Deck 3: First Civilizations: Cities, States, and Unequal Societies,3500 Bce-500 Bce

Question 1

Solon brought which of the following reforms to Athens after 594 B·C·E·.?

A) The abolition of the system of indentured servitude
B) The creation of debt slavery as a way of helping the poor pay off loans
C) The right of all citizens to participate in the Assembly
D) Limited political rights for elite Athenian women

Answer 1

The right of all citizens to participate in the Assembly

Question 2

What elements united Greece during the classical era?

Answer 2

Answer would ideally include:
•Language
•Religion (worship of the same gods)
•Culture
•Events like the Olympic Games

Question 3

Persian political organization included which of the following features?

A) An emperor who was merely a figurehead
B) A satrap who governed each province
C) A civil service examination system
D) A written constitution with a bill of rights

Answer 3

A satrap who governed each province

Question 4

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms

In Source 3.1, Herodotus explains that when the Persians offer sacrifice to the gods, they "do not construct an altar, light a fire, or pour a libation, and there is no flute music, no wearing of garlands, and no consecrated barley cake." It can be inferred that the activities described by Herodotus were performed by which group of people in their sacrifice to the gods?

A) The Egyptians
B) The Chinese
C) The Greeks
D) The Persians

Question 5

What did the Persian Empire share in common with classical Greece in 500 B·C·E·.?

A) Both had a centralized political system.
B) Both were expansive civilizations.
C) Both possessed a strong sense of citizenship.
D) Both were ethnically homogenous.

Question 6

What policies did rulers implement to control their empires?

Question 7

What factors made the formation of an empire in India less likely than elsewhere?

Question 8

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms

According to Tacitus in Source 3.2, "Germania," which of the following is an important value in German society?

A) Equality
B) Loyalty
C) Diversity
D) Pacificism

Question 9

According to the letter from the Chinese Emperor Wen to the Xiongnu in Source 3.3, what was China's attitude toward the Xiongnu?

A) China wanted to start a war with the Xiongnu.
B) China blamed the Xiongnu for China's problems.
C) China treated the Xiongnu as tribute states.
D) China sought a peaceful coexistence with the Xiongnu.

Question 10

What qualities did the leaders of the second-wave empires share in common?

Question 11

What common factors contributed to the collapse of the Chinese and Roman empires?

Question 12

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms

Which of the following describes Herodotus's portrayal of the Egyptians in Source 3.1?

A) Many of the ways and customs of the Egyptians are the opposite of those followed by the rest of humanity.
B) Egyptians live in a primitive state, as indicated by their lack of clothing and the absence of any technology.
C) Egypt is a secular society, with a clear division of power between the political system and religious institutions.
D) Egypt lacks many of the features of civilization, including literacy and religious worship.

Question 13

In contrast to the Persian Empire, the political culture of classical Greek civilization

A) emphasized the absolute power of the monarch.
B) allowed for the participation of women in politics.
C) featured popular participation in politics.
D) relied heavily on satraps to administer its states.

Question 14

Which of the following was a unique feature of political life in classical Greece?

A) The granting of limited political rights to slaves
B) The extension of political citizenship to foreigners
C) The idea of free male citizens running the affairs of state
D) The universal right to vote for all men and women above the age of sixteen

Question 15

What were the limitations of Greek democracy?

Question 16

Which of the following represents a defining characteristic of an empire?

A) A state that forms as a democratic republic but is eventually seized and ruled over by a single ruler
B) A state formed through conquest and maintained through the extraction of resources from conquered states and peoples
C) A single ethnic group with a single language, religion, and identity
D) A conglomeration of independent states that form temporary alliances

Question 17

A major development that occurred during the Hellenistic era was

A) Sparta's defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War.
B) the spread of Greek culture throughout most of the ancient world.
C) the Mongol conquest of Europe, North Africa, and Asia.
D) the expansion of the Roman Empire to its greatest height.

Question 18

How did some of the imperial states deal with people within its empire who followed different cultural traditions?

Question 19

Based on the descriptions offered in Sources 3.2 and 3.3, what did the Germans and the Xiongnu have in common?

A) The centrality of warfare
B) The high levels of literacy
C) The acceptance of adultery
D) The absence of hierarchy

Question 20

How did the imperial states in the second-wave empires contribute to culture?

Question 21

In what respect did India's political history resemble that of Western Europe?

A) Both enjoyed long periods of peace and stability under republican forms of government.
B) Both created enduring civilizations in the absence of a consistent, encompassing imperial state.
C) Both expanded into North Africa and pursued a policy of assimilation toward conquered peoples.
D) Both possessed a high degree of ethnic homogeneity that found expression in a centralized state.

Question 22

Which of the following expresses the basic difference between what the Roman Empire and the Han dynasty believed was the key to good government?

A) The Roman Empire empowered the bureaucracy, while the Han dynasty empowered the people.
B) The Roman Empire depended on a merit-based system of political recruitment, while the Han dynasty limited political office to the aristocracy.
C) The Roman Empire believed in the separation of church and state, while the Han dynasty made religion the basis of government.
D) The Roman Empire emphasized good laws, while the Han dynasty emphasized good men.

Question 23

The conquests of which leader contributed to the widespread dissemination of Greek culture during the Hellenistic era?

A) Qin Shihuangdi
B) Trung Trac
C) Caesar Augustus
D) Alexander the Great

Question 24

Which of the following was a major avenue for the spread of Greek culture during the Hellenistic Era?

A) Cities
B) Rivers
C) Chariots
D) Oceans

Question 25

Which of the following was a characteristic of all classical empires?

A) There was equality under the law for all subjects.
B) Emperors were constrained by the Mandate of Heaven.
C) They all imposed a single religion and language for the empire.
D) They were powerful states capable of coercing resources from subjects.

Question 26

Which of the following had a weak tradition of rule by monarchs?

A) Rome
B) China
C) India
D) Athens

Question 27

Which of the following has been put forward to explain why empires were much less prominent in India than in China?

A) India's unparalleled cultural diversity
B) India's ethnically homogenous population
C) India's lack of a defined social structure
D) India's political unity under the caste system

Question 28

Which foreign religious tradition was absorbed into China during the classical period?

A) Hinduism
B) The Isis cult
C) Buddhism
D) Christianity

Question 29

Which of the following is an example of the centralization of the Chinese state under Qin Shihuangdi?

A) Establishment of the Senate, consuls, and public assemblies
B) Participation of the lower classes in shaping public policy
C) Standardization of weights, measures, and currency
D) Elimination of the institutions of the tribune and satrapy

Question 30

Which of the following represents a period during which most of the South Asian subcontinent was unified under a single imperial state?

A) Han dynasty
B) Roman Empire
C) Mauryan Empire
D) Persian Empire

Question 31

The Persian Empire and the Mauryan dynasty were similar because both

A) lasted longer than any other second-wave civilization.
B) adopted Christianity as the official religion.
C) relied on imperial spies for information about distant provinces.
D) ultimately evolved into republican governments.

Question 32

When Germanic tribes entered into the western part of the Roman Empire, they

A) assimilated into Roman culture and lost their German identity.
B) ensured that slaves continued to make up a large portion of society.
C) rejected all of Roman culture and instead imposed their own culture.
D) produced a hybrid culture that drew on both Germanic and Latin elements.

Question 33

Which of the following was a consequence of the Greco-Persian Wars?

A) The decline of Athenian democracy
B) The end of the Golden Age of Greek culture
C) The Greek settlement of Ionia
D) The notion of an east/west divide

Question 34

Athens' leadership in which event launched Athens on a path to establish its dominance over other city-states in the region?

A) Greco-Persian Wars
B) Peloponnesian War
C) Pax Romana
D) Punic Wars

Question 35

Which of the following was a motivation for the expansion of the Roman Empire?

A) The wealth of the eastern Mediterranean societies
B) The desire to stop the spread of Buddhism
C) The rejection of Greek culture and philosophy
D) The weakness of the Persian Empire

Question 36

In contrast to the Roman Empire, the process of empire formation in China

A) depended less on military force.
B) had precedents to follow.
C) created a new religious tradition.
D) took centuries to complete.

Question 37

In contrast to what followed after the collapse of the Han dynasty in China, the collapse of the Roman Empire

A) led to decentralized political systems.
B) caused an increase in population growth.
C) ushered in a new phase of stability.
D) produced a culturally homogenous civilization.

Question 38

Which of the following was true of both the Roman and the Chinese empires?

A) They exhausted themselves through frequent wars with India.
B) They invoked supernatural sanctions to support their rule.
C) They evolved from republics into empires ruled by tyrants.
D) Their economies relied heavily on foreign slave labor.

Question 39

Which of the following describes the Persian policy toward people with different cultural traditions who lived within the empire?

A) Taxation of those who continued to practice non-Persian traditions
B) Suppression and elimination of non-Persian traditions
C) Respect and tolerance for non-Persian traditions
D) Forced assimilation to the Persian way of life

Question 40

Which of the following represents a value of the Roman Republic, idealized as the way of the ancestors?

A) Aristocratic privilege
B) Rule of law
C) Liberty
D) Benevolence

Question 41

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
A major empire that expanded from the Iranian plateau to incorporate the Middle East from Egypt to India; flourished from around 550 to 330 B·C·E·.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 42

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
A Vietnamese women from an aristocratic military family who led an ultimately unsuccessful revolt against China around 40 C·E·. following the execution of her husband.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 43

Personal Reflection: Which of the classical empires do you view as most successful? Why?

Question 44

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
The period from 323 to 30 B·C·E·. in which Greek culture spread widely in Eurasia and North Africa in the kingdoms ruled by Alexander's political successors.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 45

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
The "Roman peace," a term typically used to denote the stability and prosperity of the early Roman Empire, especially in the first and second centuries C·E·.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 46

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
Also known as Octavian, he was the first emperor of Rome after the civil war and reigned from 27 B·C·E·. to 14 C·E·.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 47

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
The most famous ruler of the Mauryan Empire (r. 268-232 B·C·E·.), who converted to Buddhism and tried to rule peacefully and with tolerance.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 48

Which of the following had an important influence on the Chinese imperial state?

A) Democracy
B) Republicanism
C) Legalism
D) Caste system

Question 49

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
A sizable and prosperous empire linked to the Silk Road trading network in a region that now encompasses northwestern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 50

Based on the information provided in Map 3.5 in the textbook, the leaders of China were most concerned about a foreign invasion coming from which direction?

A) North
B) East
C) South
D) West

Question 51

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
A radical form of direct democracy in which much of the free male population of Athens had the franchise and officeholders were chosen by lot.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 52

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
A major empire (322-185 B·C·E·.) that encompassed most of India.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 53

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
Literally "first emperor from the Qin" (r. 221-210 B·C·E·.); he forcibly reunited China and established a strong and repressive state.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 54

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
Dynasty that ruled China from 206 B·C·E·. to 220 C·E·., creating a durable state based on Shihuangdi's state-building achievement.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 55

When the Roman Empire disintegrated in 476 C·E·., the eastern part of the empire came to be known as the

A) Holy Roman Empire.
B) Byzantine Empire.
C) Gupta Empire.
D) Persian Empire.

Question 56

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
Two major Persian invasions of Greece, in 490 B·C·E·. and 480 B·C·E·., in which the Persians were defeated on both land and sea.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 57

Comparative Analysis: What features do all classical empires share?

Question 58

Comparative Analysis: How significant was the legacy of fifth-century B·C·E·. Greece to the Hellenistic kingdoms?

Question 59

Use the following to answer questions:
Select the word or phrase from the Terms section that best matches the definition or example provided in the Definitions section.
Terms
Ruled from 356 to 323, B·C·E·.; conqueror of the Persian Empire and part of northwest India.

A)Persian Empire
B)Athenian democracy
C)Greco-Persian Wars
D)Alexander the Great
E)Hellenistic era
F)Augustus
G)Pax Romana
H)Qin Shihuangdi
I)Han dynasty
J)Trung Trac
K)Kushan Empire
L)Mauryan Empire
M)Ashoka

Question 60

Comparative Analysis: What is the difference between the states formed by the First Civilizations and the empires formed between 500 B·C·E·. and 500 C·E·.?

Question 61

Historical Analysis: Can the Hellenistic world be regarded as an empire in cultural terms, even though it wasn't a single political state?