Deck 14: Afroeurasia in the Era of Mongol Power, 1200-1350

Question 1

Mongols organized themselves based on which of the following?

A) a single monarch whose family ruled from generation to generation
B) groups of aristocratic families who owned large amounts of land
C) a priestly class that governed religious as well as secular matters
D) tribes formed around kinship and common ancestors

Answer 1

tribes formed around kinship and common ancestors

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the Mongol concept of "Blue Heaven"?

A) the place where the highest of supernatural beings resides
B) a Mongol adaptation of the Christian view of heaven
C) the Mongol version of nirvana
D) a divine space only accessible to Mongol tribal leaders and shamans

Answer 2

the place where the highest of supernatural beings resides

Question 3

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the role of Mongol women?

A) Mongol women were forbidden from engaging in warfare.
B) Mongol women produced a host of goods and helped to tend herds.
C) Other than raising children, Mongol women were only permitted to participate in religious rituals.
D) Mongol women, unusual for the time, held full equality to Mongol men.

Answer 3

Mongol women produced a host of goods and helped to tend herds.

Question 4

Which of the following best summarizes the tactics responsible for Chingis Khan's rise to power?

A) Chingis Khan rose to power by claiming divinity and backing his claims with military victories.
B) Chingis Khan rose to power through his ability to expand Mongol lands with minimal violence.
C) Chingis Khan obtained power by both treating his enemies ruthlessly and allowing defeated populations to join him.
D) Chingis Khan rose to power with the aid of more powerful rulers in India and China.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a true statement regarding Chingis Khan's victory over northern China?

A) The battle for northern China waged for almost two decades.
B) Chingis Khan's victory in northern China came at the expense of his campaigns in central Eurasia.
C) Chingis Khan found support among the Chinese for his campaign against the Jin.
D) Chingis Khan waged his war in northern China at the same time as his forces moved westward into Inner Eurasia.

Question 6

The term Turko-Mongol refers to which of the following?

A) a joint military venture between the Seljuks and the Mongols to invade northern Iran
B) the language spoken by the Mongol elite
C) a cultural blend adopted by communities conquered by Chingis Khan
D) the absorption of thousands of Turkic soldiers into the Mongol force

Question 7

Which of the following was the main military advantage of the Mongols?

A) cavalry
B) infantry
C) an improved version of the phalanx
D) the use of slave soldiers

Question 8

Chingis Khan owed his success to all of the following EXCEPT

A) unsurpassed horse power.
B) the fragility of neighboring states.
C) the adoption of a civil bureaucracy similar to that found in China.
D) the adoption of more advanced military technologies from China and India.

Question 9

Which of the following best describes the course of Mongol rule after Chingis Khan's death?

A) The Mongol empire rapidly disintegrated as Chingis's sons vied for power.
B) The Mongol empire continued to expand under the rule of Chingis's descendants.
C) Conquered populations began to revolt against Mongol rule and reasserted their authority in several Mongol-controlled regions.
D) The Mongol empire continued to thrive and eventually expanded into western Europe.

Question 10

The life of Sorghaghtani Beki tells us what about the status of women in Mongol society?

A) Mongol women could achieve great political power and were recognized for their achievements.
B) Mongol women were not permitted to take part in matters of governance or warfare.
C) Mongol women were generally Christian.
D) Mongol women had no say in matters of marriage.

Question 11

Kubilai Khan is responsible for which of the following?

A) losing Mongol control of northern China
B) placing Japan under Mongol rule
C) uniting northern and southern China under Mongol authority
D) bringing Mongol soldiers to the borders of western Europe

Question 12

Kubilai Khan's attempts to invade Japan led to which of the following?

A) a swift Mongol victory and the incorporation of Japan into the Mongol empire
B) the adoption of Mongol customs by the Japanese elite
C) a Mongol defeat that resulted in the loss of much of Kubilai Khan's holdings in East Asia
D) a Japanese victory over Mongol forces at the expense of long-term Japanese political stability

Question 13

Which of the following is an explanation for why the Mongols abandoned eastern Europe?

A) Superior Polish and Hungarian forces repelled the invading Mongols.
B) The terrain of eastern Europe was not well-suited for a pastoral way of life.
C) Instability in Mongol China required the retreat of Mongol forces in the west.
D) A great plague killed the majority of Mongol forces in eastern Europe.

Question 14

Which of the following best describes the relationship between Russia's princes and the Mongols?

A) Russian princes were largely political dependents of the Mongols and held very little power on their own.
B) Russian princes were largely free to do what they wished as long as they paid an annual tribute to the Mongol court.
C) Russian princes could rule independently, but Mongol forces largely dismantled the Russian Orthodox Church.
D) Russian princes ruled alongside Mongol leaders, and the two cultures and peoples interacted on a regular and peaceful basis.

Question 15

The Ilkhanate consisted of which of the following territories?

A) Egypt and Syria
B) China and India
C) Iran and Iraq
D) Poland and Hungary

Question 16

Which of the following best describes the long-term impact of the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century?

A) Lands under Mongol control generally prospered for decades after the initial conquest.
B) Agriculture flourished in Mongol-controlled lands despite the pastoral lifestyle of the Mongolian rulers.
C) Wealthy aristocrats tended to suffer at the hands of the Mongols far more than peasants, resulting in a freer peasantry in many Mongol-controlled regions.
D) Though some territories recovered relatively quickly from Mongol invasions, many lands suffered economic decline and population decrease for decades after the Mongol conquests.

Question 17

The Pax Mongolica refers to which of the following?

A) a period in which the balance of power between the Mongol khanates permitted greater trade and travel throughout Afroeurasia
B) a peace treaty signed between the pope in Rome and the leaders of the four great Mongol khanates
C) an alliance between the Mamluk state centered in Cairo and the khanate of Iran and Iraq
D) a treaty signed among the four great khanates stating that they would not attack one another

Question 18

Trade and commerce under Mongol rule

A) was tightly controlled by the military and focused on the sale and purchase of weapons.
B) slowed to a trickle due to constant warfare.
C) flourished and was supported by the complex network of Mongol military outposts.
D) expanded but was limited to lands directly controlled by Mongol rulers.

Question 19

Marco Polo is an example of which of the following?

A) a Christian missionary who traveled to Mongol China in an attempt to convert the Mongol rulers to the Christian faith
B) a Christian from western Europe whose journey to East Asia was enabled by the relative ease of travel under Mongol rule
C) a western Christian who was awarded Mongol territory for his service to a Mongol khan
D) a Christian merchant who had to convert to Islam in order to travel Mongol-controlled roads

Question 20

Which of the following best describes the impact of Kubilai Khan's rule on the structure of Chinese society?

A) Kubilai Khan preferred to use Chinese scholar-bureaucrats over his own Turko-Mongol officials.
B) Traditional Chinese art forms and ideologies dwindled under Kubilai Khan's rule and were replaced by Turkic traditions.
C) Kubilai Khan rejected the Chinese notion of the Mandate of Heaven and ruled with little regard for the rights of peasants and aristocrats alike.
D) Though Kubilai Khan relied on Turko-Mongol officials for the highest positions in society, he made great use of lower-level Chinese bureaucrats and kept most of China's institutions intact.

Question 21

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding the spread of knowledge under Mongol rule?

A) Mongol rulers only invested in scholarship that would advance their military exploits.
B) Due to constant warfare, the exchange of knowledge in Mongol-controlled regions was limited.
C) Mongol rulers encouraged scholarship in a variety of fields, from astronomy to agriculture.
D) Mongol rulers encouraged scholarship, but only among ethnic Turko-Mongols.

Question 22

Which of the following best describes the religious practices of Mongol rulers?

A) Mongol rulers were receptive to several religious traditions and incorporated different aspects of Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism into their spiritual framework.
B) Mongols rejected the beliefs of Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism in favor of their traditional pagan practices.
C) While Mongol rulers readily adopted Islam and Christianity, they rejected Buddhism because of its pacifist teachings.
D) Mongol rulers promoted religious tolerance throughout their empires and prohibited the destruction of any religious or holy site.

Question 23

Which of the following religions grew the most as a result of Mongol rule?

A) Judaism
B) Nestorian Christianity
C) Islam
D) Hinduism

Question 24

The vast Buddhist temple complex of Angkor Wat was constructed as a result of

A) Mongol invasions into the region.
B) the seagoing commercial wealth of the Khmer state.
C) advances in architectural design.
D) the rise of a wealthy class of Buddhist priests in the region.

Question 25

Kubilai Khan attempted to seize which of the following territories because of its strategic position in the sea trade?

A) Japan
B) Samarkand
C) Khmer
D) Java

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT a true statement regarding trade in southern India around the time of the Mongol invasions?

A) Southern Indian trade centered on overland trade that made significant use of the silk roads.
B) Southern Indian ports became crucial centers of Afroeurasian trade.
C) A diverse group of merchants settled in the seaports of southern India and interacted heavily with the local population.
D) Arabic was the language of trade among merchants in southern India.

Question 27

Which of the following groups of merchants came to dominate the ports of southern India?

A) Jews
B) Chinese Buddhists
C) Muslims
D) Hindus

Question 28

The language of commerce along the East African coast was

A) Arabic.
B) Swahili.
C) Chinese.
D) Ghanaian.

Question 29

Which of the following best describes trade along Africa's east coast during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries?

A) East African seaports were small and lay at the fringes of Afroeurasia's trade routes.
B) Only Muslims were permitted to trade along the East African coast.
C) Unusual for its time, East African merchants refused to participate in the slave trade.
D) East African ports were an important part of the trans-hemispheric trade routes and brought parts of inland Africa into the larger commercial networks of the day.

Question 30

Which of the following is evidence of Africa's growing role in trans-hemispheric trade during the thirteenth century?

A) the discovery of Chinese porcelain in the land known as Great Zimbabwe
B) the presence of great stone structures in the ruins of Great Zimbabwe
C) an abundance of gold artifacts uncovered at the site of Great Zimbabwe
D) the prominence of the Shona language in Great Zimbabwe

Question 31

Which of the following is an accurate characterization of western Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries?

A) Western Europe fell into a period of extreme economic collapse after Mongol invasions ravaged the region.
B) Most of western Europe was ruled by a single empire headed in France.
C) Europe was composed of several different political entities and was culturally and linguistically diverse.
D) The Catholic Church held most of the political power throughout western Europe.

Question 32

Which of the following was NOT a common form of government found in western Europe during the twelfth century?

A) independent city-state
B) republic
C) small principality
D) monarchy

Question 33

The kingdoms of England and France and parts of Spain had which of the following in common during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries?

A) The rulers of all three states were chosen by the Catholic Church and had no power outside of church authority.
B) The monarchies of all three states were weak and plagued by constant fighting among powerful nobles seeking the crown.
C) All three monarchies were ruled by powerful women.
D) All three succeeded in expanding and centralizing the power of the monarchy.

Question 34

The practice of granting charters and corporate status in Europe can best be described as a system in which

A) kings and nobles purchased entire towns and villages as a way of expanding their reign.
B) private individuals and groups negotiated for rights and protection from kings and nobles in exchange for taxes and revenue.
C) serfs could ultimately purchase the land on which they toiled.
D) monks freed themselves from the jurisdiction of kings and nobles by claiming that divine law trumped secular law.

Question 35

Which of the following was an important difference between private enterprise in Europe and private enterprise in China during the thirteenth century?

A) Chinese imperial authorities often initiated and regulated private ventures, while charters enabled individuals and groups in Europe to manage private enterprises without oversight by political leaders.
B) Private ventures in China were managed by associations of professionals, while similar ventures in Europe were managed by networks of extended families.
C) European charters enabled kings and nobles to have the ultimate say in private ventures, while imperial authorities in China interfered little in private enterprise.
D) Private ventures in China were largely managed by men, while women were the primary members of private charters in Europe.

Question 36

All of the following are East Asian inventions that arrived in Europe between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries EXCEPT

A) the magnetic compass.
B) block printing.
C) Gothic architecture.
D) gunpowder.

Question 37

The Gothic church is an example of which of the following?

A) an architectural style originating in Syria and adopted widely by European masons
B) the Catholic Church's attempt to rival secular political leaders
C) a consequence of Mongol invasions of western Europe
D) a distinct European architectural style

Question 38

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding European universities in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries?

A) European universities were public enterprises, and anyone could attend them regardless of rank or wealth.
B) European universities were influenced by similar Muslim institutions and behaved as a type of professional guild in European society.
C) European universities were entirely independent of the Catholic Church and engaged in secular learning alone.
D) Despite being run by church authorities, women were allowed to attend European universities in large numbers.

Question 39

The English monk Roger Bacon is best known for which of the following innovations?

A) Bacon proposed that scientific discoveries could only be made outside of church teachings and that science and religion could not be reconciled.
B) Bacon is responsible for bringing many East Asian inventions, such as the magnetic compass, to Europe.
C) Bacon argued for a system of investigating the world that relied on inductive reasoning, observation, and experimentation.
D) Bacon argued that experimentation and observation led men away from divine truths.

Question 40

Which of the following best summarizes the basic principle of scholastic theology?

A) Scholastic theology argues that God created a universe that humans are incapable of ever fully understanding.
B) Scholastic theology contends that human reason and divine revelation are contradictory forces.
C) Scholastic theology maintains that only through holy scriptures can people come to know and understand God.
D) Scholastic theology combines the principles of Aristotle with the concept of Christian divine revelation.

Question 41

During the thirteenth century, the Muslim states of North Africa played an important role in which of the following trade routes?

A) the trans-Saharan route
B) the silk roads
C) the Southern Seas
D) the Arabian Sea

Question 42

Which of the following constituted Mali's most significant export?

A) silver
B) spices
C) textiles
D) gold

Question 43

All of the following contributed to Mali's rise EXCEPT

A) higher demand for gold in the Muslim states of Southwest Asia and Europe.
B) the ability of Mali's emperors to successfully breed horses.
C) a period of decreased rainfall in West Africa.
D) the retreat of the tsetse fly into Africa's rainforests.

Question 44

Which of the following best describes the Malian state?

A) Mali was ruled by a merchant council in charge of the vast gold trade that passed across the Sahara.
B) The emperor of Mali, though wealthy, refrained from great displays of wealth and lived humbly compared to other powerful rulers of the day.
C) The emperor of Mali was a powerful ruler who extracted tribute from surrounding chiefs, much like the Mongols did in Russia.
D) Malian society was relatively egalitarian, and the emperor ruled as a type of "first among equals."

Question 45

Mali's religious identity is best described by which of the following?

A) Mali's rulers followed Islam, but they honored and incorporated many local religious beliefs and practices into the traditions of the royal court.
B) Mali's rulers were fervent believers in Islam and undertook a vigorous campaign to convert much of Sudanic West Africa to Islam.
C) While the rulers of Mali had a great deal of respect for the Muslim faith, they retained their local religious beliefs and rejected Islam as the religion of the royal court.
D) The ruler of Mali converted to Islam after the majority of his subjects adopted Islam as their preferred faith.

Question 46

Which of the following is a reasonable conclusion to be drawn from the account of Mali written by Ibn Battuta in the Rihla?

A) The royal court of Mali attempted to copy the traditions and style of the royal courts of North Africa.
B) Women in the Mali empire were socially segregated from men.
C) Islam was followed very loosely in Mali.
D) Malians combined many aspects of African and Islamic culture.

Question 47

The brass sculptures of the Yoruba-speaking peoples of the fourteenth century suggest which of the following?

A) The sculptures originated in North Africa, indicating the extent of the trans-Saharan trade network.
B) The copper needed for the sculptures came from the south-central Sahara, an illustration of the far reach of the trans-Saharan trade route.
C) The sculptures are evidence that the people of this region had direct contact with Europeans who made similar ornaments.
D) The sculptures suggest that the peoples of this region were relatively poor and could not afford more expensive metals for their ornamental works.

Question 48

Stories about Sunjata, the founder of the Malian state, most closely parallel the tales of which other imperial founder?

A) Chingis Khan
B) Muhammad
C) Charlemagne
D) Kubilai Khan

Question 49

All of the following languages emerged as popular vernaculars EXCEPT

A) Arabic.
B) French.
C) Mongolian.
D) English.

Question 50

The use of Mongol military units resulted in which of the following?

A) the organization of Mongol forces according to kinship ties
B) an army that was large and difficult to defeat, but highly immobile
C) soldiers that were more loyal to their immediate commanders than to the Mongol empire
D) the breaking down of traditional kinship ties among Mongols in order to create more loyalty to the royal court of Chingis Khan

Question 51

Explain the rise of Mongol power in Afroeurasia. What are some of the key factors that contributed to the success of Chingis Khan and his descendants? What types of historical evidence exist to support the reputation of the Mongols as brutal murderers, and what historical evidence complicates this perception?

Question 52

Discuss some of the long-term effects of Mongol rule. How did the four Mongol khanates affect the economic, political, cultural, and religious structure of Afroeurasia?

Question 53

Describe the growth of sea trade in Southeast Asia and Africa's eastern coast. What were some of the important effects of the growth of these seaports on the societies of Southeast Asia and East Africa, as well as their impact on the greater trans-hemispheric network of trade?

Question 54

What types of political entities dotted the European landscape in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries? What measures did rulers take to strengthen their power during this time period, and how did these political moves affect society as a whole?

Question 55

Explain the system of charters and corporate status developed in Europe during the thirteenth century. What were some of the key elements of this European arrangement? What were some of the significant economic, cultural, and religious consequences of this system?

Question 56

Explore the growth of the trans-Saharan trade network during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. How did trans-Saharan trade affect the regions of North Africa and Sudanic West Africa during this time period?

Question 57

In which ways was trans-hemispheric interaction during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries a continuation of previous centuries, and in which ways was it a departure? Which factors contributed to continuities as well as changes?