Survey of World History Midterm Test

When did the pharaohs and the Egyptian elite use the Valley of Kings as their preferred burial site?
A. During the Middle Kingdom
B. During the Old Kingdom
C. During the First Intermediate Period
D. During the New Kingdom

The Sumerian King List claims that kingship originate when:
A. The wind "ceased to blow."
B. Man "controlled the water."
C. Women "brought forth their children."
D. It "came down from heaven."

All of the following were true about cuneiform in ancient Mesopotamia EXCEPT:
A. Cuneiform was a written script of wedge shaped marks.
B. The Sumerian King List was recorded in cuneiform
C. Sumerians developed cuneiform
D. Most people were literate and knew how to write in cuneiform

What environmental change from 6000-4000 BCE prompted people in Northeast Africa to move closer to the flood plain of the Nile River?
A. Waster quality improved
B. The Nile River's floods became more predictable
C. Surrounding areas began drying out
D. Temperatures cooled

What role did prophets play in ancient Isreal?
A. They were teachers, who spoke on behalf of god and set moral and ethical standards for the community
B. They were soldiers, who protected the Israelite when they faced persecution
C. They were seen as the sons of god. Their primary role was to usher people into heaven
D. They were advisors to Israeal's kings. They legitimized the rule of kings and warned people to be obedient to the kings

In addition to containing a famous law code, Hammurabi's Code also:
A. Showed that everyone would be treated equally; it had the same punishments for everyone, regardless of his/her social status
B. Identified Hammurabi as a god. He ruled his empire as a priest-king
C. Intended to unify people within the empire and establish common standards of acceptable behavior
D. Included an income-based tax code and set up a system to draft young men into the military

The available historical record emphasizes which point about the Assyrian Empire?
A. The Assyrians were the first to use bronze weaponry and lay siege to cities
B. The Assyrians tried to encourage people to view them as just and fair
C. In part, to deter potential rebellions, the Assyrians purposefully tried to inspire fear in their conquered populations
D. The Assyrian Empire lasted over 1000 years

Which one of the following is not a geographical feature of the Indian subcontinent?
A: Plains located to the south of the Himalaya are lacking in rivers
B: The peninsula is surrounded by three major bodies of water - two seas and one ocean
C: Mountain ranges and narrow coastal plains line the peninsula
D: It is ringed by mountains to the north

Regarding the Indo-Aryans, which one of the following is not true?
A: They spoke Sanskrit
B: They had priestly clans that composed and orally transmitted hymns with a religious purpose
C: They first came to India by traversing the lower reaches of the Ganges River
D: They were originally nomadic pastoralists who first migrated from Central Asia to India during the early Vedic Age

Regarding the Indus Valley/Harappan Civilization's political system _____.
A: Public structures excavated in the large cities clearly point to a centralized monarchy
B: Experts have clearly established that it was governed by local assemblies of wealthy merchants and landowners
C: Although the archaeological record evidences coordinated planning across the region, experts are unable to determine precisely how the civilization was governed
D: Sculptural evidence has provided definitive evidence for governing by priest-kings

The archaeological site at Mehgarh is most useful for studying ____?
A: The origins of the Vedic Age
B: The urbanization of the Indo-Gangetic Plains
C: India's early Neolithic
D: The writing system used by the peoples of the Harappan Civilization

Which one of the following is not a characteristic of varnas system?
A: It was largely defined by occupational category
B: It gave the most honor to the vaishya farmers
C: It was hereditary
D: It defined a social hierarchy

The founder of the first empire that unified most of the Indian subcontinent was _____.
A: King Ashoka
B: King Bimbisara
C: Chandragupta Maurya
D: Alexander the Great

Which one of the following is not something that King Ashoka proclaimed to his subjects?
A: In preparation for possible invasions from the northwest, young men should train in mounted warfare
B: He was going to stop hunting and rather go on tours where he would visit his subjects
C: Everyone should learn such values as forbearance, respect, and courtesy
D: In observance of the principle of non-injury, certain animals must not be cooked in the royal kitchen

One important theme that comes out of close study of the Kushan Kingdom is ____.
A: The dynamic relation between the history of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia
B: The emergence of kingdoms in Sri Lanka after the end of the Mauryan Empire
C: The close trade links between the Coromandel Coast and Southeast Asia
D: The impact of the rise of Islamic states on northwest India

According to the teachings presented by the Buddha at his first sermon, ____.
A: Because they are ritually purer, only the Brahmin priests can attain nirvana in this lifetime
B: A host of deities control the natural world and the good and bad that befalls the human race, but they can be appeased through rituals
C: Because the individual's soul is infected with bad karma, it transmigrates until a program of meditation is undertaken and nirvana is achieved
D: Life is fundamentally characterized by suffering, suffering is caused by a kind of unquenchable thirst, but there is a cure for this, and it is referred to as nirvana

Which one of the following is correctly chronologically ordered?
A: Samudragupta, King Ashoka, Chola Kingdom
B: Siddartha Gautama, Rajaraja I, Kushan Kingdom
C: Chola Kingdom, Gupta Empire, Mauryan Empire
D: Chandragupta Maurya, King Kanishka, Delhi Sultanate

Which one of the following is NOT HOW Mahmud of Ghazna has been portrayed in historical writing?
A: As a brutal plunderer who repeatedly descended on northern India, destroyed cities and temples, and returned home with their wealth
B: As a ruler who, as was common to medieval kings in that time, waged war for revenue and because that was the norm for rulers
C: As a ruler who sought to prove himself as a warrior and to secure his legacy by using Indian wealth to build palaces and mosque at his capital
D: As a ruler, out of fanatical devotion to his faith, sought to forcibly convert the Hindu population living in cities located along the upper reaches of the Indus and Ganges Rivers

Which one of the following is not true of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)?
A: He was born into the untouchable caste
B: He was born in northern India
C: He practiced meditation
D: After obtaining enlightment, he taught about what he had learned

In early 4th century BCE, just slightly after the Buddha's lifetime, the most powerful state in northern India was ____.
A: The Kingdom of Magadha
B: The Gupta Empire
C: The Vedic Kingdom
D: The Satavahana Kingdom

For the early history of India, the most important region of South Asia is ____.
A: The Indo-Gangetic Plain
B: The Deccan Plateau
C: The Himalaya Mountains
D: The Malabar and Coromandel Coasts

The historical setting for the composition of the earlier Upanishads was ____ and ____.
A: The later Vedic Age/they are purported to be records of sages who conveyed their spiritual insights to students
B: The early Vedic Age/they are a record of the hymns orally transmitted by the priestly clans among the Indo-Aryans peoples
C: The life of the historical Buddha/ these are records of his sermons as recorded by his disciples
D: The Mauryan Empire/they are a record of King Ashoka's edicts

The concept that refers to the rules pertaining to a particular caste is ______.
A: Karma
B: Atman
C: Dharma
D: Four Noble Truths

Which religious tradition speculated that the individual should seek liberation by discovering his/her soul and its identity with Brahman?
A: Daoism
B: Hinduism
C: Islam
D: Buddhism

The state that was most critical for the movement of Buddhism into Central Asia (and, consequently, East Asia) was the ______?
A: Satavahana Kingdom
B: Chola Dynasty
C: Gupta Empire
D: Kushan Kingdom

For the period of time under study, which of the following was not an important component of Hinduism?
A: Use of sacrificial altars to approach the gods.
B: Organizing individual life according to rules and roles prescribed by a social class
C: Foregoing final enlightenment for the purpose of working for the deliverance of others
D: Going to a temple to view a representation of a deity and to pray and offer fruits and flowers

Some historian view the Gupta Empire as a classical age in India's history because _____.
A: India had not yet been impacted by the invasion of Islamic states
B: A number of important literary and art works were produced that established a new standard for artistic excellence
C: Gupta rulers established dominance over the entire subcontinent through a model of tributary overlordship
D: Having become widespread among the population, Mahayana Buddhism brought an unprecedented degree of stability to the empire

During the Delhi Sultanate, ____.
A: The Sultans, following a principle outlined in the Quran, allowed Hindus to retain their faith and live within the Islamic state so long as they paid a higher tax
B: Muslim, Turkic rulers eventually established rule over the entire subcontinent
C: Mahmud of Ghazni repeatedly invaded and plundered India
D: Turkic sultans attempted to control the subjugated, largely Hindu population through programs of forcible conversion

Islam and Islamic rule first impacted the Indian subcontinent during _____?
A: The decline of the Mauryan Empire
B: The expansion of the Kushan Kingdom, in the first century CE
C: The founding of the Dehli Sultanate, in the thirteenth century CE
D: The expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate, in the late seventh and early eighth centuries CE

Which one of the following best describes the dominant political pattern during the early medieval age in India's history in its entirety?
A: Republics formed from chieftain confederacies
B: Large empires with centralized bureaucracies and Sultan rulers
C: Hindu rulers governing predominantly Muslim populations
D: Powerful regional kingdoms

Historians have termed the pattern of governing in India during the early medieval age feudalism principally because _____.
A: Although medieval rulers usually administered a core area with a centralized bureaucracy, they generally controlled the periphery by allowing subordinate local rulers to retain noble titles and land in exchange for allegiance
B: Medieval rulers lived in castles located on manors
C: Arab rulers originating from Persia invaded India and changed the pattern of Indian society through the introduction of the Islamic religion
D: Medieval rulers granted manors to wealthy farmers in exchange for military service

Which one of the following is not a characteristic of Mahayana Buddhism?
A: New scriptures appeared that offer different paths to enlightenment
B: The ideal path to salvation became living as monk or nun in a monastic setting and seeking perfection in enlightenment
C: The notion of the Bodhisattva - a holy being that has foregone final enlightenment in order to work for the salvation of others - is developed
D: The universe becomes populated with numerous god-like Buddhas

Evidence that Confucianism penetrated society during the Han Dynasty includes all but which of the following?
A: Models of filial piety-people who demonstrated reverence for parents-were depicted in art and texts
B: The authority of the family patriarch (the male family head) was supported by the law
C: Knowledge of classical texts and recommendations based on learnedness and virtuous conduct became important to political advancement
D: Establishment of a network of Confucian temples and monasteries with their own priesthoods

Regarding the impact of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty on China, _______.
A: Historians have concluded that it was entirely negative
B: While earlier studies of this topic have generally highlighted the destructive impact of the conquests, more recent work has demonstrated that in fact the dynasty also made positive contributions
C: Historians have concluded that it was almost wholly positive
D: While earlier studies of this topic have generally highlighted the positive impact, more recent work has clearly demonstrated that Mongol conquest and exploitation has a devastating impact

The most important archaeological evidence for the early origins of the Japanese imperial line are ______?
A: Cord-marked pottery decorated with inscribed symbols
B: Palace ruins in central Japan
C: Large, keyhole-shaped, mounded tombs
D: Iron swords found in northwestern Kyushu

While coming to power as emperor of all of China, which of the following completed what his grandfather had begun?
A: Prince Shotoku
B: Kublai Khan
C: Cao Cao
D: Liu Bang

Over the course of the Eastern Zhou and then the Warring States Period ______.
A: Warfare caused the fragmentation of the Chinese cultural realm into an ever larger number of feudal domains
B: China was repeatedly invaded by the Mongols, at least until the Zhou kings built the Great Wall
C: Following advice in the ART OF WAR, the Zhou kingdom was able to reunify the realm under one centralized monarchy by fielding the mot powerful army and proclaiming the Mandate of Heaven
D: A large number of feudal states governed by noble lords evolved into a handful of centralized monarchies ruled by kings

Shang rulers and elites clearly believed that the principal factor determining whether or not future events would be favorable to them was _____.
A: Maintaining policies that benefited the agricultural producers
B: Correctly carrying out rituals to appease demons residing in the underworld
C: Maintaining military garrisons along the borders of their territorial state
D: The spirits of their deceased ancestors

The earliest dynasties in Chinese history first developed ____.
A: Along the Yangzi River and in central China, where a warmer and wetter climate makes for productive rice agriculture
B: On the Manchurian Plains, on land suited to hunting, farming, and fishing
C: In Beijing, the capital of China today
D: Along the Yellow River and on the North China Plain, where the land and climate are suited to wheat and millet farming

Which one of the following statement is not true of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period?
A: The prestige and power of Zhou kings faded, and their dynasty was eventually extinguished
B: Confucius served as a hegemon at the court of the Zhou kings
C: Zhou federal lords engaged in an escalating contest for power and prestige
D: The level and scale of warfare increased

Shinto _____.
A: Originated as a branch of Buddhism in China but then migrated to Japan, where it was assimilated to Japanese culture and indigenized
B: Originated in prehistoric Japan as reverence for deities and spirits primarily associated with natural phenomena
C: Originated in Shang Dynasty China, and is characterized primarily by ancestor worship
D: Is the religious tradition native to Korea

In China, the millennium during which walled towns began to appear as the center of numerous competing chiefdoms was the ____?
A: First millennium BCE
B: Second millennium BCE
C: Fifth millennium BCE
D: Third millennium BCE

In the Tang Law Code, crimes committed against family members result in more severe punishment than ones committed against a stranger. As well, the punishment for a son harming his father was more severe than the opposite case. The importance of status in determining punishment most reflects the influence of ____.
A: Buddhism
B: Legalism
C: Daoism
D: Confucianism

During China's Han Dynasty, _______.
A: The Silla Dynasty repulsed Chinese invasions and unified the Korean peninsula under one state
B: China established four military outposts in Korea that established control over part of the peninsula, even as independent kingdoms and tribal confederations remained to the east and south
C: Invasion of China by the state of Goguryeo led to the Han Dynasty's downfall
D: China established commanderies in Korea that exercised control over the entire peninsula

Which one of the following was not something that Confucius taught?
A: The root of morality can be found in the home, where young people should learn to be respectful and reverent towards parents
B: Only individuals from noble backgrounds have the conditions necessary to become noble men (persons of virtue)
C: For a state to govern well, those who govern should themselves be moral exemplars
D: Humaneness and demonstrating good etiquette are two of the essential virtues of a gentleman

Which one of the following would not be considered one of the major sources for studying the Shang Dynasty?
A: A royal cemetery with large, cross-shaped tombs
B: Almanacs with astrological charts
C: Sacrificial pits
D: Turtle plastrons and scapula from cows

Which of the following is not true of the first millennium AD (0-1000 AD) in East Asia?
A: China was the dominant power
B: China repeatedly invaded Korea and Japan
C: Strong states developed in Korea and Japan
D: Buddhism spread into East Asia

Important features of and developments during the Three Kingdoms and Northern and Southern Dynasties periods in China's history include all but which one of the following?
A: Endemic warfare between rival warlords/military dynasts
B: Dissemination of Buddhism into China, where it becomes institutionalized as a religion
C: Non-Chinese nomads were settled into northern China, introducing an element of instability
D: From their capital in Beijing, the emperors of the Northern Dynasty briefly unified China

From the Han through the Song Dynasties, the greatest external threat to China was _____.
A: Japanese pirates that raided the coast of Japan and sailed inland to plunder Chinese towns and cities
B: Nomadic pastoralists living on the steppe lands to the north of China
C: European explorers who arrived on the shores of China with gunboats and imposed unequal treaties on the Chinese government
D: Burmese warlords who repeatedly made incursions into southeast China

How did warfare change over the course of the Eastern Zhou and during the Warring States Period in China's history?
A: Rulers increasingly fielded large armies composed of cavalry and mass infantry
B: Over time, chariots became more important because large campaigns were conducted on plains
C: As the scale of warfare grew, rulers increasingly relied on kinsmen to conduct their campaigns
D: To maintain the honor of ancestors, codes of chivalry were introduced

The Song Dynasty in China came to an end when _____?
A: Khubilai Khan moved his capital to Beijing and declared the founding of the Great Yuan Dynasty
B: Khubilai Khan's generals, with the advice of Chinese advisors, successfully completed a series of naval campaigns and induced the surrender of the last Song emperor
C: Genghis Khan led forces into the Song capital and the last Song emperor committed suicide
D: The last Song emperor was captured and executed while leading a major offensive against Khubilai Khan in Mongolia

Which dynasty in China most fully implemented a meritocratic examination system for the purpose of finding candidates for appointment to office?
A: The Zhou Dynasty
B: The Han Dynasty
C: The Tang Dynasty
D: The Song Dynasty

Which of the following is not a feature of the Shang Dynasty?
A: Large burial sites for rulers
B: Governing territory beyond the capital and its environs through alliances and confederation
C: Wall building to the north to prevent attacks by the nomadic pastoralists of Mongolia
D: Casting bronzes for the purpose of feeding the spirits of deceased ancestors

Which one of the following is not true of the Korean Peninsula>
A: Its northern boundary is defined by the Yellow River
B: Because it lies between China and Japan, Korean dynasties have been impacted by the history of those states
C: Like Japan, it is mountainous
D: It is bound by seas on three sides - the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Sea of Japan

Early Zhou rulers and the Duke of Zhou justified overthrowing the Shang Dynasty by claiming ____.
A: The Shang king was illegitimate, born of a barbarian mother
B: That the Shang king had captured Zhou nobles and sacrificed them to their ancestors
C: A higher power had deemed that the Shang no longer had the right to rule and designated the Zhou rulers as the ones now responsible for that task
D: That Shang rulers had broken the oaths they had taken when they allied with the Zhou to govern western territory

In thinking about differences between China during the Western Zhou and the Qin Dynasty (after it had unified China), which of the following does not apply?
A: Qin governing was more centralized and impersonally bureaucratic
B: The rulers of both the Western Zhou and the Qin Dynasty referred to themselves with the same title
C: They both rose to power through warfare and conquest
D: Their capitals were both located in northwest China, nearby the middle reaches of the Yellow River

If we assume that - as most experts do - that Erlitou was indeed the capital of the Xia Dynasty, which one of the following cannot be stated based on the archaeological evidence?
A: Workshops indicate a Bronze Age civilization
B: A central, walled palace complex points to a further stage in state development along the Yellow River, from chiefdoms to the first kingdom
C: Burial sites indicate an egalitarian social structure, where farmers and ruling elites interacted as equals
D: Workshops were used to produce pottery

The Seleucid Empire had a particularly antagonistic relationship with which of its subjects?
A: The Parthians
B: The Babylonians
C: The Jews
D: None of the above - the Seleucids were a very tolerant and irenic dynasty

What was the main reason that Socrates was condemned to death?
A: His connections to the oligarchs who had previously overthrown the democracy
B: The Athenians misunderstood his teachings
C: He was seen as a traitor to the city, because of his connections to Sparta
D: Trick question: he was not condemned to death

How were archons appointed in Athens, and what was the length of their term of service?
A: Appointed by lot from his aristocracy, served one year
B: Elected from the aristocracy, served one year
C: Appointed by lot from all eligible citizens, served two years
D: Appointed by lot from all eligible citizens, served one year

What was "Linear B"?
A: The first Greek alphabet, initially adapted from the Phoenician alphabet
B: A syllabic script that the Minoan civilization used to keep palace records
C: The first Greek alphabet, modified from the Egyptians hieroglyphic writing system
D: A syllabic script that the Mycenaean civilization used to keep palace records

What were the consequences of the Battle of Sphacteria?
A: Spartans surrendered to the Athenians for the first time ever
B: It was a factor in bringing about the Peace of Nicias a few years later
C: It ended the Peloponnesian War
D: Both A and B

The term HELOTS refers to...
A: Greek slaves in general
B: The Messenians neighbors whom the Spartans conquered and turned into their unfree labor force
C: Slaves whom the Athenians conquered in foreign wars
D: Unknown

Which of the following was NOT one of the consequences of the plague at Athens during the Peloponnesian War?
A: Athens lost Pericles, its best strategic thinker, to the plague
B: After Pericles' death, more hawkish leaders took the war in a different direction
C: Athenians gained a mistrust of public water supply in the city since they believed that was how the plague had spread
D: Approximately 25% of the city's population died, which impacted the size of the Athenian army

Which of the following was NOT an action that Pericles instituted or supported?
A: Going to war with Sparta
B: The Athenian Coinage Decree
C: The Athenian Citizenship Decree
D: Using Delian League treasury funds to build the Parthenon

Which Hellenistic thinker is considered to have created the discipline of geometry?
A: Herophilus of Chalcedon
B: Euclid
C: Archimedes
D: Aristotle

The term "Asia Minor" refers to which geographical region in the Greek world?
A: The Far East - India and China
B: The region directly across the Adriatic Sea from mainland Greece, in modern-day Italy
C: The Middle East and Egypt
D: The region directly across the Aegean Sea from mainland Greece, in modern-day Turkey

The three stages into which historians divide the Peloponnesian War are...
A: Archidamian War, Age of the Plague, Siege and Blocade Stage
B: Archidamian War, Peace of Nicias, Decelean War
C: Stage One, Stage Two, and Stage Three
D: Stage Alpha, Stage Beta, and Stage Gamma

What does the Chigi Vase portray?
A: Historians are not sure
B: Homeric warriors going to battle
C: The hoplite phalanx in battle
D: Alexander the Great and his army

Who were the members of the Athenian EKKLESIA?
A: All citizens, male and female
B: All residents of the city of Athens, regardless of citizenship status
C: Their aristocracy only
D: All citizen males

Which of the following was NOT a result of the Persian Wars?
A: The Athenians built a military reputation that rivaled that of the Spartans
B: The Greeks demonstrated their superiority over Persians both on land and on sea
C: The wars created a stronger than before sense of Pan-Hellenic identity among the Greeks
D: Despite the loss in Greece proper, the wars resulted in a growth in territory for the Persians in Asia Minor

If you were living in Ancient Greece and got sick, where would you go for healing?
A: The Partheon in Athens
B: The Temple of Zeus at Olympia
C: The Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus
D: The oracle of Apollo at Delphi

What is the historical significance of the Cup of Nestor?
A: The inscription on it contains the earliest known reference to the Homeric epics
B: It is one of the earliest examples of writing in the Greek alphabet
C: It exemplifies the impressive mobility of the ancient Greeks
D: All of the above

What did Thucydides say was the real cause of the Peloponnesian War?
A: Spartan desire to expand beyond the Peloponnese
B: He believed that the real cause of the war was a mystery that no one ever figured out
C: The growing power of Athens, and the fear that the growth inspired in Sparta
D: Athenian desire to conquer to Peloponnese

What was the main subject of Athenian tragedies and comedies that were performed in the era of the Peloponnesian War?
A: Absolutely any topic, except for war. Since that seemed too close to home during the war, Athenians war-era playwrights avoided it
B: The horrors of war, and the successful resistance to war by enterprising civilians
C: Glorification of war and the sacrifices of civilians for achieving a victory
D: Glorification of the common soldiers who fought for the democracy

The archaeological excavations of Megara Hyblae, a Greek colony in Sicily, showed that Greek colonists were interested in...
A: Urban farming on a large scale
B: Urban planning and equality of citizens
C: Building elaborate temples and strong walls
D: Building elaborate mansions

Which event do historians consider to be the moment of transformation of the Delian League into the Athenian Empire?
A: The end of the Persian Wars
B: The beginning of the Peloponnesian War
C: The moving of the league treasury from Delos to Athens
D: The revolt of Naxos

What profitable use were some Greeks, especially the Athenians and the Corinthians, able to make from their clay-rich soil?
A: Monumental building and construction
B: Pottery trade
C: Bricks trade
D: Agriculture, focusing on importing fertile land to mix with the clay

Which Greek city-state legally allowed a man to ask permission from another man to father a child with his wife?
A: None!
B: Thebes
C: Athens
D: Sparta

Socrates is famously reported to have described himself as which pest, when making an analogy about how he forced the Athenians to engage with difficult questions?
A: Mosquito
B: Locust
C: Worm
D: Gadfly

Which Egyptian royal custom did the Ptolemies adopt, when they began to rule Egypt?
A: Marriage of cousins
B: Brother-sister marriage
C: Adoption of sucessors, instead of allowing biological children to succeed
D: All of the above

While each Greek polis had its down dating system, what system did the Greeks adopt as a common pan-Hellenic way of dating events?
A: Dating events by time elapsed since Trojan War
B: The Greeks refused to adopt a common way of dating events until the age of Alexander
C: Dating events by Olympiads - four-year Olympic cycles
D: Dating events from foundation of the oracle at Delphi