BYU HIST 202: Midterm (quiz questions)
Which of the following did not occur during the Reign of Terror? a) mass killings and imprisonments of the elite b) the establishment of a ten-day week, without Sabbaths c) Louis XVI fled France for Austria d) the forced marriages of priests
Louis XVI fled France for Austria [Few elite escaped the Reign of Terror entirely, including the king. See the section "The Terror, 1793-1794" in chapter 23 of your textbook.]
The best explanation for why European diseases killed so many native Americans is the:
widespread domestication of animals by Europeans [American Indians were isolated from the Old World, but the reason Europeans had lethal diseases was because of their long domestic contact with large mammals. See this lesson's course material.]
The Paraguayan War moved Brazil further toward the emancipation of Brazil's slaves because:
Brazil's slaves joined the army in exchange for freedom [Slaves had increased their participation in society in a number of ways in Brazil by the 1870s, as had free blacks. This form of participation went far in making more Brazilians sympathetic to emancipation. See the section "The Abolition of Slavery" in chapter 25 of your textbook.]
What was the primary cause of inflation in the Ottoman Empire?
American silver [Nobody understood the cause at the time, but global phenomena were having local impacts of great import. See the section "Crisis of the Military State" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
A primary motive for the beginnings of the independence movement in the British colonies was:
Britain tried to force the colonies to pay their share of taxes [Most Americans loved the king right to the end, and while industrialism in England challenged American manufactures, it was a different money issue that set the independence movement in motion. See the section "Frontiers and Taxes," in chapter 23 of your textbook.]
The Qing emperors limited incoming trade to three cities: Kashgar for goods coming overland from Central Asia; Shanghai for goods from Japan; and _____, reserved for European trade.
Canton [This port, located just up the Pearl (Xi) river from Portuguese Macao, was the only official port of entry for European goods. See the section "Tea and Diplomacy" in chapter 21 of your textbook.]
Why did Japan's central government persecute and expel Catholics from Japan after 1614?
Catholicism's 300,000 converts were seen as a threat to shogun power and to Japanese culture [Catholic missionaries, after some setbacks, were astonishingly successful in Japan--so successful they were feared as politically dangerous in Japan's potentially unstable political system. See the section "Japan and the Europeans" in chapter 21 of your textbook.]
As Ottoman power began to decline, they were forced to favor European traders to whom they gave low-tax privileges. While muslims were forced to pay 15 percent to trade in Yemen, Europeans only paid 3 percent to export this commodity from the port of Mocha?
Coffee [While the Ottoman trade from the east began to decline, new products became available. See the section "Economic Change and Growing Weakness" in chapter 20.]
Although the Japanese closed their ports to foreigners in 1649, they maintained some trade and intellectual ties to Europe through the port of Nagasaki with these non-Catholics:
Dutch [Because this group was not Catholic and showed no interest in establishing missions, the Japanese permitted them some limited trade and learned some European science as a result. See the section "Japan and the Europeans" in chapter 21 of your textbook.]
Queen Helena, who sought alliance with the Portuguese against Islam, ruled over which Christian kingdom in Africa?
Ethiopia [For centuries, Europeans had sought to contact and ally with this ancient African Christian state. The Portuguese were of some assistance in preventing Islam from conquering it entirely. See the section "Eastern Africa" in your textbook.]
With the emancipation of slaves in the British Caribbean, where did the majority (more than one half million) of the new laborers come from?
India [While most people from this nation went to Southeast Asia, they made a substantial contribution to the populations of the Caribbean islands, and particularly to British Guiana. See the section "Immigration" in Chapter 25 of your textbook.]
What place did the English brutally colonize, expelling natives from their lands, beginning in 1566? The experience served as an important model in dealing with natives and confiscating land in North America.
Ireland [England had yet to establish colonies in India and the Caribbean. But it had recently cleared this island of many of its native inhabitants which received more British colonists than did North America early in the 17th century. See the section "Early English Experiments" in your textbook.]
What explains in part why Islam had more success in converting the peoples of Asia than did Catholicism?
Islam was more tolerant and welcoming of foreign peoples [Other than the Portuguese, most European priests would not fully welcome and honor native converts, often refusing to ordain them priests, and keeping them forever subordinate. See the section "The Maritime worlds of Islam" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
The Portuguese trading base in China was at this city, which returned to Chinese control in 1999.
Macao [All of these ports would eventually fall under European control, but the first was a Portuguese settlement just down the river from Canton. See the section "Indian Ocean States" (not the section "The Indian Ocean") in your textbook.]
Which of the following colonies had a normal gender balance?
Massachusetts [Most of America's colonies relied on a constant supply of immigrants to maintain even modest rates of population growth, whether white or slave. The place that had a normal gender balance did so because many immigrants came as families, and the healthy climate permitted natural reproduction. See the section "New England" in your textbook.]
Of all Indian groups described, a few defiant groups of this Indian culture maintained their independence, as shaky as it was, the longest, until 1901:
Maya [Eventually, all Indian groups were defeated and/or relocated. However, due to their isolation and the state's instability, this group fought on for an independent existence to the beginning of the 20th century. See the section "Native Peoples and the Nation-State" in chapter 25 of your textbook.]
Latin America's revolutions for independence were initially triggered by:
Napoleon's invasion of Spain and Portugal [When Napoleon deposed the Spanish king, replacing him with his brother Joseph Bonaparte, the Spanish colonies no longer had legitimate kings to whom to be loyal, and many of them broke away. See the section "Roots of Revolution, 1810" in Chapter 25 of your textbook.]
What islands did Spain colonize after 1564 as a result of Magellan's voyage around the world in 1519-21?
Philippines [Magellan's voyage, while it passed all these regions, helped establish the only nation in Asia which was named for a Spanish king and that had Spanish as an official language till 1973. See the section "Spanish Voyages" in your textbook.]
Which European nation spearheaded the systematic exploration and discovery of the world?
Portugal under Prince Henry [The pioneers of world discovery came from Europe's most southwestern extension, but it was more than geography that put them to sea. See the section "Portuguese Voyages" in your text.]
Which of the following colonial powers was most centralized, wealthy and controlling?
Spain [North American colonies were relatively poor economically and lax administratively. See the "Conclusion" in your textbook.]
British North America exhibited the greatest cultural and religious diversity. Which of the following colonial systems exhibited the most racial diversity?
Spanish [While Indians, Africans, and Amerindians made up parts of nearly every colonial society, Latin Americans in particular intermarried and cohabited with other races on a grand scale, creating new racial categories such as mulattos, mestizos, and castas. See the section "Society in Colonial Latin America" in your textbook.]
What new language was formed by the influence of Arabic, Portuguese, and Persian on African Bantu?
Swahili [Evidence of a truly multicultural region around Mombasa, this language served an important purpose in trade and culture. See the section "Muslims in Coastal Africa" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
How did the Arawaks respond to European greed for gold?
They lied about gold deposits that existed in distant locations. [The Arawaks were no match for European arms, and even found it hard to evade slavery. So they resisted more creatively. See the section "The Americas" in your textbook.]
One of the Spaniard's most successful tactics in winning against native societies in battle, probably more important than guns or horses, was their ability to find Indian allies willing to join them. In the Aztec conquest, who of the following were bitter enemies of Moctezuma II and, as a result, joined forces with Cortez in the conquest of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, making up most of Cortez's soldiers?
Tlaxcalans [While cannon were critical to the maritime conquest of the East, guns and cannon were too few, too slow to load, and too heavy to be of much use in the Americas and land. After a short fight, this group joined the Spaniards in conquering the Aztecs, their long-time enemies. See the section "The Americas" in your textbook]
Brazil's independent government differed from all others in the Americas because it was:
a constitutional monarchy [Again Brazil was unique in the Americas, forming an empire under a constitution. See the section "Brazil, to 1831" in chapter 25 of your textbook.]
The French colonies in North America specialized in furs. Which of the following is not a consequence of fur trading for the Indians who supplied the furs? a) greater access to weapons b) a dependency on European goods c) over-hunting of game d) a general decline in warfare with other tribes
a general decline in warfare with other tribes [Indians were eager to trade furs for such goods as guns, metal tools, and alcohol. However as fur-bearing animals disappeared, conflicts with neighboring peoples increased and they often took sides with Europeans to advance their trapping territories and economic interests. See the section "French America" in your textbook.]
How would you describe the nature of silver processing in Spanish America?
a heavy industry [America produced more silver than any other region. It was done on a large scale, and only the richest could afford to capitalize large machinery such as water wheels and stamp mills, as well as buy the large quantities of mercury necessary to amalgamate the ores. See the feature "Environment and Technology, A Silver Refinery at Potosi" in your textbook.]
The best way to characterize Eurasia's infectious diseases such as smallpox in the conquest is:
a tragedy for all colonial societies [Disease, if it were at all possible, would have been left in the Old World, for it killed not only some 50 million Indians, but also millions of Europeans and Africans. See the section "Why didn't they keep 'em down on the Farm" in the course material.]
Which of the following would not be a position assigned to slaves in the Ottoman empire? a) military general b) agricultural laborer c) gun-toting soldier d) high government official
agricultural laborer [Slaves often held high status in Middle Eastern kingdoms, and the families of some subject peoples, such as Christians, offered their sons up to the devshirme, or slave selection, in order for them to have better opportunities in life. See the section "Central Institutions" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
Which of the following foods were introduced to America from Asia?
banana and sugar cane [We often forget that Indians also benefited by the exchange foods. Meat from domestic animals was important, as was wheat and fruits from temperate Eurasia. But many crops of tropical origin, such as mangos and rice, were also important. In the American tropics, bananas became the most important source of calories. See the section "Transfer of Animals and Plants" in your textbook.]
Which of the following did not cause significant environmental damage in the Americas before the 20 century? a) mining b) bananas c) coffee d) logging
bananas [By the 19th century, humans began to exploit nature on the grand scale. The section "Altered Environments" in chapter 25 of your textbook describes various activities. One of these took place later and is not mentioned.]
Lord George Macartney, the British ambassador to China, unlike most Europeans, refused to kowtow to China's Qing emperor, but consented to drop down on one knee, as he would his own king. What did the kowtow consist of?
banging your head on the floor while crawling toward the emperor's throne [Most Europeans groveled before China's emperors for the right to trade in Chinese goods. It was humiliating, but worth the financial rewards. Its humiliating form is described in the section "Trading Companies and Missionaries," and Macartney's refusal is in the section "Tea and Diplomacy," both in chapter 21 of your textbook.]
Peter the Great, while westernizing and modernizing, did not: a) order his nobles to wear Western clothing b) shave his nobles' beards personally c) increase the power of the Tsar d) benefit the serfs whose harsh, slave-like existence continued
benefit the serfs whose harsh, slave-like existence continued [Peter, a huge man over 7 feet tall, sought to modernize and westernize his country and used his increasing power to accomplish it. However, he did not challenge the very un-modern institution of feudalism. See the section "Peter the Great" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
While North America's plains Indians ate buffalo, what was the primary food source for the Mapuche (Araucanian) Indians of Argentina and Chile?
cattle [South America's southern Indians benefited greatly by the import of this European food. See the section "Native Peoples and the Nation-State" in chapter 25 of your textbook.]
Preceding Pizarro's arrival in Peru, what event weakened Inca forces making them more vulnerable to invasion and conquest?
civil war [It is believed that Huayna Capac, the Inca emperor, died of smallpox in 1530. The result was that Pizarro arrived in Peru during a civil war in which two heirs to the throne were fighting to rule the Inca empire. It was into that confusion that the Spanish conquistadors entered. Disease again was the unwitting European's ally. See the section "The Americas" in your textbook.]
Akbar's tolerance of foreign religions was famous. What else characterizes his attitude toward these religions?
deep curiosity [Akbar the Great was one of the most educated men of the time, even though he never learned to read. Daily, he had his courtiers read to him from his huge library. His curiosity also included religious ideas, and he created his own eclectic religion which borrowed heavily from Sikhs, Hindus, and even Christians. See the section "Hindus and Muslims" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
Which two institutions provided Spaniards the legal right to demand labor of Indians?
encomienda and mita [Indian labor service took many forms, including free wage labor and slavery. However, Spaniards usually forced Indians to work without actually owning them. See the section "Colonial Economies" in your textbook.]
Which of the following was not an important motivation for the Chinese to send out massive naval fleets around the Indian Ocean? a) promoting trade and exchange b) enslaving foreign peoples c) demonstrating Ming power and superiority d) curiosity
enslaving foreign peoples [China showed an interest in foreign nations, liked the goods they could obtain by trade, and desired to impress everyone, but with a growing, self-sufficient population had little interest in securing labor. See the section "The Indian Ocean" (not the section "Indian Ocean States") in your textbook.]
While Europe expanded on the sea and weakened the Ottomans and Safavids, what did Russians do?
expanded eastward into Siberia, to the Pacific, and eventually Alaska and the Pacific Northwest [Russia, after Peter the Great, aspired to empire but found more success on Asian lands than on the oceans. See the section "The Drive across Northern Asia" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
How would you characterize the Manchu (Qing) conquest of Ming China?
extremely brutal, especially toward women [While the Manchu invaders soon adopted Chinese dress and culture, essentially becoming Chinese, they were far from cultured beforehand. See the section "Ming Collapse and the Rise of the Qing" and the feature "The Manchu Moment" in chapter 21 of your textbook.]
Regionalism in the Americas posed what threat?
fragmentation of states [Political weakness and differing regional cultural and economic interests contributed to geographical fragmentation. See the section "The Threat of Regionalism" in chapter 25 of your textbook.]
Napoleon successfully rose to power in 1799 because:
his military skills promised order to a society ravaged by violence and disorder [Napoleon was a brilliant military figure, but at first his abilities were recognized for their utility in solving domestic problems, not foreign ones. See the section "Reaction and Dictatorship, 1795-1815" in chapter 23 of your textbook.]
Unlike other colonial powers in the New World, British America met many of its labor needs employing
indentured servants [Britain had many people who were willing to go and work in America for a few years to pay for their passage. They expected, once their contract was complete, to acquire their own land and become free farmers. See the section "The South" in your textbook.]
In the Indian Ocean, what tactic did the Portuguese not use to dominate the trade? a) insisting that all Muslims traders convert to Christianity b) confiscating the cargoes and killing the captains of non-Portuguese ships infringing on their monopolies c) requiring that all spices be shipped in Portuguese vessels d) demanding all foreign ships at Portuguese-controlled ports carry passports and pay customs
insisting that all Muslims traders convert to Christianity [The Portuguese used many tactics, but they primarily wanted the profits that came by moving goods. See the section "Indian Ocean States" in your textbook]
Which of the following is not a characteristic of the Portuguese caravel? a) strong enough for storms b) lateen and square sail c) carrying small cannon d) large in size
large in size [The caravel was Columbus' favorite vessel and was not a ship of war but discovery. See the section "Portuguese Voyages" in your textbook.]
What was the consequence of one mulatto woman's attempt to dress in fashions above her status and class?
local women whipped her and dressed her down [In this case, the woman, who ignored reproach and warnings, was shown her place. See the primary source selection "Diversity and Dominance" in this chapter of your textbook.]
How would you describe the terms of trade between the Portuguese and various West African states?
most trade was mutually agreed upon, and both parties often profited in the slave and gold trade [While the Portuguese were strong at sea, once on land their military prowess relative to Africans was nothing exceptional. However, many Africans permitted the Portuguese to trade under mutually beneficial terms. See the section "Western Africa" in your textbook.]
After Cortés took Moctezuma prisoner, the Aztecs rebelled, forcing the Spaniards out of the city of Tenochtitlán (today's Mexico city) over the western causeway. The Spanish lost all their looted gold. What fraction of the Spaniards lost their lives?
one half [The Spaniards were in a terrible military position from the day they entered the island city. Once Moctezuma could no longer control his people from his captivity, the Spaniards could have been easily annihilated. Only their decision to flee at night with the assistance of homemade, portable bridges to span the causeways saved any of them alive. See the section "The Americas" in your textbook.]
Malacca, the great entrepot of the east that had a population of 100,000, many of them merchants from around the Indian Ocean, was conquered by the Portuguese in 1511. How would you describe the city?
polyglot (speaking many languages) [Malacca, as a trade center, was cosmopolitan, a truly multicultural city, dominated by no group in particular but a shared interest in profits. See the section "Indian Ocean States" in your textbook.]
The Proclamation of 1763 was intended to:
prevent colonists from inciting warfare with Indians [The greatest expense in the colonies was defense, from other European powers and from Indian groups. To limit this cost, Britain tried to prevent settlement in Indian areas by this proclamation. See the section "Frontiers and Taxes" in chapter 23 of your textbook.]
Who started the fighting for independence from Spain in Mexico?
priests and the poor [Although unsuccessful, radical clerics led armies made up largely of Indian peasants in the fight against Spain. See the section "Mexico, 1810-1823" in chapter 25 of your textbook]
Plains Indians resisted U.S. expansion with some initial success because they:
quickly adopted European military technologies [The Plains Indians, while mobile, were small in number and susceptible to disease. What made their resistance more effective than most was borrowing new tools. See the section "Native Peoples and the Nation-State" in chapter 25 of your textbook.]
What good or service did Europeans produce in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that gave them an economic advantage in world trade?
shipping [Europeans did not produce a commodity that was of any interest to foreign consumers, but a service for which merchants were willing to pay. See the section "The Movement of Goods" in your course.]
What was New England's most important economic activity?
shipping services [Forest products and fish were important to New England, but they were often depleted locally. So New Englanders, like Europeans in Asia, became prosperous as service providers. See the section "New England" in your textbook.]
Akbar differed from Suleiman and Shah Abbas because he:
sought social harmony and religious tolerance with his subjects [Akbar faced a far more diverse and formidable set of cultures than his contemporaries elsewhere. His approach was unique and successful. When his descendant, Aurangzeb, gave up these policies, the Mughal Empire fragmented rather quickly. See the section "Hindus and Muslims" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
Economically, what were the most important commodities produced for export by Latin America in this period?
sugar and silver [The Latin American economies were the largest and most diverse in the Americas. However, in total value, it was hard cash in the highlands and sweet crystals in the lowlands that dominated America's economies for 300 years. See the section "Colonial Economies" in your textbook.]
The Dutch, at their capital at Batavia (Jakarta), only traded in the 17 century, but began to produce commodities in the 18 century, making their former Javanese trading ports into full-blown colonies. What did they produce?
teak lumber and coffee [The Dutch, due to trade competition from other Europeans, turned to production, and they very much followed the pattern established by colonial societies in America. A hint is that their capital was on the island of Java. See the section "European Powers in Southern Seas" in chapter 20 of your textbook.]
Which of the following is associated with the beginnings of independence in Brazil?
the king moved from Portugal to Brazil in 1808 [In all the Americas, this happened only once, when a royal figure not only came to America, but ruled his possessions from a colonial city, in this case Rio de Janeiro. See the section "Brazil, to 1831" in chapter 25 of your textbook.]
The best explanation for why Amerindians domesticated only two large mammals is:
there were only two large mammals that could be domesticated in the Americas [Whether or not an animal can be domesticated has little to do with people and everything to do with the animal. Very few animals have ever been domesticated. And probably no more will be. Americans simply drew bad luck in the world lottery of domesticable animals. See the section "Why didn't they keep 'em down on the Farm" in the course material.]
What colorful material covered the walls of mosques, palaces, and wealthy homes in the Safavid Empire?
tiles [The Safavid Empire had walls of mosques, palaces, and homes covered in tiles. See the section "Safavid Society and Religion" in chapter 20.]
Of the following, which was the strongest motivating factor for making voyages of exploration?
to get access to the East's riches [The three "G's"--God, glory, and gold--are often listed as the primary movers. See section "Motives for Exploration" in your textbook.]
In the U.S. Constitution, slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person:
to increase the number and power of southern representatives [Southern slave holders, men like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, were some of the wealthiest men in the new nation and their influence in the Constitutional debates increased their representation in Congress by including blacks, or a fraction of each, in the national census. See the section "The Construction of Republican Institutions to 1800" in chapter 23 of your textbook.]
When the Portuguese established the trading fort of Elmina on the Gold Coast, with the permission of the local king Caramansa, what did the king threaten if the Portuguese turned belligerent?
to move away [The Portuguese were heavily dependent on local peoples for trade and food in West Africa, so King Caramansa held quite a bit of leverage over them even in their fort. See the section "Western Africa" in your textbook.]
In civilized Mexico and Peru, Indians often converted to Catholicism, but mixed the saints in with their old gods. What was a typical response of tribal peoples in places like French America to Catholic attempts to convert and settle them in permanent towns?
to run off at every opportunity [Tribal peoples were difficult to convert to Christianity and European ways. In fact, it's possible more Europeans adopted Indian lifestyles in French America and in Brazil than the other way round. See the section "French America" in your textbook.]