AP World MCQs
The combination between religious and political aspects in the Abbasid state's concept of governance is best reflected in which of the following?
The Abbasid state was headed by a caliph who was both the state's supreme religious and political leader.
Which of the following best describes a claim made in the first paragraph of the inscription?
Statues of Buddhist divine figures could spiritually benefit everyone.
Which of the following processes most immediately led to the global expansion of European political power in the period circa 1500 ?
Advances in shipbuilding and navigational methods
Based on the chart, which of the following best describes a pattern in the spread of railroads in Europe from 1830 to 1850 ?
Areas in northwestern Europe adopted railroads more extensively than areas in other parts of Europe.
The type of weaponry used in the siege, as described in the passage, could also help to explain the expansion of all of the following states in the period 1450-1750 EXCEPT the
Aztec (Mexica) Empire
Compared with late-nineteenth-century East or South Asian migrants to other world regions, the ancestors of the populations shown in the table likely received a somewhat better reception in their host societies for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
Because of the ethnic and religious diversity of Caribbean colonial societies, there was no prejudice against newcomers, and immigrants, including Indian laborers, were generally welcomed by local populations.
Based on the information in the table, the Black Death outbreak of the bubonic plague struck Essex County in which of the following periods?
Between 1350 and 1400
Which of the following best describes the comparative change in kilometers of railroad lines in Britain and France from 1830 to 1850 ?
Britain possessed more railway lines in 1830 and expanded its lead significantly over France by 1850.
All of the following statements are factually accurate. Which might best be used to undermine or modify the author's argument in the second paragraph?
Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Empire faced considerable restrictions on their religious practices, legal rights, and social freedoms.
Which of the following is an implicit argument made by the author in the passage?
Coerced labor systems have allowed a minority of the population of Caribbean colonial societies to reap enormous economic benefits.
Which of the following was a continuity in the development of African states in the period circa 1200-1450 ?
Despite geographical barriers, some African states were able to maintain diplomatic and cultural contacts with the broader Afro-Eurasian world.
Which of the following best describes the author's claim in the second paragraph?
Despite the small size of Barbadian plantations, the landowners on Barbados are very wealthy.
The sixteenth- and seventeenth-century maritime exploration efforts by England, France, and the Netherlands were most directly connected to which of the following historical processes?
Economic competition against Spain and Portugal and a desire to find new sailing routes to Asia
Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the author's conclusion about the importance of exotic goods to the Maya region's economy?
Exotic goods were exchanged over long distances within the Maya lowlands.
Which of the following best describes the expansion in total railway line kilometers by 1850 in countries that possessed zero kilometers of railroad lines in 1830 ?
Germany had the largest expansion.
Which of the following pieces of information that Trollope reveals about himself in the passage might best explain his contention that economic inequalities ought to be addressed "gradually and without any sudden disruption of society"?
His admission that he was born into a fortunate condition
Which of the following best describes the historical circumstances of Rashid al-Din's career?
His career illustrates the possibilities for diffusion and intermingling of cultures brought about by the Mongol conquests.
Which of the following is an argument in the second paragraph of the inscription regarding King Adityawarman?
His spiritual attributes and worldly achievements made him a powerful and legitimate ruler.
The author invokes which of the following to support his claim that smallpox's impact on European settlers was different from its impact on Native Americans?
Ideas about the role of divine providence in human affairs
Which of the following developments can be most directly attributed to Portuguese and Spanish state sponsorship of maritime exploration in the late fifteenth century?
Improvements in European geographic knowledge of Africa and the Indian Ocean
A comparison between the data for the three manors shown in the table best illustrates which of the following about the bubonic plague?
In some but not all areas, the population was beginning to recover by 1400.
Which of the following developments in the period circa 1250-1450 represents a situation that did not lead to conquerors assimilating into the cultures of the conquered societies?
Invading armies establishing and maintaining a separate community, as illustrated by the European crusader kingdoms in the Middle East
Which of the following best describes the change in the total population of males age 12 and older in the three manors shown in the table from 1320 to 1400 ?
It declined to less than a half of its 1320 level (over 50% decline).
Together with access to coal deposits, which environmental factor most directly contributed to Great Britain's early industrialization?
Its abundance of iron ore
As outlined in the passage, the provisions of the agreement can best be used to illustrate which of the following aspects of state building in Eurasia in the period circa 1450-1750 ?
Local elites successfully resisted attempts at state centralization and asserted their autonomy from central rule.
Which of the following aspects of the Marxist critique of capitalism would be most useful in understanding why the author of the passage chose to invoke Karl Marx's thought in the first paragraph?
Many Marxists criticized imperialism for arresting the economic development of the colonies and reducing them to mere raw material export economies, and Wesseling appears to agree with that criticism.
Which of the following best explains why people from nonindustrialized regions constituted the majority of migrants in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
Many people from nonindustrialized regions were recruited into the service of European imperial governments.
The rapid growth of industrial output in Russia during the 1890s was most likely comparable to the growth of industrial output in which other state during the same period?
Meiji Japan
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the positions expressed by the authors of the two sources regarding the idea that existing political boundaries should be changed so that each nation has its own state?
Neither Source 1 nor Source 2 explicitly supports the idea.
Which of the following is the main claim that the author makes in the first paragraph?
People have natural rights that can be established through rational inquiry.
Which of the following best describes the historical situation in Eurasia at the time the passage was written?
Political upheaval and reorganization increased cultural and scientific exchanges across regions.
The contents of the letter are best understood in the context of which of the following aspects of the historical situation in sub-Saharan Africa in the early 1600s?
Political, religious, and economic rivalries shaped European colonial policies in Africa.
The fact that the Russian tsar insisted in the last paragraph that some ambassadors be treated differently from others best illustrates which of the following about international politics in the period circa 1650-1750 ?
Russia had encountered significant resistance to its plans for further territorial expansion from some of the established states in eastern and southern Europe.
The image and its caption provide evidence that would best help explain the ideas of which of the following ideologies that emerged in the late nineteenth century?
Social Darwinism
Which of the following continuities in the development of African states in the period circa 1200-1450 most likely explains the prevalence of Christianity in Ethiopia?
Some African states' religious traditions continued to be influenced by cultural transfers dating back to earlier centuries.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison between the views expressed in the two sources?
Source 1 emphasizes the importance of religious identities and solidarities as drivers of human behavior, whereas Source 2 emphasizes the importance of ethno-linguistic identities and solidarities as drivers of human behavior.
The trends in military personnel and state revenue shown in the table are best understood in the context of which of the following changes in the relationship between states and local elites in the period 1450-1750 ?
States increasingly centralized their authority at the expense of local elites.
The rival British and French claims over the Niger River region in the 1890s were most directly a part of which of the following processes?
The European "scramble" to acquire territories in Africa through both peaceful and military means
Which of the following is an implicit claim that the author makes in the third paragraph?
The French Revolution has advanced the principles of the Enlightenment.
The spread of Islam into sub-Saharan West Africa in the period circa 1200-1450 was mostly a result of the conversion of the rulers of which of the following states?
The Mali Empire
Which of the following aspects of the international situation in early sixteenth-century southwest Asia is most relevant to understanding Sultan Selim's letter?
The Ottoman and Safavid empires fought numerous wars for control over Iraq, Syria, and other regions of the Middle East.
In addition to Japan, which of the following non-European states created an empire in the Asia-Pacific region in the late nineteenth century?
The United States
Despite the disintegration of the Abbasid Caliphate, Islam continued to spread across Afro-Eurasia in the period 1200-1450 primarily because of which of the following?
The activities of Sufi missionaries
In the period circa 1200-1450, which of the following most directly enabled merchants to bring salt and other bulk products to markets in sub-Saharan Africa?
The adoption of innovative practices in overland trading, such as the use of camel caravans and saddles
The passage implies that the author was aware of smallpox being an infectious disease. Which of the following can best be cited as evidence of that claim?
The author's statement that the English settlers "took pity" at the sight of the Native Americans' suffering
Which of the following contributed directly to Great Britain's ability to consolidate or expand its colonial control of interior regions of Asia and Africa in the late nineteenth century?
The changes illustrated in the top two rows of the image
Considering global trends in late-nineteenth-century migration movements, the Indian migrations to the Caribbean that produced the demographic situation shown in the table most likely led to which of the following short-term effects?
The creation of Indian ethnic enclaves in Caribbean societies
The economic changes in rapidly industrializing countries such as the Russian Empire in the late nineteenth century led most directly to which of the following social or intellectual changes during the same period?
The creation of new social classes and class consciousness
The terminology used in the opening sentence of the decree was most directly influenced by which of the following?
The deep influence of Christianity on medieval society and culture
Which of the following best describes the author's argument in the first paragraph?
The demographic makeup of Barbadian society and the structure of its economy make existing punishments for enslaved people justified.
All of the following statements are factually accurate. Which would best support the author's argument in the first paragraph of the passage?
The period of Mamluk rule in Egypt saw a high number of conversions to Islam and a considerable reduction in the percentage of Coptic Christians in the overall population of Egypt.
The debates about maritime shipping in Japan alluded to in the first paragraph were most directly connected to which of the following nineteenth-century developments?
The development of rival economic theories differing with respect to their views of free trade
Which of the following best explains why transoceanic migration increased significantly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
The development of steam-powered ships made it easier and safer for people to cross the oceans.
Wesseling's argument in the second paragraph best illustrates which of the following important distinctions within the practice of imperialism in the nineteenth century?
The difference between the economic effects of direct and indirect imperialism
Based on the pattern of trade described in the third paragraph, the Egyptian karim merchants were most likely directly involved in which of the following broader developments in the Indian Ocean in the period circa 1200-1450 ?
The establishment of diasporic merchant communities
Which of the following does the author cite most directly to support his argument in the third paragraph about the importance of exotic goods in the Maya region?
The existence of unified patterns of behavior in warfare, science, and religion
Which of the following best summarizes the way in which the development of the factory system and the development of new transportation infrastructure such as railways worked together as factors facilitating British industrialization?
The factory system concentrated production in relatively few locations, and the new transportation infrastructure allowed more goods and people to reach these locations in less time.
The process of "consultations with the nobles and clergy of the realm" in the making of Edward III's decree best reflects which of the following?
The fragmented, decentralized nature of European feudal monarchies
Which other process in the mid to late nineteenth century most directly led to situations in which non-Western countries found it very difficult to protect their indigenous industries from Western competition, as described in the passage?
The imposition of free-trade regimes on countries such as China, the Ottoman Empire, and Latin American countries through military or diplomatic pressure from Western countries
The rapid growth of nineteenth-century industrial cities such as Manchester is best understood in the context of which of the following economic developments?
The increases in agricultural productivity that freed up laborers for work in factories
The type of warfare described in the passage most directly helps to explain which of the following sixteenth-century developments?
The intensification of political rivalries between the Ottoman Empire and neighboring states in Europe and the Middle East
Trollope's characterization of democracy in the second paragraph can best be seen as a direct reference to which aspect of the historical situation in the late nineteenth century?
The movements to reform countries' political systems by expanding the franchise
The disintegration of the Abbasid Caliphate most directly led to which of the following political developments in the Islamic world in the thirteenth century?
The rise of Turkic states
The economic statistics cited by Wesseling in the first paragraph are most likely intended to illustrate which aspect of the nineteenth-century global context?
The role of British imperial policy in reversing the development of Indian textile manufacturing
Which of the following demonstrates the assimilation of nomadic conquerors into conquered societies during the period circa 1250-1450 ?
The rulers of the Yuan dynasty adopting Chinese court culture and methods of rule
As described in the passage, the pattern of economic development in Russia in the nineteenth century differed most strongly from which other pattern of economic development during the same period?
The transition from preindustrial to industrial production through the actions of private entrepreneurs or companies
The conduct of the siege as described in the passage could best be used to explain which of the following processes in the period 1450-1750 ?
The use of new weapons by expanding imperial states
Which of the following was a key similarity in the policies of the rulers of African states such as Ethiopia in the period circa 1200-1450 ?
They used religion and laws to bolster their legitimacy.
Which of the following best describes the author's purpose in the passage?
To portray his patron as a generous supporter of the sciences and a man of unusual intelligence
Witbooi's perspective in the last paragraph is historically significant because it most directly illustrates which of the following rationales for African people resisting European imperial encroachment?
To preserve traditional political structures threatened by direct European territorial expansion
Which of the following best explains a difference between European and South Asian migration during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
Unlike European migrants, South Asian migrants often served as indentured laborers.
Which aspect of the historical situation in West Africa in the 1890s best explains the board of directors' instructions to Lugard in article (h) of the letter?
West Africa was becoming a source of important raw materials for Europe's industrializing economies.
Iwasaki's position in the letter on the relationship between the Mitsubishi Company and the Japanese government is most clearly a response to
Western governments gaining access to Japan's markets by imposing laissez-faire economic regimes
The commercial rivalries discussed in the third paragraph best illustrate the interplay between nineteenth-century economic development in Japan and the development of
Western-dominated large-scale transnational businesses
The point of view expressed by the Dutch West India Company's directors in the letter can best be described as
evenhanded in describing the benefits and detriments of various proposed options to the States General
Waterways such as canals and rivers were important in the process of early industrialization because they provided
a means for integrating economic activities in regional and national markets
Based on the purpose of the letter, Selim's description of the followers of Shah Ismail I as a "heretical faction" can best be interpreted as a commentary of the Safavid Empire's
adherence to Shi'a Islam
Although ideas of European superiority over non-Europeans had existed for centuries, views such as those expressed in the passage provide evidence of an important change in the late nineteenth century that is best explained by the fact that they
combined old cultural prejudice with supposedly "scientific" new ideas of the biological and evolutionary basis of human differences
The disparities of wealth mentioned by Parkinson in the passage are best explained in the context of the
high profits and low wages associated with manufacturing industries in the nineteenth century
The claim in the second paragraph that the king has become "free from all physical desire" can best be understood to mean that
in Vedic religions, rejecting worldly concerns in order to attain spiritual perfection was considered a virtue.
Witbooi's point of view in discussing his right to rule the Nama lands "by double conquest" is historically significant mostly because it illustrates how
interethnic conflicts in Africa led to political fragmentation and ultimately limited Africans' ability to resist imperialism
The privileges discussed in the passage best demonstrate that in some instances in the period 1450-1750
internal challenges to state power could lead to the establishment of new state-like structures within existing states
The author directly uses all of the following pieces of evidence to support his argument about the relationship between exotic goods and the power of Maya rulers EXCEPT that Maya rulers
prohibited nobles and priests from wearing certain types of exotic goods reserved for rulers
Based on the context of European imperialism in the late nineteenth century, a historian examining the image and its caption would likely explain that they provide evidence of how France sought to
reassure students that France's colonial policies were justified by a so-called "civilizing mission"
The author uses all of the following as evidence to support his argument about the impact of smallpox on Native American populations EXCEPT
the English settlers tried to help the Native Americans who were afflicted with smallpox
The need for legal action to address the "grave inconveniences" that might result from the labor shortages described in the passage most likely resulted from
the agrarian nature of medieval European economies and their reliance on coerced labor
The Mongol conquests resulted in all of the following developments EXCEPT
the initial diffusion of Buddhism and Christianity to East Asia
In the period circa 1750-1900, the historical process illustrated by the image led directly to all of the following major global transformations EXCEPT
the outbreak of the Atlantic revolutions and the emergence of new states in the Americas
Unlike the four scenes in the top two rows of the lithograph, the inclusion of the two scenes in the bottom row is best explained by
the technological innovations of the second industrial revolution
The integration of West African states into wider regional and transregional economic networks in the period circa 1200-1450 was carried out mostly via the
trans-Saharan trade routes
A historian would most likely interpret the rhetoric in the passage as evidence that rulers of imperial states in the period circa 1450-1750 continued to
use religious ideas to highlight their political legitimacy and attack the legitimacy of their enemies