Asia
Which Chinese dynasty (960–1279) was known for commercialization, innovation, and civil service exams?
Song Dynasty
Which West African empire became famous for gold and Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca?
Mali Empire
What economic system organized medieval European life around agricultural estates worked largely by peasants or serfs?
Manorialism
Name ONE luxury good commonly traded along the Silk Roads.
Silk, porcelain, spices, precious metals, gems,
What predictable seasonal wind system helped sailors travel across the Indian Ocean?
Monsoon winds
What belief system revived Confucian ideas while incorporating Buddhist and Daoist influences?
Neo-Confucianism
What agricultural technique allowed the Aztecs to create productive farmland in shallow lake areas?
Chinampas
What famous Baghdad center translated and preserved Greek, Persian, and other works while supporting scholarship?
House of Wisdom
What was the Pax Mongolica, and how did it affect trade?
A period of relative stability under Mongol rule that made Eurasian trade routes safer and encouraged long-distance commerce.
Name TWO technologies that helped Indian Ocean sailors travel and trade.
Examples: lateen sail, dhow, junk, magnetic compass, astrolabe.
How did Champa rice change Song China?
increased food production, leading to population growth
What was the Inca mit'a system, and what did it help build?
A labor-tax system requiring people to work for the state. It supported roads, terraces, bridges, and other public projects.
Give ONE cause of Abbasid decline and name ONE political power that rose as Abbasid authority weakened.
Examples: political fragmentation, military pressures, or weakened central authority; Seljuk Turks or regional sultanates are acceptable
Name ONE technology or idea that spread across Eurasia because of increased Mongol-era connections.
Examples: gunpowder, papermaking, printing, medical knowledge, or astronomical knowledge.
Why did port cities such as Calicut and Malacca become important trading centers?
Their strategic locations connected major trade routes and allowed merchants to exchange goods, obtain supplies, and access regional markets.
How did civil service exams affect Chinese government AND social mobility?
created a scholar-bureaucracy based partly on merit, strengthened the central government, and allowed some social mobility, although wealthy families had greater access to education.
How were the economies of Great Zimbabwe and the Swahili city-states different?
Great Zimbabwe controlled inland resources and the gold trade; Swahili city-states were coastal trading centers connected to Indian Ocean commerce.
Give ONE major economic or cultural effect of the Crusades on Europe and the Islamic world.
Examples: increased Mediterranean trade, greater European access to luxury goods and knowledge, or intensified religious conflict.
How did bills of exchange and other credit systems help Silk Road merchants?
They allowed merchants to travel without carrying large amounts of cash, reducing risk and making long-distance commerce easier.
Give ONE difference between Indian Ocean trade and Trans-Saharan trade in transportation OR major goods.
Indian Ocean: ships transported goods such as spices and textiles. Trans-Saharan: camel caravans transported goods such as gold and salt across the Sahara.
Name THREE Song Chinese innovations and explain how they affected trade or warfare.
magnetic compass improved navigation; gunpowder changed warfare; printing spread knowledge; improved shipbuilding increased maritime trade.
Give ONE example for the Inca and ONE for the Aztecs showing how geography influenced their societies.
Inca: terrace farming and roads adapted to the Andes. Aztecs: chinampas increased agricultural production around Lake Texcoco
Give ONE similarity and ONE difference between the Delhi Sultanate and Mamluk Sultanate.
Similarity: both were Muslim-ruled states established through military power. Difference: Delhi ruled a largely Hindu population in South Asia, while the Mamluks were military-slave elites ruling Egypt and Syria and controlling important trade routes.
Explain ONE positive AND ONE negative effect of Mongol expansion on Eurasian connections.
Positive: increased trade, travel, and cultural exchange. Negative: interconnected routes helped diseases such as the Black Death spread across Eurasia.
How did diasporic merchant communities influence Indian Ocean port cities? Give TWO examples.
They spread religions such as Islam, established mosques and merchant communities, influenced legal/commercial practices, and contributed to cultural and linguistic blending such as Swahili.