Ancient Civilizations
Which is the first civilization to have a written language?
A) Mesoamerican
B) French C) Mesopotamia
D) Sumeria
E) Pakistan
D) Sumeria
Sumeria was the home of the first written language.
After 1492, which of the following pair of American plants were introduced to Europe, Africa and Asia?
(A) sugar cane and rice (B) tomatoes and potatoes (C) millet and wheat (D) barley and oats (E) rice and wheat
(B) tomatoes and potatoes
A piece of land used for a vassal’s source of income:
A) Lord
B) Feudal
C) Fief
D) Plebian
E) None of the above
C) Fief
A lord granted land, or a fief to a vassal who would then work the lord’s land and the fief to provide an income for him and his family.
In which ancient Greek city-states were women permitted to own land and other property and to make economic decisions on their own?
Sparta
Which of the following was a major innovation of the Renaissance period?
(A) The use of linear perspective in painting (B) The use of marble as a medium for statuary (C) The dome (D) The portico (E) Fresco painting
(A) The use of linear perspective in painting
King Nebuchadnezzar II is most famous for:
A) Great Wall
B) Coliseum
C) Sphinx
D) Pyramids
E) The Hanging Gardens
E) The Hanging Gardens
The Hanging Gardens are said to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Which of the following contributed to Portugal’s lead in overseas expansion in the fifteenth century?
I. The creation of accurate maps
II. The development of better navigational instruments
III. Improvement in the design of ships
IV. Availability of large numbers of galley slaves
(C) I, II, and III only
Which of the following a significant influence in constitutional government?
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was written in England and gave English subjects of the King specific legal rights such as allowing appeals.
During their next war with the Persians following the battle of Marathon, the Athenians won a decisive victory through their use of
Sea Power
The Inquisition in Spain was originally established to investigate and prosecute
Jewish and Muslim converts to Christianity
The Assyrians achieved great success in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.E. mostly as a result of:
the size and organization of their army
One reason for the collapse and defeat of the Incan empire was:
(A) Small pox (B) Drought (C) Heavy rain (D) Anthrax (E) Rabies
(A) Small pox
Which of the following pairs of groups existed in the early Roman Republic?
(A) helots/demes (B) patricians/plebeians (C) pharaoh/satrapies (D) prophets/ziggurats (E) Minoans/Mycenaeans
(B) patricians/plebeians
A central idea of the philosophy of Epicureanism is
pursuit of pleasure
The execution of Mary Queen of Scots was the catalyst for which of the following?
(A) The Dutch revolt against Spain (B) The political union of Scotland and England (C) Puritan opposition to Elizabeth I (D) The sailing of the Spanish Armada (E) An alliance between Scotland and France
(D) The sailing of the Spanish Armada
The outstanding achievement of King Hammurabi of Mesopotamia was that he
issued a more comprehensive law code than had any known predecessor
The quest for economic self-sufficiency, the expansion of colonial possessions, and the introduction of manufacturing standards are most closely associated with
What event established Christianity as a legal religion in the Roman Empire?
The Edict of Milan
The Edict of Milan was a letter signed by the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius, that proclaimed religious toleration in the Roman Empire.
The Age of Pericles was characterized by all of the following EXCEPT
(A) the political domination of Greece by Macedon (B) the historical writings of Herodotus (C) an ambitious building program (D) the expansion of the Delian League (E) reforms of Athenian democracy
(A) the political domination of Greece by Macedon
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, recruits for the elite Janissary corps of the Ottoman Empire were drawn primarily from which of the following groups?
(A) Well-to-do Christian merchants (B) Sufi religious preachers (C) Noble Muslim landowners (D) Children of Christian peasants (E) Muslim prisoners of war
(D) Children of Christian peasants
Which factor most contributed to the fall of the Assyrian Empire?
Harsh treatment generated a great deal of hatred among subjects
The 1648 Peace of Westphalia was significant because it represented the first time that
(A) national boundaries based on ethnic settlement patterns and identity were established (B) a diplomatic congress was convened representing the interests of most European powers (C) European nations entered into formal, binding military alliances with one another (D) military agreements were separated from political and economic treaties (E) the powers of Europe developed a systematic plan for dividing up their overseas colonies
(B) a diplomatic congress was convened representing the interests of most European powers
What was the most important factor that enabled the First Crusade to succeed?
Disunity in the Muslim world.
“The great wealth of the palaces and the widespread prosperity of the land were due to the profits of trade, protected or exploited by naval vessels equipped with rams. The palaces and towns were unfortified, and peaceful scenes predominated in the frescoes, which revealed a love of dancing, boxing, and a sport in which boys and girls somersaulted over the backs of charging bulls.”
The culture described above was that of the ancient
(A) Minoans (B) Hittites (C) Macedonians (D) Assyrians (E) Persians
(A) Minoans
“You must realize this: that a prince, and especially a new prince, cannot observe all those things which give men a reputation for virtue, because in order to maintain his state he is often forced to act in defiance of good faith, of charity, of kindness, of religion.”
The quote above addresses what in Renaissance Italy?
The transitory nature of political power