Question 1

Why was Arabia an unlikely spot to produce a world religion and empire?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why was Arabia an unlikely spot to...

Question 2

The Abbasid Empire practiced "Arab exclusivism."

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Which of the following most accurately describes dhimmis?

Accepted Answer

A)  Muslim warriors of the Arab conquests 
B)  Non-Muslim members of tolerated religions who were allowed to practice their own religions if they paid a special poll tax 
C)  Members of monotheistic religions who converted to Islam during the Arab conquests 
D)  The prominent tribe of the Hijaz of which Muhammed was a member 
A)  Muslim warriors of the Arab conquests 
B)  Non-Muslim members of tolerated religions who were allowed to practice their own religions if they paid a special poll tax 
C)  Members of monotheistic religions who converted to Islam during the Arab conquests 
D)  The prominent tribe of the Hijaz of which Muhammed was a member

Question 4

Which of the following enabled empires (such as the Acheminid Empire) to dominate increasingly extensive territories?

Accepted Answer

A)  Improvements in agriculture and military technology 
B)  Improvements in transportation and communication 
C)  The development of social and administrative organizations 
D)  All of the answers are correct 
A)  Improvements in agriculture and military technology 
B)  Improvements in transportation and communication 
C)  The development of social and administrative organizations 
D)  All of the answers are correct

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a reason why Ali is such a significant figure in Islam?

Accepted Answer

A)  He was Muhammad's cousin 
B)  He was the husband of Muhammad's daughter Fatima 
C)  He represented a broad coalition of interests calling for greater equality among all Muslims, both Arab and non-Arab 
D)  He was the uncontested successor to the caliphate 
A)  He was Muhammad's cousin 
B)  He was the husband of Muhammad's daughter Fatima 
C)  He represented a broad coalition of interests calling for greater equality among all Muslims, both Arab and non-Arab 
D)  He was the uncontested successor to the caliphate

Question 6

Which of the following was NOT characteristic of the Umayyad dynasty?

Accepted Answer

A)  It borrowed administratively from the Byzantines 
B)  It sought the continued expansion of Islam 
C)  It moved the capital from Mecca to Constantinople 
D)  It accrued vast levels of wealth from conquests 
A)  It borrowed administratively from the Byzantines 
B)  It sought the continued expansion of Islam 
C)  It moved the capital from Mecca to Constantinople 
D)  It accrued vast levels of wealth from conquests

Question 7

Who transmitted God's message to Muhammad on the Night of Power?

Accepted Answer

A)  Gabriel 
B)  Khadijah 
C)  Ali 
D)  None of the answers is correct. 
A)  Gabriel 
B)  Khadijah 
C)  Ali 
D)  None of the answers is correct.

Question 8

Mu'awiyah founded the Abbasid Empire.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

The Abbasid Empire transferred the imperial capital from Damascus to __________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Abbasid Empire transferred the imperial capital...

Question 10

Even more stunning than the speed and extent of the Arab conquests was their durability. What political factors contributed to the durability of the conquests?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Even more stunning than the speed and...

Question 11

Despite the Abbasids' numerous successes, it would seem no empire is perfect. Can you identify any potential weaknesses of the Abbasid caliphate?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Despite the Abbasids' numerous successes, it would...

Question 12

How did the Abbasid Empire address the issue of political authority?

Accepted Answer

A)  Political authority was placed into the hands of an absolute monarch 
B)  Political authority rested entirely with a religious leader 
C)  Autonomous religious groups within the empire held complete political authority 
D)  The Abbasid Empire embraced a secular king 
A)  Political authority was placed into the hands of an absolute monarch 
B)  Political authority rested entirely with a religious leader 
C)  Autonomous religious groups within the empire held complete political authority 
D)  The Abbasid Empire embraced a secular king

Question 13

Which of the following was NOT a caliph of the Abbasid Empire?

Accepted Answer

A)  al-Mansur 
B)  Harun al-Rashid 
C)  Mu'awiyah 
D)  al-Ma'mun 
A)  al-Mansur 
B)  Harun al-Rashid 
C)  Mu'awiyah 
D)  al-Ma'mun

Question 14

Which of the following most accurately describes the Rashidun?

Accepted Answer

A)  The pre-Islamic inhabitants of the Hijaz 
B)  Abu Bakr and his three successors, who are known as the rightly guided caliphs 
C)  The martyrs of the Arab conquests of the seventh century 
D)  Members of monotheistic religions (peoples of the book) 
A)  The pre-Islamic inhabitants of the Hijaz 
B)  Abu Bakr and his three successors, who are known as the rightly guided caliphs 
C)  The martyrs of the Arab conquests of the seventh century 
D)  Members of monotheistic religions (peoples of the book)

Question 15

Which of the following best describes a caliph?

Accepted Answer

A)  The religious and political leader of the Islamic community 
B)  The rightful heir to Muhammad Ali 
C)  The religious and political leader of a nomadic tribe 
D)  The wisest and most knowledgeable man within a community. 
A)  The religious and political leader of the Islamic community 
B)  The rightful heir to Muhammad Ali 
C)  The religious and political leader of a nomadic tribe 
D)  The wisest and most knowledgeable man within a community.

Question 16

In which years did the Abbasids reign?

Accepted Answer

A)  710-850 
B)  1258-1326 
C)  732-1258 
D)  750-1258 
A)  710-850 
B)  1258-1326 
C)  732-1258 
D)  750-1258

Question 17

Prior to the rise of Islam, settled lands of the Middle East were ruled by two imperial states: the Roman-Byzantine Empire and the __________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Prior to the rise of Islam, settled...

Question 18

Arab conquests were swift, expansive, and durable. To which religious reasons might we attribute this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Arab conquests were swift, expansive, and durable....

Question 19

What was most stunning about the Arab conquests of the 600s?

Accepted Answer

A)  The number of men involved in these conquests 
B)  The level of sophistication in the tactics used in the conquests 
C)  The durability of these conquests 
D)  The lengthy amount of time it took for these conquests to be completed 
A)  The number of men involved in these conquests 
B)  The level of sophistication in the tactics used in the conquests 
C)  The durability of these conquests 
D)  The lengthy amount of time it took for these conquests to be completed

Question 20

What forces of unity existed in pre-Islamic Arabia?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What forces of unity existed in pre-Islamic...

Exam 1: The Rise and Expansion of Islam

Why was Arabia an unlikely spot to produce a world religion and empire?

The Abbasid Empire practiced "Arab exclusivism."

Which of the following most accurately describes dhimmis?

Which of the following enabled empires (such as the Acheminid Empire) to dominate increasingly extensive territories?

Which of the following is NOT a reason why Ali is such a significant figure in Islam?

Which of the following was NOT characteristic of the Umayyad dynasty?

Who transmitted God's message to Muhammad on the Night of Power?

Mu'awiyah founded the Abbasid Empire.

The Abbasid Empire transferred the imperial capital from Damascus to __________________.

Even more stunning than the speed and extent of the Arab conquests was their durability. What political factors contributed to the durability of the conquests?

Despite the Abbasids' numerous successes, it would seem no empire is perfect. Can you identify any potential weaknesses of the Abbasid caliphate?

How did the Abbasid Empire address the issue of political authority?

Which of the following was NOT a caliph of the Abbasid Empire?

Which of the following most accurately describes the Rashidun?

Which of the following best describes a caliph?

In which years did the Abbasids reign?

Prior to the rise of Islam, settled lands of the Middle East were ruled by two imperial states: the Roman-Byzantine Empire and the __________________.

Arab conquests were swift, expansive, and durable. To which religious reasons might we attribute this?

What was most stunning about the Arab conquests of the 600s?

What forces of unity existed in pre-Islamic Arabia?

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Forging a New Synthesis: the Pattern of Reforms, 17891849

The Ottoman Empire and Egypt During the Era of the Tanzimat

Egypt and Iran in the Late Nineteenth Century

The Response of Islamic Society

The Era of the Young Turks and the Iranian Constitutionalists

World War I and the End of the Ottoman Order

Authoritarian Reform in Turkey and Iran

The Arab Struggle for Independence: Egypt, Iraq, and Transjordan From the Interwar Era to 1945

The Arab Struggle for Independence: Syria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia From the Interwar Era to 1945

The Palestine Mandate and the Birth of the State of Israel

Democracy and Authoritarianism: Turkey and Iran

The Middle East in the Age of Nasser: the Egyptian Base

The Middle East in the Age of Nasser: the Radicalization of Arab Politics

Israel and the Palestinians From 1948 to the 1970s

The Iranian Revolution and the Revival of Islam

Changing Patterns of War and Peace: Egypt and Lebanon in the 1970s and 1980s

The Arabian Peninsula in the Petroleum Era

The Consolidation of the Authoritarian Rule in Syria and Iraq: the Regimes of Hafiz Al-Asad and Saddam Husayn

The Palestinian Intifada and the 1991 Gulf War

A Peace so Near, a Peace so Far: Israeli-Palestinian Relations Since the 1991 Gulf War

Patterns of Continuity and Change in Turkey, Iran, and Lebanon

Americas Troubled Moment in the Middle East

The 2011 Arab Uprisings

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