Deck 5: Worlds Turned Inside Out 1000-350 Bce

Question 1

Which of the following accurately describes the goals of Axial Age thinkers?

A) Teaching rulers how to govern justly and individuals to live ethically
B) Teaching priests proper beliefs and individuals to treat each other with kindness
C) Training military leaders to use the forces of nature against opposing armies
D) Training government bureaucrats to effectively run states

Answer 1

Teaching rulers how to govern justly and individuals to live ethically

Question 2

What distinguished government in Warring States China from other societies in Afro-Eurasia?

A) Rulers valued spontaneity instead of structure and order.
B) Rulers rejected advice from and persecuted provincial rulers.
C) Rulers believed they were free of society's ethical rules.
D) Rulers forged an alliance with scholarly elites.

Answer 2

Rulers forged an alliance with scholarly elites.

Question 3

Which of the following is true for cities in South Asia as well as for cities in Greece and China around 500 BCE?

A) Population declined because of warfare and invasion.
B) Accounting and financial record keeping had not yet emerged,which limited the growth of financial transactions.
C) City dwellers,compared to rural peasants,had less material wealth.
D) Coins came into use around this time,which improved commerce in urban areas.

Answer 3

Coins came into use around this time,which improved commerce in urban areas.

Question 4

Which of the following is a valid comparison between Mahavira and Siddhartha Gautama?

A) Both believed that by strict adherence to caste rules one might be reborn into a higher caste.
B) Both believed that prayer rituals to the gods must be strictly observed so that the gods would intercede to aid the believer.
C) Both were Kshatriyas who spent part of their lives practicing asceticism.
D) Both believed that asceticism is the path to permanent bliss.

Question 5

Which of the following accurately describes Confucius's teaching?

A) Confucius believed that government work corrupted scholars,preventing them from establishing themselves as moral spokespersons who were removed from political activity.
B) Confucius believed that strong,coercive laws and punishments were needed to maintain moral order in society.
C) Confucius set forth a new moral framework stressing correct performance of ritual,responsibility,loyalty to the family,and perfection of moral character.
D) Confucius only accepted individuals of noble background as his students,as he believed that peasants were too crude for moral contemplation.

Question 6

Which of the following characterized innovations in warfare during the Warring States period in China?

A) Territorial states could produce armies of up to one thousand men.
B) Nobles fighting from chariots were replaced by massed infantries of peasants bearing iron-tipped lances.
C) Armies were led by family members of the king in order to ensure the loyalty of the military.
D) Siege warfare was less successful because of innovations in defensive fortification.

Question 7

The Buddha understood which of the following to be a way to reach nirvana?

A) Rituals to placate Brahmanic deities
B) Encyclopedic knowledge of the Vedas
C) Embracing desire instead of asceticism
D) Seeking a middle path between self-indulgence and self-denial

Question 8

Which of the following was a consequence of the reforms implemented by government minister Shang Yang during the Warring States period in China?

A) The Qin became the dominant state in China.
B) "Superior men" were excluded from government.
C) The power of the military was weakened by excessive punishment for failure.
D) The Wu became the dominant state in China.

Question 9

Which of the following led to upheavals during the Axial Age in China,South Asia,and Greece?

A) Millenarian movements
B) Incessant warfare
C) Invasions from the sea
D) Population loss in urban centers

Question 10

Which of the following contributed to increased agricultural productivity during both the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in China?

A) Peasants bound to the land as serfs
B) Reforestation to provide fuel for farmers
C) Decrease in warfare permitted farmers to work in peace
D) Crop rotation and oxen-pulled iron plows

Question 11

Which of the following is an accurate comparison between Confucianism and Daoism?

A) Daoism criticized Confucianism for teaching an unnatural social equality.
B) Both taught that the best way to live was to follow the natural order of things.
C) Both required acts of charity to effect positive change in the world.
D) Confucian scholars believed that gentlemen should enter government,but Daoists sought refuge from political life.

Question 12

Which of the following is true for cities in South Asia around 500 BCE?

A) Civic authorities gave specific attention to issues of sanitation.
B) City planning was carefully organized.
C) Cities served primarily as administrative centers.
D) Cities were occupied exclusively by wealthy elites and the priests who served them.

Question 13

Confucius thought that a harmonious existence was based on which of the following?

A) Unfettered individual freedom
B) Clear laws and punishments to maintain order
C) Carefully studying the natural world
D) Ethical behavior based on family and filial duty

Question 14

During the Eastern Zhou dynasty's Spring and Autumn period,which of the following resulted in a political power shift from the central state to local authorities?

A) Cheaper and more abundant weapons,products from new iron smelting techniques
B) New discoveries in hydrology increased the power of rural agriculture.
C) New sextants,which allowed local rulers to create accurate calendars without the royal astronomers
D) New interpretations of oracle bones discouraged local gentlemen from supporting the central state.

Question 15

Which of the following was an important social change during the Warring States period in China?

A) Class relations became more fluid as commoners were able to gain more economic power.
B) The status of priests declined as both commoners and elites rejected divination in favor of rational analysis of the present.
C) The status of peasants fell since they were denied admission into the army.
D) Gender relations became more flexible as the economic contribution of women increased due to their work in the fields.

Question 16

Which of the following characterizes Laozi's beliefs about government?

A) Rulers should "do nothing" to interfere with the natural process of change.
B) Government posts should not be awarded by rank but should be awarded to those who were best qualified.
C) A state should be modeled on a patriarchal family: the ruler respecting heaven while protecting his subjects.
D) Authoritarian rulers should provide strict laws and moral education.

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the relationship of Mahavira and the Buddha with Brahman spiritual authority?

A) Both Mahavira and the Buddha accepted the elaborate cosmology of Brahman scholars.
B) Both Mahavira and the Buddha objected to the ritual sacrifices of animals by the Brahmans.
C) Both Mahavira and the Buddha relied upon the oral transmission of their teachings,whereas the Brahmans relied upon writing down their teachings.
D) Both Mahavira and the Buddha rejected the idea of ritual sacrifice but upheld the caste system.

Question 18

The introduction of an alphabetic script circa 600 BCE created which of the following changes in Vedic society?

A) Vaishyas gained more wealth and social importance because they could now record transactions and thus improve profitability.
B) The Brahmans' control over religious ideas was undercut because previously only the Brahmans had memorized the vast amount of Vedic religious literature.
C) Untouchables took over the role of scribe and began to mingle with other varnas.
D) Kshatriyas gained prestige because they could now popularize the tales of ancient heroes who had led the migration into India.

Question 19

Which of the following contributed to population migration from the Yellow River basin south to the Yangzi River?

A) Population growth,soil erosion,and deforestation
B) Increased invasions from the steppes
C) Flight from imposed labor that was required to build canals and dikes
D) Suppression of Daoism in the north

Question 20

In the class structure of South Asia circa 500 BCE,in addition to the four traditional varnas,what factor led to the development of new specialized social groups called jati?

A) Vedic migrants forced local inhabitants into lower castes
B) Booming agriculture allowed for greater variety of occupations
C) Increased social mobility
D) Increased intermarriage between groups

Question 21

Which of the following reflects a commonality of the Sudanic peoples spread across sub-Saharan Africa?

A) Sudanic peoples borrowed their institutions from equatorial Africa.
B) Sudanic peoples were skilled weavers of linen,a crop they had domesticated.
C) Sudanic peoples' religious beliefs were dominated by a high god served by sacred kings.
D) Sudanic peoples had no large domesticated animals such as horses or cattle.

Question 22

In which of the following ways did Olmec society differ from most other decentralized agrarian cultures?

A) Olmec priests studied weather patterns in order to develop an accurate calendar system for planting crops.
B) The Olmecs were more simple and egalitarian than other agrarian cultures.
C) The Olmecs developed an elaborate social system characterized by many tiers of rankings.
D) Olmec chieftains were organized for warfare,not for overseeing the economy and agriculture.

Question 23

Which of the following was a major difference in forced labor under the Greeks in the Mediterranean Basin in the Axial Age and in China under the Zhou?

A) The Greeks only enslaved non-Greeks,but the Zhou enslaved their own people.
B) Greek slaves comprised a very small portion of the population of most city-states,while under the Zhou nearly half of the population was enslaved.
C) The Greeks created chattel slavery,while the Zhou used labor as a form of tribute.
D) The Greeks sold off women to pay debts such as taxes,but the Zhou never allowed women to be sold as slaves.

Question 24

Which of the following correctly describes the breakdown of Olmec culture?

A) The Olmecs were defeated in a series of wars with the Maya.
B) In many areas,religious centers were abandoned,but not destroyed.
C) As the Olmec hierarchies collapsed,the hinterland became depopulated and unproductive.
D) The Olmecs fell because of a peasant uprising against the priests and chieftains.

Question 25

Which of the following was a major effect of colonies founded by Mediterranean city-states?

A) These colonies created a city-state culture founded on a market-based economy and private property.
B) These colonies had little influence on populations in the hinterlands.
C) These colonies tended to develop individual cultures as influenced by the local populations.
D) These colonies led to the establishment of an ever-widening imperial state.

Question 26

Which of the following is evidence of the economic growth of the Mediterranean city-states?

A) Rapid population increase
B) A new aristocratic culture featuring public displays of wealth
C) The establishment of large bureaucracies
D) The use of paper money to facilitate commercial exchanges

Question 27

Which of the following was true of the social structure in most city-states in the Mediterranean basin?

A) The small family unit was the most important social unit.
B) The social equality of the household was seen as a model for social equality in public life.
C) Adult women were recognized as the public voice of their family's concerns.
D) Slaves were allowed to participate in political debate.

Question 28

Which of the following was a characteristic of Olmec cities?

A) Cities served as political centers from which kings established their authority.
B) Cities evidenced little planning or organization in their construction.
C) Cities were large,often encompassing more people than their Afro-Eurasian counterparts.
D) Cities had a ceremonial life that revolved around agricultural and rainfall cycles.

Question 29

Which of the following is true of Axial Age thinkers in the Mediterranean city-states?

A) They were based in northern Africa,where they were influenced by Egyptian thought.
B) They drew heavily on the older,traditional values they encountered through trade with more established states and empires.
C) They were independent thinkers,all of whom rejected the existence of the gods.
D) They looked to nature itself rather than focusing on the role of gods to explain the universe.

Question 30

Meroitic monumental architecture such as the Temple of the Lion God can be used to posit a cultural link between Meroe and which of the following civilizations?

A) The Nok
B) Assyria
C) The Persians
D) Egypt

Question 31

Which of the following was a way that the Chavín people responded to Andean environmental constraints?

A) They developed hardy wheat crops that flourished in the colder elevations.
B) They lacked the technology to produce metal goods,so they specialized in wood carving.
C) They relied on llamas to transport political officials across the empire.
D) They organized their societies vertically along steep mountainsides to take advantage of the different crops that could be grown in different zones.

Question 32

Which of the following is a challenge raised by historian Karen Armstrong to Jaspers's thinking about the Axial Age?

A) The tenets of Axial Age philosophers probably did not apply to women,nonelites,or those living in rural areas.
B) The ideas of the Buddha and Socrates all derive from those of Confucius.
C) The development of these philosophies in different parts of Eurasia demonstrates how isolated these civilizations were.
D) Axial Age philosophers in Asia were reacting to political chaos and warfare,while those in the Mediterranean were reacting to environmental and cultural upheaval.

Question 33

Which of the following reflects a major economic difference between sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of Afro-Eurasia?

A) Sub-Saharan Africa was isolated from trade with the Nile Valley and North Africa.
B) Sub-Saharan African agriculture was based on barley,not wheat or rice.
C) Sub-Saharan Africans valued labor more than land because of the lack of plow agriculture.
D) Sub-Saharan African land was held by chieftains who parceled it out to tenants to grow crops.

Question 34

Which of the following reflects a way that Chavín society achieved cultural unification among its isolated communities?

A) They shared an artistic tradition manifested in devotional cults focused on powerful animal deities.
B) They established a spiritual center in caves on the coast of Peru that echoed with "divine voices."
C) They relied strictly on local influences to maintain the purity of their religious beliefs and symbols.
D) They created a common spiritual landscape in an imaginary city that their priests could enter after ingesting hallucinogenic substances.

Question 35

Which of the following accurately compares Greek philosophers,such as Socrates,and other Axial Age thinkers,such as Confucius and the Buddha?

A) All believed that true freedom of mind only came after ascetic renunciation of the flesh.
B) All described a vision of a perfect city ruled by philosopher-kings.
C) All stressed the importance of honor and integrity over wealth and power.
D) All believed that ideas were perfect models of abstract concepts that were imperfectly copied in the real world.

Question 36

Which of the following characterized warfare among the city-states of the Mediterranean basin?

A) Warfare was an uncommon feature of relations between the city-states.
B) Warfare fueled new developments in military technology and tactics.
C) Warfare led to consolidation of city-states into territorial empires.
D) Warfare among the city-states made it more difficult to colonize new territories.

Question 37

Which of the following was an innovation in Greek art that derived from the ways Axial Age thinkers perceived the place of humans in the cosmos?

A) Representing naturalistic views of nude human figures
B) Creating elaborate mosaics of mythical creatures
C) Rejecting decorative arts in favor of intellectual pursuits
D) Creating idealized art to reflect the theoretical realms created by philosophers

Question 38

Aristotle's philosophical approach differed from that of Socrates and Plato in which of the following ways?

A) Socrates and Plato were more influenced by Egyptian science,while Aristotle followed Mesopotamian scientific thought.
B) Aristotle believed that to understand the world,one must collect as much evidence as possible and then deduce patterns from that data.
C) Aristotle tried to create an ideal state for humans to imitate,while Socrates sought to understand natural law.
D) Socrates and Plato were more deeply interested in experimentation and mathematics,while Aristotle studied theoretical physics.

Question 39

In contrast to most other societies in Afro-Eurasia,the second-generation societies on the borderlands of the eastern Mediterranean developed which of the following political organizations?

A) Elected monarchies
B) Self-governing city-states
C) Theocracies
D) Merchant oligarchies

Question 40

What was the physical and social center of a Mediterranean city-state?

A) Temple to the city's god
B) Palace of the king
C) Administrative offices of the city officials
D) Marketplace

Question 41

The Jain doctrine of ahimsa ("no hurt")was especially popular among South Asian peasants.

Question 42

Historians see the isolation of Axial Age thinkers in their own societies as evidence of geographical barriers to trade and travel in the first millennium BCE.

Question 43

Sporting events,such as the Olympic Games,demonstrated the peaceful spirit of cooperation among Greek city-states.

Question 44

Which of the following Axial Age thinkers expressed ideas most similar to: "A fool who recognizes his own ignorance is thereby in fact a wise man,but a fool who considers himself wise-that is what one really calls a fool," attributed to Siddhartha Gautama in the Dhammapada?

A) Socrates
B) Confucius
C) Master Zeng
D) Zoroaster

Question 45

In addition to iron smelting,the Nok people in West Africa were known for which of the following?

A) The Nok were isolated and therefore developed a distinct artistic style.
B) The Nok were the only culture to develop agriculture in this region.
C) The Nok produced terra-cotta figurines believed to have the power to bless the soil.
D) The Nok developed a sophisticated written script that preserved religious texts.

Question 46

Compare the ways that various thinkers in China and South Asia responded to the particular challenges in their states,societies,and/or cultures.

Question 47

What led philosopher Karl Jaspers to coin the term "Axial Age," and how did he describe it as a distinct period in history? In what ways have other historians and philosophers challenged Jaspers's statements?

Question 48

Compare Buddhist and Confucian philosophies.How did each respond to the political and social upheavals of the Axial Age?

Question 49

Scholars,merchants,peasants,and artisans in China all prospered during the first millennium BCE because of an expanding agrarian economy and interregional trade.

Question 50

The Chavín drew on influences as far away as the Amazon to create devotional cults that revered animals as representatives of spiritual forces.

Question 51

Compare how the societies in Mesoamerica,South America,and sub-Saharan Africa were affected by the connections that they had or failed to have with other societies.How did these societies structure their broad social relations?

Question 52

Compare how economic developments in South Asia and the Mediterranean basin affected the growth of urban society.Analyze the role of emerging ideas from these societies' thinkers and philosophers.