Deck 7: Ferment in the Middle East: the Rise of Islam

Question 1

The Hadith and Shari'a

A)were adopted, respectively, from Jewish and Christian writings.
B)were the "Pillars of Islam."
C)were, respectively, a collection of Muhammad's sayings and a law code.
D)were, respectively, a law code and a marriage manual for Muslims.
E)was a military manual to be used in war against the Western Crusaders.

Answer 1

were, respectively, a collection of Muhammad's sayings and a law code.

Question 2

One of the failures of Islam was its refusal to preserve and spread the science and philosophy of Greece and other ancient civilizations.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In pre-Islamic times, the Arabs were polytheistic, with a supreme god known as Allah presiding over other gods and spirits.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The Ka'aba

A)was a group of sacred stones revered by the Bedouin tribes, each of which possessed one.
B)was the shrine in Mecca containing a large black meteorite.
C)represented the monotheism of the Bedouins.
D)was Allah's representative Arab priesthood.
E)was the male initiation ceremony when one formally became an adult.

Question 5

In many Islamic societies there was no hereditary nobility.

Question 6

The council of elders of the Arabian Bedouin tribes was called the

A)majlis.
B)jihad.
C)sheikh.
D)Ka'aba.
E)iman.

Question 7

​
Under the Abbasids, caliphs became more like kings than spiritual rulers.​

Question 8

The capital city of the Abbasid caliphate was Damascus.

Question 9

The city to which Muhammad went to in 622, a journey known as the Hijrah, was

A)Mecca.
B)Medina.
C)Jerusalem.
D)Riyad.
E)Damascus.

Question 10

The ruling member of a Bedouin tribe was called the

A)majlis.
B)jihad.
C)sheikh.
D)Ka'aba.
E)imam.

Question 11

The son-in-law and cousin of Muhammad who was murdered after he became caliph was

A)Hashemuti.
B)Ali.
C)Khadija.
D)Sadaam.
E)Abu Bakr.

Question 12

In addition to being Islam's sacred book, the Qur'an

A)is composed, in part, of the Christian New Testament.
B)also provides the ethical foundation for life.
C)provides a systematized body of illegal tenets and theories of political procedures.
D)took oral shape before the writing of the Christian bible.
E)was written down by Muhammad's two sons.

Question 13

The official calendar of Islam begins

A)in 222 C.E.
B)when Muhammad and his closest supporters left Yathrib and went to Mecca.
C)with the occurrence of the Hijrah.
D)with Muhammad's death in 632 C.E.
E)with the Arab conquest of Damascus.

Question 14

Islam is

A)polytheistic.
B)monotheistic.
C)polyandrous.
D)divinistic.
E)secularist.

Question 15

In the early 700s, Charles Martel defeated the Spanish Arabs at the Battle of Tours, in southern France.

Question 16

The umma was the religious leader of Islam.

Question 17

The Koran, or Qur'an,

A)is the book containing the holy scriptures of Zoroastrianism.
B)contained the guidelines by which a Hindu was to live.
C)was derived from the revelations of Muhammad.
D)means, literally, "acceptance."
E)was first written in 776 C.E.

Question 18

Saladin was the Muslim leader who recaptured Jerusalem from the Christians in 1187.

Question 19

The Seljuk Turks were originally a nomadic people from southern Mesopotamia.

Question 20

Conversion to Islam was required of conquered populations.

Question 21

The Frankish leader who defeated a Muslim army near Tours in 732 was

A)Pepin.
B)Clovis.
C)Charlemagne.
D)Charles Martel.
E)Louis the Pious.

Question 22

Caliph (or khalifa) literally means

A)prophet.
B)judge.
C)warrior.
D)successor.
E)religious lawyer.

Question 23

Muhammad's teachings

A)stressed that Islam was not just a religion but also a way of life.
B)required all Muslims to follow the Six Suras and the Seven Pillars.
C)accepted polygyny, but permitted men to take only one wife.
D)were entirely theological with almost no ethical nor moral aspects.
E)were propagated in Greek to make them more understandable in the non-Arab world.

Question 24

Muhammad was

A)a Bedouin sheikh until his "arranged" marriage to a wealthy woman.
B)the son, ironically, of a Christian father and a Jewish mother.
C)not widely accepted for many years after he announced his religious revelations.
D)a peasant farmer before he married his wealthy employer.
E)originally considered to be an angel by his followers.

Question 25

In general terms, it can be said that Islamic society

A)was usually extremely intolerant toward Christians and Jews.
B)contained very rigid divisions between Church and State.
C)relied heavily on religious doctrine to determine proper behavior in the areas of politics, economics, law, and ethics.
D)was more violent than its contemporaries.
E)became more secular after the death of Muhammad.

Question 26

The capital of the Abbasid empire was

A)Damascus.
B)Persepolis.
C)Tehran.
D)Baghdad.
E)Mecca.

Question 27

The city that replaced Baghad as the greatest Muslim city and the focus of trade was

A)Damascus.
B)Jerusalem.
C)Cairo.
D)Alexandria.
E)Medina.

Question 28

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the Arab Empire?

A)It was strongly united under the tight control of the caliph in Baghdad.
B)It created an era of great economic prosperity in the Middle East region in the Abbasid era.
C)It contained fewer urban centers than any other regime of its era.
D)Under Islamic principles, trade was limited and every Muslim received the same income.
E)It was culturally and intellectually inferior to the Frankish empire of Charlemagne.

Question 29

During the Abbasid dynasty,

A)Damascus became the Islamic capital.
B)Greek writings were regarded as heretical and forbidden.
C)the caliphs were more like kings than spiritual leaders.
D)Persians began silk-cultivation.
E)there was a revival of Zoroastrianism.

Question 30

Which of the following is not a correct statement about the Mongols?

A)They caused great havoc and destruction throughout the Middle East.
B)Their westward advance continued on to absorb the Cordova caliphate in Spain.
C)Over time, their upper-class population became Muslim.
D)Initially, the Mongols were not Muslims.
E)They often engaged in acts of mass brutality.

Question 31

The theoretical purpose of the jihad was to

A)maintain peak military readiness.
B)wage holy war against all other Muslims on the Arabian peninsula.
C)broaden Muslim hegemony throughout Africa and Europe.
D)strive in the way of the Lord.
E)massacre all Jews and Christians.

Question 32

The caliphate that is often described as the Abbasid "Golden Age" was the reign of

A)Muhammad Ali.
B)Harun al-Rashid.
C)Abu Bakr.
D)Kabia al-Kahn.
E)Kadija al-Farabi.

Question 33

Andalusian caliphate was centered on

A)Toledo
B)Cordoba
C)Granada
D)Seville
E)Leon

Question 34

The military defeat of the Byzantine armies by the Seljuk Turks, which led to the Crusades, was the Battle of

A)the Tigris.
B)Manzikert.
C)Tours.
D)Anatolia.
E)Yathrib.

Question 35

The Shi'ite capital at Cairo was established under the dynasty of the

A)Umayyads.
B)Abbasids.
C)Fatimids.
D)Seljuk Turks.
E)Golden Horde.

Question 36

A primary contribution of Arab scholarship was the

A)creation of original contributions in the areas of astrophysics and geology.
B)preservation and dissemination of the science and philosophies of ancient civilizations.
C)establishment of the university system of study.
D)discovery of the rings of Saturn.
E)invention of paper.

Question 37

The Muslim sect who were the "partisans of Ali" are the

A)Sunnis.
B)Shi'ites.
C)Sufis.
D)Kurds.
E)"orthodox".

Question 38

The Mongols

A)initially came from the Congo Basin in central Africa.
B)introduced the meaning of ornate rugs to Persia and Egypt, from where it spread across the Islamic world.
C)adapted quickly to life in the Middle East, as they were already Muslims and greatly interested in trade and urban development.
D)were unable to capture Egypt, due to the effective resistance of the Mamelukes.
E)captured Constantinople two times, but left shortly afterward in order not to destroy the city's profitable trading system.

Question 39

The Persian empire which experienced defeats at the hands of the Arab armies was the

A)Sassanid.
B)Umayyad.
C)Abbasid.
D)Fatimid.
E)Mongol.

Question 40

All of the following were true about the spread of Arab control except

A)its voluntary and egalitarian features proved quite attractive to many people.
B)if an individual chose not to become a Muslim, he still had to participate in mandatory military service.
C)as a result of the caliphate being won by the Syrian governor, the Islamic capital was located in Damascus for a time.
D)Egypt was an early Arab conquest.
E)non-Muslims were usually required to pay a special tax.

Question 41

The Seljuk Turks were initially incorporated into the Abbasid caliphate as

A)mercenary soldiers
B)buffer zone against the Xiongnu Confederation.
C)traders from China and the Steppes.
D)Sikhist adversaries.
E)converted Christians who did not want to pay the religious tax.

Question 42

One of the key reasons for the Arab empire's success in developing trade was ​

A)​commonality of religion through Islam.
B)​a mastery of many languages as Islam expanded through many cultures.
C)​extermination and enslavement of non-Muslim merchants.
D)​mastering the latest in naval technology.
E)​expelling Christian Crusaders from major port cities.

Question 43

Which of the following was not an achievement of Muslim science?

A)the development of the Upanishads
B)astronomical studies in Baghdad
C)knowledge of the nature of contagion and contamination
D)the development of medicine as a separate field of scientific study
E)new developments in optics and chemistry

Question 44

All of the following are true statements about Arab and Persian literature except

A)pre-Islamic traditions influenced later writers in the region.
B)Persian achievements were greatest in the area of poetry.
C)the Koran was looked upon as dogma that was separate from literary statement.
D)one of its greatest works was The Tales of the 1001 Nights/The Arabian Nights.
E)many writers were bilingual in Arabic and Persian.

Question 45

Under the Abbasids, the following were regarded as ideal citizens EXCEPT​

A)​merchants
B)​judges
C)​government officials
D)​warriors
E)​All of these.

Question 46

The center of the Muslim state in Spain was​

A)​Granada
B)​Andalusia
C)​Catalonia
D)​Gibraltar
E)​Aragon

Question 47

​The first areas of Islamic expansion were to

A)​the Byzantine and Sassanid empires
B)​Egypt and Israel
C)​Greece and the Sassanid Empire.
D)​North Africa and Spain.
E)​India and Afghanistan

Question 48

What was the significant advantage that the Byzantines had against the Arab forces?​

A)​Mounted cavalry.
B)​A powerful naval force.
C)​Mercenary soldiers.
D)​A significant amount of peninsula.
E)​Crossbows.

Question 49

​Which part of the Abbasid caliphate became independent in the tenth century?

A)​Morocco.
B)​Egypt.
C)​Spain.
D)​Syria.
E)​Anatolia.

Question 50

​All of the following were territories held under the Andalusian Caliphate EXCEPT

A)​Tunisia
B)​Spain
C)​Crete
D)​Sardinia
E)​Sicily

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT true for women in the Islamic world? ​

A)​She was allowed to own property.
B)​She was expected to be modest.
C)​She could determine the acceptability of her husband's other wives.
D)​She could obtain a separation from her husband under certain circumstances.
E)​She was prohibited from social contact with males who were not family members.

Question 52

The Muslims who sought a mystical relationship with Allah were the

A)Shi'ites.
B)Sunnis.
C)Kurds.
D)Fatimids.
E)Sufis.

Question 53

Translations of international works of knowledge ​within the Arab world were done in

A)​academies
B)​symposia
C)​universities
D)​colloquia
E)​cathedral schools

Question 54

What was a significant factor underlying the decline of the Abbasid caliphate?​

A)​War with the Byzantine Empire
B)​Rival factions within the Hashemite dynasty.
C)​Conflict between the secular lifestyle and the stern moral code of Islam
D)​Slave revolts.
E)​War with Kievan Rus'

Question 55

The great mosque constructed in Jerusalem at the site of the old temple is the

A)Dome of the Rock.
B)Alhambra.
C)Hegira Sophia.
D)Cordoba Mosque.
E)the Blue Mosque.

Question 56

Which of the following is not a correct statement about Islamic art?

A)The arabesque patterns found on woven Islamic carpets are quite sparse, and leave many areas without any decoration at all.
B)The likeness of Muhammad is never seen in any Islamic art forms.
C)Non-religious Islamic art did contain many figures of both people and animals.
D)The Islamic prohibition of deity re-incarnation through art is found in the Hadith.
E)Paintings were often used to illustrate Persian texts.

Question 57

Shi'ite Islam differs from other factions in its support of ​

A)​the Abbasid Caliphate
B)​Mamluk independence.
C)​the Umayyad Caliphate
D)​religious toleration of non-Muslims.
E)​a separation of Sharia and civil law.

Question 58

​Which of the following is NOT one of the Five Pillars of Islam?

A)​Prayer five times a day facing Mecca.
B)​Recognition of Abu-Bakr as the legitimate caliph
C)​Giving charity to the poor.
D)​Making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
E)​Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

Question 59

Organized resistance to the Christian crusaders from Europe was led by the former Fatimid vizier

A)Hasan al-Sabahh
B)Saladin
C)Khatib Baghdadi
D)Harun al-Rashid.
E)Ibn Battuta

Question 60

Identify the following terms.
Muhammad

Question 61

Identify the following terms.
Hegira

Question 62

Identify the following terms.
Gabriel

Question 63

Identify the following terms.
Ka'aba

Question 64

Identify the following terms.
Five Pillars of Islam

Question 65

Identify the following terms.
Bedouin

Question 66

Identify the following terms.
ulama

Question 67

Identify the following terms.
Shari'a

Question 68

Identify the following terms.
sheikh

Question 69

Identify the following terms.
majlis

Question 70

Identify the following terms.
Islam

Question 71

Identify the following terms.
Ramadan

Question 72

Identify the following terms.
Yathrib/Medina

Question 73

Identify the following terms.
Koran/Qur'an

Question 74

Identify the following terms.

-114 suras

Question 75

Identify the following terms.
Allah

Question 76

Identify the following terms.
Muslim

Question 77

Identify the following terms.
umma

Question 78

Identify the following terms.
Hadith

Question 79

Identify the following terms.
caliph/khalifa

Question 80

Identify the following terms.
Mecca