Deck 3: The Greek City-State: Democratic Politics

Question 1

Which of the following statements are true of the Minoans? ​

A)They created the earliest Greek-speaking civilization.
B)The influence of Minoan civilization on mainland Greece was minimal.
C)Archaeological evidence demonstrates the wealth and power of Minoan kings.
D)They were a warlike society.
E)Their economic activities were confined to the island of Crete.

Answer 1

Archaeological evidence demonstrates the wealth and power of Minoan kings.

Question 2

Which of the following occurred in the period that came after the Dark Age?

A)A dramatic rise in population led to extensive Greek colonization as far away as Italy and the Black Sea.
B)The socioeconomic structure remained unchanged.
C)The pace of urbanization slowed dramatically.
D)The rise of rationalism gradually eliminated the gods from Greek culture.
E)The use of metals continued to be minimal.

Answer 2

A dramatic rise in population led to extensive Greek colonization as far away as Italy and the Black Sea.

Question 3

The practice of religion in ancient Greece

A)involved an official creed with established doctrines.
B)included consultation of oracles.
C)had little to do with everyday life.
D)included an official body of priests who ruled religious matters.
E)rejected the Near Eastern practices of prayer and ritual offerings.

Answer 3

included consultation of oracles.

Question 4

Which of the following is true of the polis or city-state?

A)Originally, the polis was based on tribal allegiances.
B)The polis was a legacy of earlier Mycenaean civilization.
C)The polis was usually large, with more than 50,000 male citizens.
D)The intimate involvement of citizens in the political and cultural life of the polis meant that even women and resident aliens participated in the governance of the city-state.
E)all of the above

Question 5

Minoan civilization centered around

A)a series of large urban areas.
B)palace complexes.
C)the rural environment.
D)its single massive religious temple.
E)the new Greek unit of the city-state.

Question 6

After about 800 B.C., the Greeks borrowed all of the following from the Near East EXCEPT

A)the Phoenician writing system.
B)the political system of the democratic polis, or city-state.
C)artistic imagery and craft skills.
D)religious practices.
E)mythological tales.

Question 7

As Greek society emerged from the Dark Age, Greek religion included all the following EXCEPT

A)Olympian gods, already present in Homeric epics, led by Zeus.
B)the cult of Dionysus which featured ecstatic dancing and frenzied prayer to the god of wine and agricultural fertility.
C)the Eleusinian cult with its denial of life after death and focus on an earthly life of moderation.
D)the Orphic cult and its doctrine that the soul is imprisoned in the body as punishment for an unknown fault.
E)belief in local gods and rituals special to each city.

Question 8

Which period in Greek history of referred to as the Dark Age?

A)2600-1700 B.C.
B)1700-1450 B.C.
C)1400-1230 B.C.
D)1100-800 B.C.
E)800-500 B.C.

Question 9

According to the text, the achievement of the Greeks that set them apart from other Near Eastern civilizations was

A)the creation of a lasting world empire.
B)the development of rational thought.
C)the principle of women's rights.
D)the fusion of religion and politics.
E)the innovations of their military strategies and technology.

Question 10

During the Dark Age, Greek religion

A)developed a canon of writings that systemized religious belief.
B)largely disappeared as the difficulties of daily life left no time for devotion to the gods.
C)consisted of a mixture of beliefs and cults inherited from the Mycenaeans and older Indo-European traditions imported from Asia Minor.
D)was directed by prophets who would become a powerful priestly class in classical Greece.
E)was already challenged by a growing rational and secular spirit.

Question 11

During its Dark Age, Greece experienced

A)extensive migrations of Greek tribes from the mountain to the plains, the Aegean Islands, and Asia Minor.
B)a complete collapse of the palace systems of the Minoans and the Mycenaeans.
C)insecurity, warfare, poverty, and isolation.
D)the disappearance of a literate culture .
E)all of the above

Question 12

The activities of Heinrich Schliemann and Arthur Evans resulted in

A)the confirmation of references by Homer to civilizations in Greece prior to the eighth century B.C.
B)the earliest translations of Homeric works.
C)an understanding of the route of Dorian invasions.
D)a more critical understanding of Athenian democracy.
E)a better understanding of the tragedy of the Peloponnesian War.

Question 13

All of the following statements about the ancient Greek concept of humankind are true EXCEPT

A)human beings have a capacity for rational thought and a need for freedom.
B)nature follows consistent rules that could, and should, be grasped by human reason.
C)unlike Hebrews, the Greeks found little intrinsic worth either in the individual or in humankind as a whole.
D)the Greeks stressed human dignity but grounded it in the ability of individuals to think for themselves and bear responsibility for their actions.
E)the Greeks broke with the mythopoeic worldview of older civilizations.

Question 14

Mount Olympus was famous as

A)the home of the Greek gods.
B)the area where the gods fought for supremacy.
C)a shrine for those who fell in the Peloponnesian War.
D)Agamemnon's home.
E)the site of the ancient Olympics.

Question 15

Homer's profound impact on the Greek outlook and character is evident in

A)the importance he placed on honor and excellence even in the face of suffering and death.
B)his poetic appreciation for the orderliness of the universe.
C)the complexity of his characters' motives and the intensity of their emotions.
D)his recognition of war's tragic character.
E)all of the above

Question 16

All of the following are true of the Mycenaeans EXCEPT

A)they were a Greek-speaking people strongly influenced by the Minoans.
B)like the Minoans, they engaged in extensive trade.
C)their greatest strength was unity among the various Mycenaean centers of civilization.
D)their kings, who controlled the armed forces, trade, and the judiciary, were assisted by an aristocracy.
E)the bottom of Mycenaean society consisted of slaves, most of whom had been captured in war.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a legacy of Mycenaean civilization on later Greek civilization?

A)religious forms
B)language
C)political innovations
D)a warrior culture
E)metallurgy

Question 18

The central theme of the Iliad is

A)the dangers of uncontrolled women: Helen of Troy caused ten years of war.
B)the fatal wrath which brings epic suffering: Achilles' anger with Agamemnon leads to the death of many, including Achilles' dearest friend Patroclus.
C)the opportunities created by war can make even ordinary men into heroes: an ordinary Achaean killed the Trojan prince Hector.
D)the advantage of cunning over brute force: only the trick of the Trojan Horse ended a war that has lasted ten years.
E)the folly of angering the gods: Odysseus' offense against Poseidon prevented a swift homecoming.

Question 19

Which of the following means excellence in the Iliad and the early Greek society it describes?

A)aretē
B)hubris
C)isonomy
D)perioikoi
E)kouros

Question 20

Homer's major epic poems were

A)the Iliad and the Odyssey .
B)Lysistrata and the Frogs .
C)Antigone and the Bacchae .
D)the Symposium and the Republic .
E)the Iliad and the Peloponnesian War .

Question 21

The reputation of Cleisthenes rests upon his work as

A)a demagogue who rallied Athens against the Spartans.
B)the father of Athenian democracy.
C)the oracle at Delphi.
D)compiler of medical texts.
E)the founder of Greek drama.

Question 22

Which of the following statements did Pericles NOT make in his famous oration?

A)"We do not get into a state with our next-door neighbor if he enjoys himself in his own way, nor do we give him the kind of black looks which, though they do no real harm, still do hurt people's feelings."
B)"When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law...."
C)"Let me say that our system of government does not copy the institutions of our neighbors. It is more the case that God has made us a model to others, a light to the nations...."
D)"We regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about."
E)"When our work is over, we are in a position to enjoy all kinds of recreation for our spirits."

Question 23

The city-state of Sparta

A)earned the admiration from other Greeks for the courage, discipline, respect for law, physical training, and military prowess of its citizens.
B)came to be viewed as demonstrating the most expansive conception of aretē in the Greek world.
C)rivaled the Athenians in its support of crafts and artistic life.
D)established numerous colonies throughout the Aegean.
E)extended citizenship and political rights to conquered Greeks.

Question 24

Which of the following CANNOT be stated about the Persian Wars?

A)They consisted of two massive invasions of Greece by the Persians after Athens aided a revolt within the Persian Empire.
B)As the wars progressed, leadership of the Greek forces fell to Greece's most formidable military power: Sparta.
C)The wars included the burning of an abandoned Athens by the Persians.
D)The Greek victory brought new unprecedented confidence and pride that accelerated cultural and political developments in Greece.
E)The Persian Wars ushered in an era of Athenian imperialism.

Question 25

The Greeks were the first to

A)ask questions about the nature and purpose of the state.
B)rationally analyze political institutions.
C)speculate about human nature and justice.
D)discuss the merits of various forms of government.
E)all of the above

Question 26

The history of the Delian League demonstrated all of the following EXCEPT

A)it was impossible to clear the Aegean Sea of pirates and the Persians.
B)Athens was willing to transform the League into an instrument of Athenian domination.
C)Athens saw no conflict between democracy and imperialism.
D)resentment against Athenian domination would grow despite Athenian claims that the other city-states benefitted from Athenian leadership.
E)the Athenians believed that strong states have a natural right to dominate weaker ones.

Question 27

With regard to religion, the Greek city-states

A)showed the same respect as Near Eastern civilizations for the gods who directly or indirectly ruled the state.
B)moved away from theocracy toward a secular, rational state.
C)thoroughly rejected the mythological tradition.
D)took as a core principle the separation between religious and political life.
E)believed worship of the gods was an obstacle to patriotism.

Question 28

Which of the following is an accurate contrast between Athens and Sparta?

A)Sparta was more commercially developed than Athens.
B)Sparta possessed an isolationist foreign policy, whereas Athens sought to extend their authority over other territories.
C)Athens was far less interested in protecting itself from enemies than Sparta was.
D)Sparta was a great naval power, whereas Athens was a great land power.
E)all of the above

Question 29

Which of the following statements about slavery in ancient Greece is FALSE?

A)The Greeks believed that in order for some people to act as free individuals, others must be slaves.
B)Slavery was determined solely by race.
C)Slaves usually performed the same economic tasks as free citizens; some even held privileged positions such as clerks and policemen.
D)Some slaves, such as those who worked the mines, could be mercilessly exploited.
E)Children sold by their parents or abandoned could become slaves.

Question 30

The Peloponnesian War represented

A)the shattering of the spiritual foundation of Hellenic society.
B)the triumph of civic duty over individualism.
C)the replacement of extremism with moderation.
D)the vindication and acceptance of Athenian imperialism.
E)all of the above

Question 31

The Helots were Spartan

A)craftsmen.
B)state serfs.
C)colonies.
D)aristocratic warriors.
E)city officials.

Question 32

Athenian democratic theory did NOT produce which of the following?

A)the principle that political decisions are made by the community of citizens
B)confidence that average citizens could effectively administer their state
C)the belief that excellence meant good citizenship - a concern for the good of the community that outweighed personal interests
D)the notion of natural or inalienable human rights for all people
E)a government of amateurs

Question 33

Though barred from the Assembly, Athenian women could, as a rule

A)hold some public offices and represent themselves in court.
B)retain children after a divorce.
C)dine with their husbands and join them at the theatre.
D)attend to household chores including doing the shopping.
E)none of the  above

Question 34

Which of the following states emerged as a first-rate military power in the fourth century B.C.?

A)Sparta
B)Syracuse
C)Macedonia
D)Thebes
E)Argos

Question 35

The Athenian statesman Solon aimed to

A)restore aristocracy.
B)concentrate wealth in the hands of a few to facilitate tax collection.
C)balance the interests of the wealthy aristocrats and ordinary Athenians.
D)establish order in Athens with a law code mandating very harsh punishments.
E)lay the groundwork for democracy.

Question 36

Ancient and modern criticisms of Athenian democracy include the observation that

A)government by the common people equaled mob rule.
B)a system that gives power to people of little talent is bound to fail.
C)the wealthy, whether aristocrats or merchants, dominated political life.
D)a system excluding women and grounded in slavery cannot be a true democracy.
E)all of the   above

Question 37

Athens' mature democracy included

A)the right of all citizens to participate in person in the Assembly whose decisions became law.
B)a Council of Five Hundred, chosen by lot to manage state properties, such as the ports and military installations, as well as to set the Assembly's agenda.
C)the introduction of pay for government officials.
D)about 350 magistrates who performed various administrative duties and were chosen by lot.
E)all of the above

Question 38

The text states that the tyrant Pisistratus' greatest achievement was

A)promoting culture, making it accessible to common people and helping to make Athens the eventual cultural capital of Greece.
B)increasing the Athenian water supply.
C)the overthrow of the oligarchy.
D)his help for the poor as evidence in the redistribution of aristocratic land to the peasants.
E)his long, almost twenty-year rule.

Question 39

The Peloponnesian War was

A)the Persian invasion of Greece just after 500 B.C.
B)a war between the Delian League and the Peloponnesian League.
C)the war between Thebes and Sparta.
D)the Macedonian invasion of southern Greece.
E)the ongoing hostilities between the Helots and the Spartans.

Question 40

Which of the following is an accurate statement about Athens in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.?

A)Hereditary kings continued to dominate political life.
B)Power was wrestled from hereditary kings by aristocrats.
C)Merchants, enjoying profits, were satisfied with the system of law.
D)The Draconian system introduced moderation into the legal system.
E)Enslavement for non-payment of debt ceased to be a problem for the peasants.

Question 41

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
Mycenaeans

Question 42

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
Achilles

Question 43

The surviving biographical information about Demosthenes, the greatest of Greek orators, reveals that

A)he began his career as a polished and an effective public speaker.
B)for ten years, he exhorted his fellow Greeks to ally themselves to the rising power of Macedonia.
C)he was forced to commit suicide after he witnessed the Greek defeat at Chaeronea in 338 B.C.
D)his speeches have inspired orators into modern times.
E)all of the above

Question 44

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
rationalism

Question 45

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
polis

Question 46

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
Minoans

Question 47

Before their conquest by the Philip II, the most Greeks regarded the Macedonians as

A)fellow Greeks.
B)a formidable and imminent threat.
C)little different from other non-Greeks , whom they called barbarians.
D)Greeks but enemies of Athens.
E)potential unifiers of Greece.

Question 48

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
Dark Age

Question 49

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
ostracism

Question 50

Which of the following was NOT a factor in the decline of the Greek city-states ?

A)Commerce naturally led to economic cooperation on which political unity among the city-states was built.
B)The city- states were prone to frequent wars.
C)Civic responsibility among citizens declined.
D)Free citizens were susceptible to demagogues.
E)Pride and overconfidence led to disaster.

Question 51

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
cult of Dionysus

Question 52

According to the text, the political history of the Greeks during the period of the polis reveals that

A)rationalism weakened the fear of the gods, but it strengthened respect for the law.
B)the creation and maintenance of a rational society was extremely difficult, and success was not guaranteed.
C)the development of rational thought produced an appreciation of universal human rights, but it did not guarantee democracy as we understand it today.
D)rationalism inevitably produces the most effective social and political systems, ones that still inspire the West.
E)rationalism never aided the development of the polis .

Question 53

The historian Thucydides

A)reconstructed Pericles' funeral oration.
B)lamented that freedom could degenerate into factionalism and civil war.
C)reported that the Athenian followed the principle of "might makes right" in their foreign policy.
D)observed how fanaticism helped destroy the sense of civic duty.
E)all of the above

Question 54

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
isonomy

Question 55

As a young man, Philip II spent three years as a hostage in

A)Athens.
B)Thebes.
C)Sparta.
D)Corinth.
E)Ionia.

Question 56

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
tyranny

Question 57

The text relates that a particularly egregious example of Athens' approach to imperialism can be found in its treatment of

A)its own slaves.
B)the Messenians.
C)the Melians.
D)the Helots.
E)the Peloponnesian city-states.

Question 58

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
humanism

Question 59

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
Homeric epics

Question 60

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
aretē

Question 61

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. How did the concept of the city-state as developed by the ancient Greeks represent a divergence from the political practices employed by Near Eastern civilizations? How did the development of the  polis impact the Western tradition?

Question 62

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. Explain ancient Greek religion. How does it compare with Hebrew religion?

Question 63

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
​Persian Wars

Question 64

Instructions: Please use this outline map of Europe to answer the question(s).
Locate and label following civilizations: Greece, the kingdom of Judah, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Macedonia.

Question 65

Instructions: Please use this outline map of Europe to answer the question(s).
Locate and label Sparta and Athens.

Question 66

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. The authors stress the importance of the Greeks and the Hebrews as two sources of Western civilization. Based on the information present to this point, compare and contrast the contribution of each. (Please note that Chapter 3 only begins to discuss this topic.)

Question 67

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. Using the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars as examples, explain the ways in which war shaped the development of Greek civilization.

Question 68

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
​Council of 500

Question 69

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. Trace and explain the political history of Athens, paying special attention to Athenian democracy. In what ways did Athenian political life embody the ideals and realities of "rule by the people," and in what ways did it not?

Question 70

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
Peloponnesian War

Question 71

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
Pericles

Question 72

Instructions: Please use this outline map of Europe to answer the question(s).
Locate and label the locations of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations.

Question 73

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. How did the Homeric epics shape Greek civilization? What values did the epics establish as important to ancient Greek civilization?

Question 74

Instructions: Please use this outline map of Europe to answer the question(s).
Locate and label the Greek mainland. Shade in areas colonized by the Greeks.

Question 75

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. What were the major features of Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations?

Question 76

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. Compare and contrast the political and social values and practices of the city-states of Athens and Sparta.

Question 77

Key Terms Instructions: Please define the following key terms. Show Who? What? Where? When? Why Important?
hubris

Question 78

Instructions: Please write a thorough, well-organized essay to answer each question. The Greeks developed an understanding of what it means to be human that had a lasting impact on the Western tradition. Explain that vision of humanity. (Please note that Chapter 3 only begins to discuss this topic.)