The West in the World, Ch 1 - 5

The West in the World, exam 1 (Ch. 1 - 5)
bold = correct answer
strike through = incorrect answer

1. The most important development of the Neolithic Age was
● agriculture

2. The defining elements of civilization in the Neolithic period include all of the following except?
● great stone pyramids.
● developed agriculture.
● permanent settlements.
● domesticated animals.

3. The earliest known civilization of Mesopotamia was
● Sumer

4. The Sumerian system of writing
● was called cuneiform.

5. Which of the following is not true about Hammurabi's law code
● It opens a window into our understanding of ancient daily life.
● It prescribes different penalties for each of the three social orders in Babylon.
● Its stated purpose was to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak.
● It provided for trial by jury.

6. The great pyramids of Egypt
● were monuments to the Sumerian gods.
● were built by colossal numbers of slaves.
● were part of the Egyptian belief in the afterlife.
● were built toward the end of Egyptian history.

7. The most important contribution of the Phoenicians to Western Civilization was
● the alphabet.

8. In addition to preaching monotheism, the Jewish prophets also
● declared that the essence of faith was making the proper sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem.
● preached that religion was not merely ritual, but also ethical behavior.
● argued that all Jews should abandon Jerusalem for Babylon.
● announced that God was indifferent to human behavior.

9. Among the Hebrew beliefs that have had an important impact on Western Civilization was
● the creation of the world at a specific time.
● the concept of ethical monotheism.
● that history was a purposeful, morally significant event.
● All of these options are correct.

10. The success of the Assyrian empire was based on
● the use of iron weaponry and systematic brutality.
● skilled administration and the spread of the Aramaic language.
● killed military engineers and a trained officer corps.
● All of these options are correct.

11. Which of the following was not a result of the widespread violence and movement of peoples in the eastern Mediterranean around 1200 B.C.E.?
● a besieged and weakened Egyptian Empire
● the Trojan War and destruction of Troy
● the establishment of democracy at Athens
● the decline of Mycenaean civilization and its invasion by Dorian Greeks

12. The Greek invention of philosophy, or the search for knowledge, involved the idea that
● the world and the cosmos were accessible to human reason and based on natural laws.
● all could be learned by studying the texts of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
● the gods would reveal all knowledge according to their own plan.
● people could hasten the acquisition of knowledge by increasing religious sacrifices.

13. Athenian democracy differed from modern democracy in many ways, with several groups excluded. Which of the following was not excluded?
● women
● slaves
● persons not of Athenian ancestry, even though they were born in Athens
● the poor

14. Sparta developed a strict military state and society in order to
● keep their conquered people, or helots, in subjection and slavery.

15. Which of the following was not true of the Olympic Games?
● Men and women could compete together in some events.

16. Which of the following applies to Pericles, the architect of Athens's Golden Age?
● He was elected chief strategos, or commander, from 443 to 429 B.C.E.
● He provided the leadership for the rebuilding of the Acropolis to include the Parthenon.
● He advocated the supremacy of Athens over other members of the Delian League.
● All of these options are correct.

17. According to Thucydides, the Peloponnesian War was caused by
● Sparta's fear of Athens' growing power.

18. Which of the following was not an advantage for Athens in the war with Sparta?
● the best land army in Greece
● naval control of the Aegean
● long walls protecting harbor and city
● wealth and supplies from sea-borne trade

19. Socrates believed that
● there were no standards of truth and justice; only success counts.
● that true wisdom lies in the endless search for knowledge.
● that Alcibiades should have conquered the world.
● that all philosophical questions were meaningless

20. During the half century following the Peloponnesian War
● the major poleis recovered their original power and cultural vitality.
● the Persians conquered Greece and made it into a province.
● the Greeks united into a single state under the leadership of Sparta.
● constant warfare between the poleis weakened Greece politically and culturally.

21. During the Hellenistic period
● ancient Middle Eastern and Greek civilizations joined in a manner that changed them both.
● the Eastern Mediterranean was dominated by Greek language and culture.
● kings ruled large kingdoms rather than citizens ruling independent city-states.
● All of these options are correct.

22. Demosthenes opposed the expansion of Macedonia under Philip II because
● Philip threatened the traditional freedom and self-government of the poleis.
● Philip was a weak military commander and would not be able to fight the Persians.
● he wanted Sparta to assume the leadership of Greece.
● Macedonia was not rich enough to be the leader of the Greeks

23. Which of the following policies did Alexander not follow in his imperial rule?
● founding many cities to spread Greek urban life throughout the empire
● supporting intermarriage between Greeks and Asians
● destroying all conquered cities to obliterate non-Greek culture
● recruiting Persian soldiers as part of a new combined army

24. Alexander turned back from his quest for the end of the known world because
● his Macedonian troops refused to go on.
● he thought that the land extended forever.
● he was defeated by the kings of northern India.
● he was warned to go no further by his father Zeus.

25. Following Alexander's death, his empire
● was destroyed by an invasion of Mongols.

26. The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt
● maintained the Empire of Alexander the Great intact.
● conducted their official business in Greek, while permitting traditional Egyptian culture to continue.
● suppressed Egyptian culture, thus bringing the civilization of Egypt to an end.
● extended their empire south into Ethiopia.

27. The Rosetta Stone was important because
● it recorded the deeds of Arsinoe II.

28. During the Hellenistic period women
● were increasingly sequestered from cultural, political and economic life.
● were granted political and voting rights in most kingdoms.
● were allowed freer access to economic and cultural professions.
● gained the right to pass down their names and heritage to their children.

29. The Maccabees led a Jewish revolt against King Antiochus IV because he
● wanted to move all the Jews to Egypt to establish a Jewish state there.
● converted to Judaism and insisted on being appointed high priest.
● forbade the Jews from trading with the Ptolomaic kingdom.
● attempted to Hellenize the Jews and violated the Temple with an altar to Zeus.

30. Although differing in approaches to life, the Hellenistic philosophies of Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Cynicism had many things in common. Which of the following was not shared by them?
● They argued for something of a withdrawal from the life of the cosmopolitan cities.
● They seldom appealed to really destitute people.
● They argued for an increased participation in the life of the polis.
● They emphasized control of the self and personal tranquility.

31. The Roman Republic established in 509 B.C.E. was
● a fully democratic government.
● an oligarchy controlled by the rich patricians.
● a socialist regime with property having been equally distributed.
● indirectly controlled by neighboring Etruscan kings

32. The "Struggle of the Orders" was between
● Roman patricians and Roman plebeians.

33. The Romans created a united community during their conquest of Italy by
● granting full or partial citizenship to various Latin communities.
● granting self-government to peoples as long as they supplied troops to Rome and followed Roman foreign policy.
● placing strategic colonies of Roman citizens throughout the peninsula.
● All of these options are correct.

34. Roman religion was
● monotheistic.
● polytheistic with gods and goddesses for practically everything.
● restricted to the worship of only Jupiter and Juno.
● a mystery cult open only to those who had been initiated into the secret ritual.

35. In order to fight a war with Carthage, the Romans
● added new legions with faster horses and more spears.
● built a navy equipped with ships that enabled soldiers to board enemy ships.
● allied themselves with the Macedonians.
● hired Greek soldiers since they had more experience at sea.

36. In the Second Punic War, Hannibal's strategy was to
● blockade the Italian coast with the large Carthaginian fleet.
● invade southern Italy with the aid of the Egyptian fleet.
● swiftly cross the Alps into Italy and, by winning some big battles, persuade Rome's subject peoples to join his side.
● entice the Romans to attack him in Spain and defeat them there with his carefully prepared defenses.

37. As a result of the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean, slavery
● decreased due to the increasing wealth of the Romans who could hire free workers.
● declined under the influence of the Hellenistic monarchies who prohibited slavery.
● increased as large numbers of prisoners of war were sold as slaves.
● stayed the same since Italy didn't need any larger work force.

38. Which of the following was not a factor in the growing disparity between the rich and poor during the second century B.C.E.?
● Small Roman farmers grew rich from the booty that flowed into Italy.
● Newly conquered provinces provided opportunities for the ruling class to make new fortunes from governing, tax contracts, slave trading, etc.
● Many common soldiers on long-term campaigns lost their farms to large landholders.
● Slave labor replaced free labor, reducing to poverty many citizens.

39. Which of the following reforms did Caesar not carry out when he took power?
● reestablishing the Senate and consuls as the chief Roman authorities
● introducing a new calendar of 365 days and a leap year every four years
● improving grain distribution to the people, and public works for jobs
● establishing Roman colonies for poor, landless citizens

40. Caesar was assassinated by
● a group of senators.

41. After the assassination of Julius Caesar
● the Roman Republic was restored.
● Alexander the Great conquered Rome.
● Hannibal led a plebeian uprising against the patricians.
● there was a series of civil wars that ended in the one-man rule of Augustus.

42. During his principate, Augustus did all of the following except
● abolish the Senate because of the great opposition that he found there.
● assume the powers of tribune and consul while permitting others to exercise the offices.
● use his personal wealth to balance the budget and rebuild Rome.
● accept the title "Father of the Fatherland."

43. The dynasty of Augustus, the dynasty of Vespasian, and the era of the Five Good Emperors all ended with
● the accession of an incompetent or viciously immoral son.
● a Germanic invasion that sacked Rome.
● an eruption of Vesuvius.
● a major slave revolt.

44. Which of the following was not a factor holding the Roman Empire together?
● ferocious repression of all rebellions
● widely spread Romanization through citizen colonies and military service
● local town councils that maintained infrastructure, collected taxes, and loyally reported to the imperial administration
● well-engineered roads and bridges, with an organized transport system

45. In order to improve the lives of the Romans, Augustus
● encouraged an opulent life-style of luxurious clothes and jewels for the rich.
● favored the growing gap between rich and poor.
● promoted legislation to encourage marriage, children, and traditional morality.
● forced only non-Romans to serve military duty.

46. The bloody displays of arena and circus served the purpose of showing
● the empire's dominance over its enemies.
● the generosity of the emperor who paid for the games, increasing loyalty to him.
● people how to face death bravely and honorably.
● All of these options are correct.

47. The increase of luxury spending by the rich during the high empire damaged the economy because
● less money circulated, limiting growth opportunities for the middle class.

48. Constantine shifted the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, later called Constantinople, because
● he had a major quarrel with the Roman Senate.
● Rome was sacked by the Visigoths.
● he wished to locate the capital nearer to vital military frontiers.
● he felt more Greek than Roman.

49. Which of the following is not true of the career of Jesus?
● He called for the overthrow of the Roman government.
● He taught a message of peace, love and care for the suffering and poor.
● He was reported to have performed miracles and cures.
● He was seen by his apostles to have risen from the dead after his crucifixion.

50. Once Christianity became the official religion of the empire,
● the artistic depictions of Christ started to change from the Good Shepherd to the lord of the universe.
● the organization of the Christian church began to duplicate the civil order of Rome.
● Christian bishops became bold enough to criticize the conduct of the emperor.
● All of these options are correct.