Question 1

How did the Universalis Cosmographia, by Martin Waldseemüller and Mathias Ringmann, differ from previous maps of the world?

Accepted Answer

A)  It depicted Earth as round. 
B)  It was the first map to use Latin geographical terms. 
C)  It provided the first reliable sailing directions to the Americas. 
D)  It was the first European map to depict the Americas and Asia as separate. 
A)  It depicted Earth as round. 
B)  It was the first map to use Latin geographical terms. 
C)  It provided the first reliable sailing directions to the Americas. 
D)  It was the first European map to depict the Americas and Asia as separate. D

Question 2

How did the Aztecs', Mayans', and Incas' commercial practices influence the development of their transportation systems?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because they lacked horses, their trading caravans were drawn by other humans. 
B)  They did not trade with communities outside of their respective civilizations, which made it unnecessary to develop small boats for river travel. 
C)  Because they carried out most of their commerce overland or along rivers and coastlines, they did not need to build seagoing boats. 
D)  They did not have settlements outside of their major cities, which made it unnecessary to build complex roadways. 
A)  Because they lacked horses, their trading caravans were drawn by other humans. 
B)  They did not trade with communities outside of their respective civilizations, which made it unnecessary to develop small boats for river travel. 
C)  Because they carried out most of their commerce overland or along rivers and coastlines, they did not need to build seagoing boats. 
D)  They did not have settlements outside of their major cities, which made it unnecessary to build complex roadways. C

Question 3

How many people lived in North America when European explorers landed there in the sixteenth century?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fewer than 6,000 
B)  About 60,000 
C)  Over 6 million 
D)  About 60 million 
A)  Fewer than 6,000 
B)  About 60,000 
C)  Over 6 million 
D)  About 60 million C

Question 4

Why did the diet of the first North Americans change about 10,000 years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  The animals they hunted in Asia did not follow them to North America, so they needed to find new sources of food. 
B)  North Americans adopted agricultural systems, allowing them to replace meat with vegetables as the main foods in their diet. 
C)  North Americans were unable to migrate far enough inland to find hunting grounds, so they adapted to the resources available at the coast. 
D)  Mammoths and other large game disappeared from their habitat, causing North Americans to rely on smaller game, fish, and plant foods to survive. 
A)  The animals they hunted in Asia did not follow them to North America, so they needed to find new sources of food. 
B)  North Americans adopted agricultural systems, allowing them to replace meat with vegetables as the main foods in their diet. 
C)  North Americans were unable to migrate far enough inland to find hunting grounds, so they adapted to the resources available at the coast. 
D)  Mammoths and other large game disappeared from their habitat, causing North Americans to rely on smaller game, fish, and plant foods to survive.

Question 5

How did Columbus's crew and the native inhabitants of the Americas communicate with one another?

Accepted Answer

A)  Although they didn't speak the same language, they were able to communicate using visual cues and gestures. 
B)  They all spoke Spanish because it was the dominant language at the time. 
C)  They all spoke English because it was the dominant language at the time. 
D)  Columbus knew some native symbols from his earlier travels. 
A)  Although they didn't speak the same language, they were able to communicate using visual cues and gestures. 
B)  They all spoke Spanish because it was the dominant language at the time. 
C)  They all spoke English because it was the dominant language at the time. 
D)  Columbus knew some native symbols from his earlier travels.

Question 6

Why did the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés and his Spanish counterparts decide to go to war with the Aztecs and their leader, Montezuma?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Aztecs had advanced technology that the Spanish wanted. 
B)  The Aztecs did not have an army to organize a response. 
C)  The Aztecs had gold and other riches. 
D)  The Aztecs were not Christian. 
A)  The Aztecs had advanced technology that the Spanish wanted. 
B)  The Aztecs did not have an army to organize a response. 
C)  The Aztecs had gold and other riches. 
D)  The Aztecs were not Christian.

Question 7

What conditions enabled the cultural Renaissance to emerge in the wake of the Black Death?

Accepted Answer

A)  An end to the century-long war between France and England, decreased trade with Asia, and steady birthrates 
B)  An improved climate, a higher standard of living for the surviving populations, and rising birthrates 
C)  A decreased emphasis on agricultural commerce, the consolidation of smaller city-states into larger territories, and religious toleration 
D)  A dry climate, the Middle Eastern slave trade, and a decreased reliance on other cultures for scientific knowledge 
A)  An end to the century-long war between France and England, decreased trade with Asia, and steady birthrates 
B)  An improved climate, a higher standard of living for the surviving populations, and rising birthrates 
C)  A decreased emphasis on agricultural commerce, the consolidation of smaller city-states into larger territories, and religious toleration 
D)  A dry climate, the Middle Eastern slave trade, and a decreased reliance on other cultures for scientific knowledge

Question 8

Who first migrated to and populated the Americas over 13,000 years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  Africans 
B)  Europeans 
C)  Australians 
D)  Asians 
A)  Africans 
B)  Europeans 
C)  Australians 
D)  Asians

Question 9

What development marked the expansion of the slave trade from West Africa?

Accepted Answer

A)  The construction of bigger ships with more spacious cargo areas 
B)  The construction of Elmina Castle 
C)  The influx of funds from the Dutch 
D)  The discovery of the Far East 
A)  The construction of bigger ships with more spacious cargo areas 
B)  The construction of Elmina Castle 
C)  The influx of funds from the Dutch 
D)  The discovery of the Far East

Question 10

In what economic sector did many of sixteenth-century Spain's poor find employment?

Accepted Answer

A)  Factories 
B)  Dock work 
C)  Army 
D)  Navy 
A)  Factories 
B)  Dock work 
C)  Army 
D)  Navy

Question 11

What share of their loot did Spanish explorers have to turn over to the crown for taxes?

Accepted Answer

A)  About 5 percent of the take 
B)  A flat rate based on the size of the ship 
C)  About 20 percent of the take 
D)  About 50 percent of the take 
A)  About 5 percent of the take 
B)  A flat rate based on the size of the ship 
C)  About 20 percent of the take 
D)  About 50 percent of the take

Question 12

From what European country did the ill-fated settlers of Roanoke come?

Accepted Answer

A)  England 
B)  Spain 
C)  France 
D)  Portugal 
A)  England 
B)  Spain 
C)  France 
D)  Portugal

Question 13

What Native American people built the capital Tenochtitlán on the site of present-day Mexico City?

Accepted Answer

A)  Aztecs 
B)  Incas 
C)  Mayans 
D)  Iroquois 
A)  Aztecs 
B)  Incas 
C)  Mayans 
D)  Iroquois

Question 14

Why were some church officials against the Spanish pillaging and plundering of the Americas?

Accepted Answer

A)  Killing Native Americans was against the First Commandment. 
B)  Stealing from Native Americans was a sin. 
C)  Native Americans were not converting to Catholicism. 
D)  Native Americans were holy people with close ties to the spirit world. 
A)  Killing Native Americans was against the First Commandment. 
B)  Stealing from Native Americans was a sin. 
C)  Native Americans were not converting to Catholicism. 
D)  Native Americans were holy people with close ties to the spirit world.

Question 15

Who sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, demonstrating the possibility of traveling from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean?

Accepted Answer

A)  Bartolomeu Dias 
B)  Vasco da Gama 
C)  Prince Henry 
D)  Erik the Red 
A)  Bartolomeu Dias 
B)  Vasco da Gama 
C)  Prince Henry 
D)  Erik the Red

Question 16

What luxury item from the Far East lured European traders to its shores for centuries?

Accepted Answer

A)  Spices 
B)  Sugar 
C)  Tea 
D)  Coffee 
A)  Spices 
B)  Sugar 
C)  Tea 
D)  Coffee

Question 17

Which European explorer introduced coal and spices to Europe after traveling to China in the 1270s?

Accepted Answer

A)  Marco Polo 
B)  Henry the Navigator 
C)  Bartolomeu Dias 
D)  Vasco da Gama 
A)  Marco Polo 
B)  Henry the Navigator 
C)  Bartolomeu Dias 
D)  Vasco da Gama

Question 18

Why did the first American settlers cross the Bering Strait into the North American continent?

Accepted Answer

A)  They tracked the migratory patterns of birds. 
B)  They sought a freshwater supply. 
C)  They were driven from their own land. 
D)  They were following herds of oxen and rhinoceroses. 
A)  They tracked the migratory patterns of birds. 
B)  They sought a freshwater supply. 
C)  They were driven from their own land. 
D)  They were following herds of oxen and rhinoceroses.

Question 19

In the sixteenth century, which society was organized along matrilineal lines?

Accepted Answer

A)  Turkish 
B)  Spanish 
C)  African 
D)  Portuguese 
A)  Turkish 
B)  Spanish 
C)  African 
D)  Portuguese

Question 20

What forces brought about the decline of the Mayan Civilization?

Accepted Answer

A)  Flood 
B)  Drought 
C)  War 
D)  Lack of innovation 
A)  Flood 
B)  Drought 
C)  War 
D)  Lack of innovation

Exam 1: Mapping Global Frontiers

How did the Universalis Cosmographia, by Martin Waldseemüller and Mathias Ringmann, differ from previous maps of the world?

How did the Aztecs', Mayans', and Incas' commercial practices influence the development of their transportation systems?

How many people lived in North America when European explorers landed there in the sixteenth century?

Why did the diet of the first North Americans change about 10,000 years ago?

How did Columbus's crew and the native inhabitants of the Americas communicate with one another?

Why did the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés and his Spanish counterparts decide to go to war with the Aztecs and their leader, Montezuma?

What conditions enabled the cultural Renaissance to emerge in the wake of the Black Death?

Who first migrated to and populated the Americas over 13,000 years ago?

What development marked the expansion of the slave trade from West Africa?

In what economic sector did many of sixteenth-century Spain's poor find employment?

What share of their loot did Spanish explorers have to turn over to the crown for taxes?

From what European country did the ill-fated settlers of Roanoke come?

What Native American people built the capital Tenochtitlán on the site of present-day Mexico City?

Why were some church officials against the Spanish pillaging and plundering of the Americas?

Who sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, demonstrating the possibility of traveling from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean?

What luxury item from the Far East lured European traders to its shores for centuries?

Which European explorer introduced coal and spices to Europe after traveling to China in the 1270s?

Why did the first American settlers cross the Bering Strait into the North American continent?

In the sixteenth century, which society was organized along matrilineal lines?

What forces brought about the decline of the Mayan Civilization?

Colonization and Conflicts

Colonial America Amid Global Change

Religious Strife and Social Upheavals

War and Empire

The American Revolution

Forging a New Nation

The Early Republic

Defending and Redefining the Nation

Social and Cultural Ferment in the North

Slavery Expands South and West

Imperial Ambitions and Sectional Crises

Civil War

Emancipation and Reconstruction

The West Opening the West

Industrial America

Workers and Farmers in the Age of Organization

Cities, Immigrants, and the Nation

Progressivism and the Search for Order

Empire and Wars

The Twenties

Depression, Dissent, and the New Deal

World War II

The Opening of the Cold War

Troubled Innocence

Liberalism and Its Challengers

The Swing Toward Conservatism

The Triumph of Conservatism, the End of the Cold War, and the Rise of the New World Order

The Challenges of a Globalized World

Filters