Deck 9: Islamic Empires of Western Asia and Africa, 600 - 1258

Question 1

 Around 570,Muhammad was born into a family of

A)Merchants.
B)Prophets.
C)Scholars.
D)Farmers.
E)Envoys.

Answer 1

Merchants.

Question 2

 Religiously,how were the early Abbasid leaders different from the Roman and Tang leaders?

A)The first Abbasid rulers could claim direct descent from prophet Muhammad.
B)The Roman leaders were never Christian until the fall of the empire.
C)Roman and Tang leaders never withdrew their support from their subjects' religion.
D)Roman and Tang leaders were not generally seen as both secular and religious leaders.
E)The Roman and Tang leaders were not associated with being founders of the religion of their people.

Answer 2

The first Abbasid rulers could claim direct descent from prophet Muhammad.

Question 3

 The Abbasids patronized what religion and spread it to the rest of the world?

A)Zoroastrianism.
B)Islam.
C)Christianity.
D)Buddhism.
E)Judaism.

Answer 3

Islam.

Question 4

 Before Muhammad,Arabs in the Arabian peninsula,whether nomadic or urban,predominantly worshiped 

A)Ahura Mazda.
B)Yahweh.
C)Protective deities.
D)Gabriel.
E)Mithra.

Question 5

 The nomadic peoples of Arabia are known as

A)Yemeni.
B)Bedouins.
C)Sasanians.
D)Seleucids.
E)Balts.

Question 6

 The term caliph literally means

A)Priest.
B)Prophet.
C)Guided one.
D)Successor.
E)Messiah.

Question 7

 Caliphs exerted great power because of which of the following 

A)Were considered to be political leaders.
B)Ruled over a religious state.
C)Were seen as leaders of powerful clans. 
D)Led a powerful military.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 8

 Khaizuran,the slave girl traveler in this chapter for whom we have a written record,met the Mahdi's father when he came to Mecca to

A)Meet the prophet Muhammad.
B)Make the hajj pilgrimage.
C)Close a trade deal.
D)Find a bride for his son.
E)Study at a madrasa there.

Question 9

 During the early life of Muhammad,why was Mecca an important site?

A)It was one of the few Jewish sites in the area.
B)It was part of the Silk Road.
C)Clans often fought with each other during visits to Mecca over control of the Kaaba.
D)Pilgrims and tribes visited Mecca to worship their individual gods including the Kaaba.
E)The libraries of Mecca collected knowledge from earlier civilizations.

Question 10

 Which personal description can be attributed to Muhammad during his lifetime?

A)Merchant.
B)Messenger of God.
C)Military leader. 
D)Prophet.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 11

 What is the meaning of the term Islam?

A)Messenger.
B)Founder
C)Prophet.
D)Faith.
E)Submission.

Question 12

 Characteristics of Bedouin society include which of the following? 

A)Patriarchal tribes.
B)Men had the right to divorce a wife by a simple declaration of separation. 
C)Women could only divorce an impotent husband.
D)Men were charged with the honor of their daughters.
E)All of these choices.

Question 13

 The characteristics of the peoples of the Arabian region did not include

A)The Arabic language.
B)A nomadic way of life.
C)Belonging to clans.
D)Polytheism.
E)Monotheism.

Question 14

 Why is Khaizuran,the traveler in this chapter,so important to historians?

A)Finding sources written by women is unusual.
B)She tells what a slave's life was like in the house of a Muslim caliph.
C)She represents a small Muslim sect about which little is known.
D)Much can be learned from her about life in a harem.
E)Sparse history of the ordinary classes and of women is available to historians.

Question 15

 Muhammad received his message in a series of visions directly from

A)God.
B)Gabriel.
C)Christ.
D)Abraham.
E)Allah.

Question 16

 At the time of the birth of Muhammad,who were considered the political dominant powers in the Mediterranean world? 

A)Romans and Egyptians
B)Egyptians  and Assyrians
C)Assyrians and Carthaginians
D)Carthaginians and Byzantines
E)Byzantines and Sasanians 

Question 17

 Which of the following was true about the veil during this time in history?

A)Veils had been used in earlier societies.
B)Muhammad instructed women to wear veils in the presence of visitors.
C)Veils often signified status.
D)Veils did not begin with the Muslims.
E)All of these choices.

Question 18

 According to Muhammad's interpretations,which of the following statements is true?

A)Christianity was not a true religion.
B)Judaism shares no similarities with Islam.
C)God would send another messenger after Muhammad.
D)Judaism and Christianity shared some concepts with Islam.
E)God also appointed Muhammad's wife as God's messenger.

Question 19

 What is significant about the term hijrah?

A)It represents Muhammad's first revelation.
B)It symbolizes Muhammad's return to Mecca.
C)It involves the visions received by Muhammad.
D)It relates to Allah and the kaaba.
E)It is the flight to Medina and all dates in the Islamic calendar are calculated from this year.

Question 20

 Muhammad left Mecca for Medina for which of the following reasons?

A)Clan leaders in Mecca saw Muhammad as a threat to them.
B)He was promised immortality.
C)Medina clansmen needed someone to arbitrate between clans.
D)The angel Gabriel instructed Muhammad to travel to Medina.
E)Mecca had already been converted.

Question 21

 How is the Jewish prophet Abraham related to Islam?

A)The children of Ishmael (son of Abraham) 
B)Isaac,son of Abraham,was sacrificed at the Kaaba.
C)Isaac was spared by God.
D)Abraham's son Ishmael was sacrificed to God.
E)Isaac's children became ancestors of Arabian clans.

Question 22

 What was the capital of the Umayyad dynasty?

A)Damascus.
B)Mecca.
C)Baghdad.
D)Cairo.
E)Medina.

Question 23

 The Shi'ites believe 

A)Abu Bakr was the only legitimate caliph. 
B)The caliph does not need to be from the bloodline of Muhammad. 
C)The first three caliphs were illegitimate. 
D)The caliph should be elected. 
E)None of these choices. 

Question 24

 The alms tax or "poor tax" was a tax on

A)Harvest.
B)Property.
C)Income.
D)Individuals.
E)Number of children.

Question 25

 In what form were Muhammad's speeches and actions recorded?

A)Written into the Quran.
B)Said as prayers.
C)Created into poems.
D)Testimonies called hadith--written by his friends and associates.​
E)Committed to memory by the ummas.

Question 26

 Who is responsible for writing down the teaching of Muhammad into the form of the Quran?

A)His followers through Caliph Uthman.
B)Muhammad.
C)Ali.
D)Khadija.
E)Abu Bakr.

Question 27

 What was the basis of Abu Bakr's power?

A)He was named by Muhammad to be his successor.
B)He continued to receive heavenly revelations.
C)He was the leader of the Islamic army and the father of Muhammad's second wife.
D)He was Muhammad's favorite uncle.
E)He was chosen by Muhammad's widow.

Question 28

 Which of the following contributed to the early military successes of the Muslims?

A)Mounted cavalry.
B)Weakness of the Sasanian Empire.
C)Use of bows and arrows.
D)Weakness of the Byzantine Empire.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 29

 The Arabian peninsula was fully conquered by 634 by Islamic troops under whose leadership?

A)Ali.
B)Umar.
C)Uthman.
D)Muhammad.
E)Abu Bakr.

Question 30

 Caliph Uthman angered his subjects when he

A)Refused to read the Quran.
B)Said that he had his own revelations.
C)Allowed Jews to worship in his palace.
D)Tore down the Ka'ba.
E)Favored his own clan.

Question 31

 The Umayyad dynasty began with the assassination of Ali in 661 followed by the reign of the caliph

A)Ali.
B)Fatima.
C)Abu Bakr.
D)Muawiya.
E)Umar.

Question 32

 The Muslim rule over conquered peoples involved

A)All males being executed.
B)Younger females being sold into slavery or forced into harems.
C)Muslim families forcibly settled on conquered lands.
D)A tax system based on religion and conversion.
E)Forced conversion.

Question 33

 Who were the Dhimmi,and why were they considered to be protected subjects?

A)Women,because the five pillars advocate protecting women.
B)They were nonbelievers but protected because Islam was committed to protect all peoples.
C)They were Bedouin and the original followers of Muhammad.
D)They were the gods of other religions and viewed by Muslims as demons.
E)Christians and Hebrews,and protected because their holy books were recognized by Muhammad.

Question 34

 How did the Muslims receive their primary obligations?

A)Umar witnessed the encounter between Muhammad and Gabriel in which Muhammad received them.
B)Ummas interpreted their obligations from the speeches of Muhammad.
C)A collection of various clan doctrines were synthesized into the primary Muslim obligations.
D)They were received by Muhammad from God.
E)They were personal instructions given by God to Umar.

Question 35

 One of the five main obligations - or pillars - of Muslims is to

A)Take part in a holy war during his lifetime.
B)Visit the holy site of Mecca once in their lifetime if possible.
C)Be able to read the Quran in Arabic.
D)Honor one's wives and daughters.
E)Create a personal jihad.

Question 36

  What was the relationship of Ali to Muhammad?

A)First wife's eldest brother.
B)Cousin and husband of his daughter Fatima.
C)Son.
D)Nephew.
E)He was not related.

Question 37

 Which of the following is part of the definition of the term jihad?

A)Muhammad's visions commanding him to expand Islam.
B)A struggle or fight to fulfill a personal goal.
C)The use of military force to expand Islam.
D)Using any means to defend Islam. 
E)All of these choices.

Question 38

 "Party of Ali" describes which group in Muslim society?

A)Shi'ites.
B)Sunnis.
C)Ummas.
D)Caliphs.
E)Bedouins.

Question 39

 The official language of the Umayyad empire and the Islamic faith is

A)Greek.
B)Arabic.
C)Persian.
D)Phoenician.
E)There is no official language.

Question 40

 What is the term that describes the primary obligations of each Muslim?

A)Hajj.
B)Five Pillars.
C)Hadith.
D)Jihad.
E)Qadi.

Question 41

 What united the Islamic world after the empire divided into separate political units?

A)Caliphs.
B)A strong military.
C)Strong ummas.
D)Crusades against Christianity.
E)The Hajj and religious and cultural ties.

Question 42

 The Abbasid dynasty based their right to rule on

A)The vote of the major clan chiefs.
B)The decision of the umma.
C)Descent from Mohammad's uncle,Abbas.
D)A military victory over the Ummayyads.
E)Direct descent from Fatima,Mohammad's wife.

Question 43

 The cartographer al-Idrisi made a world map while working in

A)Damascus. 
B)Mecca.
C)Baghdad.
D)Sicily 
E)Goa.

Question 44

 The rights of slaves in the Muslim sphere included which of the following? 

A)The status of a child's freedom depended on whether the father was a free Muslim.
B)Female slaves had to live in the area in the household for women.
C)A Muslim could not be sold into slavery.
D)Slaves who converted to Islam may be granted freedom by their masters.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 45

 How was the egalitarianism of early Islam transformed by the Abbasid caliphs?

A)They lived in the splendor of a Sasanian court.
B)Greek became the language of the court.
C)They were increasingly accessible to the public. 
D)Caliphs strove to appear as common Muslims in dress and surroundings.
E)Living in Sasanian courts,they were addressed as "the shadow of God on earth."

Question 46

 Baghdad under the Abbasids including the first manufacturing of what item?

A)Paper.
B)Silk.
C)Porcelain.
D)Steel.
E)Astrolabes.

Question 47

 How can the English translated word slave be related to the Islamic trade?

A)Muslim trade predominantly involved slaves from "slav" lands in central and eastern Europe. 
B)Slaves taken from central Europe were very often Slavic.
C)Islam did not allow the sale and purchase of slaves.
D)Muslim trade involved slaves from central Asia.
E)Peoples in central Europe who refused to convert to Islam were sold into slavery.

Question 48

 Which of the following brought the final destruction of the Abbasid dynasty?

A)Actions of the iqta.
B)Buyids' takeover of Baghdad.
C)The limitation of funds to the caliph.
D)Establishing the caliph as a figurehead.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 49

 In what way(s)was Baghdad the cultural and learning center of the Muslim Empire?

A)Collections and translations from earlier works were collected.
B)Major mathematical and scientific discoveries resulted from research.
C)An important base of knowledge was provided for the future of Europe.
D)Because of the use of paper,books became available to the public on many subjects.
E)All of these.

Question 50

 The privileged groups in Islamic society included which of the following? 

A)Relatives of the caliph.
B)Educated landowners.
C)Ulamas.
D)Patronized artists.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 51

 Though a dangerous innovation,how did Abbasid caliphs attempt to increase revenue?

A)Claimed all land.
B)Offered to free all slaves for a fee.
C)Increased taxes on non-Muslims.
D)Iqta grants.
E)Increased taxes on non-Arabic speaking areas.

Question 52

 The Great Mosque of Damascus was decorated with mosaics depicting landscapes in an imaginary paradise made by ____ artisans.

A)Persian.
B)Byzantine.
C)Sunni.
D)Bedouin.
E)Syrian.

Question 53

 The judicial system of the Muslim empire was based on

A)The culture of the area.
B)The collective decisions of provincial qadis.
C)Islamic law.
D)The interpretation of the ruling caliph.
E)The ulama.

Question 54

 The Great Mosque of Damascus does not have any images of humans or animals because of what sacred text?

A)A hadith by Muhammad.
B)The first chapter of the Quran.
C)The Ten Commandments.
D)Further revelations to Muawiya.
E)The Five Pillars.

Question 55

 Islamic scholars invented the astrolabe which was used to determine

A)Favorable winds to sail around Africa.
B)The location of Mecca for the direction to face during prayer.
C)The number of days in the Islamic year.
D)The location of the Garden of Eden.
E)Who was a descendant of Muhammad.

Question 56

 In the provinces,the caliphs delegated power to regional governors,while in the capital,the chief minister to the caliphs was known as the

A)Qadi.
B)Vizier.
C)Ulama.
D)Sunna.
E)Mahdi.

Question 57

 Which of the following resulted from Muslim domination of North Africa?

A)Islam replaced Christianity as the dominant religion in Egypt.
B)The Maghrib languages were replaced by Arabic.
C)The Muslim culture replaced that of the Romans.
D)Closer ties were created between North Africa and the Arabs as a result of the hajj. 
E)All of these choices. 

Question 58

 Which group of people rose to power in Baghdad after its fall in 1055?

A)Europeans.
B)Buyids.
C)Sassanid Persians.
D)Seljuk Turks.
E)Mongols.

Question 59

 What was the root cause of the decline of the Abbasid Empire?

A)Crises in succession of caliphs.
B)Dropping revenues.
C)Expensive military ventures.
D)Decline in trade from Asia.
E)War with the Shiites.

Question 60

 What was the relationship of merchants to Islamic society?

A)They held a high position in society.
B)Merchants were forced to use the barter system of the Bedouins.
C)As profiteers,they paid a higher rate of taxes.
D)They were required to support poor houses for the needy.
E)They could never hold the position of caliph.

Question 61

Please define the following key terms.

- Muhammad

Question 62

Please define the following key terms.

- al-Bakri

Question 63

Please define the following key terms.

- jihad

Question 64

Please define the following key terms.

- Khaizuran

Question 65

Please define the following key terms.

- Sunni

Question 66

Please define the following key terms.

- Quran

Question 67

Please define the following key terms.

- Zubaydah's Road

Question 68

Please define the following key terms.

- Five Pillars of Islam

Question 69

Please define the following key terms.

- hijrah

Question 70

Please define the following key terms.

- Ibn Jubayr 

Question 71

Please define the following key terms.

- caliph

Question 72

Please define the following key terms.

- Umayyad

Question 73

Please define the following key terms.

- hadith

Question 74

Please define the following key terms.

- Abu Bakr

Question 75

Please define the following key terms.

- iqta grant

Question 76

Please define the following key terms.

- hajj

Question 77

Please define the following key terms.

- The Standing 

Question 78

Please define the following key terms.

- Shiite

Question 79

Please define the following key terms.

- qadi 

Question 80

Please define the following key terms.

- Maghrib