rule?

Establishing a uniform written script

Which of the following is a characteristic of early Han rule?

The ruling family had to compromise with the aristocratic groups.

Which of the following was true of the social structure in most city-states in the Mediterranean basin?

The small family unit was the most important social unit.

Which of the following was a major effect of colonies founded by Mediterranean city-states?

These colonies created a city-state culture founded on a market-based economy and private property.

How did Roman landowners in Gaul respond to the threat of peasant revolts and barbarian invasions?

They allied themselves with Christian Goths to provide stability.

Which of the following best describes the role of caravan cities?

They emerged at strategic locations such as the intersection of major trade routes.

Which of the following is true of axial age thinkers in the Mediterranean city-states?

They looked to nature itself rather than focusing on the role of gods to explain the universe.

Roman emperors used which of the following to calm the people's concerns about the reinstitution of monarchy?

They presented themselves as civil rulers whose power depended on the consent of the Roman citizens and the power of the army.

Which of the following reflects a way that Chavín society achieved cultural unification among its isolated communities?

They shared an artistic tradition manifested in devotional cults focused on powerful animal deities.

How did Roman mining operations contribute to the efficient functioning of the Roman economy?

They supported massive, standardized coinage.

During the Republic, to whom did Rome's poor citizens look for protection of their interests?

To army commanders to provide them with land and a decent income

For what purpose did Constantine summon bishops to the Council of Nicaea?

To bring unity to diversity of belief in disparate Christian communities

What was the main purpose of warfare in Mayan lands?

To provide victims for the bloodletting rituals of rival dynasties

How did the wealthy elite respond to the changing economy following Alexander's conquests and the rise of Rome?

Wealthy elites used surplus cash to buy large tracts of land to grow crops for export—leading to wide-spread plantation slavery.

Which two faiths in particular aspired to universality in the period between 300 and 600 CE?

Christianity and Buddhism

Which of the following was an important social change during the Warring States period in China?

Class relations became more fluid as commoners were able to gain more economic power.

Which of the following is true for cities in South Asia as well as for cities in Greece and China around 500 BCE?

Coins came into use around this time, which improved commerce in urban areas.

Which of the following accurately describes Confucius's teaching?

Confucius set forth a new moral framework stressing correct performance of ritual, responsibility, loyalty to the family, and perfection of moral character.

What was an important difference between Daoism and Buddhism in China during the Six Dynasties period?

Daoism sought ways to prolong life while Buddhism sought release from this life.

What notion, perhaps derived from China, spurred Attila to attempt to conquer much of Eurasia?

Divine right to rule all the tribes of the north

What was the physical and social center of a Mediterranean city-state?

Marketplace

Which of the following accurately describes Mayan culture?

Mayan priests were skilled mathematicians who integrated mathematics with astronomy and worked out an accurate calendar.

Which of the following characterized Roman social structure?

Men and women of wealth and high social standing acted as patrons, protecting lower-class clients.

How did the role of merchants change under Han rule?

Merchants found some of their independence undercut by the creation of state monopolies and price controls.

What issue brought Christians into a Mediterranean-wide debate on the nature of religion?

Obedience to God rather than to human rulers

What technique did the Romans use to create their military might?

Organizing communities they conquered on the Italian peninsula into a system that provided a huge reservoir of manpower for the army

For the Byzantine Empire, which of the following was a negative impact of trade connections to the east?

Outbreak of bubonic plague during Justinian's reign

Which of the following was a major cause of the Roman Empire's fall in the West?

Overextension of the empire, leading to high taxes and constant demands for more manpower

Which of the following, in addition to the charisma of its leaders, was a reason for Christianity's growing success before Constantine's endorsement?

The fit between the church's doctrines and popular pre-existing beliefs and practices made conversion smoother.

What factor of Roman civil society long outlasted the empire?

The legal system and extensive written laws

Which of the following was a major difference between Greek city-states such as Athens and Hellenistic cities such as Alexandria?

Athenians were citizens of and loyal to their city of birth, while Alexandrians were citizens of the "whole world" of Hellenistic states.

The nomadic horsemen of central Asia had what crucial advantage when acting as trade intermediaries between far-flung urban centers?

Because of their mobility, they had acquired resistance to many diseases.

In Mahayana Buddhism, what were the enlightened demigods who helped individuals obtain nirvana, called?

Bodhisattvas

In South Asia circa 500 BCE, what factor led to the development of specialized social groups called jati?

Booming agriculture allowed for greater variety of occupations

In what way did both Mayan kings and many rulers of Eurasian empires legitimate their authority?

Both claimed divine approval for their rule and traced their lineage directly back to the gods.

How did the Han solve the problem of staffing a competent bureaucracy?

By establishing institutions of learning, including an imperial university

How did Hellenistic culture respond to the challenges presented by new multicultural empires controlled by descendants of Alexander's generals?

By increasing its focus on the individual in a cosmopolitan world

Which of the following was Emperor Justinian's most enduring legacy?

Instituting a major reform and codification of Roman law

What undermined Etruscan power on the Italian peninsula?

Invasion by the Gauls

Which of the following accurately describes central Asia between 400 and 600 CE?

It became the hub of a system that linked eastern and western Afro-Eurasia, as well as South Asia.

Which of the following describes the foundation of Olmec culture in Mesoamerica?

It consisted of decentralized villages that were linked by trade in ritual objects.

Which of the following most accurately describes the Mahayana School of Buddhism?

It created a diverse and pleasant idea of the afterlife.

The Qin dynasty used which of the following techniques to consolidate state power?

It established clear laws and regulations with harsh punishments that applied to everyone regardless of rank or status.

How did Kushan rule affect central Asia?

It stabilized the trading routes through central Asia.

Which of the following best illustrates the value of Chinese silk?

It was used as payment in China's diplomatic and military activities.

The Buddha understood which of the following to be a way to reach nirvana?

Seeking a middle path between self-indulgence and self-denial

In contrast to most other societies in Afro-Eurasia, the second-generation societies on the borderlands of the eastern Mediterranean developed which of the following political organizations?

Self-governing city-states

Which of the following was one of the main impacts of the circulation of money in the Mediterranean basin and Europe in the first few centuries BCE

Societies could import cultural items from elsewhere in the Mediterranean region.

Which of the following best describes the Jewish response to the imposition of Hellenistic rule?

Some Jews embraced Hellenism, while others fought against assimilation.

Which of the following was an effect of Alexander the Great's military conquests?

Spreading Greek culture and religion to Persia and India

Which of the following best characterizes the relationship between individuals and the rulers of Hellenistic empires?

States were so massive that individuals could only relate to them through the personality of their rulers.

Which of the following reflects a commonality of the Sudanic peoples spread across sub-Saharan Africa?

Sudanic peoples' religious beliefs were dominated by a high god served by sacred kings.

Which of the following accurately describes the goals of axial age thinkers?

Teaching rulers to govern justly and individuals to live ethically

What replaced the political unity provided by imperial Rome after its collapse in Western Europe?

The Christian church brought cultural unity centered on the authority of regional bishops under the bishop of Rome.

Which of the following inhibited the Mayans from developing a great metropolis?

The Mayans settled in a region that was hot, infertile, lacked navigable river systems, and that was vulnerable to hurricanes.

What was a significant change that resulted from the expansion of trade routes in the first centuries BCE?

The cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia faded as sources of innovation and knowledge.

According to common belief during the Han dynasty, what would a cluster of calamities, prodigies, and heavenly omens usually portend?

The emperor had lost the mandate of heaven.