Ca#2 quiz/articles on imperalism

Read the following statement.

The colonization of Africa by European countries was politically and economically motivated.

Which sentence from the article BEST supports the statement above?

• As the century progressed, the goals of exploration changed, and rather than traveling out of pure curiosity, explorers started to record details of markets, goods and resources for the wealthy businessmen who financed their trips.

• Britain, France and Germany were each trying to maintain their strong position in Europe, and an overseas empire seemed the best way to secure and expand their strength and wealth.

• Italy began its colonization of Eritrea in 1882, and in 1884, Germany created the colonies of South West Africa, Cameroon, German East Africa and Togo

Read the selection from the section "Commerce."

By the 1880s, the European trade in slaves, once a source of great wealth, had ended. Its disappearance created a desire for new types of commerce between Europe and Africa.

Which of the following can be inferred from the selection above?

• The European trade in slaves was terminated because it was no longer very profitable.

• European countries decided to end the slave trade because they realized that colonies in Africa would be more profitable.

• European countries had made a lot of money by buying and selling African people before the Scramble for Africa began.

According to the article, which of the following people or groups would MOST LIKELY agree with the idea that the most important reason to explore Africa was to gain knowledge?

• Henry Morton Stanley

• King Leopold II of Belgium

• members of the African Association

• participants in the Berlin Conference

According to the article, which of the following BEST represents Henry Morton Stanley's approach to securing land in Africa?

• slow and cautious

• insistent and strategic

• cruel and violent

Read the following statement.

The Chinese government had no choice but to support the Boxers in their rebellion against foreign powers.

Which selection from the article BEST supports this statement?

• The Chinese people had considered themselves to be subjects of the Middle Kingdom, the center of the entire civilized world, so, in their eyes, rude barbarian foreigners had arrived and begun pushing Chinese people around.

• The movement included many mystical or magical elements such as the belief that the Boxers could make themselves invincible with respect to bullets and knives.

• The government was run by the Qing dynasty, which belonged to the Manchu ethnic group. This was a minority in China, as the vast majority of Chinese were ethnically Han.

• Caught between the threatening western foreigners on the one hand, and an enraged Han Chinese population on the other, the Empress Dowager Cixi and other Qing officials were initially unsure how to react to the Boxers. Eventually, they decided that the foreign powers posed a greater threat.

Read the selection from the section "The Opium Wars and foreign influence."

As a consequence of military defeats, China was forced to keep importing an addictive drug called opium for the benefit of British trade. It was also forced to open certain ports for free trade with foreign powers and give up control over some of its territories. Japan established itself as the dominant power in Asia, a title that had previously been maintained by China. The Chinese government was also forced to pay heavy sums to the victors of each conflict.

What can be inferred from this selection?

• The Chinese had almost wiped out the opium trade before being forced to continue it.

• The Chinese felt they were being unfairly punished for their military defeats.

• China was willing to share power in Asia with Japan but not with other countries.

• China only gave up control of territories that it did not see as being very valuable.

Which of the following BEST represents the Boxers' approach to foreigners in the article?

• Boxers believed that foreign powers did not appreciate their proud Chinese culture, but they were not as upset with them as with Chinese people who converted to Christianity.

• Boxers believed that foreign powers were disrupting their proud Chinese culture and that anyone who did not meet their idea of what it meant to be Chinese should be driven out.

• Boxers believed that foreign powers could be beneficial for China by providing greater trade opportunities, but also that they were a threat to traditional Chinese religion.

• Boxers believed that foreign powers were a threat to its imperial dynasties and that they must protect the Empress Cixi from outsiders who wanted to remove her from power.

Read the sentence from the article.

When resistance from its black workers threatened United Fruit’s authority, the company sought to build a divided workforce by recruiting local Central Americans.

Does this sentence support a central idea of the article? Why or why not?

• Yes, it demonstrates how big businesses maintained their power in the region

• Yes, it shows that workers were unhappy with the authority of businesses in the region.

• No, it does not support the idea that the government grew more powerful than businesses.

• No, it does not relate to the government's intervention in political matters in the region.

Which statement BEST represents Roosevelt's approach to Cuban and Panamanian politics?

• Roosevelt supported independence movements in those countries so that the U.S. could gain greater control over business there.

• Roosevelt believed it was important to keep U.S. support for independence movements in those countries a secret from the rest of the world.

• Roosevelt thought it was a mistake to get involved in Cuban politics, but later repeated the action in Panama.

• Roosevelt wanted those countries to gain their independence so they could set up democracies and free trade.

How does the article develop the idea that U.S. businesses exerted a lot of power in Central America and the Caribbean?

• through an outline of Theodore Roosevelt's "Dollar Diplomacy"

• through a quotation of Theodore Roosevelt's opinions of Cuba

• through a report on the United Fruit Company after World War II

• through a description of the United Fruit Company's expansion