History Quiz

1. Physical evidence suggests that humankind started to use fire during the_______ A.) New Stone Age B.) Middle Stone Age C.) Old Stone Age D.) Time of homo sapiens 2. All EXCEPT ____ are major characteristics of societies after the Neolithic Revolution. A.) End of hunter-gathering B.) Patriarchal system C.) Division of labor D.) Towns and cities 3. The Sumerians from c.3000 B.C.E_____. A.)Built a vast empire in Mesopotamia B.)Worshipped one god C.)Built city-states D.)Upheld higher status of women 4. The ancient Egyptian civilization achieved its socio-political unity through all but____. A.) The Nile river B.) Being less open to invasion C.) Diplomatic and cultural isolation D.) Strong central authority 5. The Epic of Gilgamesh depicts a mythical and religious tradition of _____best. A.) Catal Huyuk B.) Mesopotamia C.) Judaism D.) Ancient Egypt 6. ____ are known to be the characteristics of Paleolithic period. A.) Hunting, gathering, use of fire, potter’s wheel B.) Hunting, gathering, slash and burn, male dominance C.) Hunting, gathering, cave paintings, use of fire D.) Hunting, gathering, harvest festival, stone tools 7. The Neolithic Revolution involved all BUT _____. A.) Stone weapons to improve hunting as a main source of food B.) Encouraged more settlement of people in one place C.) Stimulated intellectual activities such as use of calendar and metallurgy D.) Slow conversion from nomadic to sedentary life style 8. __was one of the first metals that was widely used by Neolithic peoples around 3000-4000 B.C.E A.) Bronze B.) Gold C.) Iron D.) Tin

9. Cuneiform is____. A.) A writing system in Mesopotamia B.) A writing system in Egypt C.) A military tactic in Mesopotamia D.) An architectural style around 3000-2000 B.C.E 10. Between the Mesopotamia and Egyptian civilizations,____. A.) Both benefitted from calm and predictable river systems B.) Egyptian women may have possessed higher status than those in Mesopotamia C.) Both were noted for strict obedience to one god D.) Mesopotamia had more coherent and unified government structure 11. Harappa, the first river valley civilization we know in present south Asia, developed around___. A.) yellow river B.) Indus river C.) Ganges river D.) Euphrates river 12. The Jewish people’s uniqueness came from____. A.) Their inclusiveness of other peoples and cultures B.) Their monotheistic god with abstract concept C.) Their ability to found a vast empire after 1200 B.C.E D.) Their total rejection to be influenced by other cultures 13. The text book lists all but ___ as a common characteristic of nomadic cultures. A.) Written records B.) Courage culture C.) Male domination D.) Close kinship relations 14. The ancient nomadic peoples___ major civilizations. A.)Always distributed trading activities between B.) were often welcomed by C.) rejected socio-political organizational skills of D.) often acted as transmitter of cultures between 15. The Silk Road was a____. A.) Sea-borne trading route from China to the Mediterranean B.) A sea-borne trading route from Japan to the Mediterranean C.) A trading route through Gobi desert that was run by Chinese government D.) A trading route through Gobi desert that was partially carried by nomadic peoples 16. A Chinese philosophy, Dao, understands the nature through a concept of yin/yang,___. A.) A contrast of desirable and undesirable occurring B.) Opposing forces that create harmony C.) A conflict of good and bad D.) Things that are Chinese and foreign

17. Feudalism in Zhou China defines the relationship between rulers and vassals as an exchange of_. A.) Land and military service B.) Protection and tax payment C.) Wage payment and labor D.) Ownership of the person and labor 18. Qin Shihuangdi____. A.) Means the first citizen of Qin. B.) Maintained local autonomy of feudal lords C.) Centralized his governing by appointing local officials D.) Followed Confucian teachings 19. Han China promoted____. A.)Legalism B.)Confucianism C.)Isolationist policy D.) economic activities only by merchants 20. Kong Fuzi (Confucius) emphasized all but____. A.) A well-educated, benevolent ruler B.) Reverence for traditions and rituals C.) Respect for proper hierarchy D.) Being one with nature through proper breathing 21. The Varna (Caste) system in India originated from____. A.) Harappa B.) Aryans C.) Mauryans D.) Guptas 22. The Varna (caste) system included all BUT_____. A.) Upanishads B.) Sudras C.) Kshatriyas D.) Vaisyas 23. Through the Vedic and Epic periods the Indian population developed their first religion, __. A.) Mahayana Buddhism B.) Monotheistic Hinduism C.) Naturalistic Daoism D.) Polytheistic Brahmin religion 24. ___was successful in uniting entire India, including the southern states. A.) Mauryan dynasty B.) Kushan dynasty C.) Gupta dynasty D.) None of the above

25. ___ was a famous epic poem composed before the classical period. A.) Rig-Veda B.) Kama-sutra C.) Manu D.) Ramayana 26. In 313 Constantine the Great ___Christianity in the Roman Empire. A.) Banned B.) Permitted C.) Severely persecuted D.) Made it into Rome’s sole state religion 27. Byzantine Empire sprang out of the ____ Empire. A.)Persian B.) Gupta C.) Roman D.) Babylonian 28. The doctrine of bodhisattvas teaches that a person can attain NIRVANA, ___,through his/her meditation. A.)Salvation B.) reincarnation C.) mundane success D.) enlightenment 29. Importance of St. Paul is that he ____ in the development of early Christianity. A.) Advocated social equality B.) Incited popular oppositions against Rome C.) Was one of the original 12 apostles D.) Spread it to the gentiles 30. All BUT ___seems to have contributed to the decline of the Han dynasty. A.) Neighboring nomads who attack the empire from the north B.) Daoist popular protests led by yellow river Turbans C.) Confucianism that advocated social equality D.) Moral corruption among the ruling class 31. Islam ___ the teaching of Judaism and Christianity. A.) Severely condemned B.) Remained indifferent to C.) Consciously modified D.) Fully accepted 32. Ayatollah is a____. A.) leader of popular Islamic movement B.) leader of popular anti-Islamic movements C.) religious leader among the Sunnis D.) religious leader among the Shiites (Shi’as)

33. In the postclassical Islamic world, slavery was____. A.) Non-existent due to its egalitarian teachings B.) Scarce due to the nomadic Arab’s lack of such an institution C.) Confined to domestic slaves and agricultural slaves D.) Widely used, including among its government bureaucracy 34. After conquering centers of ancient civilizations like Alexandria, the Muslims ___ the Hellenistic and Asian knowledge. A.) Studied and preserved B.) Denied and banned C.) Ignored and left alone D.) Added more innovations to 35. ___ is not one of the five pillars of islam today. A.) Pilgrimage to Jerusalem B.) Daytime fasting during Ramadan C.) Daily prayers toward Mecca D.) Charity for poor Muslims 36. By the 14th century, the Islamic intrusions in India ___. A.) Left a permanent Islamization of the entire country B.) Showed significant Islamization mostly in the northwest C.) Politically untied the entire country D.) Were welcomed and imitated by the ruling class 37. Islam has had lasting effects in all BUT ___ in Southeast Asia. A.) Thailand B.) The Malay peninsula C.) Indonesia D.) Southern islands of the Philippines 38. ___was the region that was LEAST influenced by Islamic trading activities. A.) North Africa B.) West Africa C.) East Africa D.) South Africa 39. ___ was a large trading and intellectual center in Mali. A.) Bantu B.) Ghana C.) Timbuktu D.) Mogadishu 40. Swahili is a language that was ___. A.) one of the several basic African indigenous languages B.) a mixture of an African language with Arabic words and alphabets C.) a mixture of an African language with Portuguese D.) a traditional language among Ethiopian Christians

41. Feudalism can best be described as an exchange of ___ between a lord and his vassal. A.) An estate (fief) and military service B.) The use of land and tax payment C.) Protection and tax payment D.) A court title and vassals’ freedom 42. The Holy Roman Empire geographically coincides most with present ___. A.) Italy B.) France C.) Germany D.) England 43. The original intent of the Magna Carta was to___. A.) Return to ancient spirit of chivalry B.) Return to an original form of feudal relations C.) Progress to a democratic form of government D.) Exclude the commoners from politics 44. Medieval ecclesiastic intellectuals like Thomas Aquinas, known as scholastics, tried to___. A.) Find out if god existed or not B.) Scientifically disprove Christian divinity C.) Use Greek science to support Christianity D.) Rejected any scientific view of the world 45. Manorialism bound the relationship between ___. A.) A lord and his knights B.) A lord and the rural population C.) A lord and the townspeople D.) A lord and the catholic church 46. Judging from the archaeological remains, ___ was the center of life in Mayan civilization. A.) Monotheistic religion B.) Polytheistic religion C.) Egalitarian society D.) Metal works like iron 47. The Aztec civilization flourished around present ___. A.) Guatemala B.) Peru C.) Chile D.) Mexico 48. Quipu was ___. A.) Mayan god B.) Aztec city C.) Inca recording system D.) Inca king

49. Inca culture was characterized by all BUT ___. A.) Gruesome human sacrifice B.) Sun god C.) Extensive road network D.) Mummification 50. Isolated civilizations in Americas like Aztec and Inca came to their abrupt end in the 16th century because of ___. A.) The Portuguese conquests B.) The Spanish conquests C.) A series of natural disasters D.) Inter-tribal wars 51. Countries within the East Asian civilization shared all but ___. A.) Mahayana Buddhism B.) Chinese writing system C.) A period of Mongol rule D.) Confucian philosophy 52. ___ did NOT originate in post classical China. A.) Concept of zero B.) Black gun powder C.) Magnetic compass D.) Wood block printing 53. Shinto is Japan’s ___. A.) Monotheistic religion B.) Polytheistic religion C.) Warrior class D.) A style of poem 54. Kubilai (Khubilai) Khan ___ in 13th-14th century China. A.) Isolated china from other countries B.) Utilized the existing Chinese bureaucratic system C.) Eventually expelled all Mongol invaders D.) Was successful ruling Korea and Japan 55. Zheng He was famous for ____. A.) A government-backed voyages to the india ocean B.) Government sponsored adventure to explore the pacific ocean C.) Piracy around the sea of Japan D.) Expeditions to defeat the Mongols

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.

C A C C B C A A B B B B A D D B A C B D B A D D D B C A D C C D D A A B A D C B A C

43. B 44. C 45. B 46. B 47. D 48. C 49. A 50. B 51. C 52. A 53. B 54. B 55. A