Deck 8: Imperial China,589-1368

Question 1

The quality of the imperial administration rose during the Tang and Song dynasties because the bureaucrats

A)Du Fu
B)Zen
C)Pure Land
D)Maitreya

Answer 1

Du Fu

Question 2

The only woman in Chinese history to hold the title of emperor was

A)promoted scholar bureaucrats at the expense of older aristocratic officials.
B)succeeded in the conquest of Korea.
C)ordered the construction of the Grand Canal.
D)overthrew the Han dynasty.

Answer 2

promoted scholar bureaucrats at the expense of older aristocratic officials.

Question 3

The Tang dynasty sought to

A)nobles paid a higher proportion of their income in taxes than commoners.
B)all landowners were subject to the same rate of taxation.
C)aristocrats enjoyed a variety of exemptions and tax breaks.
D)None of these answers are correct.

Answer 3

aristocrats enjoyed a variety of exemptions and tax breaks.

Question 4

As ruler of China in the early Tang dynasty,Empress Wu

A)the suppression of poetry and literature.
B)the encouragement of public works.
C)the enlargement of the tax base.
D)the reform of government finances.

Question 5

During the Tang dynasty,Chinese music was heavily influenced by styles and instruments from

A)was more open to foreign influences.
B)was less open to foreign influences.
C)persecuted foreigners in China.
D)allowed foreigners to take the civil service exam.

Question 6

The emperor Xuanzong pursued all of the following policies except:

A)military force.
B)use of nomads against other nomads.
C)strengthening naval forces and coastal defense.
D)the encouragement of tributary allies.

Question 7

The ethnic background of the general that created the Sui dynasty was

A)ruled according to Confucian philosophy.
B)able to bring China under a single government after centuries of disunity.
C)founded by Mongol-speaking peoples.
D)supporters of Buddhism.

Question 8

In its foreign relations,the Tang dynasty employed all of the following policies except:

A)the launching of a series of wars with no clear outcome.
B)a move to contain Korean aggression with the Uighur Turks.
C)the construction of a formidable wall on the Korean border.
D)changing the status of Korea to tributary and the exchange of gifts.

Question 9

The equal field system was abandoned in 780 C.E.because of

A)a decline in population after the An Lushan rebellion.
B)a series of unproductive years.
C)aristocratic dissatisfaction with the feudal relationship.
D)a popular democratic movement.

Question 10

The dominant religion during the Tang dynasty was

A)central Asia.
B)the North.
C)Japan.
D)Korea.

Question 11

Which of the following is the correct chronological order of Chinese dynasties?

A)Chinese-Turkic.
B)Japanese.
C)Chinese-Mongol.
D)Chinese.

Question 12

During the Tang dynasty,which of the following religions entered China?

A)were intensely schooled in Buddhist philosophy and meditation.
B)were recruited from the highest ranks of the aristocracy.
C)had to pass rigorous examinations to enter or advance in government
D)were expected to commit suicide if they failed to complete a task.

Question 13

The short-lived Sui dynasty's most important contribution to Chinese history was the

A)enlist nomadic Turkish peoples in its armies.
B)balance central authority and concessions to aristocratic families.
C)impose Buddhism by force.
D)combine imperial power at the top with democracy at the village level.

Question 14

Under the Tang's "equal field system" of taxation

A)deal with the threat of invasion.
B)connect the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers.
C)serve as a trade route to the Middle East.
D)spread Chinese scholarship to Japan.

Question 15

Tang culture had all of the following characteristics except:

A)Daoism.
B)Confucianism.
C)Buddhism.
D)Shintoism.

Question 16

Before the 6th century C.E.,the Chinese maintained imperial unity while the Europeans did not,for all of the following reasons except

A)Sui,Song,Tang,Yuan
B)Song,Sui,Yuan,Tang
C)Sui,Tang,Song,Yuan
D)Tang,Yuan,Song,Sui

Question 17

The primary benefit of the Grand Canal was to

A)Li Bo.
B)Wu Zhao.
C)Mai Li.
D)Nan Chao.

Question 18

During the Tang period,the government

A)Zoroastrianism
B)Manichaeism
C)Judaism
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 19

All of the following constituted principle threats to the Tang state except:

A)openness to non-Chinese cultures.
B)the growth of Buddhist influences.
C)the reappearance of secular scholarship and literature.
D)rejection of native philosophies and religions.

Question 20

The reason that the Sui dynasty is often compared with the Qin is because both were

A)establishment of the scholar-gentry.
B)defeat of Turkish invaders.
C)reunification of the country after centuries of division
D)adoption of Buddhism as the official religion.

Question 21

The life and writings of Su Dungpo embodied the concept of

A)100,000
B)400,000
C)700,000
D)1,000,000

Question 22

In his poem "The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter",Li Bo conveys

A)poetry and literature
B)music
C)painting
D)None of these answers are correct.

Question 23

In comparison to the Tang,the culture of the Song was

A)portraiture.
B)landscape scenes.
C)abstract art.
D)pointillism.

Question 24

During the Song dynasty,foreign trade

A)Liao Empire dominated the northern half of China under the Northern Song.
B)Jin Empire dominated the western half of China under the Southern Song.
C)Northern Song controlled the Grand Canal while the Southern Song did not.
D)Southern Song controlled the Grand Canal while the Northern Song did not.

Question 25

The quality of administrators rose under the Song dynasty primarily because they

A)land,education,and office.
B)land,wealth,and aristocratic status.
C)land,military service,and common status.
D)familial connections,military service,and aristocratic status.

Question 26

According to the text,which cultural achievement of the Tang period attained a peak that has not been equaled since?

A)quarry work for the aristocracy.
B)road repair for the state.
C)conscription.
D)the equal field system.

Question 27

The primary geo-political difference between the Northern and the Southern Song dynasties can best be described as the

A)farming was considered a highly respected profession.
B)women were inferior to men and must submit to their demands.
C)gossip and innuendo were important social forces.
D)Chinese bureaucracy did not often extend to small villages.

Question 28

Technological advances in the Song period included all of the following except:

A)declined in importance as the government promoted self-sufficiency.
B)was primarily with the nomadic peoples of the steppes.
C)reflected the disparities between China's economy and economies elsewhere.
D)failed to keep pace with other areas of economic life.

Question 29

According to Zen,enlightenment was to be obtained through all of the following methods except:

A)a clear Buddhist orientation.
B)a disdain for human emotion.
C)unusual emphasis on common sense.
D)an expert use of specific imagery.

Question 30

The Chinese economy during the Song dynasty is best described as

A)counter inflation.
B)pay tribute to the nomads.
C)facilitate the demand brought on by increasing trade.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 31

From the late 9th century on,population,agricultural production,and culture were centered

A)stagnant and barely able to feed people.
B)having frequent depressions and large-scale unemployment.
C)very dynamic and usually very prosperous.
D)ruined due to the constant invasions of nomadic peoples.

Question 32

The chief beneficiaries of the agricultural revolution during the Song period were

A)in northern China.
B)in the lower and eastern Yangtze region.
C)in western China,near the West river basin.
D)around the capital of Kaifeng.

Question 33

During the Song dynasty,the social base for the government bureaucracy was triangular,consisting of:

A)less aristocratic.
B)more Buddhist.
C)more official.
D)less Chinese.

Question 34

Which of the following was NOT a Buddhist sect during the Tang?

A)a regimen of physical labor and meditation.
B)active application of ideas channeled into popular uprisings.
C)direct intuition into ones own Buddhanature.
D)active engagement with unanswerable questions.

Question 35

The best achievements of Song painting are exemplified in

A)synthesizing Confucianism with Buddhist metaphysics.
B)demonstrating the divinity of Confucius.
C)adapting Muslim monotheism to neo-Daoist teachings about immortality.
D)removing ethical considerations from his teachings.

Question 36

About how many Mongols lived in China during the Yuan period?

A)Kublai Khan.
B)Shaman.
C)Genghis Khan.
D)Marco Polo.

Question 37

The story of "Chaste Woman" Shi reveals that

A)had to pass rigorous examinations.
B)were chosen from the aristocracy.
C)were schooled in Daoist philosophy.
D)made increased contacts with the Muslim world.

Question 38

Perhaps the cruelest labor tax imposed by the Tang Dynasty was

A)small independent farmers.
B)landed aristocrats.
C)the scholar?gentry class.
D)warlords.

Question 39

The most influential philosopher of the Song era,Zhu Xi,is best known for

A)Confucian humanism.
B)Daoist retreat into nature.
C)Buddhist asceticism.
D)Zen meditation.

Question 40

During the Song period,large amounts of copper coins were minted to

A)the horse collar.
B)carbonized steel.
C)the abacus.
D)moveable type.

Question 41

What is the importance of the Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty? What former Chinese Empire developed as a role model for these two dynasties? What great building program developed in the Sui period?

Question 42

The Mongolian leader who established the Yuan Dynasty and completed the conquest of China was

A)Chinese contacts with other advanced civilizations increased.
B)China was effectively cut off from the outside world.
C)Chinese economic and cultural links shifted toward Japan rather than western states.
D)None of these answers are correct.

Question 43

Which of the following statements from Marco Polo's Travels is most likely to be an inaccurate statement about the Chinese capital of Hangzhou?

A)landscape painters.
B)dramatists.
C)sculptors.
D)poets.

Question 44

What was the impact of Buddhism on the Tang dynasty? Why were there three distinct Buddhist divisions? Did this movement represent certain social strata?

Question 45

The major contribution to Chinese arts during the Yuan period was made by

Question 46

Discuss the general trends in demography in China from 589 to 1368.How did population density affect economic development? Consider patterns of trade and cultivation of the land.How did fluctuations in population impact politics and government? Consider tax and labor policies.In what other ways did demographic changes influence Chinese history in this period?

Question 47

Describe how peasants in China changed from serfs to free farmers.What was the role of the aristocracy in this transformation? Why did the equal field system collapse?

Question 48

What was the importance of the examination system in the Song period? How did this development bring about stability in the court? Who had the best opportunity to pass the exam?

Question 49

Compare and contrast the role of women as seen in the career of the Empress Wu,the poetry of Li Bo,the "Chaste Woman" Shi,and during the Yuan dynasty.How did the roles of women evolve and how do their roles in China compare to those in other civilizations in your studies?

Question 50

Why was Empress Wu (625706)successful in obtaining control in the Tang period How did her role affect Chinese history? Did her influence enhance or detract from the prestige of the Tang Empire?

Question 51

Compare and contrast trade and foreign contact during the Tang and Yuan periods.What impact did trade and contact with foreigners have on China during these periods?

Question 52

According to the Marco Polo narrative included in this chapter,what were the special characteristics of Yuan China? Why do you think Europeans found it hard to believe that such wonders existed in China? What do the reactions to Marco Polo and his narrative itself reflect about European knowledge of China?

Question 53

Compare and contrast the development of Europe and China from 500 to 1500.What factors were most influential in the development of each area?

Question 54

Describe the methods utilized by the Mongols to control China.What advantage was there in maintaining a language barrier between the Mongols and the Chinese? What happened to the examination system during the Yuan dynasty?

Question 55

What were the tactics that allowed Temujin to transform the Mongols into a successful conquering force? What was the impact of the Mongols on Asia?

Question 56

Compare and contrast the political,social,and economic structure of China during the Tang dynasty to that during the Song dynasty.What were the strengths of the Tang? the Song? What innovations did each dynasty contribute to China?

Question 57

Under the Mongolian Yuan dynasty

A)All are in the daily practice of washing their persons.
B)In their domestic matters they are free from jealousy and suspicion of their wives.
C)For each [of the 12 handicraft trades] there are a thousand workshops.
D)The courtesans…in every part of the city are to be found adorned with much finery,highly perfumed.

Question 58

Discuss the influence of technological changes during the Song period.What was the impact of money on trade? Why did the population shift to the south? What role did the scholar-gentry play in these changes?