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Islamic Empires Pre-Test

Total questions: 61

Worksheet time: 46mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which nations had Muslim Caliphs conquered by A.D. 750? (can be more than one)

a)

Persia

b)

Syria

c)

Egypt

d)

Byzantine Empire

2.

Why were the Arabs so successful at building their empire?

a)

They were good on horseback and with the sword

b)

They were fighting for their religion.

c)

They let conquered people keep their religion.

d)

All of the above.

3.

This Muslim group spent their time praying and teaching Islam.

a)

caliphs

b)

Umayyad

c)

Sufis

d)

Shiites

4.

This group of Muslims accepted the Umayyad dynasty.

a)

Shiites

b)

Sufis

c)

Sunnis

d)

Abbasids

5.

This group of Muslims wanted Ali and his descendants to be caliphs.

a)

Sunnis

b)

Shiites

c)

Abbasids

d)

Moguls

6.

This city became the capital of the Abbasid Empire.

a)

Jerusalem

b)

Madinah

c)

Baghdad

d)

Cairo

7.

This word translates to "holder of power."

a)

sultan

b)

caliph

c)

janissary

d)

Seljuk

8.

What two things is Suleiman I known for?

a)

Building schools and mosques

b)

Fighting in World War I

c)

Expanding Ottoman territory into Europe

d)

Establishing trade with Timbuktu

9.
What are people who believe and follow the religion of Islam called?   
a)
Islams 
b)
Muslims 
c)
Arabs 
d)
Middle Easterners
10.
What is the Quran?
a)
The most holy city of Islam
b)
 The leader of the Muslim world
c)
The pilgrimage Muslims make to Mecca
d)
The holy book of Islam
11.
What direction do Muslim's face when praying?
a)
North
b)
 East 
c)
Towards the city of Mecca 
d)
 Toward the Sun
12.

Muhammad expanded Islam by conquering all of ___ first:

a)

Syria

b)

Persia

c)

Arabia

d)

Northern Africa

13.

What is a caliphate?

a)

name of the building caliphs worked in

b)

name for an Islamic kingdom/empire

c)

name for a group of Arab city-states

d)

name of a sacred Muslim text

14.

After the death of Ali, the last “rightly guided caliph,” Islam split into Sunni and Shia over a dispute about:

a)

who should be allowed to lead the Muslim community

b)

what the five pillars of Islam should be

c)

where the capital of the Muslim empire should be located

d)

whether the emperor should have more power than religious leader

15.

Most Muslims today believe any pious (religiously dedicated) Muslim can lead the Islamic world. This sect of Islam is called...

a)

Sunni

b)

Shi'a

c)

Sufi

d)

Caliph

16.

What was the Pact Muslims made when they conquered non-Muslims (like Christians)?

a)

Christians had to convert to Islam or be killed

b)

Christians could believe what they want as long as the paid a tax and obeyed Islamic law.

c)

Christians could believe what they want if they agreed to be slaves.

d)

If they did not convert they were kicked out of the empire

17.

During what time did Islam experience the peak of its golden age?

a)

Four Rightly Guided Caliphs

b)

Umayyad Caliphate

c)

Abbasid Caliphate

d)

Seljuk Turks

18.

All of the following are true about the Islamic Golden Age EXCEPT:

a)

the capital of Baghdad became a center of trade and knowledge

b)

Christian European scholars could go to the House of Wisdom, which paved the way for the European Renaissance

c)

Muslims preserved Persian, Indian, and Greek texts and made their own discoveries too

d)

Caliphs used anti-Christian propaganda to convince Muslims to hate and kill Christians during the Crusades

19.

What are the two main secs of Islam?

a)

Sufi and Baptist

b)

Sunni and Shia

c)

Shia and Yemen

d)

Lutheran and Caliph

20.

What do Muslims, Christians, and Jews have in common in their beliefs?

a)

That Jesus is God who became man.

b)

That Mecca is the holiest city in the world.

c)

Jesus was not crucified.

d)

There is only one God that created all things.

21.

What were the reasons Islam spread so quickly?

a)

They forced people to convert to Islam through conquest.

b)

They spread their beliefs through trade.

c)

Muslims made treaties with non-muslims monotheistic religious people.

d)

Muslims spread their faith through missionaries.

22.

Which of the following is not a contribution from medieval muslims?

a)

Astrolabe

b)

Compass

c)

Stitches

d)

Algebra

23.

What European country did the Muslim Empire invade and take control of?

a)

France

b)

Italy

c)

Spain

d)

England

24.

Muslims practice what religion?

a)

Christianity

b)

Islam

c)

Judaism

d)

Buddhism

25.

What is Islam?

a)

City

b)

Country

c)

Religion

d)

Philosophy

26.

What continents did Islam spread to?

a)

Africa

b)

Europe

c)

Asia

d)

North America

27.

What was the 3rd holiest city to Muslims?

a)

Mecca

b)

Medina

c)

Jerusalem

d)

Cordoba

28.

What religious group did muslims show absolutely no tolerance for?

a)

Christians

b)

Polythists

c)

Jews

d)

Sikhs

29.

Who was the first leader of Islam after Muhammad and was responsible for uniting all of Arabia?

a)

Abu Bakr

b)

Shah Jaha

c)

Charles the Hammer

d)

Ibn Batuta

30.

{Where?} Which regions of the world did Islam successfully spread to during its Golden Age?

a)

Middle East ; North Africa ; Central Asia

b)

Middle East ; North Africa ; The Americas

c)

Middle East ; Europe ; Central Africa

d)

The Americas ; Europe ; Central Asia

31.

True or False? Islam is a monotheistic religion, meaning Muslims (followers of Islam) believe in one God (Allah).

a)

True

b)

False

32.

{Where?} Before its destruction by the Mongol Empire, what city was the capital of the Islamic Caliphate and the center of learning in Arabia & Persia?

a)

Baghdad

b)

Mecca

c)

Constantinople

d)

Kabul

33.

ASTRONOMY: What invention allowed Muslim scientists to measure one's position on the planet as well as the position of various stars in the universe?

a)

Astrolabe

b)

Compass

c)

Seismometer

d)

Steel

34.

Calligraphy describes the art of beautiful ___________________.

a)

Handwriting

b)

Bookbinding

c)

Map-making

d)

Pottery-making

35.

Arabians learned about chess from Persians, but Persians learned about chess from ______________.

a)

Indians

b)

Americans

c)

Europeans

d)

the Chinese

36.

Calligraphy describes the art of beautiful ___________________.

a)

Handwriting

b)

Bookbinding

c)

Map-making

d)

Pottery-making

37.

Navigation: Using astrolabes to measure locations, Muslim scholars created __________, a book of maps of the world.

a)

an atlas

b)

a scrapbook

c)

a stele (writing on stone pillar)

d)

a film

38.

Geometric & Floral Design: Muslim architects tried to recreate the geometry of nature in their buildings. The most ornate geometric designs appear in Muslim holy places of worship, called ________.

a)

Mosques

b)

Temples

c)

Churches

d)

Synagogues

39.

Wells & Irrigation: Muslim engineers turned dry ground into fertile soil by building dams, aqueducts, and underground wells. These buildings were built to move _________.

a)

water

b)

cement

c)

fertilizer

d)

trade goods

40.

Bookmaking: Arabs & Persians learned about paper-making & book-binding from the _____________.

a)

Chinese

b)

Europeans

c)

Byzantines

d)

West African Kingdoms

41.

Mathematics: The word ______________ has an Arabic word root.

a)

Algebra

b)

Mathematics

c)

Geometry

d)

Optometry

42.

Medicine: Muslim doctors established ____________ and crafted __________ like scalpels and medical scissors.

a)

hospitals ; tools

b)

mosques ; weapons

c)

schools ; books

d)

military bases ; pharmaceuticals

43.

Zoology: Baghdad featured a large _______ where animals were surveyed and studied.

a)

Zoo

b)

School

c)

Library

d)

Constantinople

44.

Although a powerful military is often required for a Golden Age to begin, the achievements of a Golden Age are overwhelmingly ________________.

a)

Peaceful, Artistic, & Scientific

b)

Warlike

c)

Useless to the Modern World

d)

Artistic, but not Scientific

45.

A caliph (a ruler of the Islamic Caliphate), named Harun al-Rashid, funded the construction of the "House of Wisdom" in Baghdad where scientists from all over the world could meet to share their research. What modern-day place best describes the "House of Wisdom?"

a)

University

b)

Coffee Shop / Bar

c)

Congress

d)

Market / Shopping Mall

46.

Which of these statements is NOT true?

a)

The Golden age of Islam was a time when knowledge was shared in great universities in places such as Baghdad

b)

The Golden age of Islam was a time of religious terror

47.

Which of these countries which is now in Europe was part of the Islamic Empire during the Islamic Golden Age?

a)

France

b)

Spain

c)

Germany

d)

England

48.

Where did Islamic Golden age scholars look to find knowledge to build upon in their learning?

a)

Ancient Greece & Rome

b)

The Vikings & Saxons

c)

The Renaissance

d)

The Crusades

49.

The House of Wisdom was a

a)

government building

b)

market

c)

military building

d)

learning institution

50.

The ideas during the Golden age were written in

a)

French

b)

English

c)

Arabic

d)

Spanish

51.

Why did many people move to the Baghdad region by the early part of the 8th century

a)

to make a living

b)

to become political leaders

c)

to join the army

d)

to gain scientific knowledge

52.

The main religion during the golden age was Islam

a)

True

b)

False

53.

The House of Wisdom which was a combination of a library and university opened in which city?

a)

Baghdad

b)

Jerusalem

c)

Mecca

d)

Cordova

54.

The Muslim scholar al-Jabr worked to find the unknown variable in which type of Mathematics?

a)

Subtraction

b)

Addition

c)

Calculus

d)

Algebra

55.

An important medical text created by Islamic scholars that had over 200 medical instruments and translated into many languages was known as the

a)

Qu'ran

b)

Encyclopedia

c)

Method

d)

Book of Medical Tools

56.

Muslim artists used this form of writing to create artistic depictions of animals and humans without disrespecting their religion.

a)

Print Text

b)

Calligraphy

c)

Permanent Marker

d)

Cursive

57.

Which of the following is not a common architectural feature of mosques?

a)

Domes

b)

Minarets

c)

Arches

d)

Crosses

58.

What is the name of the building in the picture?

a)

Dome of the Rock

b)

Taj Mahal

c)

House of Wisdom

d)

Holy Sepulcher

59.

Muslims invented the armillary sphere and astrolabe to

a)

find the nearest source of water

b)

read the Quran and hadith.

c)

find their location and time

d)

build architectural domes

60.

Islamic _____________ became centers of learning and trade.

a)

people

b)

laws

c)

cities

d)

farms

61.

Under Islamic law _____________ had more rights than other ______ in India, Europe, and China.

a)

Slaves

b)

Converts

c)

Women

d)

Jews and Christians