Deck 6: The Persian Connection: Its Impact and Influences, 2000 Bce - 637 Ce

Question 1

After Cyrus was killed he was

A) quickly forgotten.
B) worshipped as a god.
C) cremated and his ashes spread on the Ganges River.
D) buried in a sturdy tomb and honored after death.

Answer 1

cremated and his ashes spread on the Ganges River.

Question 2

Ancient Persia is present-day

A) Iraq.
B) Iran.
C) Israel.
D) Palestine.

Answer 2

Iran.

Question 3

The destruction of which empire made possible the rise of Persia?

A) Chaldean
B) Roman
C) Assyrian
D) Sumerian

Answer 3

Assyrian

Question 4

Queen Tomyris, who killed Cyrus the Great, was a

A) Mede
B) Jew
C) Chaldean
D) Scythian

Question 5

The name "Iran" means

A) land of the prophet.
B) land between the mountains.
C) land between the rivers.
D) land of the Aryans.

Question 6

Which of the following was NOT a factor contributing to the downfall of the Assyrian Empire?

A) The Chaldeans allied with the Medes.
B) Cyaxares strengthened his army.
C) Babylonia and Assyria erupted into civil war.
D) Cyrus the Great conquered Nineveh, causing Assyria to crumble.

Question 7

How did the foundation of Persian civilization differ from the foundations of other ancient societies?

A) It developed without the use of agriculture.
B) It developed without a strong central government.
C) It developed in an area without river valleys.
D) It developed without connections with other civilizations.

Question 8

Who founded the Persian Empire?

A) Cyrus
B) Darius
C) Xerxes
D) Philip II

Question 9

Entering the Iranian plateau, the Medes and Persians were part of what larger migration?

A) Neo-Babylonians
B) Sea Peoples
C) Indo-Europeans
D) Assyrian

Question 10

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe the Medes?

A) They spoke the same language as the Persians.
B) They warred periodically with invaders from the Assyrian Empire.
C) They were well protected geographically by the Zagros mountains.
D) They never developed a reliable way to water their crops.

Question 11

The rule of Cyrus and Darius resembled each other in what way?

A) both failed to conquer Egypt
B) both conquered extensive new territories
C) both succeeded their fathers as Persian kings
D) both died peacefully

Question 12

Farming in the Zagros region dates to about what time?

A) 7000 years ago
B) 10,000 years ago
C) 50,000 years ago
D) 5000 years ago

Question 13

The language of the Persians is today known as

A) Latin.
B) Farsi.
C) Greek.
D) Sanskrit.

Question 14

The discovery of obsidian artifacts in Iran is significant because it indicates

A) the early Iranians were militaristic.
B) there was trade between the early Iranians and other civilizations.
C) exploitation of materials unique to the Zagros mountain region.
D) the early Iranians were geographically isolated.

Question 15

How did Persian rule differ from that of other conquerors?

A) The Persians were more ruthless.
B) The Persians were less harsh.
C) The Persians were less organized.
D) The Persians did not expect cooperation from subject peoples.

Question 16

The Medes irrigated their crops from

A) nearby lakes.
B) the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
C) melted snow.
D) frequent rains.

Question 17

Who were "the eyes and ears of the Great king"?

A) priests
B) Persian nobles
C) satraps
D) cavalrymen

Question 18

The Achaemenids were the ruling family of the

A) Assyrians.
B) Persians.
C) Lydians.
D) Chaldeans.

Question 19

Which of the following words most accurately describes Cyrus?

A) tolerant
B) coercive
C) over-indulgent
D) merciless

Question 20

Which man unified the Persian tribes and eventually united the Medes and Persians?

A) Alexander the Great
B) Cyrus the Great
C) Xerxes
D) Darius

Question 21

How did Zoroastrianism benefit the rulers of Persia?

A) It encouraged people to pay tithes and taxes.
B) It established a moral order with the king as god's earthly representative.
C) It fostered a belief in democracy.
D) It led to the defeat of competing cultures and religions.

Question 22

Which of these was NOT a Persian royal capital city?

A) Ecbatana
B) Babylon
C) Nineveh
D) Persepolis

Question 23

Which Greek city-state was known for its strong navy?

A) Sparta
B) Athens
C) Corinth
D) Thebes

Question 24

What was the outcome of the Battle of Marathon?

A) The Persians won.
B) The Greeks won.
C) The Macedonians united the Greek city states.
D) The Medes won.

Question 25

Who succeeded Darius as the ruler of Persia?

A) Cambyses
B) Cyrus
C) Xerxes
D) Alexander

Question 26

Who were the scholar-priests of the Persian world?

A) satraps
B) magi
C) Avesta
D) Mithras

Question 27

Which of the following did NOT occur during the reign of Cyrus?

A) The Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem.
B) The Medes and Persians were united.
C) The Battle of Marathon was fought.
D) The Persian Empire expanded.

Question 28

Which man codified Persian law in an attempt to place his reputation as a lawgiver on the same plane as that of King Hammurabi?

A) Cyrus
B) Cambyses
C) Darius
D) Xerxes

Question 29

Which Greek people revolted in 499, leading eventually to war between the Greeks and Persians?

A) Ionians
B) Thracians
C) Laconians
D) Macedonians

Question 30

Which of the following statements about Zoroastrianism is NOT True?

A) It teaches that Ahriman was banished from paradise.
B) It teaches that Ahura Mazda created humans.
C) It teaches that actions are guided by predestination, as there is no free will.
D) It teaches that Ahura Mazda and Ahriman fought and Ahriman lost.

Question 31

The defeat of which group brought the Persians and Greeks into contact?

A) Egyptians
B) Medes
C) Lydians
D) Ethiopians

Question 32

Which of the following statements regarding slavery in Persia is NOT True?

A) Some slaves were prisoners taken in battle.
B) Some slaves were taken because of debts.
C) Slaves were the property of their owners.
D) Slaves were allowed to choose their spouses, but nothing else.

Question 33

For the Persians, the battle of Marathon was

A) a defeat from which they never recovered
B) a minor setback
C) one of their greatest triumphs
D) proof that Greece could not be conquered

Question 34

Zoroastrianism survived for over a thousand years in the former Persian Empire until it was displaced by the spread of

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

Question 35

The single god worshiped by Zoroastrians is called

A) Ahura Mazda.
B) Ahriman.
C) Zoroaster.
D) Avesta.

Question 36

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe Persian society?

A) The Persians loved celebrations and festivals.
B) The Persians took great pride in their appearance.
C) The Persians enjoyed fine jewelry made of gold and silver.
D) The Persians preferred a simple, linear style of architecture.

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Farsi?

A) It possesses a thirty-six-character alphabet.
B) It has a rich vocabulary.
C) It possesses an intricate grammatical structure.
D) It was recorded on clay tablets.

Question 38

Which of the following statements concerning N???ō Rōz is NOT correct?

A) It was a spring festival.
B) It commemorated the creation of fire.
C) The festival was Jewish in origin.
D) During the festival, people exchanged gifts.

Question 39

Which of the following best describes the connections between Persia and Mesopotamia?

A) The Persian emperors had no interest in Mesopotamia, as they viewed the inhabitants of that region as infidels.
B) The Persians were most influenced by the Mesopotamian culture in the area of religion.
C) In areas such as law, government administration, and society, Persia was significantly influenced by Mesopotamia.
D) The relationship between Persia and Mesopotamia was adversarial in nature because Mesopotamia continually rebelled against Persian domination.

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT generally True of the satraps?

A) They were Persians.
B) They were governors of a province.
C) They were selected for their loyalty.
D) They exercised considerable authority.

Question 41

A small group of 360 Spartan soldiers held the Persian army of over 10,000 at a mountain pass called

A) Marathon.
B) Thermopylae.
C) Salamis.
D) Ionia.

Question 42

The satraps were chosen for their loyalty and their familiarity with local conditions.

Question 43

Persian society developed in a fertile land surrounded by rivers.

Question 44

Which people conquered the Seleucid kingdom and ruled in a manner similar to the Persians?

A) Macedonians
B) Ionians
C) Parthians
D) Romans

Question 45

Which of these Sasanian traditions was derived from Zoroastrian teachings?

A) polytheism
B) harsh subjugation of conquered peoples
C) the circle of equity
D) use of satrapies

Question 46

How did the Greek city-states react to the disappearance of the Persian threat?

A) by engaging in conflict among themselves
B) by launching a massive assault on Persia
C) by a slow migration into Persian lands
D) by uniting as a powerful state

Question 47

The Parthian empire encompassed much of the territory of what earlier empire?

A) Sasanian
B) Persian
C) Mauryan
D) Assyrian

Question 48

Why didn't Philip II invade Persia?

A) He signed a treaty with Artaxerxes.
B) He couldn't control the rebellious Greek city-states.
C) He was killed before he had the chance to invade.
D) He was busy conquering Egypt.

Question 49

Which Persian ruler foolishly denied help to the Athenians in their struggle against Philip II?

A) Xerxes
B) Darius the Great
C) Darius III
D) Artaxerxes

Question 50

Which of the following does NOT apply to the Sasanians?

A) They settled in Iran after the Medes and Persians.
B) They helped the Parthians fight the Romans.
C) They tolerated Christians and Jews, but were strict Zoroastrians.
D) They replaced the Parthians and constructed their own empire.

Question 51

According to the Peace of Callias, Anatolia was left to

A) Athens.
B) Ionia.
C) Persia.
D) Sparta.

Question 52

Which of these was decisive in the Persian loss to the Greeks in the 480s?

A) the weakness of the Persian forces
B) the distance from the Persian capital
C) the poor organization of the Persian forces
D) the much larger population of Greece

Question 53

Darius married both Cambyses' widow and Cyrus' daughter.

Question 54

Which of the following statements about King Shapur I is NOT True?

A) He made Zoroastrianism the state religion of Persia.
B) He tolerated the practice of Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism.
C) He conquered Mesopotamia in 256.
D) He suppressed ethnic groups through harsh legalism and a strong central government.

Question 55

In the long term, who was the real winner of the Peloponnesian War?

A) Athens.
B) Lydia.
C) Sparta.
D) Persia.

Question 56

Archaeological evidence indicates that the early immigrants to Iran were proficient artists, specifically in ceramics.

Question 57

Iran means "land of the Aryans."

Question 58

Farsi was written on clay tablets in ancient times.

Question 59

Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem.

Question 60

Which of the following statements about Darius III is NOT True?

A) He was murdered by his own troops.
B) He tried to flee the advance of Alexander's army.
C) He came to the throne after the death of Artaxerxes.
D) He defeated the Macedonians before his untimely death.

Question 61

Who won the Battle of Marathon?

Question 62

Who were the satraps?

Question 63

According to Zoroaster, who was Ahura Mazda's malignant twin?

Question 64

Who replaced Philip II of Macedon as leader of the Greeks?

Question 65

What were the natural geographic boundaries - if any - of the Persian Empire?

Question 66

Evaluate the reasons for the defeat of Persia by the Greeks.

Question 67

Evaluate the name "Cyrus the Great." Does he deserve that title? Why or why not?

Question 68

What was the name of the Persian spring festival that commemorated the creation of fire?

Question 69

Evaluate the role of the satrap in the Persian Empire.

Question 70

Discuss the influence of Zoroastrianism on other monotheistic religions.

Question 71

The city of Persepolis was a Persian capital that survives today only in ruins.

Question 72

Who were the magi?

Question 73

What empire revived much of the Persian Empire under Shapur I?

Question 74

The disintegration of the Seleucid Empire helped give rise to the Mauryan Empire in India.

Question 75

Who succeeded Cyrus the Great?

Question 76

Which man presided over the funeral of Darius III?

Question 77

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenids?

Question 78

The focus of Zoroastrianism is on the conflict between good and evil.

Question 79

Discuss the influence that Mesopotamia had on the Persian Empire.

Question 80

Which Persian king witnessed the final defeat of Persia by the Greeks?