India
China
Greece
Rome
Primary Sources
100

 

Which river valley was home to the early cities Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro?

  • A. Nile River
  • B. Indus River
  • C. Tigris-Euphrates
  • D. Yellow River
  • B. Indus River
100

Which river is often called the "Yellow River" and was crucial to early Chinese civilization?

  • A. Chang Jiang
  • B. Indus
  • C. Mekong
  • D. Huang He
  • D. Huang He
100

Which sea helped the Greeks trade with other lands?

  • A. Baltic Sea
  • B. Red Sea
  • C. Aegean Sea
  • D. Black Sea
  • C. Aegean Sea
100

On which peninsula did Rome develop?

  • A. Iberian Peninsula
  • B. Italian Peninsula
  • C. Balkan Peninsula
  • D. Scandinavian Peninsula
  • B. Italian Peninsula
100
  • Excerpt: From an inscription by Ashoka after the Kalinga war: "Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, conquered the Kalingas. One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed, many more died. Having won what, then, was the profit? For what cause?" What view does Ashoka express here?
    • A. He is proud of the deaths and deportations
    • B. He blames his generals only
    • C. He plans more wars of expansion
    • D. He questions the value of violent conquest and suffering
  • D. He questions the value of violent conquest and suffering
200

Who is the founder or primary teacher associated with Buddhism?

  • A. Confucius
  • B. Siddhartha Gautama
  • C. Ashoka
  • D. Krishna
  • B. Siddhartha Gautama
200

Who taught the ideas that became Confucianism?

  • A. Laozi
  • B. Confucius
  • C. Qin Shi Huang
  • D. Sun Tzu
  • B. Confucius
200

Who is the ancient poet traditionally credited with writing the Iliad and the Odyssey?

  • A. Plato
  • B. Socrates
  • C. Homer
  • D. Aristotle
  • C. Homer
200

What body of water did Rome control that helped trade and military power?

  • A. Atlantic Ocean
  • B. Pacific Ocean
  • C. Mediterranean Sea
  • D. Indian Ocean
  • C. Mediterranean Sea
200
  • Excerpt: From a legal reform record: "Laws are written clearly so officials will rule consistently; punishments are set to keep order across the land." What principle is this describing?
    • A. Rule by random decision
    • B. Legalism: strict laws and clear punishments to maintain order
    • C. No laws at all
    • D. Leaving lawmaking only to local villages
  • B. Legalism: strict laws and clear punishments to maintain order
300

What was the caste system in ancient India?

  • A. A type of government election
  • B. A trading network across the subcontinent
  • C. A social system dividing people into hereditary groups
  • D. A set of religious festivals
  • C. A social system dividing people into hereditary groups
300

What is the Mandate of Heaven?

  • A. A written law code during the Qin dynasty
  • B. The belief that heaven grants rulers the right to rule if they govern justly
  • C. The Chinese system of writing
  • D. A type of military command used by generals
  • B. The belief that heaven grants rulers the right to rule if they govern justly
300

Which city-state was famous for its navy and for developing democracy?

  • A. Sparta
  • B. Thebes
  • C. Corinth
  • D. Athens
  • D. Athens
300
  • What was the Roman Republic?
    • A. A period when Rome was ruled by emperors
    • B. A system in which citizens elected officials and had representative institutions
    • C. A loose collection of tribes with no government
    • D. A theocracy led by priests


  • B. A system in which citizens elected officials and had representative institutions
300
  • Excerpt: From a Greek historian describing the Persian Wars: "Though outnumbered, Greek city-states united at Thermopylae and Marathon, showing courage and shared purpose." What idea does this passage emphasize about the Greek city-states?
    • A. They could unite to defend against a larger empire 
    • B. They never worked together
    • C. They were always under Persian rule
    • D. They were a single unified nation from the start
  • A. They could unite to defend against a larger empire
400

Which emperor converted to Buddhism and sent missionaries across Asia in the 3rd century BCE?

  • A. Ashoka
  • B. Chandragupta Maurya
  • C. Harsha
  • D. Akbar

A. Ashoka

400

Which dynasty first unified China under a centralized bureaucracy and gave its name (in some languages) to China?

  • A. Han
  • B. Ming
  • C. Tang
  • D. Qin
  • D. Qin
400

What is democracy?

  • A. Rule by one king
  • B. Rule by a small group of nobles
  • C. Rule only by military leaders
  • D. Rule by laws with citizen participation in decisions
  • D. Rule by laws with citizen participation in decisions
400

Which of the following was a major Roman engineering achievement?

  • A. The building of pyramids
  • B. The invention of paper
  • C. Construction of roads and aqueducts
  • D. Development of the silk trade
  • C. Construction of roads and aqueducts
400
  • Excerpt: From a Roman engineer’s note: "We build arches and bridges strong enough for legions to march, and aqueducts bring water into the city." What achievements does this note highlight?
    • A. Military clothing styles
    • B. Engineering: roads, bridges, aqueducts
    • C. New religious rituals
    • D. Agricultural ceremonies
  • B. Engineering: roads, bridges, aqueducts
500

Which of the following is a major scientific or cultural contribution of the Gupta Empire?

  • A. Development of the decimal place-value system and concept of zero
  • B. Construction of the Great Wall
  • C. Creation of the Latin alphabet
  • D. Founding of the city of Rome
  • A. Development of the decimal place-value system and concept of zero
500

 Which technology is an important Chinese invention that helped navigation and later warfare?

  • A. Aqueducts
  • B. Archimedean screw
  • C. Compass
  • D. Concrete
  • C. Compass
500

Which is a key difference between Athens and Sparta?

  • A. Athens focused on military training while Sparta emphasized drama and arts
  • B. Sparta had a strong navy while Athens had no ships
  • C. Athens emphasized education, arts, and democracy; Sparta emphasized military training and strict discipline
  • D. Both city-states had identical governments and cultures
  • C. Athens emphasized education, arts, and democracy; Sparta emphasized military training and strict discipline
500

Which was a major reason for the decline of the Western Roman Empire?

  • A. Isolation from other cultures
  • B. Military overextension and pressure from invasions
  • C. Conversion to democracy
  • D. Discovery of new trade routes to the Americas
  • B. Military overextension and pressure from invasions
500
  • Excerpt: From a late-Rome senator’s speech: "Corruption, weak leaders, and constant civil wars have worn out the state; our people are poorer and the frontiers less safe." Which causes of Rome’s problems does this speech describe?
    • A. Only natural disasters
    • B. Political corruption, weak leadership, civil war, and economic decline
    • C. A sudden loss of interest in farming
    • D. An abundance of resources and peace
  • B. Political corruption, weak leadership, civil war, and economic decline
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