Question 1

Compare and contrast the effect of the plague on the towns as opposed to the countryside.

Accepted Answer

In the countryside,the effects of the plague were profound.Almost immediately,the smaller population allowed the European countryside to regain a healthier ecological balance.In time,forests that had been depleted recovered,and some arable fields were converted to pastures.Diminished demand for food and more pastures meant that farmers could expand their livestock herds.The land that the post-plague farmers did choose to plant often produced better than it had before the plague because larger herds allowed for more manuring,which improved the fertility of the soil.
The smaller population in Europe post-plague also meant that labor costs rose,while the price of basic foodstuffs declined.People generally had more money to spend on milk,meat,fish,fruit,and wine,which had previously been out of reach.Generally speaking,the quality of life for the medieval peasants who survived the plague improved dramatically.
Politically,peasants fared better in some areas than in others.In areas such as France and the Low Countries,peasants experienced new freedoms.In England,one of the consequences of the plague was that serfdom eventually faded almost completely from society.Many left their lands to move into the towns and cities or were able to force better conditions from their lord upon threat of abandonment.However,in some countries such as Castile,Poland,and Germany,large landholders responded to the shortage of workers by forcing their tenants to do more unpaid labor.As a result,many formerly freed peasants became serfs.
The population in towns recovered more quickly than in the countryside due to mass immigration.Many of the new arrivals were women whose economic opportunities in towns grew in the wake of the Black Death.Trade,especially in more specialized goods,increased dramatically after the plague,and towns that were part of existing and new trade networks benefited immensely.New coalitions of cities,such as the Hanseatic League,were created for the sole purpose of fostering trade and controlling commercial access to their ports.Increased demand for luxury goods brought renewed wealth into merchant cities such as Venice.

Question 2

Which of the following Renaissance humanists proved that the Donation of Constantine was a medieval forgery?

Accepted Answer

A)  Petrarch 
B)  Leonardo Bruni 
C)  Leon Battista Alberti 
D)  Lorenzo Valla 
E)  Marsilio Ficino 
A)  Petrarch 
B)  Leonardo Bruni 
C)  Leon Battista Alberti 
D)  Lorenzo Valla 
E)  Marsilio Ficino D

Question 3

In late medieval Italy,there was a renewed interest in studying texts written in Greek because:

Accepted Answer

A)  schools there were organized by Greek masters. 
B)  Greek had become the lingua franca there due to trade connections to the East. 
C)  Italians spoke and read Greek as their vernacular language. 
D)  Petrarch wrote an excellent text on learning the Greek language that was wildly popular. 
E)  Greek-speaking intellectuals had fled to Italy and brought their books and knowledge with them. 
A)  schools there were organized by Greek masters. 
B)  Greek had become the lingua franca there due to trade connections to the East. 
C)  Italians spoke and read Greek as their vernacular language. 
D)  Petrarch wrote an excellent text on learning the Greek language that was wildly popular. 
E)  Greek-speaking intellectuals had fled to Italy and brought their books and knowledge with them. E

Question 4

The Ottoman army that conquered much of the Middle and Near East was composed mostly of:

Accepted Answer

A)  mercenaries. 
B)  free Muslim citizens. 
C)  slaves. 
D)  volunteers from conquered countries. 
E)  drafted Christians from conquered lands. 
A)  mercenaries. 
B)  free Muslim citizens. 
C)  slaves. 
D)  volunteers from conquered countries. 
E)  drafted Christians from conquered lands.

Question 5

The works of Boccaccio,Chaucer,and de Pisan all demonstrate:

Accepted Answer

A)  that most literature was still written in Latin. 
B)  the spread of vernacular literacy. 
C)  that most people who were literate still studied and worked in universities. 
D)  that there was still no market for professional writers in Europe. 
E)  that most literature was still very formal. 
A)  that most literature was still written in Latin. 
B)  the spread of vernacular literacy. 
C)  that most people who were literate still studied and worked in universities. 
D)  that there was still no market for professional writers in Europe. 
E)  that most literature was still very formal.

Question 6

Why did the Renaissance originate in Italy?

Accepted Answer

The Renaissance originated in the city-s

Question 7

The French victories over the English during the second phase of the Hundred Years' War were,in part,due to the:

Accepted Answer

A)  inability of England to gather a large army in this period. 
B)  excellent leadership of Charles VI. 
C)  introduction of longbowmen into the French Army. 
D)  professionalization of the French Army. 
E)  widespread use of mercenaries in the English Army. 
A)  inability of England to gather a large army in this period. 
B)  excellent leadership of Charles VI. 
C)  introduction of longbowmen into the French Army. 
D)  professionalization of the French Army. 
E)  widespread use of mercenaries in the English Army.

Question 8

The Muscovite state fostered a sense of unity and history within its peoples by:

Accepted Answer

A)  promoting Roman Catholicism within the territory. 
B)  arguing that Muscovy was the divinely appointed successor to the Mongol Empire. 
C)  arguing that Muscovy was the divinely appointed successor to the Roman Empire. 
D)  fostering hostility toward the Orthodox Church. 
E)  fostering hostility toward Jewish peoples. 
A)  promoting Roman Catholicism within the territory. 
B)  arguing that Muscovy was the divinely appointed successor to the Mongol Empire. 
C)  arguing that Muscovy was the divinely appointed successor to the Roman Empire. 
D)  fostering hostility toward the Orthodox Church. 
E)  fostering hostility toward Jewish peoples.

Question 9

Which lower-class rebellion in the later Middle Ages involved the revolt of workers in the cloth industry who sought greater participation in local government?

Accepted Answer

A)  The English Peasants' Revolt of 1381 
B)  The "Jacquerie" uprising of 1358 
C)  The Florentine Ciompi revolt of 1378 
D)  The Lübeck "taxpayers" revolt of 1408 
E)  The German Peasants' revolt of 1424 
A)  The English Peasants' Revolt of 1381 
B)  The "Jacquerie" uprising of 1358 
C)  The Florentine Ciompi revolt of 1378 
D)  The Lübeck "taxpayers" revolt of 1408 
E)  The German Peasants' revolt of 1424

Question 10

The Great Schism ended when the:

Accepted Answer

A)  papacy moved its administrative offices back to Rome. 
B)  Council of Basel dismissed all rival popes. 
C)  pope defeated the conciliar movement. 
D)  Council of Constance elected a new pope. 
E)  French king returned the pope to Rome. 
A)  papacy moved its administrative offices back to Rome. 
B)  Council of Basel dismissed all rival popes. 
C)  pope defeated the conciliar movement. 
D)  Council of Constance elected a new pope. 
E)  French king returned the pope to Rome.

Question 11

The English Lollards were the lay followers and successors of which late medieval theologian?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jan Zizka 
B)  Jan Hus 
C)  Meister Eckhart 
D)  John Wycliffe 
E)  Ulrich Zwingli 
A)  Jan Zizka 
B)  Jan Hus 
C)  Meister Eckhart 
D)  John Wycliffe 
E)  Ulrich Zwingli

Question 12

Large landholders sometimes responded to the shortage of agricultural workers as a result of the Black Death by:

Accepted Answer

A)  forcing tenants to do more unpaid labor, imposing new taxes, and requiring new forms of servitude. 
B)  paying their laborers less. 
C)  consolidating their holdings and selling off land they did not have the manpower to cultivate. 
D)  investing money in new technologies and laborsaving devices. 
E)  buying slaves from West Africa to work on their lands. 
A)  forcing tenants to do more unpaid labor, imposing new taxes, and requiring new forms of servitude. 
B)  paying their laborers less. 
C)  consolidating their holdings and selling off land they did not have the manpower to cultivate. 
D)  investing money in new technologies and laborsaving devices. 
E)  buying slaves from West Africa to work on their lands.

Question 13

Some early humanists criticized late-medieval scholasticism as being:

Accepted Answer

A)  concentrated more on virtuous living than on abstract speculation. 
B)  concentrated more on abstract speculation than on virtuous living. 
C)  focused too much on Christianity and salvation. 
D)  encouraged a solitary life of contemplation and asceticism. 
E)  was much too worldly in its approach to education. 
A)  concentrated more on virtuous living than on abstract speculation. 
B)  concentrated more on abstract speculation than on virtuous living. 
C)  focused too much on Christianity and salvation. 
D)  encouraged a solitary life of contemplation and asceticism. 
E)  was much too worldly in its approach to education.

Question 14

Nobles increasingly relied upon gifts and offices from their kings and princes because:

Accepted Answer

A)  nobles were forbidden from engaging in commerce. 
B)  the military roles the nobles had to play exhausted them financially. 
C)  nobles began to play more of a role in the king's administration. 
D)  they were signs of loyalty and affection from the king. 
E)  nobles were becoming economically challenged by declining agricultural revenues. 
A)  nobles were forbidden from engaging in commerce. 
B)  the military roles the nobles had to play exhausted them financially. 
C)  nobles began to play more of a role in the king's administration. 
D)  they were signs of loyalty and affection from the king. 
E)  nobles were becoming economically challenged by declining agricultural revenues.

Question 15

The Holy Roman Empire and the Italian Peninsula did not unite as national monarchies in part because:

Accepted Answer

A)  dynastic struggles in the ruling houses prevented it. 
B)  continual armed conflict and shifting alliances prevented the emergence of strong, centralizing rulers in these territories. 
C)  both territories were relatively poor and no single ruling family had the financial and military resources to centralize power in its own hands. 
D)  both territories were too concerned with checking Ottoman advances for strong rulers to look to expanding their power within Europe. 
E)  these territories had no external enemy to encourage unification. 
A)  dynastic struggles in the ruling houses prevented it. 
B)  continual armed conflict and shifting alliances prevented the emergence of strong, centralizing rulers in these territories. 
C)  both territories were relatively poor and no single ruling family had the financial and military resources to centralize power in its own hands. 
D)  both territories were too concerned with checking Ottoman advances for strong rulers to look to expanding their power within Europe. 
E)  these territories had no external enemy to encourage unification.

Question 16

What determined nobility in the late Middle Ages?

Accepted Answer

In the fourteenth and fifteenth centurie

Question 17

As a result of the depopulation in Europe caused by the Black Death:

Accepted Answer

A)  Europe became an agricultural wasteland. 
B)  European farmers turned toward producing cash crops exclusively. 
C)  great lords and monasteries took control of 75 percent of all agricultural land. 
D)  Europe's massively depleted ecological resources recovered. 
E)  Europeans began buying slaves to use as agricultural workers. 
A)  Europe became an agricultural wasteland. 
B)  European farmers turned toward producing cash crops exclusively. 
C)  great lords and monasteries took control of 75 percent of all agricultural land. 
D)  Europe's massively depleted ecological resources recovered. 
E)  Europeans began buying slaves to use as agricultural workers.

Question 18

Although Jan Hus adopted the ideas of John Wycliffe,he did diverge from Wycliffe in his view of the:

Accepted Answer

A)  centrality of confession. 
B)  primacy of the pope in setting dogma. 
C)  importance of Eucharistic piety. 
D)  importance of Baptism. 
E)  need for a priesthood. 
A)  centrality of confession. 
B)  primacy of the pope in setting dogma. 
C)  importance of Eucharistic piety. 
D)  importance of Baptism. 
E)  need for a priesthood.

Question 19

Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in:

Accepted Answer

A)  Latin. 
B)  Anglo-Saxon. 
C)  Old English. 
D)  Middle English. 
E)  Modern English. 
A)  Latin. 
B)  Anglo-Saxon. 
C)  Old English. 
D)  Middle English. 
E)  Modern English.

Question 20

The growth of power claims based on classical models,including patronage of the arts,occurred in Renaissance Italy due to the:

Accepted Answer

A)  admiration Renaissance Italians had for the Emperor Nero. 
B)  rediscovery and subsequent popularity of Suetonius's Lives of the Caesars. 
C)  relative weakness of the Church, which no longer provided an alternate model. 
D)  relative weakness of the Holy Roman Emperor, which no longer provided an alternate model. 
E)  rediscovery and subsequent popularity of Aristotle's Politics. 
A)  admiration Renaissance Italians had for the Emperor Nero. 
B)  rediscovery and subsequent popularity of Suetonius's Lives of the Caesars. 
C)  relative weakness of the Church, which no longer provided an alternate model. 
D)  relative weakness of the Holy Roman Emperor, which no longer provided an alternate model. 
E)  rediscovery and subsequent popularity of Aristotle's Politics.

Exam 11: Rebirth and Unrest 1350-1453

Compare and contrast the effect of the plague on the towns as opposed to the countryside.

Which of the following Renaissance humanists proved that the Donation of Constantine was a medieval forgery?

In late medieval Italy,there was a renewed interest in studying texts written in Greek because:

The Ottoman army that conquered much of the Middle and Near East was composed mostly of:

The works of Boccaccio,Chaucer,and de Pisan all demonstrate:

Why did the Renaissance originate in Italy?

The French victories over the English during the second phase of the Hundred Years' War were,in part,due to the:

The Muscovite state fostered a sense of unity and history within its peoples by:

Which lower-class rebellion in the later Middle Ages involved the revolt of workers in the cloth industry who sought greater participation in local government?

The Great Schism ended when the:

The English Lollards were the lay followers and successors of which late medieval theologian?

Large landholders sometimes responded to the shortage of agricultural workers as a result of the Black Death by:

Some early humanists criticized late-medieval scholasticism as being:

Nobles increasingly relied upon gifts and offices from their kings and princes because:

The Holy Roman Empire and the Italian Peninsula did not unite as national monarchies in part because:

What determined nobility in the late Middle Ages?

As a result of the depopulation in Europe caused by the Black Death:

Although Jan Hus adopted the ideas of John Wycliffe,he did diverge from Wycliffe in his view of the:

Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in:

The growth of power claims based on classical models,including patronage of the arts,occurred in Renaissance Italy due to the:

Early Civilizations

Peoples,Gods,and Empires: 1700-500 B.C.E

The Civilization of Greece 1000-400 B.C.E

The Greek World Expands 400-150 B.C.E

The Civilization of Ancient Rome

The Transformation of Rome

Rome's Three Heirs 500-950

The Expansion of Europe 950-1100

The Consolidation of Europe 1100-1250

The Medieval World 1250-1350

Innovation and Exploration 1453-1533

The Age of Dissent and Division 1500-1564

Europe in the Atlantic World 1550-1660

European Monarchies and Absolutism 1660-1725

The New Science of the Seventeenth Century

Europe during the Enlightenment

The French Revolution

The Industrial Revolution and Nineteenth-Century Society

The Age of Ideologies: Europe in the Aftermath of Revolution 1815-1848

Revolutions and Nation Building 1848-1871

Imperialism and Colonialism 1870-1914

Modern Industry and Mass Politics 1870-1914

The First World War

Turmoil between the Wars

The Second World War

The Cold War World: Global Politics,Economic Recovery,and Cultural Change

Red Flags and Velvet Revolutions: The End of the Cold War 1960-1990

A World without Walls: Globalization and the West

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