Foundations of World Societies Final Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Foundations of World Societies explores the development and interaction of early civilizations and societies from prehistory through the early modern era. The course examines key themes such as the rise of agricultural communities, the formation of states and empires, cultural and technological innovations, social structures, and the impact of religion and trade across different regions. By analyzing primary sources and historical narratives from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, students gain a deeper understanding of the forces that shaped human societies and the interconnectedness of the worlds peoples.
Recommended Textbook
The World A History Volume 1 2nd Edition by Felipe Armesto
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15 Chapters
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Out of the Ice: Peopling the Earth
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Q1) Foraging produces cultures that are
A) almost indistinguishable from one another.
B) as different from one another as those of agrarian societies.
C) very different from one another, but less so than those of agrarian societies.
D) successful only in places with ecosystems that humans could easily dominate.
Answer: C
Q2) Observations of macaques or "snow monkeys" by Japanese scientists in the 1950s added to evidence that:
A) macaques preferred to eat vegetables that had been mixed with wheat.
B) nonhuman species practice and transmit cultural routines and rites as learned behavior, much as humans do.
C) macaque culture, like that of other monkeys, relies fundamentally on instinct.
D) the cultural behavior of nonhuman species had less in common with humans than had been previously believed.
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: Out of the Mud: Farming and Herding After the Ice Age
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Q1) Archeological evidence dating from around 3000 B.C.E. from Hambledon Hill in England most likely indicates:
A) that humans of that era held enormous parties because an ice age was coming.
B) that failed attempts at herding animals and farming led people back to foraging and hunting.
C) that humans of that era combined hunting and gathering with newer practices related to farming and production.
D) that humans of that era imported most of their food because they could not find enough locally.
Answer: C
Q2) The theory that agriculture developed as an outgrowth of procurement argues that A) increased contact between groups of foragers led to the development of agriculture.
B) the development of new food sources late in the Paleolithic period led to agriculture.
C) changes in the methods of food gathering led to the development of agriculture.
D) the rise of powerful chiefs compelled people to adopt agriculture.
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: The Great River Valleys: Accelerating Change and Developing States
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Q1) Ancient Mesopotamia was
A) a united kingdom under a single ruler.
B) a collection of city-states.
C) a confederation of states with a single ruler only in times of war.
D) a feudal state.
Answer: B
Q2) The traditional Great River Valley civilizations were located in A) Egypt, China, Central America, and Iraq.
B) Egypt, Central America, Europe, and China.
C) Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and Pakistan.
D) Egypt, Pakistan, Europe, and China.
Answer: C
Q3) The earliest large states appeared in Central America around A) 6,000 years ago.
B) 5,000 years ago.
C) 4,000 years ago.
D) 3,000 years ago.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: A Succession of Civilizations: Ambition and Instability
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Q1) For what reasons did Egyptian civilization survive the general collapse of civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean?
Q2) One of the most accomplished exports that came out of China during the Shang dynasty was
A) writing.
B) bronze objects.
C) philosophical thought.
D) its system of government.
Q3) El Niño affects the Andean regions by
A) causing drought.
B) causing flooding.
C) causing the seasonal rains to come at the wrong time.
D) causing wind storms.
Q4) Which of the following peoples were the earliest known to have developed iron for weapons and tools?
A) Egypt
B) Minoans
C) Mesopotamians
D) Hittites
Q5) What factors contributed to the end of the Shang dynasty?
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Chapter 5: Rebuilding the World: Recoveries, New Initiatives, and
Their Limits
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Q1) What difference did Africa's connections to Asia make in its development in this period as compared to American developments?
In Perspective
Q2) A key element in the belief system of the Upanishads is the idea of
A) paradise for the righteous.
B) eternal torment for the wicked.
C) reincarnation of an eternal soul.
D) divination of the future through sacrifice.
Q3) Compare the resurgence of civilization in the Greek world with the new empires of Assyria and Babylon. What are the most important differences and why?
Q4) In what ways did both the religious concepts of the Ganges Valley and the philosophies of Warring States China attempt to address problems of social and political stability?
Q5) The chief reason that we know less about many American or African cultures than many of those in Eurasia is
A) their lack of an archaeological record.
B) their lack of a written record.
C) the prejudice of modern historians.
D) our own lack of interest in the subject.
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Chapter 6: The Great Schools
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Q1) Important evidence that the early Jews were primarily a pastoral people may be seen in
A) the sacrifice of Cain and Abel.
B) the sacrifice of David and Saul.
C) the story of Noah.
D) the story of Adam.
Q2) According to the concept of Indian henotheism,
A) there is only one god.
B) there are many gods.
C) there are gods, but they do not care about humans.
D) many gods collectively represent a divine unity.
Q3) According to the Greek medical writer Hippocrates, disease could be explained A) by some natural causes and by oaths sworn by doctors.
B) by natural causes alone.
C) as a result of atoms swerving about.
D) as a result of acts of the gods.
Q4) Discuss and compare the invention and influence of Buddhism and Confucian thought on Indian and Chinese societies in the era around 500 B.C.E.
Q5) Why did a variety of philosophies flourish in the Mediterranean world?
Q6) How were Chinese and Greek philosophers similar in some of their concerns?
Page 8
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Chapter 7: The Great Empires
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Q1) The rock inscriptions set up by Asoka appear
A) only in southern India.
B) only in northern India.
C) scattered throughout India.
D) primarily in the Krishna Valley.
Q2) The total population of Teotihuacán at its height was
A) 20,000.
B) 50,000.
C) 100,000.
D) 200,000.
Q3) In forming his government, Asoka recruited what group to serve as bureaucrats?
A) the traditional Brahmin elite
B) the rising merchant class
C) the Buddhist clergy
D) the military elite
Q4) Beyond the great Eurasian empires, other states and societies thrived. Can they justifiably be called "empires"? Why or why not?
Q5) What were the main characteristics of the axial age in terms of philosophy and religion? Provide at least two examples.
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Chapter 8: Postimperial Worlds: Problems of Empires in
Eurasia and Africa, Ca 200 to 700 Ce
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Q1) During the eighth century C.E., many of the rulers of Japan were A) commoners.
B) women.
C) military leaders.
D) from the merchant class.
Q2) What were China's relations with its neighbors during the period following the collapse of the Han dynasty?
Q3) The key reasons why the Roman Empire survived in the East was
A) a larger military force and fewer incursions by barbarians.
B) less division because of religion and more easily defended borders.
C) greater wealth and fewer religious divisions.
D) more easily defended frontiers and greater wealth.
Q4) After the collapse of Teotihuacáno civilization,
A) it was entirely forgotten by the people of Central America.
B) people in Central America attempted to imitate it.
C) the Maya replaced it as the premier power.
D) the king Chak Tok began to restore order.
Q5) How was the world that recovered from the crises of the third through the seventh centuries a world of civilization?
Page 10
Q6) How did the Romans interact with the Germanic peoples?
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Chapter 9: The Rise of World Religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism
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Q1) How did military conquest affect the spread of Buddhism and Christianity?
Q2) What role did war play in the spread of Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity?
Q3) To qualify as a world religion, it must A) be monotheistic.
B) be easy for potential adherents to understand.
C) focus on personal salvation.
D) have broad appeal across cultures.
Q4) In the Buddhist world, King Anuruddha displayed his piety by A) never going to war.
B) enforcing Buddhism upon his conquered subjects in Sri Lanka. C) waging war to gain possession of holy scriptures.
D) going to war against his neighbors to keep them from fighting one another.
Q5) Why does monastic practice not exist in the Islamic faith? What has taken the place of a monastic movement in Islam?
Q6) In what ways did the sponsorship of ruling elites help bring about the spread of Buddhism in South and East Asia?
Q7) How did trade influence the spread of Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity across Eurasia?
Q8) What role did monasticism play in the spread of Christianity and Buddhism? Page 12
Q9) What were the essential elements needed for a world religion to be successful?
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Chapter 10: Remaking the World: Innovation and Renewal
on Environmental Frontiers in the Late First Millenium
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Q1) What role did competition between the Orthodox and Catholic churches play in the patterns of Christian expansion? In Perspective
Q2) What role did new technological developments play in the Polynesian colonization of the Pacific islands?
Q3) Which of the following techniques did NOT lead to increased food production in the Islamic world?
A) new irrigation techniques
B) lower taxes
C) use of fertilizer
D) consolidation of small holdings into larger ones
Q4) Why were Islamic rulers interested in promoting new crops and the expansion of settlements?
Q5) What policies did the early rulers of Japan engage in that encouraged greater productivity?
Q6) How did religious missionaries act as agents of expansion in eighth- and ninth-century Europe?
14
Q7) How did environmental factors affect Polynesian expansion across the Pacific Ocean?
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Chapter 11: Contending With Isolation: Ca 1000-1200
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Q1) How did trade in the Indian Ocean connect peoples in Africa with Eurasia?
Q2) Which of the following geographical elements did NOT separate Western Europeans from the rest of the world?
A) the Sahara Desert
B) the Ural Mountains
C) the forests and open steppe
D) the Atlantic Ocean
Q3) One of the great revolutions in the art of medieval Europe during the eleventh to twelfth centuries C.E. is
A) the naturalism of the depiction of human figures.
B) the new focus on the portrayal of scenes from classical mythology in churches.
C) the appearance of commoners in religious scenes.
D) the use of new types of oil paints.
Q4) What three reasons did the Norsemen give for going to Greenland?
A) gain, conquest, and the spread of Christianity
B) conquest, fame, and gain
C) the spread of Christianity, gain, and fame
D) fame, curiosity, and gain
Q5) What are the benefits and drawbacks of cultural and economic isolation?
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Chapter
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Q1) The ruins of the early Turkish city at Konya reveal that
A) the Turks during this period established cities mainly to protect permanent garrisons.
B) even early Turkish cities were entirely concerned with markets and an abandonment of their earlier warrior culture.
C) the Turks entirely forgot their pastoral past rapidly.
D) markets and shops played an important role in the life of the city.
Q2) What role did steppelanders play in connecting different sedentary areas with each other? Were different civilizations' responses to the steppe challenge part of a larger Eurasian system of interactions?
In Perspective
Q3) What were the basic movements that lay behind the development of the crusades in Western Christendom?
A) commerce and pilgrimage
B) pilgrimage and holy war
C) exploration of new lands and chivalry
D) chivalry and commerce
Q4) What were the reasons behind the crusading movement that arose in Western Christendom?
Page 16
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Chapter 13: The World the Mongols Made
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Q1) Explain how Genghis Khan and the Mongols built an empire that spread from Central Asia to China, Russia, and Asia Minor. Discuss the tactics, technologies, and governance practices that enabled such a dramatic and enduring expansion.
Q2) What was the impact on the Mongols and their empire of regionally-based methods of rule?
Q3) The dominant animal in the life of Mongols on the steppe was:
A) the cow.
B) the horse.
C) the goat.
D) the pig.
Q4) The Mongols attempted and failed to maintain control over A) the islands of Java.
B) Japan.
C) Vietnam.
D) All the answers are correct.
Q5) What were the reasons/events that kept the Mongols from conquering Europe, Syria and Egypt, India, and Japan?
Q6) Who was Temujin and how have different peoples (including the Mongols themselves) portrayed him through the ages?
Page 17
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Chapter 14: The Revenge of Nature: Plague, Cold, and the
Limits of Disaster in the Fourteenth Century
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Q1) Compare and contrast the effects of fourteenth century climate change in Europe and the Americas.
Q2) What is the most likely identification of the "plague" that devastated Eurasia in the fourteenth century? Explain the nature of the available evidence and how that evidence was used to reach the most convincing conclusion.
Q3) What sorts of evidence tell us about climate change in past times? How does using such evidence complicate the traditional job of the historian as an interpreter of texts?
Q4) Which of the following key resources for trade came from Southeast Asia?
A) cotton, timber, and mace
B) nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon
C) cloves, oranges, and pepper
D) cinnamon, potatoes, and timber
Q5) Explain the process of climate change and its consequences on agriculture and habitation in Europe and Eurasia in the fourteenth century.
Q6) Discuss some of the difficulties inherent in the identification of diseases that occurred in the past.
Q7) How was Japan affected by the plague?
Page 18
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Chapter 15: Expanding Worlds: Recovery in the Late
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries
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Q1) Why were global maritime trade routes first established by Europeans rather than other powerful groups such as the Chinese?
Q2) The Aztec empire governed through an extensive bureaucracy that regulated tribute in the form of
A) gold and slaves.
B) cotton and tobacco.
C) feathers, rubber, and ornamental shells.
D) all of the above
Q3) Financial backing for Christopher Columbus' first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean came from
A) Queen Isabella.
B) the Portuguese crown.
C) private sources.
D) the Spanish crown.
Q4) Explain the role of peasants in the establishment of the Ming dynasty.
Q5) Explain why the new land empires of Eurasia ultimately proved more enduring than those of the Americas and Africa.
Q6) What range of motives impelled Europeans around the world? In Perspective
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