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World History Midterm Study Guide

Total questions: 27

Worksheet time: 54mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Use the timeline above to answer the question How does this timeline of European political and intellectual history represent the time period 1400 to 1900?

a)

It shows the interest in new worlds and new societies in the New World

b)

It shows how important the government was to the development of culture

c)

It shows the rise of interest in new ideas about science and medicine

d)

It shows the rise of new ideas and learning and the impact on politics

2.

Characteristics of the Pax Mongolia

1. Mongol conquerors began to settle in new territories and blend with the local population

2. Mongol emperors of China built new canals to improve transportation and communication

3. Mongol rulers of Persia were patrons of the arts and helped its silk trade with China

4. The Mongol policy of free trade zones encouraged trade across Asia

5. The Mongols allowed freedom of religion which encouraged the spread of Islam

6. Mongol emperor Kublai Khan failed to conquer Japan because of great storms

What conclusions can you make about the impact of the Pax Mongolia from the information above?

a)

Mongols helped bring about great cultural diffusion across Asia

b)

Mongols killed all the people they conquered, stopping trade routes

c)

Mongols forced all conquered peoples to convert to their traditional religion

d)

Mongols added all of Europe and Asia to their empire

3.

Admiral Zheng He’s voyages lasted from 1409 to 1433. Christopher Columbus’ voyages lasted from 1492 to 1504. What can be inferred from the comparison of both their ships in the above image?

a)

Shipbuilding technology was more advanced under the Ming Empire than in Europe at the same time

b)

European empires grew wealthy from the exploration and conquests of the Americas

c)

Columbus’ voyages were much more historically significant than those made by Admiral Zheng He

d)

The Ming empire lacked the ability to create ships meant to explore other parts of the world

4.

When Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama arrived at Calicut on India's southwestern coast in May 1498, he was asked by an Indian official what he came for. He is reported to have replied, "Christians and spices." Sometime after 1521, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, the chronicler of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, wrote that he went to the New World "to serve God and His Majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness, and to grow rich, as all men desire to do." Early in the seventeenth century, the Englishman Walter Raleigh, about to set out to search for the mythical El Dorado, said his purpose was "To seeke new worlds, for golde, for praise, for glory."

Use the excerpt to answer the question. How did the motivations of the Explorers increase global interactions and trade patterns?

a)

They encouraged the explorers to push to even further reaches of established trade routes

b)

They allowed the explorers to light the way for those who came after them.

c)

They encouraged the explorers to bring back new political and economic ideas

d)

They allowed the explorers to serve god in new and different ways as they traveled

5.

The [Protestant] reformation was a combination of several factors: a century of dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church, whose popes and bishops were demonstrating an increasing abuse of spiritual power for political and material gain; Henry VIII’s [English King) desire to obtain a divorce and the Catholic Church’s refusal to grant him one; and the political ambitions of members of Henry’s court. 

The turning point came in 1527 when Henry VIII, then married to Catherine of Aragon, desperate for a male heir, and in love with Anne Boleyn, was refused a divorce.

Apart from the ideological reasons for the pope’s refusal, there were political considerations as well. Catherine of Aragon was the aunt of the Emperor Charles V of Spain (the Holy Roman Emperor) whose army surrounded Rome.

Henry maneuvered successfully to make Cranmer [an educated clergyman, advisor to the King] the new Archbishop of Canterbury [highest rank in Church of England], obtained his required divorce and, in 1534, the Act of Supremacy was issued. It formalized the break with Rome, making Henry the Supreme Head of the now independent Church of England.

Use the source to answer the question. How did the Protestant Reformation impact the rise of England?

a)

It established the right of Kings to divorce and marry whomever they wanted

b)

It allowed the King to consolidate his power by becoming head of the Church of England.

c)

It allowed people to chose whom to marry and divorce without Church oversight

d)

It established the Catholic Church as the leader of Christianity because it had an army

6.

What was one of the major purposes of the trade routes shown on this map?

a)

by publishing maps and detailed accounts of overseas voyages

b)

to supply a source of labor for plantations in the Caribbean

c)

to supply raw materials for factories in North America

d)

to provide transport for Andean miners across the Atlantic

7.

In the following excerpt, the Muslim scholar and traveler Ibn Battuta describes his journey to Taghadda, a city of West Africa’s Songhai Empire: 

I then set out in the direction of Taghadda by land with a large caravan of merchants . . . I had a riding camel and a she-camel to carry my provisions. We pushed on rapidly with our journey until we reached Taghadda . . . The inhabitants of Taghadda have no occupation except trade. They travel [by caravan] to Egypt every year, and import quantities of all the fine fabrics to be had there and of other Egyptian [products]. . . . The copper mine is in the outskirts of Taghadda . . . [the copper bars are] their medium of exchange; with the thin bars they buy meat and firewood, and with the thick, slaves male and female, millet, butter, and wheat. 

 

Use the above excerpt to answer the question. What conclusion about trade in the Songhai Empire is supported by the excerpt?

a)

Trade caravans allowed the Songhai Empire to exchange their valuable metals for commodities and luxury items.

b)

Trade caravans prevented the Songhai traders from selling their goods to overseas customers.

c)

Songhai traders traveled to Egypt to seek ores and other valuable minerals for building materials

d)

Songhai traders welcomed travelers to their cities in hopes of selling them fabrics and food items

8.

Based on this map, which geographic factor directly affected the timing and direction of travel and trade on the Indian Ocean?

a)

Monsoons

b)

Smooth coastlines

c)

Island harbors

d)

Straits

9.

Based on the above map, what is one region of the world that Admiral Zheng He was unable to visit?

a)

Eastern Africa

b)

Eastern Europe

c)

Southern Asia

d)

Southeast Asia

10.

The wealth and prosperity of the Mali and Songhai Empires were dependent on controlling the trade of

a)

coal and water

b)

gold and salt

c)

iron copper

d)

tea and cotton

11.

Which statement best describes the benefit of studying past events from multiple points of view

a)

Using primary sources allows historians access to official records

b)

Viewing history chronologically shows how eras overlap from one time period to the next.

c)

Examining different perspectives gives a more complete picture of historical circumstances

d)

Evaluating the roles of specific individuals in history helps determine personal contributions

12.

The Ten Commandments are to Judaism as the Five Pillars are to

a)

Hinduism

b)

Buddhism

c)

Shinto

d)

Islam

13.

Foot binding in post-classical China is an example of the...

a)

increasingly dominant male role in Chinese society based on Neo-Confucianism

b)

technological brilliance of the Song dynasty

c)

influence of Buddhist customs as the religion became popular through China

d)

influence of Japanese traditions on the Chinese

14.

The mobility of individual soldiers made it possible to send Mongol cavalry on successful scouting missions, gathering intelligence about routes and searching for terrain suited to the preferred combat tactics of the Mongols… To avoid the deadly hail of missiles, enemies would frequently spread out, or seek cover, breaking up their formations and making them more vulnerable to the lancers' charges. Likewise, when they packed themselves together, into dense square or phalanx style formations, they would become more vulnerable to the arrows.

How was Genghis Khan able to create the largest land empire in history?

a)

By setting up regional Mongolian governors to directly manage his conquered peoples

b)

By using armies of horse archers and setting up tributary states of conquered regions

c)

By forming alliances with rival kingdoms and unifying peoples under Buddhism

d)

By borrowing the phalanx tactics of the Romans to create a similar era of peace

15.

What was a significant effect of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca?

a)

The African written language spread to southwest Asia

b)

Islamic learning and culture expanded in Mali

c)

Military leaders eventually controlled Mali.

d)

The trading of gold for salt ended.

16.

The spread of Islam into the kingdoms of Ghana and Mali occurred because of...

a)

imperialism

b)

cultural diffusion

c)

ethnocentrism

d)

self-determination

17.

How did the revolution in printing contribute to increased global interaction during the Renaissance?

a)

by providing free books to all people

b)

by requiring people to read scripture

c)

by increasing profits from publishing

d)

by making it easier to spread ideas

18.

How did movements like the Protestant Reformation contribute to the rise of nation-states?

a)

It ended the practice of serfdom.

b)

It gave the right of self-government

c)

It united all Christians under one leader

d)

It challenged the absolute power of the pope

19.

The kingdoms of Ghana and Mali became prosperous and powerful because of

a)

their participation in the gold and salt trade

b)

the military protection provided to them by the Egyptians

c)

their dependence on legalism to enforce social control

d)

the tax revenue they collected from Christian missionaries

20.

One way in which the voyages of Zheng He authorized by Emperor Yongle of China and the explorations funded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain are similar is that these voyages and explorations resulted in

a)

an increasing effort to preserve the status quo

b)

trade and cultural diffusion

c)

the creation of colonial empires

d)

the creation of colonial empires

21.

The kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were all able to achieve golden ages in part because of their

a)

reliance on sugar plantations in the Niger delta

b)

control of trans-Saharan trade routes

c)

discovery of oil reserves in the Gulf of Guinea

d)

ability to use the natural harbors on the Atlantic Ocean coast

22.

Which pair of countries is most affected by monsoons?

a)

Ghana and Argentina

b)

Algeria and Turkey

c)

India and China

d)

Cuba and Afghanistan

23.

What was one effect of the expansion of Islam between 632 and 750?

a)

Armed conquest was forbidden by the caliphs

b)

Cultural and commercial connections were established over a sizable region

c)

A majority of the western European population converted

d)

A single centralized authority governed an area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River

24.

Which technological innovation was essential to stimulate the expansion of the gold-salt trade in West Africa?

a)

lateen sail

b)

camel caravans

c)

iron cannons

d)

moveable type

25.

Which field of study primarily focuses on governmental powers and the rights of citizens?

a)

economics

b)

archaeology

c)

geography

d)

political science

26.

What was one reason China ended overseas exploration after the death of Zheng He in 1433?

a)

China’s fleet of ships was destroyed by European navies

b)

Tribute payments to the Japanese shogunate drained the Ming treasury

c)

The Ming dynasty ended the authority of Confucian scholars.

d)

The Chinese government decided to focus its efforts on internal affairs.

27.

Most of which continent came under Mongol influence and rule?

a)

Africa

b)

Asia

c)

Europe

d)

South America