Renaissance / Reformation
Q: What were the major characteristics of the Renaissance?
A: A revival of classical Greek and Roman learning, humanism, realism in art, individualism, and innovation in science and literature.
Q: What are the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires collectively known as?
A: The Gunpowder Empires.
Q: What were the primary causes of the Reformation?
A: Corruption in the Catholic Church, the sale of indulgences, abuse of power, and calls for reform.
Q: What are the “Three G’s” of European Exploration?
A: Gold, God, and Glory.
Q: Why did the Native American population decrease after Europeans arrived?
A: Disease, warfare, forced labor, and mistreatment.
Q: What role did religion play during the Renaissance?
A: Religion remained central to daily life, but people began to question the Church and focus more on human potential and individual achievement.
Q: What characteristics did these empires share?
A: Strong centralized governments, use of gunpowder weapons, and Islamic influence.
Q: Why did Martin Luther criticize the Catholic Church?
A: He believed the Church was corrupt and that salvation came through faith alone, not through good works or indulgences.
Q: Which two countries began exploration, prompting others to follow?
A: Portugal and Spain.
Q: What does an image of a crowded slave ship typically depict?
A: The Middle Passage and the inhumane conditions enslaved Africans endured.
Q: How was religion reflected in Renaissance art?
A: Religious themes were still common, but figures were portrayed realistically with human emotions and lifelike details.
Q: What caused China’s population to rise between the 1600s and 1900s?
A: New crops from the Columbian Exchange, improved farming, and relative stability.
Q: What were the major beliefs of the Reformation?
A: Salvation by faith alone, the Bible as the ultimate authority, and rejection of certain Catholic practices.
Q: What did many European explorers hope to find?
A: New trade routes, wealth (especially spices and gold), and land.
Q: What would be an appropriate title for a diagram showing enslaved Africans packed into a ship?
A: “The Middle Passage” or “The Transatlantic Slave Trade.”
Q: Define humanism.
A: A philosophy that emphasized the value, potential, and achievements of human beings and focused on classical learning.
Q: How did the Ming and Qing dynasties handle foreign trade?
A: They limited and tightly controlled foreign trade.
Q: How did the printing press contribute to the spread of Reformation ideas?
A: It allowed ideas and religious texts to be quickly and cheaply distributed to a wide audience.
Q: How did the Aztecs react when Cortés arrived?
A: Many initially welcomed him, believing he might be a god or sent by the gods.
Q: How did the Middle Passage get its name?
A: It was the middle leg of the triangular trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Q: What event marked the division of Christianity into Catholic and Protestant branches?
A: Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses in 1517, beginning the Protestant Reformation.
Q: What did China and Japan have in common during this period?
A: Both limited foreign influence and focused on internal stability and tradition.
Q: In what ways did Renaissance and Reformation ideas change European society?
A: They encouraged education, individual thinking, religious diversity, and challenges to traditional authority.
Q: What was the encomienda system, and what replaced it?
A: A labor system granting Spanish settlers control over Native Americans; it was later replaced by wage labor and the repartimiento system.
Q: What was the Columbian Exchange, and what impact did it have?
A: The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Old and New Worlds, which transformed diets, populations, and economies globally.