Deck 10: The Sasanid Empire and the Rise of Islam

Question 1

After the city of Mecca surrendered to Muhammad, he established a new state based on a

A)democratic government system.
B)dynastic system with his sons as the monarchs.
C)government system similar to the Persian administration.
D)common religious faith.
E)loose coalition of Arab city-states.

Answer 1

common religious faith.

Question 2

The establishment of Zoroastrianism and Christianity as official faiths in the Sasanid and Byzantine empires (respectively)set the precedent for what future event?

A)the rise of Islam as the focus of a political empire
B)the dominance of monotheism in all subsequent empires
C)the rejection of religion as an official political focus
D)the rise of corrupt leadership in those empires
E)the worldwide spread of Christianity

Answer 2

the rise of Islam as the focus of a political empire

Question 3

What late-blooming caravan city was a pilgrimage site of the Ka'ba?

A)Mecca
B)Medina
C)Jerusalem
D)Baghdad
E)Damascus

Answer 3

Mecca

Question 4

Umma means

A)community of Muslims.
B)unseen spirit.
C)personal struggle.
D)religious garment.
E)None of these is correct.

Question 5

The traditional occupation in the Arabian Peninsula was more farming than

A)pastoral nomadism.
B)trade caravans.
C)maritime trading.
D)artisanship.
E)self-sufficient religious sects.

Question 6

The Arabs' involvement in Byzantine and Sasanid conflicts led to the penetration of these religions into the Arabian Peninsula.

A)Judaism and Christianity
B)Judaism and Buddhism
C)Christianity and Buddhism
D)Zoroastrianism and Buddhism
E)Zoroastrianism and Christianity

Question 7

How did Muhammad experience revelations?

A)from a being he understood to be the Angel Gabriel
B)dreaming about Ishmael from the Old Testament
C)many years of religious study in a mosque
D)being possessed by a shaitan
E)reading the Bible

Question 8

Which of the following is not an agricultural good that the Sasanid Empire acquired from Silk Road trade?

A)coffee beans
B)eggplant
C)sugar cane
D)rice
E)None of these are correct.

Question 9

Which dualist faith was founded in Mesopotamia in the third century CE?

A)Zoroastrianism
B)Islam
C)Nestorian Christianity
D)Manichaeism
E)None of these is correct.

Question 10

Muslim religious practice is based on the

A)Three Goals to Salvation.
B)Ten Commandments.
C)Eightfold Path.
D)Four Noble Truths.
E)Five Pillars.

Question 11

Most subjects of both Byzantine and Sasanid rulers found common identity in

A)language.
B)religion.
C)commerce.
D)occupations.
E)family kin groups.

Question 12

After Muhammad's death, the Muslim community

A)held general elections to replace Muhammad.
B)abandoned the orthodox teachings of Islam.
C)chose a successor ( caliph ), Abu Bakr.
D)searched the entire peninsula for a suitable successor, according to Muhammad's last instructions.
E)embraced his wife, Khadija, as his successor.

Question 13

Religious conflicts in the Byzantine Empire resulted in treatment of Nestorian Christians as

A)holy, seeking the recovery of the holy lands through crusades.
B)heretics, seeking refuge under the Sasanid shah.
C)monks, seeking the true meaning of life in vows of poverty and chastity.
D)converts to new faiths to avoid taxation.
E)outcasts from society who were unable to find jobs.

Question 14

Muslims originally prayed in the direction of which city?

A)Rome
B)Mecca
C)Medina
D)Jerusalem
E)Alexandria

Question 15

What did the Sasanid and Byzantine Empires have in common?

A)dependence on camels
B)a shared distaste for Christianity
C)state religions
D)a military emphasis on cavalry
E)societal unrest because of religious heterogeneity

Question 16

The Sasanid Empire was centered in the area that is present-day Iran, while the Byzantine Empire was centered in the area that is present-day .

A)Lebanon
B)Egypt
C)Afghanistan
D)Greece
E)Turkey

Question 17

Muhammad's teachings built upon the beliefs of

A)Judaism and Buddhism.
B)Judaism and Hinduism.
C)Judaism and Christianity.
D)Judaism and Zoroastrianism.
E)Judaism and Manichaeism.

Question 18

Muslim means

A)first followers.
B)the one true religion.
C)holy people.
D)one who submits to the will of God.
E)chosen for purity.

Question 19

Why did Muhammad leave Mecca for Medina (known as the hijra , which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar)?

A)He sought more followers in the north.
B)One of his visions commanded him to.
C)Meccan leaders were threatened by his popularity.
D)Muhammad's wife had family in Medina.
E)Theology argued that Abraham had lived in the north.

Question 20

What does Islam call on people to believe?

A)that they must surrender to the will of God
B)that Islam is the one true religion
C)that Allah will reward or punish all people after death
D)that the Quran is the revelation of Allah
E)All of these are correct.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the rule of the Seljuk Empire?

A)They ruled the Middle East during the First Crusade.
B)Mesopotamia grew in population and influence.
C)Irrigation and canal systems fell into disrepair during their rule.
D)Seljuk leaders didn't get involved in internal religious fighting.
E)Cities shrank and lost population during their rule.

Question 22

The capital of the Umayyad caliphate was in

A)Damascus.
B)Ephesus.
C)Antioch.
D)Bagdad.
E)Mecca.

Question 23

What battle saw the victory of Ali over two of Muhammad's close companions and his favorite wife A'isha?

A)the Battle of the Ka'ba
B)the Battle of the Caliphate
C)the Battle of the Camel
D)the Battle of the Medina
E)None of these are correct.

Question 24

Umayyad Spain developed a distinctive Islamic culture because of the

A)growing influence of Russian and Frankish traditions in Spain.
B)decrease in Arab power combined with a growing Christian influence.
C)Viking invasions of the ninth century.
D)blending of Roman, Germanic, Jewish, Arab, and Berber traditions.
E)blending of Islam with Roman traditions and Visigoth culture.

Question 25

Despite political decay in al-Andalus, under Islamic leadership, the Jewish people of Spain

A)experienced widespread discrimination.
B)were frequently arrested and persecuted.
C)contributed to the cultural growth of Spain as great thinkers and writers, such as Maimonides.
D)experienced a diaspora to eastern Europe.
E)passed laws ensuring the ascension of Jews to the Spanish throne.

Question 26

The foundation of Islamic civilization is the Shari'a, or

A)taxes.
B)community.
C)literature.
D)philosophy.
E)law.

Question 27

Why is the Abbasid rule considered a "golden age"?

A)It created a refined and cosmopolitan culture in Baghdad.
B)The Spanish region was considered the golden frontier.
C)It used gold as the standard coinage throughout the empire.
D)It used the golden cow as the focus of religious worship.
E)It is marked by the rule of the "golden" monarch, Abu Bakr.

Question 28

The decline of the Umayyad dynasty was due to

A)converts to Islam numbered no more than 10 percent.
B)growing unrest among non-Arab Muslims, who demanded access to political power.
C)a peasant revolt over increases in taxes and decreases in wages.
D)the arrival of a Jewish messiah.
E)a and b above.

Question 29

Despite the fact that conversions to Islam were at their peak, Abbasid power declined because

A)there were constant revolts of non-Muslims against forced conversion.
B)the empire had to resist nomadic pressures on the frontier.
C)the empire had become too big to rule effectively.
D)new religious practices developed that challenged the appeal of Islam.
E)there were frequent religious wars between the Sunnis and Shi'ites.

Question 30

The exchange system involving salt, gold, copper, and manufactured goods first benefited what kingdom in sub-Saharan Africa?

A)Ghana
B)Egypt
C)Tunisia
D)Yemen
E)Morocco

Question 31

The group of Muslims who believe the leader of Islam should be a descendent of Muhammad's son-in-law is called the

A)Shi'ites.
B)Sunnis.
C)Sufis.
D)Mobad.
E)Hadj.

Question 32

What was the name of the Turkic slaves the Abbasids used for military service?

A)Berbers
B)Arabian Knights
C)Taherts
D)Mamluks
E)None of these are correct.

Question 33

Traditions relating the deeds and words of Muhammad which, next to the Quran, are the most importance source for Islamic law, are called

A)ulama.
B)umma.
C)shari'a.
D)hadith.
E)None of these is correct.

Question 34

T Umar began the expansion of the caliphate outside of

A)Arabia.
B)Egypt.
C)Mesopotamia.
D)Iraq.
E)Anatolia.

Question 35

Muhammad's revelations are compiled in a book called

A)the Hadith.
B)the Third Testament.
C)the Quran.
D)the Ka'ba.
E)the Revelations.

Question 36

Byzantine power was significantly diminished by the Seljuks as a result of

A)the Seljuk's alliance with the Mamluks.
B)the Byzantine alliance with the Buyids.
C)the Battle of Manzikert.
D)the failure of the First Crusade.
E)the Schism of 1054.

Question 37

Which of the following areas was not brought under Muslim control under the leadership of the caliphs?

A)Egypt and North Africa
B)Syria
C)Spain
D)Eastern Europe
E)The Indus Valley

Question 38

Mu'awiya chose his own son, Yazid, to succeed him thereby establishing this caliphate.

A)Umayyad
B)Abbasid
C)Mamluk
D)Fatimid
E)None of these is correct.

Question 39

Muslim religious scholars were known as

A)Seljuks.
B)Sultans.
C)Umma.
D)Imams.
E)Ulama.

Question 40

Why is the martyrdom of Husayn a significant event in Muslim history?

A)It marks the anniversary of Jesus' crucifixion.
B)It marks the beginning of Muslim expansion.
C)It marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
D)It marks the end of the Muslim expansion.
E)It marks the beginning of the sect of Shi'ism.

Question 41

What does the chapter reveal about the status of Muslim women? Compare their status with the status of women in other parts of the world at that time.

Question 42

Explain how the form and structure of the Arab army aided in the success of the Islamic conquests.

Question 43

Sufism was significant in being a(n)

A)quest for a direct union with God through rituals and training.
B)blending of Christian and Buddhist ideas into Islam.
C)rejection of religious formalism.
D)new doctrine that excluded the lower classes.
E)attempt to convert more women to Islam.

Question 44

What is the name for a catalogue of books such as those sold in a Baghdad bookstore during the Abbasid caliphate?

Question 45

Which of the following was not an issue faced by converts to Islam?

A)Few converts spoke Arabic.
B)Few converts could read the Quran.
C)Muhammad had not established any priesthood.
D)All of these are correct.
E)None of these are correct.

Question 46

Describe the evolution of Islamic civilization. What was its effect on Europe?

Question 47

Describe the birth of Islam and specifically the role Muhammad had in spreading the faith.

Question 48

The founder of the Sasanid empire in approximately 224 was .

Question 49

Instructions: Answer the following question(s).
Describe the state's use of religion in the Byzantine and Sasanid Empires.

Question 50

What were the major reasons for the decline of both the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates? What role did the umma play in this?

Question 51

Which of the following statements about Muslim women is NOT true?

A)they were permitted to divorce
B)they often played a role in public life
C)they were permitted to practice birth control
D)they were permitted to own property
E)they adopted the Byzantine and Sasanid custom of veiling

Question 52

The core belief among all the sects of Shi'ites is that the rightful successor to Mohammad was .