STUDY GUIDE Midterm Exam HIST 117

This exam covers chapters 2-9 of your textbook.

1. What are the criteria for “civilization”?

a. cities
b. control of a geographic area as a means of power
c. status distinctions
d. recordkeeping
e. All of these are correct.

2. One of the most important breakthroughs which ushered in agriculture in Mesopotamia

was
a. construction of canals to bring water to distant fields.
b. the region’s high annual rainfall.
c. the introduction of wheat crops.
d. large numbers of animals for fertilizer.
e. a highly motivated work force.

3. In Greek, Mesopotamia means ______.

a. “gift of the Nile”
b. “fertile crescent”
c. “land between the rivers”
d. “Tigris and Euphrates”
e. “central region”

4. Mesopotamia lies mostly within what modern state?

a. Lebanon
b. Israel
c. Syria
d. Iraq
e. Iran

5. Under the Law Code, what was the punishment for a free person breaking the bone of
another free person’s slave?
a. death
b. payment of half the slave’s value
c. life imprisonment
d. one-half kilogram of silver
e. breaking of the offender’s bone
6. One of the difficulties historians have for understanding the role of women in
Mesopotamian society is
a. the requirement that they never leave the house.
b. their role as primary agricultural producers was not considered noteworthy.
c. their role in the military.
d. the only existing records were written by elite male scribes.
e. books written by women were later suppressed and burned.

7. A professional position reserved for men who had undergone the lengthy training
required to be able to read and write using cuneiform, hieroglyphics, or other early,
cumbersome writing systems was that of the
a. priest.
b. slave.
c. king.
d. business owner.
e. scribe.

8. Mesopotamian gods were anthropomorphic; that is, they

a. took form as the elements of nature.
b. were imagined to be humanlike in form and conduct.
c. appeared in the bodies of kings while on earth.
d. were divine and perfect beings.
e. were omniscient.

9. A massive pyramidal stepped tower made of mud bricks and associated with religious
complexes in ancient Mesopotamian cities is known as a(n)
a. altar.
b. ziggurat.
c. open air plaza.
d. steps leading up to the pyramid.
e. lugal’s burial chamber.

10. The Mesopotamian writing system is called

a. Linear A.
b. Arabic.
c. Persian.
d. hieroglyphics.
e. cuneiform.

11. The culture that developed in Egypt was unique largely because of
a. Egypt’s interaction with other civilizations.
b. Egypt’s natural isolation and essential self-sufficiency.
c. Egyptian dominance in metalworking.
d. Egypt’s surplus agricultural production and trade.
e. Egypt’s large population.

12. Crucial to Egypt’s agriculture was

a. a complex system of aqueducts.
b. regular rainfall south of the delta.
c. proximity to the Nile River.
d. favor of the gods.
e. there was almost no agriculture in Egypt because it’s a desert.

13. The central figure in the ancient Egyptian state and believed to be an earthly
manifestation of the gods was the
a. scribe.
b. pharaoh.
c. ma’at.
d. priest.

14. Historians organize Egyptian history using the system of _____ dynasties.
a. divine
b. dual
c. thirty
d. a hundred
e. dueling

15. A system of writing in which pictorial symbols represented sounds, syllables, or

concepts, and was used for official and monumental inscriptions in ancient Egypt, is
called
a. cuneiform.
b. ma’at.
c. hieroglyphics.
d. papyrus.
e. script.

16. Women in Egypt seemed to have

a. rights of divorce.
b. rights to property.
c. more status than in Mesopotamia.
d. subordinate status to men.
e. all of these are correct.

17. Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley civilizations were all
a. based on fertile floodplains and river valleys.
b. made possible by large agricultural surpluses.
c. derived from an earlier, as yet undiscovered, “watershed” civilization.
d. based on beer brewing and female labor.
e. wiped out by a huge drought.

18. Large public buildings in the Indus Valley were typically made of what?
a. concrete blocks
b. stone pillars
c. bronze frames
d. woven thatch
e. mud bricks

19. In order to discover more specific information about the social structure of Indus Valley
civilizations, what needs to be done?
a. share knowledge with other archeologists and historians.
b. the writing of the civilization must be deciphered.
c. carbon dating of artifacts
d. analysis of exhumed bodies
e. All of these.

20. What was the likely population of Harappa?

a. 1,000
b. 10,000
c. 35,000
d. 100,000
e. 350,000

21. The language of diplomacy and government correspondence in the Mesopotamian

regions was
a. Aramaic.
b. Egyptian.
c. Kassite.
d. Akkadian.
e. Babylonian.
22. The era of the New Kingdom in Egypt is characterized by restoration of Egyptian rule
and
a. a return to isolationism.
b. a military alliance with the Hittites.
c. expansion north into Syria and south into Nubia.
d. a return to democracy.
e. Nubian rebellion.

23. Which woman held the throne of the New Kingdom of Egypt?
a. Nefertiti
b. Cleopatra
c. Amon
d. Hatshepsut
e. Ramesses II

24. The pharaoh Akhenaten is credited by some scholars with

a. the invention of monotheism.
b. implementing political reforms that harmed the majority of Egyptians.
c. linking his wealth to the traditional system.
d. damaging the economy beyond repair.

25. Ramesses II fought the Hittites to a draw at the battle of

a. Amarna.
b. Memphis.
c. Marathon.
d. Kadesh.
e. Jerusalem.

26. Transportation in western Asia was revolutionized in the Later Bronze Age by the
introduction of
a. zebra.
b. ox.
c. horses.
d. elephants.
e. wheel.

27. The prosperous civilization on the Aegean island of Crete in the second millennium BCE
was
a. Greek.
b. Macedonia.
c. Minoan.
d. Mycanae.
e. Anatolian.

28. The epic poem of Homer, The Iliad, related the story of a war between the Greeks and the
Hittites, based on the ten- year siege and eventual destruction of the city of
a. Athens.
b. Lydia.
c. Hattusha.
d. Çatal Hüyük.
e. Troy.

29. The book that Christians call the Old Testament was written in what language?
a. Linear B
b. Phoenician
c. Hebrew
d. Aramaic
e. Assyrian

30. Israel is important partly because

a. it is the site of religious shrines to Medianites.
b. it is a crossroads to the Near East, Egypt, and Arabia.
c. it is the only access to the Mediterranean.
d. it is the site of perfect center under the North Star.
e. it had access to the murex snail, which produced purple dye.

31. Which of the following poses a problem for interpreting the history of the early Israelites
from the Bible?
a. They were pastoralists who did not write down their history for nearly 1,000 years.
b. The Bible was written for religious, not historical, purposes.
c. The Hebrew Bible was written in several phases by different people.
d. Hebrew civilization was interrupted by conquest several times.
e. These are all problematic.

32. The basic Israelite political structure before King Saul was
a. rule by chieftains of the tribes supposedly descended from Joseph and Jacob.
b. patriarchal rule by the leader at Shiloh.
c. rule by whoever ruled in Jerusalem.
d. an oligarchy of judges.
e. the interpretation of prophets.
33. What was the Ark of the Covenant?
a. the ship on which Noah saved all animals and his family during the Great Flood
b. the graphic symbol of a broken circle on the Torah, symbolizing the Jewish diaspora
c. a sacred box containing the tablets of law given to Moses
d. a transcription of Abraham’s promise of monotheism in exchange for “a land of milk
and honey”
e. the pact of government from which Samuel asked Saul to be the first king

34. Diaspora means refers to the Jews being taken from their homeland to __________.
a. Egypt
b. Jordan
c. Syria
d. Anatolia
e. Babylon

35. Which of the following rituals did not aid the Jews in maintaining a strong cultural
identity after the loss of their state?
a. dietary rules
b. keeping the Sabbath
c. ritual baths
d. banning marriage with non-Jews
e. the requirement that men grow beards

36. The Phoenicians developed a system of writing based on

a. vowels.
b. consonants.
c. cuneiform.
d. hand signals.
e. hieroglyphics.

37. Carthage was founded by peoples migrating from

a. Rome.
b. Phoenicia.
c. Greece.
d. Egypt.
e. Arabia.

38. The foreign policy of the Carthaginian state

a. was neglected by the Phoenician Empire.
b. was restricted by its more powerful neighbors.
c. reflected an interest in protecting its sea trade.
d. was constantly overturned by Greek powers.
e. was based on Assyrian models.

39. The Chinese acquired silk by

a. encouraging Chinese “silk pirates” who raided merchant shipping.
b. importing raw silk from Europe.
c. hiring Japanese labor to work in textile mills.
d. conquering the neighboring Mongol regions.
e. raising silkworms and pioneering silk cloth production.

40. What does the practice of feng shui accomplish?

a. it is part of the process of silk production
b. it orients buildings in harmony with the terrain and the forces of nature
c. it scares away ghosts of the ancestors
d. it is a treatment in traditional Chinese medicine
e. it is a term for “Divine Judgment,” a kind of karmic response from Heaven

41. The dominant people in the earliest Chinese dynasty for which we have written records
(ca. 1766–1045 BCE) were the
a. Shang.
b. Zhou.
c. Scythians.
d. Daoists.
e. Magyars.

42. The people and dynasty that created the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their
rule were the
a. Shang.
b. Zhou.
c. Scythians.
d. Daoists.
e. Magyars.

43. The Mandate of Heaven meant that the ruler retained the right to rule as long as
a. he remained the strongest in the kingdom.
b. he remained a wise and principled guardian of his people.
c. he performed the correct ritual sacrifices.
d. he produced a male heir.
e. he kept the loyalty of the military.

44. Who wrote the Art of War?

a. Luoyang
b. Wu
c. Cheng
d. Sunzi
e. Kongzi

45. Confucius’ writings were handed down orally for several generations before being
compiled in written form as
a. Book of Documents.
b. Book of Songs.
c. Book of Changes.
d. Analects.
e. Spring and Autumn Annals.

46. To Confucius, the fundamental element of society was the

a. king.
b. city.
c. maintenance of tradition.
d. characteristic of respect.
e. family.

47. The greatest rival of Confucianism was

a. Daoism.
b. Confucianism.
c. Legalism.
d. Moism.
e. Rationalism.

48. Which of the following is not one of the ways that Confucian philosophy attempts to
create societal harmony?
a. By emphasizing the idea that the country is parallel to the family
b. By expanding the traditional feelings of benevolence toward family so that they apply
to all of humanity
c. By avoiding violence and promoting justice, loyalty, and dignity
d. By emphasizing the goodness of human nature and seeking to promote it through
education, particularly of public officials
e. By emphasizing individual freedoms
49. Han Fei’s writings best express what faith or philosophy?
a. Christianity
b. Buddhism
c. Confucianism
d. Legalism
e. Shintoism

50. The fundamental idea of Daoism can be summarized as

a. accepting the world as you find it, avoiding useless struggles, and adhering to the
“path” of nature.
b. unquestioning obedience to authority and reverence for structure brings success.
c. emphasizing aggressive action and radical change.
d. emphasizing communal action to promote the betterment of society.
e. technological and social progress can solve all social ills.

51. The concept of yin and yang represented the complementary nature of
a. religion and the state in Chinese society.
b. good and evil in Chinese morality.
c. male and female roles in the natural order.
d. the wisdom of age and the strength of youth.
e. warrior and emperor in times of trouble.

52. Travel along the Nile River between Egypt and Nubia was interrupted by a series of
a. cataracts.
b. raiders and nomads.
c. toll posts.
d. waterfalls.
e. deepwater lakes.

53. By 300 BCE, Celtic people were found in what regions?

a. Hungary and Turkey
b. Italy and Greece
c. Britain and France
d. Spain and Ireland
e. All of these are correct.

54. Which of the following did the Celts lack?

a. shared elements of language
b. shared elements of culture
c. shared elements of belief
d. a shared nation
e. None of these are correct.

55. What is a distinctive feature of Celtic military activity?

a. Warriors fought naked and took the heads of enemies.
b. Warriors fought with special armor.
c. Warriors used military bands to set the tempo for marching, and to keep up morale.
d. Warriors engaged in symbolic warfare, which obviated injuries.
e. Warriors fought only as a last resort after diplomacy failed.

56. Druids were

a. Celtic priests in Gaul and Britain.
b. keepers of henges.
c. the warrior elite of Germanic lands.
d. spell-casters who ate human hearts.
e. we don’t know.

57. One of the best text sources we have about the Celts was written by
a. compilers of the Bible.
b. Plato.
c. Julius Caesar.
d. Constantine the Great.
e. the Celtic historian’s guild.

58. Celtic women

a. never contributed property to a marriage.
b. had no freedom in their sexual relations.
c. could inherit their husbands’ estates.
d. were regular combatants on the battlefield.
e. were considered more “royal” than men.

59. People without permanent, fixed places of residence, whose way of life and means of
subsistence require them to periodically migrate, often with their herds of domesticated
animals, to a familiar series of temporary seasonal encampments are called
a. Sedentarians.
b. wanderers.
c. kulaks.
d. nomads.
e. rentiers.
60. Iran means
a. “land of plenty.”
b. “land of faith.”
c. “land of the Aryans.”
d. “land between the rivers.”
e. None of these are correct.

61. Irrigation in Iran was different than other areas because of the large desert plain. How did
they compensate for this?
a. Digging long canals to the few interior lakes allowed for transportation of water to
crops.
b. Vertical shafts provided access to underground irrigation.
c. Construction of the earliest known water wheels moved irrigation across long
distances.
d. They had no agriculture but relied solely on mineral resources.
e. They built dams and reservoirs to capture the mid-summer monsoonal rains.

62. The Persian king and his court moved

a. only when threatened by foreign armies.
b. at the time of the full moon.
c. every third year.
d. with the seasons.
e. never.

63. Which of the following most directly contributed to the interconnectedness of the Persian
Empire under Darius?
a. harsh punishment of subject peoples for disobeying the imperial laws
b. well-maintained and patrolled roads
c. a strong navy in the western Mediterranean Sea
d. a strong alliance with the Greeks
e. toleration for local religious beliefs

64. Which of the following is not a tenet of Zoroastrianism?

a. belief in one supreme deity
b. belief that humans would be rewarded or punished in the afterlife for their deeds
c. belief that the world was created by Ahuramazda
d. the triumph of good over evil
e. belief in reincarnation of the dead
65. Although Greece is described as “resource poor” in the chapter, it economically
prospered
a. through a brisk trade in slaves.
b. because of successful manufacturing.
c. by using a large population as a large “service” sector.
d. through access to foreign resources, markets, and ideas.
e. by frequently raiding its neighbors.

66. The name for the independent political entity common in ancient Greece was called
a. agora.
b. polis.
c. acropolis.
d. paradayadam.
e. hoplite.

67. The most auspicious gift of the Phoenicians was

a. medical knowledge.
b. political reform.
c. styles of pottery.
d. a writing system.
e. naval technology.

68. Which of the following is true of the Greek city-states?

a. Some were oligarchic and some were democratic.
b. They featured an acropolis and an agora.
c. They had fortified walls.
d. Many people living inside the fortified walls worked on nearby farms outside the
walls.
e. All of these are correct.

69. The soldiers who fought in close-formed ranks and were called up in times of war were
called
a. hyksos.
b. phalanx.
c. hoplites.
d. helots.
e. phrateries.

70. The term the Greeks used to describe someone who seized and held power in violation of
political norms of the community was _____.
a. oligarch
b. tyrant
c. elite
d. Hellenist
e. None of these are correct.

71. The Greek gods and goddesses were seen as

a. distant and removed from the affairs of humankind.
b. frightening and greedy for harsh sacrifices.
c. superhuman and immortal, but otherwise anthropomorphic.
d. role models of wisdom and morality.
e. purely fictitious, as the Greeks relied on natural philosophy.

72. The Greeks believed that their gods gave advice through
a. their sacred literary texts.
b. oracles.
c. the king, who was directly related to God.
d. shamans.
e. movements of the stars and planets.

73. Early Greek philosophers were principally concerned with all of the following EXCEPT
a. how the world was created.
b. what the world is made of.
c. why changes occur.
d. disproving divinity.
e. None of these are correct.

74. An example of the sophistication of the Greek thinkers was the development of the theory
that the world is composed of
a. ether.
b. humours.
c. elements.
d. vapors.
e. atoms.

75. The father of history in the Western tradition is

a. Pericles.
b. Herodotus.
c. Theseus.
d. Prometheus.
e. Thucydides.

76. One of the primary internal rivals to Athenian power was

a. Sparta.
b. Persia.
c. Rome.
d. Carthage.
e. Egypt.

77. Darius’ forces were defeated by the Greeks at

a. Thermopylae.
b. Marathon.
c. Ionia.
d. Plataea.
e. Salamis.

78. The transition to a literary, rather than orally based, culture is notable in the works of
a. Socrates.
b. Aristophanes.
c. Plato.
d. Euripides.
e. Aristotle.

79. How does the Peloponnesian War reveal an inherent flaw in Greek society?
a. The hoplites were unreliable because of their exclusion from politics.
b. The independent polis fostered rivalry and mistrust among neighbors.
c. The poor in Greece suffered more severe hardship than in other world societies.
d. The Greeks refused to abandon their policy of nonviolence.
e. The rivalry between helots and hoplites caused a breakdown of democracy.

80. Which of the following is not among the policies used by Alexander the Great to control
his vast empire?
a. He encouraged intermarriage to foreign women.
b. He maintained the framework of Persian administration.
c. He adopted Persian customs.
d. He established Greek-style cities.
e. He promoted mass deportations.

81. Which of the following were not “cosmopolitan” features of Hellenistic societies?
a. libraries and universities
b. the cultivation of new scholarship
c. the cultivation of art and literature
d. scientific discoveries
e. homogeneous societies

82. The essential economic activity of the early Roman state was based on
a. agriculture.
b. mercantilism.
c. mining.
d. fishing.
e. the military.

83. Which body, though technically only an advisory council, was the real center of power in
the Roman Republic?
a. The Council of Nobles
b. The Council of the Orders
c. The Senate
d. The Plebeian Council
e. The Congress of Monarchs

84. Which of the following best describes the Roman “Republic”?

a. Rome was largely governed by the aristocratic Senate.
b. Rome was not a democracy in the modern sense.
c. Sovereign power resided in an assembly of male citizens.
d. Two consuls presided over the Senate and commanded the military.
e. All of these are correct.

85. Which statement is true about Roman women?

a. They were equal to Roman men.
b. They had no say in family matters.
c. They were viewed as a child in the eyes of the law.
d. They were required to provide ten years of military service.
e. They were powerless and virtually slaves in their own homes.

86. Which of the following was the most common cause of Roman expansion?
a. aggressive fans of war in Rome
b. the short term of office of the Consuls in the senate
c. the desire to acquire buffer zones protecting them from attack by enemies
d. the mandate to impose their religion on neighboring regions
e. the presence of a large, well-maintained army
87. A significant difference in Roman expansion versus Greek was that Romans
a. did not have a standardized language.
b. extended citizenship in degrees to most conquered populations.
c. did not impose taxes.
d. conquered only to obtain slaves.
e. had no system of government in place in the new territories.

88. Between 264 and 202 BCE, Rome fought two bloody wars against
a. Greece.
b. Egypt.
c. Carthage.
d. Persia.
e. Gaul.

89. The conquest of the Celtic peoples of Gaul was accomplished by which famous Roman
general?
a. Gaius Julius Caesar
b. Marcus Aurelius
c. Octavian
d. Romulus
e. Remus

90. What was the Roman word for “broad estates,” or ranches?
a. trajan
b. gaius
c. patrician
d. latifundia
e. None of these are correct.

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91. The main reason for the decline of the Roman Republic was
a. an impoverished population.
b. political decentralization.
c. military leaders with armies loyal to them rather than to the state.
d. ongoing wars in trying to expand to an empire.
e. the subversive effect of increasingly popular monotheistic religions.

92. Which factor most contributed to the development of “pax romana”?

a. thousands of miles of well-built roads
b. Roman military might
c. the growth of commerce
d. the leadership of rulers like Augustus
e. All of these are correct.

93. The process by which the Latin language and Roman culture became dominant in the
western provinces is called
a. diasporianism.
b. cultural imperialism.
c. Hellinization.
d. Romanization.
e. dispersion.

94. How is the career of Paul an example of the “cosmopolitan” nature of the Roman
Empire?
a. He limited his proselytizing to urban areas.
b. He only converted Romans to Christianity.
c. He refused to debase himself by using anything Roman.
d. He was able to use the benefits of Roman citizenship, roads, and cities to spread
Christianity.
e. He found that both Jews and Christians readily accepted his views of Jesus as the
messiah.

95. The engineering expertise of the Romans is seen in all of these EXCEPT
a. aqueducts.
b. roads.
c. fortifications.
d. gothic cathedrals.
e. arches.

96. What was the most visible symptom of Rome’s “third-century crisis”?
a. A drained imperial treasury
b. The building of walls around Roman cities
c. Raids by Germanic tribesmen
d. The frequent change of rulers
e. The switch to a barter economy

97. What was one of the most important reasons for the economic decline in the third century
CE?
a. Massive crop failures
b. Invasions of the Huns
c. Reversion to a barter economy
d. The transition to a wage economy
e. Inability to efficiently collect taxes within the empire

98. Who reformed Rome in the third century CE and saved it from collapse?
a. Diocletian
b. Tiberius
c. Constantine
d. Brucellosis
e. Claudius

99. What decree officially ended the persecution Christianity and guaranteed freedom of
worship?
a. the Edict of Milvian Bridge
b. the Edict of Milan
c. the Proclamation of Rome
d. the Nicene Creed
e. the Code of Constantine

100. What city became the new imperial capital of the Roman Empire in 324 CE?
a. Damascus
b. Alexandria
c. Athens
d. Carthage
e. Constantinople

101. One of the primary reasons Legalists in the Qin empire opposed the Confucians
was that the latter ____.
a. desired wealth and business ownership
b. desired the independence of children
c. expected benevolent and nonviolent rulers
d. expected the rich to care for the poor
e. exalted rugged individualism

102. Which of the following would pose a huge military threat to China for centuries?
a. Confucian rebellions
b. legalist revolts
c. the Han conspiracy
d. the Xiongnu Confederacy
e. None of these are correct.
103. What was buried with the Emperor Shi Huangdi in his elaborate tomb?
a. his sword
b. his wife
c. 10,000 pounds of gold
d. an entourage of priests and servants
e. 7,000 life-sized statues of his soldiers

104. It was customary for young brides in China to

a. marry for love.
b. live with their husbands’ families.
c. continue their education after marriage.
d. play a public role in their village.
e. take over family leadership from their mothers-in-law.

105. The seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean caused by the differences in temperature
between the rapidly heating and cooling landmasses of Africa and Asia and the slowly
changing ocean waters are called
a. tsunamis.
b. waterspouts.
c. monsoons.
d. typhoons.
e. hurricanes.

106. Three harvests each year have been possible in some parts of India because of
a. the volcanic nature of the Indian soil.
b. the conservative crops grown in India.
c. high rainfall from the monsoons.
d. traditionally advanced agricultural techniques.
e. the construction of aqueducts for irrigation.

107. The varna system developed in order to create

a. a uniform legal code in India.
b. social order between groups.
c. standardized religious beliefs.
d. an integrated economic system to aid merchants.
e. a trained army of citizen soldiers.

108. In Indian culture, a person’s immortal essence is called their

a. karma.
b. jati.
c. varna.
d. atman.
e. grace.

109. The underlying message of the cycle of reincarnation is that you are where you
deserve to be, and the only way to improve your lot in the next cycle of existence is to
a. strive for economic success.
b. be the best and strongest human being you can be.
c. accept your current situation and its attendant duties.
d. always work to change your life and the world around you.
e. Enlightenment is the right of all of humanity.

110. Which class controlled Indian ritual sacrifices?

a. Shudra
b. Brahmin
c. Vaishya
d. Kshatriya
e. None of these is correct.

111. The Brahmins may have delayed the introduction of writing because
a. religious rituals depended on the performance of incantations.
b. oral tradition had survived so long that they did not have a written form of Sanskrit
until much later.
c. they were trying to protect their status within society as the keepers of knowledge.
d. they were opposed to the introduction of foreign technology.
e. they didn’t oppose writing; we just haven’t translated it yet.

112. Calling into question the priests exclusive hold on salvation, which of the
following was a way that individuals sought an alternative path to salvation?
a. practicing yoga
b. practicing meditation
c. eating a special diet
d. moving to the forest
e. All of these are correct.

113. The Hindu word moksha means

a. reincarnation.
b. love.
c. peace.
d. liberation.
e. wisdom.

114. Jainism founder Mahavira and his followers practiced strict

a. agriculture.
b. nonviolence.
c. sexuality.
d. polygamy.
e. All of these are correct.

115. Siddhartha Gautama articulated the “Four Noble Truths,” which taught that life is
suffering, that suffering is caused by desire, that the solution to suffering is curbing one’s
desires, and that
a. desire can be curbed by following the Eightfold Path.
b. life is mystical and ephemeral.
c. the meaning of life can be understood by worshiping a plethora of gods and deities.
d. humanity is sinful by nature.
e. the worship of God is the highest calling of man.

116. The “Eightfold Path” of right views includes all of the following EXCEPT
a. speech.
b. conduct.
c. meditation.
d. effort.
e. critical thought.

117. The meaning of the word Buddha is

a. “Moderation.”
b. “Middle Path.”
c. “Wheel of the Law.”
d. “Enlightened One.”
e. “Snuffing out the Flame.”

118. The ultimate spiritual reward in Buddhism is

a. material wealth.
b. nirvana.
c. everlasting life in heaven.
d. union with the ancestors.
e. union with the gods.
119. Which Hindu deity is most popular in the Dravidian south of India?
a. Shiva
b. Deva
c. Vishnu
d. Krishna
e. Kali

120. One of the most sacred places for pilgrimage in Hinduism is

a. the Deccan plain.
b. Shiva’s temple in Bengal.
c. the Khyber pass.
d. the top of the Himalayas.
e. the Ganges River.

121. One of the most important contributions made by Gupta intellectuals was the
development of the
a. the concept of zero.
b. an astronomical telescope.
c. a written Indian language.
d. a maritime compass.
e. gunpowder.

122. “Arabic numerals” were actually developed in

a. Arabia.
b. Persia.
c. China.
d. India.
e. Europe.

123. The Gupta Empire collapsed in 550 CE

a. when Emperor Gupta was charged with corruption.
b. when the Mandate of Heaven signaled the end of the dynasty.
c. after invasions by the Huns of Central Asia.
d. when popular sovereignty became the will of the people.
e. due to overspending on temple construction.

124. Most of Southeast Asia’s early commerce was conducted with

a. India and China.
b. the Sasanid Empire.
c. Egypt.
d. Armenia.
e. the Scythians.

125. The makers of the “giant head” carvings in Mesoamerica were part of which
civilization?
a. Olmec
b. Toltec l

c. Zapatac
d. Oaxacan
e. Chavin

126. The Chavin dominated a densely populated region between 900 and 250 BCE that
included large areas of
a. the Peruvian coastal plain.
b. the Sierra Madres.
c. the southern Brazilian coast.
d. the Caribbean islands.
e. None of these is correct.

O
127. What caused the collapse of Teotihuacan ca. 650 CE?
a. lack of fortification left them open to conquest by the Spanish.
b. volcanic activity
c. rival cities in competition for resources
d. governmental corruption
e. It is unclear what forces brought about the collapse.

128. The feathered serpent culture god Quetzalcoatl was believed to be

a. god of the sun.
b. god of the storm.
c. god of fertility.
d. god of eternal life.
e. god of agriculture and the arts.

129. When the Maya captured commoners, they typically enslaved them for hard labor,
while this group almost always became sacrificial victims.
a. all prisoners of war
b. drafted commoners who “lost” the lottery
c. slaves who were old or no longer valuable
d. captured nobility from other areas
e. None of these are correct.

130. Women in Maya society were

a. granted rights only while serving in temples.
b. rulers by ancient tradition and ritual.
c. allowed to live in segregated communities.
d. not allowed any rights in the patrilinear society.
e. central to the religious and economic life of every home.

131. Some scholars claim that the similarities in decorative motifs, architecture, and
urban planning between the Maya and the Toltec was because the Maya were conquered
by the Toltec, while more recent scholarship suggests
a. religious priests on pilgrimage fostered the exchange.
b. they were linked by long-term cultural exchanges.
c. exchanges of elite family members occurred.
d. attacks by other states caused the interactions and similarities.
e. None of these is correct.

132. From around 100 CE the _____ culture spread through the Ohio River Valley.
a. Anaszi
b. Mesa Verde
c. Hopewell
d. Mississippian
e. Cahokia

133. Cahokia was

a. a Maya city.
b. a Mound Builder city.
c. the center of Four Corners Pueblo peoples.
d. in the Andes.
e. a pyramid in Mexico.

134. Llamas and alpacas were valued by the Incas for

a. wool.
b. food.
c. transportation.
d. All of the these are correct.
e. None of these are correct; they were sacred to Incan religion.

135. Labor in Andean civilization was divided according to

a. ethnicity.
b. gender.
c. class.
d. the will of the overlord.
e. levels of skill.

136. The peoples of Central Asia have engaged in long-distance movement and
exchange from at least
a. 3000 BCE.
b. 2000 BCE.
c. 1000 BCE.
d. 0 CE.
e. 1000 CE.

137. General Zhang Jian is credited with travelling across the deserts and mountains of
Central Asia on behalf of Emperor Wu of which empire?
a. Babylonian
b. Mauryan
c. Chin
d. Han
<

e. Persian

138. Critical to the functioning of the Silk Road were

a. imperial guards from various kingdoms along the way for protection of merchants.
b. pastoralists who provided animals, handlers, and protection along the road.
c. water merchants in the central Asian desert.
d. Steppe agriculturalists who sold food products to travelers.
e. Ferengi merchants who initiated standardized currency rates.

139. Evidence of what revolutionary technology first comes from the Kushan people of
northern Afghanistan?
a. Chariot
b. Chain mail
c. Stirrup
d. Hardtack
e. Gunpowder

140. The mariners involved in the Indian Ocean trade were

a. almost exclusively of Indian background.
b. a multilingual and multiethnic group.
c. from many lands, but all were Muslim.
d. primarily Arabic and Persian.
e. all Africans from the sub-Saharan region.

141. Ships in the Indian Ocean Maritime System were better prepared for long-
distance travel than the Greeks because
a. they could take advantage of monsoon winds to drive their ships using triangular
lateen sails.
b. the Greeks were not interested in long-distance trade.
c. the Greeks had to cover a larger amount of territory for colonies to support their
homeland.
d. the Asian ships weren’t nailed together and sank less often.
e. Greek ships used square sails, which weighed more.

142. One difference between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean seafaring was that
a. Indian Ocean ships were not as solidly built.
b. Indian Ocean traders usually established colonies.
c. Mediterranean seamen rarely sailed far from shore.
d. Mediterranean ships relied on lateen sails.
e. Mediterranean seamen were interested only in economic gains.

143. The traders of the Indian Ocean, where distances were greater and contacts less
frequent,
a. did not tend to be multilingual.
b. rarely strayed far from the shorelines.
c. kept strong ties to their homelands.
d. seldom retained political ties with their homelands.
e. None of these are correct.

144. About 2,000 years ago, people from Southeast Asia migrated what island off the
coast of Africa?
a. Sri Lanka
b. Madagascar
c. Ceylon
d. Indonesia
e. Australia

145. Family life in the Indian Ocean coastal areas was considered more cosmopolitan
because
a. it was wealthier.
b. blended families were bicultural and bilingual.
c. they were monotheistic.
d. they were not economically tied to agriculture.
e. women were allowed to hold political offices.

146. The trans-Saharan trade routes would not have been possible were it not for the
domestication of
a. camels.
b. donkeys.
c. horses.
d. cows.
e. llamas.

147. The most convincing evidence indicates that camels were introduced to the
Sahara from
a. Arabia.
b. North Africa and the Mediterranean coast.
c. India, via the Indian Ocean trade.
d. West Africa.
e. They used camels indigenous to the area.

148. The importance of trans-Saharan trade, though slow to begin and supplemented
by Indian Ocean trade, was that it
a. connected North and South Africa.
b. spread Islam as a unifying force.
c. was conducted by people speaking derivatives of Berber.
d. allowed expansion of the Mediterranean trade market for African gold.
e. linked the Silk Road to the Sand Routes.

149. Africa is the home to approximately how many languages?

a. 250
b. 500
c. 1,000
d. 2,000
e. 2,500

150. Which of the following does not constitute a shared cultural heritage, or what
anthropologists classify as “great traditions”?
a. Political unity
b. A written language
c. Ethical codes
d. Intellectual traditions
e. Common legal and belief systems

151. Which of the following is not an example of a broad common element underlying
African life and culture?
a. Cultivation by hoe and digging stick
b. Distinctive musical characteristics
c. Concepts of kingship
d. Fixed social categories
e. A common language

152. Which of the following covered a larger and more diverse area than any other
cultural region in the first Millennium CE and had a lower overall population density?
a. the West Asian steppes
b. the Indian subcontinent
c. Europe
d. sub-Saharan Africa
e. North Africa

153. The development of ______ in Africa involved the smelting of iron in the early
first millennium CE.
a. alchemy
b. divination
c. metallurgy
d. Bantuism
e. mining

154. Most sub-Saharan languages come from one giant linguistic family, called
a. Sudanese-Zulu.
b. Swahili.
c. Semitic.
d. Niger-Kongo.
e. Bantu.

155. Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam all spread

a. only within their own countries until the nineteenth century.
b. only to their neighboring countries.
c. without dependency on a single ethnic or kinship group.
d. predominantly by warfare.
e. most often by the use of missionaries, generally sponsored by the government.
156. The Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade were most influential in fostering the
spread of which religion?
a. Judaism
b. Jainism
c. Sikhism
d. Shinto
e. Buddhism

157. What facilitated the spread of Christianity to Armenia?

a. the invention of an Armenian alphabet in the early fifth century
b. the creation of new Christian myths that included Armenian folklore
c. the excellent management of the Christian church
d. the prejudices against Buddhist monks in the cities
e. the high taxation of non-Christians in Armenia

158. The spread of Christianity into Nubia proceeded from

a. Syria.
b. Egypt.
c. Arabia.
d. Italy.
e. Ethiopia.