1st 9 Weeks Benchmark Exam October 22-26

1. The earliest known civilization in India was the

A. Bantu.
B. Indo-European.
C. Harappan.*
D. Sumerian.
E. Hindu.

2. Much of early Harappan history remains a mystery because

A. the civilization lacks archaeological remains.
B. their language has not been translated. *
C. their records were destroyed by a Mesopotamian invasion.
D. the Aryans undertook a systematic destruction of Harappan written records.
E. the Harappans lacked a written language.

3. The Greek historian Herodotus called Egypt the "Gift of the Nile" - had known of the early Bronze Age Indus society, he might have used the phrase "the gift of the ______" to describe it.

A. Huang-He
B. Tigris
C. Indus *
D. Yangtze
E. Euphrates

4. Mohenjo-Daro was

A. the mother goddess of the earliest Indian society.
B. an important early thinker in the rise of Hinduism.
C. one of the two main cities of the Harappan society.*
D. a collection of early Indian religious texts.
E. the combination of two Indian sun gods.

5.Based on archaeological evidence from early Indian history, historians believe that

A. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro served as economic and political centers.*
B. the Harappan world was one of constant civil war.
C. the Chinese were a constant influence.
D. there was little true culture in India before the arrival of the Indo-Europeans.
E. early Indian cities remained small and unsophisticated by comparison to other ancient cities.

6.Evidence, relating to trade, indicates that Harappan India

A. was isolated and did not trade.
B. traded exclusively with China.
C. traded exclusively with Egypt.
D. imported substantially more than they exported.
E. traded with Mesopotamia and Egypt. *

7.Which statement about Harappan society is false?

A. Most of their houses featured private showers and toilets.
B. They traded extensively with the Mesopotamians.
C. They had social distinctions.
D. Their writings have provided a wealth of information for historians.*
E. They produced representational art.

8.Harappan religion

A. focused on the worship of the sun.
B. was strongly monotheistic.
C. reflected a strong concern for fertility.*
D. focused on the worship of the moon.
E. is the same as Hinduism.

9. Some scholars believe that, after the collapse of the Harappan society, Harappan deities

A. disappeared completely.
B. quickly became the only gods of the Indo-Europeans.
C. survived and found a place in the Hindu pantheon.*
D. survived in Southeast Asia after the Harappan migration.
E. were transformed into destructive dragons by the Aryans.

10. One of the biggest reasons for the decline of the Harappan society was

A. a devastating plague.
B. ecological degradation.*
C. a Chinese invasion.
D. a Mesopotamian invasion.
E. a bloody civil war.

11.The Aryans were

A. the priestly class of the Harappan society.
B. Chinese merchants.
C. the political remnants of the Harappan kings.
D. Indo-Europeans.*
E. Germanic invaders.

12.The Aryans came into India

A. in a centuries-long migration.*
B. as part of a violent, organized military campaign.
C. as religious pilgrims.
D. after fleeing persecution in China.
E. as a slave class that eventually rebelled against Harappan repression.

13.Which of the following statements about Indo-Europeans is not true?

A. They might have been the first people to domesticate horses, hitching them to carts and wagons.
B. They spread variations of their language from India to Europe.
C. Their original homeland was probably the Ukraine and southern Russia.
D. They brought the first written language to India.*
E. They consumed both dairy products and beef.

14.The biggest military advantage of the Indo-Europeans was

A. their horses.*
B. their use of bronze weapons.
C. their use of iron weapons.
D. their use of battering rams.
E. their camels.

15.The Indo-Europeans who entered India called themselves Aryans, which means

A. "agents of the lord king."
B. "horse masters."
C. "noble people."*
D. "people of Indra."
E. "the pure."

16.Which of the following lists of Persian empires is correct chronologically?

A. Achaemenids, Sasanids, Seleucids, Parthians
B. Parthians, Achaemenids, Seleucids, Sasanids
C. Sasanids, Parthians, Seleucids, Achaemenids
D. Achaemenids, Seleucids, Parthians, Sasanids*
E. Sasanids, Seleucids, Parthians, Achaemenids

17.The Medes and Persians were originally

A. Indo-European tribes.*
B. semitic-speaking nomads related to the Hyksos.
C. later Mesopotamian petty kingdoms.
D. Dravidian tribes who had fled before the arrival of the Aryans in India.
E. minor Babylonian rulers.

18.The founder of the Achaemenid Empire was

A. Xerxes.
B. Cambyses.
C. Cyrus.*
D. Darius.
E. Alexander.

19.Satrapies were

A. Mesopotamian kings.
B. Egyptian administrators.
C. Persian administrative units.*
D. demons of the Lydian underworld.
E. Arabian merchants.

20.The Persian "Eyes and Ears of the King"

A. was Ahura Mazda.
B. were satraps.
C. was a popular expression that related to the divinity of the king.
D. were spies.*
E. were the cavalry.

21. The classic Persian governmental approach was

A. the use of relentless terror to oppress the conquered tribes.
B. to impose their own religious beliefs on the peoples of the empire.
C. to appoint every governmental post with a member of the Persian royal family.
D. an enlightened and tolerant one.*
E. to kidnap members of the conquered royal families.

22.The Persian king who regularized tax levies and standardized laws was

A. Cyrus.
B. Cambyses.
C. Darius.*
D. Xerxes.
E. Alexander.

23.The center of the Persian communications network was

A. the Royal Road.*
B. the qanats.
C. the Emperor's Trail.
D. the use of Assyrian mercenary spies.
E. the Persian navy.

24.For his decision to allow them to return to their capital city and rebuild their temple, Darius received high praise from these people. Who were they?

A. Assyrians
B. Egyptians
C. Medes
D. Jews*
E. Dravidians

25.The king who failed to follow the normal Persian governing policy of toleration was

A. Darius.
B. Xerxes.*
C. Cambyses.
D. Cyrus.
E. Hammurabi.

26.Which of the following basic tenets of Zoroastrianism did not influence later religions?

A. the belief in a heaven and hell
B. the encouragement of high moral standards
C. the view of the material world as a place of temptation that had to be ignored*
D. the doctrine that individuals will undergo a final judgment
E. the belief that each individual plays a key role in determining his or her spiritual destiny

27.In the influence of geography upon culture, Chinese most closely resembles

  1. India.
  2. Egypt.*
  3. Greece.
  4. Mesopotamia.
  5. Rome.

28. The Chinese explained rebellions, civil wars, and invasions as

  1. The ruler’s loss of the Mandate of Heaven.*
  2. The whims of the gods, who played tricks on humans.
  3. The failure of the people to respect authority.
  4. A decline in the role of the family and ancestor worship.
  5. Repercussions for the interference of women in government.

29. Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism

  1. Were officially sanctioned doctrines of the Chin and Han emperors.
  2. Are religions, which developed in classical China.
  3. Emphasized the needs of the individual over the welfare of the state.
  4. Had little influence upon China and Chinese society until the late 900s C.E.
  5. Originated as responses to societal problems during times of disruption.*

30. Confucian social relationships

  1. Establish a hierarchy but insist in equal duties between peoples.
  2. Taught its practitioners to seek harmony through subordinate relationships. *
  3. Used rewards for correct behavior and punishments for transgressions.
  4. Were based on universal love and forgiveness.
  5. Stressed the welfare and the interests of the state.

31. The doctrine sponsored by the Qin Dynasty to support its state

  1. Encouraged education, new ideas, and tolerated criticism of the state.
  2. Broke the power of vassals in order to enhance the power of the emperor.*
  3. Paid the Northern nomadic groups tribute to prevent invasions.
  4. Tolerated local lords performing the functions for the central government.
  5. Used reciprocal social arrangements and scholar-officials as bureaucrats.

32.The Qin Dynasty alienated all of these groups EXCEPT:

  1. Confucian scholars through banning and burning the classical texts.
  2. Peasants through conscription and excessive labor projects.
  3. Trained bureaucrats, who no longer administered government offices.*
  4. Traditional aristocrats, who lost their lands and positions.
  5. Daoist priests.

33.During the Han Dynasty, scholar officials

  1. Lost their governmental offices to aristocrats.
  2. Came increasingly from the merchant and peasant classes.
  3. Utilized Legalism as a ruling doctrine.
  4. Insisted on harsh law codes to maintain control.
  5. Instituted a system of examination to prepare professional civil servants.*

34. The major difference between the governments of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and later Chinese dynasties was the

  1. Decreasing emphasis on the divinity of the ruler.
  2. Creation and use of the Mandate of Heaven to support dynastic rule.
  3. Length of stabile, dynastic rule.
  4. Increasing centralization and control within the state.*
  5. Use of priests to run the bureaucracy.

35. Although they varied greatly in wealth and social status in China,

  1. The commoners, especially the peasants remained the largest group.*
  2. The shi or literate elites cooperated to limit the influence of the ruler.
  3. Aristocrats owned most of the land.
  4. Women had many legal rights and protections.
  5. Urban artisans and merchants dominated Chinese society.

36. Chinese women in the Classical Age

  1. Were free to choose the men they would marry.
  2. Could become scholar-gentry provided they passed the state exams.
  3. At all class levels were legally subordinated to fathers and husbands.*
  4. Dominated the intellectual and artistic activities of China.
  5. Varied greatly in status, influence, and rights.

37. Chinese belief systems differ from Hinduism and polytheism most in

  1. Their secular outlooks on the world.*
  2. Emphasizing correct behavior and performance of rituals and rites.
  3. Concentrating on the need for the gods’ saving grace.
  4. Supporting a relative legally and social equality for women.
  5. Deifying nature.

38. Geography influenced Greek development because

  1. It made the area indefensible and open to periodic invasions.
  2. Large states formed easily around rich river valleys.
  3. Rivers formed natural avenues for trade and communication.
  4. Greece is rich in natural resources and had little need for trade.
  5. Each valley and island developed its own political traditions and states.*

39. Athenian democracy was

  1. Limited to males whose parents had both been citizens.*
  2. Allowed married couples including women to vote
  3. Permitted all residents who swore an oath to vote.
  4. Distrusted elitism and special interest groups.
  5. Created elected representatives to speak and vote for constituents.

40. In contrast to Athens, Sparta

  1. Instituted direct democracy.
  2. Permitted slavery.
  3. Relied on agriculture and extensive slave labor.*
  4. Readily accepted new ideas and supported the arts.
  5. Encouraged trade.

41. The most important result of Greek colonization between 750 and 550 B.C.E. was that it

  1. Gave Greek city-states control of Mesopotamia.
  2. Brought the Greeks into contact with Northern Europe.
  3. Established Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean Sea.*
  4. Put an end to barbarian and Persian invasions.
  5. Led to the conquest of Egypt.

42. The Hellenistic successor states

  1. Were Greek-run governments who ruled non-Hellenic peoples.*
  2. Expanded Alexander’s original conquests.
  3. Discouraged trade and innovation, relying instead on slave labor.
  4. Brought cohesion to Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean.
  5. Encouraged cultural unity as a method of unifying their states.

43. The major impact of Alexander the Great’s conquests was

  1. The elimination of foreign influences from Greek culture.
  2. The establishment of a unified government for the Eastern Mediterranean.
  3. The birth of mystery religions and the forced migration of the Jews.
  4. The spread of Greek culture throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.*
  5. The destruction of regional trade and commerce.

44. In comparison to the Hindus, Persians and Chinese, religiously the Greeks

  1. Most resembled Hinduism’s polytheism with its caste system.
  2. Never developed a major religion.*
  3. Developed a compassionate system similar to Buddhism.
  4. Sought universal harmony in a manner similar to Daoism.
  5. Avoided portraying gods with human characteristics.

45. Greek philosophers attempted to understand human nature through

  1. Emotion, especially the desire for love and brotherhood.
  2. Its rigid adherence to societal norms with rewards and punishments.
  3. Human sin, salvation, and redemption.
  4. Human relationships to the state and society at large.
  5. Rational observation and deduction.*

46. Greek art and culture emphasized all of these qualities EXCEPT:

  1. Human achievement and striving.
  2. Public utility and usefulness.
  3. Order, symmetry, and balance.
  4. Realism.
  5. Atheism.*

47. While Greek society and economics arose out of a agricultural warrior culture, it

  1. Tolerated trade and merchants but remained suspicious of them.*
  2. Adopted mercantile cultural values.
  3. Relied solely on small independent farmers and few aristocratic estates.
  4. Switched to pastoral nomadic ways of life to resolve overpopulation.
  5. Encouraged and rewarded trade.

48. Mediterranean agriculture under the Greeks and Romans was

  1. Extremely efficient and self-sufficient, supplying large surpluses for trade.
  2. Not as dependent on irrigation as were other classical civilizations.
  3. Relied heavily on imported grain stuffs and the export of cash crops.*
  4. Yielded insufficient surpluses to support high urban populations.
  5. Favored the small farmers instead of the large, landed estates.

49. With the Hellenistic world Greeks formed the

  1. Middle or merchant class.
  2. Slave class.
  3. Administrative and intellectual classes.*
  4. Religious caste.
  5. Worker caste.

50. In the Greek classical world, gender norms

  1. Encouraged equality but only for aristocratic women.
  2. Allowed women vital economic roles, but left the male in firm control of the family.*
  3. Allowed women from agricultural and artisan families great influence, but limited the rights of aristocratic women.
  4. Allowed women greater economic roles than other classical societies.
  5. Gave women no rights.

51. Roman classic culture

  1. Owed a great deal of its diversity to trade with China.
  2. Developed in relative isolation.
  3. Borrowed heavily, especially from the Greek and Hellenistic states.*
  4. Influenced heavily the cultures of Africa and Southwest Asia.
  5. Was highly innovative in the arts and science.

52. Under the Roman Republic

  1. All citizens had an equal voice in government.
  2. Aristocrats warred constantly with each other and other states in the area.
  3. Written law had little significance.
  4. Roman elites emphasized patron-client relationships.*
  5. The small independent farmers dominated the political assemblies.

53. Unlike most Greek city-states, Republican Rome

  1. Had no aristocratic class.
  2. Developed a balanced government that experienced fewer domestic tensions.*
  3. Preferred a monarchical form of government.
  4. Granted women and foreigners the right to vote and citizenship.
  5. Never allowed the plebeians to participate in government.

54. Rome successfully expanded for all of these reasons EXCEPT:

  1. It possessed a disciplined, trained military.
  2. It had a rich agricultural economy, which supported a large population.
  3. Roman government proved flexible and tolerant.
  4. Roman leaders made citizens out of conquered elites.
  5. It had no organized and powerful rivals to oppose expansion in the area.*

55. All of these were consequences of Roman expansion during the last two centuries B.C.E. EXCEPT

  1. Depopulation of the countryside and cities.*
  2. New trade developed and a merchant class arose.
  3. Wealth enriched the upper classes, while impoverishing the lower classes.
  4. Slavery increased.
  5. Political unrest led to several civil wars.

56. The major weakness of Rome’s imperial government was

  1. The senility and insanity of many Roman emperors.
  2. The lack of a reliable process to determine who would be emperor.*
  3. The inability to collect taxes.
  4. The inexperience of the Roman army.
  5. The lack of a trained bureaucracy.

57. Unlike Qin legalist philosophy, Roman imperial law

  1. Harshly punished mistakes and rewarded success.
  2. Was intolerant of innovation.
  3. Insisted on centralization of government and absolutist rule.
  4. Rested heavily on toleration and local autonomy.*
  5. Distrusted the military and military rule.

58. Far more than classical Greece, India, or China, slavery in Rome

  1. Was hereditary.
  2. Granted no rights or protections to slaves.
  3. Was lenient and refused to enslave the young or the elderly.
  4. Dominated the labor markets – Rome became dependant on slavery.*
  5. Encouraged Romans to develop their technology in agriculture and industry.

59. The map above indicates that

A. Mali was a major source and hub of the gold trade*

B. Europeans had begun to make inroads in West Africa

C. Mali remained isolated from Europe and the Middle East

D. Atlantic ports were crucial for the transportation of salt and gold

E. European slave trade through Sub-Saharan Africa

MAJOR AFRO-EURASIAN LONG-DISTANCE TRADE ROUTES

(circa 1500 C.E.)

60. Which of the following about Afro-Eurasian trade is supported by the map above?

  1. The states of the Middle East did not participate in the Indian Ocean trading system.
  2. The Ottoman Empire was located at the intersections of major trading routes.*
  3. The Delhi Sultanate relied primarily on sea routes to participate in the silk trade across Asia.
  4. The Islamic states of West Africa maintained close commercial ties with eastern Europe.
  5. The states of South Asia were in constant interaction with the people of East Africa for the spice trade.