SS 21 – World History
District Test Review Guide
Early Civilizations
1) Define prehistory
2) What are the two major developments during the prehistoric period that led to the formation of villages?
3) What are the characteristics of a civilization?
4) Why did Early Civilizations develop around rivers? Name one early civilization, the river it developed around and give three reasons why that river was important to the civilization.
5) Identify the names of the river/rivers that these civilizations developed around.
- Egypt
- Mesopotamia
- China
- India
6) Be able to locate the above civilizations on a map.
7) What was Hammurabi’s most significant contribution to civilization? And is based on what concept?
8) List the writing systems for the following civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, China
9) Define polytheism
10) Define monotheism
11) Identify the first monotheistic religion.
12) Fill in the following chart:
Religion / Monotheistic or Polytheistic? / Founder / Name of Sacred Text / Basic Beliefs / Holy Cities/PlacesJudaism
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
13) Define karma, reincarnation, resurrection.
14) Define caste system.
15) What two cultures blended to create Hinduism?
16) What are the two main divisions in Islam?
17) List the Five Pillars.
18) Discuss the Ten Commandments.
19) What are the Four Noble Truths?
20) Who was the founder of Confucianism?
21) Education, social and civic responsibility, and a bureaucracy/civil service are all a part of what value system/philosophy?
22) What is the name of the text that contains Confucisious’ teachings?
23) Define cultural diffusion.
24) List and describe three contributions that the Chinese have made to later civilizations.
25) What was China’s longest dynasty?
26) Describe the importance of the Silk Road.
Greece
27) Name and define Greece’s most enduring contribution to future governments.
28) What is a city-state and what geographic/topographic features led to their development?
29) The Greek victory in which series of wars leads to the start of their “Golden Age?”
30) Who was the Greek philosopher who was a student of Socrates and wrote The Republic?
31) Who was Socrates? What is the Socratic Method?
32) Which Greek philosopher studied biology, astronomy, zoology (animals), ethics, and many other subjects?
33) Who was the Greek writer who wrote epic poems such as the Iliad and the Odyssey?
34) Which Macedonian/Greek leader conquered many lands and spread Greek culture?
35) Be able to locate the extent of Alexander’s Empire on a map.
36) Define Hellenism.
37) In which war did Sparta defeat Athens and bring about the end of the Golden Age?
38) List Greece’s contributions to future civilizations.
39) Pythagoras is best known for his contribution to which field of study?
40) Parthenon - what feature of it is characteristic of Greek architecture?
Rome
41) Define missionary. List early Christian missionaries.
42) List Rome’s contributions to future civilizations.
43) Define republic.
44) Define veto.
45) Define codification of law.
46) Why are the following people important to Roman history?
- Julius Caesar
- Augustus
- Constantine
47) What Roman innovations contributed to the Empire’s expansion?
48) What was the Pax Romana?
49) Identify the Roman Empire at its peak on a map.
50) Discuss three reasons why the Roman Empire fell.
World In Transition
51) What is the title of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church?
52) What led to split of Christianity into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches?
53) What part of the old Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire? What is one way that Greek and Roman culture was preserved?
54) Which Byzantine Emperor built many churches such as the Hagia Sofia, created many public buildings, created a bureaucracy/civil service, and codified and simplified Roman Law?
55) Which Empire conquered Constantinople near the end of the Middle Ages?
56) Be able to identify the Ottoman Empire at its peak on a map.
57) What document was signed by King John of England in 1215 and limited the power of the monarchy and guaranteed citizens certain basic rights?
58) Compare the class structure in Japanese and European feudalism.
59) Describe the effects of the Crusades.
60) What caused the bubonic plague? What were the effects of the bubonic plague?
Renaissance and Reformation
61) Define patrons .
62) Study works of art from the Renaissance.
63) What does the term “Renaissance” mean? During the Renaissance, what two past civilizations does the term “classical” refer to?
64) Discuss three results of the Renaissance.
65) Who developed many scientific innovations and also painted the Mona Lisa?
66) Discuss the impact of Machiavelli’s The Prince.
67) Name the city that claims to be the “birthplace of the Renaissance” in Italy.
68) Define perspective in terms of art.
69) Define humanism.
70) What is the printing press and explain its significance to the Reformation?
71) Define denomination.
72) What denominations did the following people begin?
- Henry VIII
- John Calvin
- Martin Luther
73) Define vernacular.
74) The Italian author Dante wrote The Divine Comedy in the vernacular. What language did he write this book in?
75) Who put heretics on trial for speaking out against the Catholic Church?
76) Define secular.
77) What European leader wanted to divorce his wife in order to have a son and founded the Anglican Church as a result?
78) Discuss the impact of the 95 Theses during the period of Reformation.
79) Analyze the causes and effects of the Reformation.
80) During the Reformation, what does the term “Protestant” mean?
81) Define predestination and name the man who began a denomination of which this idea was a fundamental part.
82) What did the Catholic Church do in response to the Protestant Reformation and what was this movement known as?
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SS 21 District Test Review Guide