Deck 7: The Wests Medieval Civilizations

Question 1

Which eastern Roman emperor sought unsuccessfully to recover the western territories that had been lost to the Germans?

A)Justinian
B)Theodoric
C)Romulus
D)Valentinian III
E)Jovian

Answer 1

Justinian

Question 2

Muhammad was born in the ancient Arabian city of

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

Answer 2

Mecca.

Question 3

Religious "orthodoxy" refers to

A)holding correct beliefs.
B)accepting the authority of the pope.
C)following false teachings.
D)refusing to accept the validity of the sacraments.
E)ignorance of church doctrine.

Answer 3

holding correct beliefs.

Question 4

Who is credited with the establishment of the earliest monasteries?

A)Pachomius
B)Anthony
C)Basil
D)Benedict
E)Constantine

Question 5

Which city became the capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine?

A)Constantinople
B)Jerusalem
C)Damascus
D)Carthage
E)Athens

Question 6

Justinian's most lasting achievement was the Corpus Juris Civilis,a collection of writings on

A)Roman law.
B)Orthodox theology.
C)Byzantine history.
D)science and technology.
E)medicine.

Question 7

Which emperor embraced Christianity and began to convert the empire?

A)Constantine
B)Decius
C)Diocletian
D)Nero
E)Claudius

Question 8

Unlike the Germanic invaders who plagued Rome,the Huns were from

A)Mongolia.
B)India.
C)North Africa.
D)Arabia.
E)Persia.

Question 9

Who was the king of the Huns that was the last to threaten Rome until his death in 453?

A)Attila
B)Aetius
C)Odovacer
D)Theodoric
E)Valentinian III

Question 10

What group did the eastern emperor Valens admit to the empire with disastrous results?

A)Visigoths
B)Huns
C)Gauls
D)Vandals
E)Burgundians

Question 11

The beginning of Islam as an independent religious movement is marked by Muhammad's departure from Mecca,known as the

A)hijra.
B)umma.
C)jihad.
D)hadith.
E)sura.

Question 12

Arabs,like Jews,claim descent from Abraham through his son

A)Ishmael.
B)Joseph.
C)Isaac.
D)Jacob.
E)Saul.

Question 13

Justinian's court historian,who described his many building projects,was

A)Procopius.
B)Cassiodorus.
C)Boethius.
D)Belisarius.
E)Stilicho.

Question 14

What kind of structure was the Hagia Sophia built by Justinian)?

A)a church
B)a palace
C)a monastery
D)a university
E)a pagan temple

Question 15

Who was the last man to rule the whole Roman Empire and the first to proclaim Christianity as its official religion?

A)Theodosius
B)Jovian
C)Constantine
D)Diocletian
E)Decius

Question 16

After Honorius moved the seat of his government there,what city was the last capital of the western Roman Empire?

A)Ravenna
B)Milan
C)Sicily
D)Carthage
E)Constantinople

Question 17

The shrine in Mecca which Muhammad declared the most sacred place on earth is the

A)Ka'aba.
B)Caliph.
C)Yathrib.
D)Kuraish.
E)Badw.

Question 18

Which emperor initiated an empire-wide attempt to eradicate Christianity?

A)Decius
B)Octavian
C)Nero
D)Claudius
E)Diocletian

Question 19

Which city did Rome destroy in 66 c.e.after a revolt of the Zealots?

A)Jerusalem
B)Damascus
C)Mecca
D)Athens
E)Constantinople

Question 20

Who was the last Roman emperor who was a pagan rather than a Christian?

A)Julian
B)Jovian
C)Valens
D)Constantine
E)Justinian

Question 21

After the fall of Rome,in what way were Latin Christians,Greek Christians,and Muslim civilizations most similar?

A)They were monotheistic and exclusive.
B)They were polytheistic.
C)They developed a "live-and-let-live" attitude toward each other.
D)They shared the same language and racial heritage.
E)All believed that secular and religious authority should be separate.

Question 22

The German invaders who flooded into the western Roman Empire in the fourth century were

A)long-time neighbors,familiar with Roman civilization,who were attracted to Roman wealth and culture.
B)savage barbarians who had nothing to contribute to Rome.
C)pagans who were hostile to Christianity.
D)a powerful threat that even a healthy Rome would have been unable to resist.
E)outsiders who were as much strangers to the Romans as the Romans were strangers to them.

Question 23

In what way are Islam and Christianity most similar in their beliefs and practices?

A)Both recognize their Hebrew heritage and accept its concept of community social justice.
B)Both rely on an ordained clergy to perform the sacraments.
C)Mosques and churches alike are sacred spaces with altars and sacred ceremonies.
D)Both believe that only descendants of their founders should be leaders of their communities.
E)Neither makes a distinction between secular and religious authority.

Question 24

Which of the following statements best represents Muhammad's attitude toward Christian and Hebrew prophets?

A)He thought that Jesus and previous Jewish prophets were spokesmen for God,but that their messages had been confused and misinterpreted.
B)Muhammad felt that these prophets had not communicated with God and were simply demagogues.
C)Although these prophets were true messengers of God,they had fallen out of favor with Him because of their divergence in acting out His will.
D)Muhammad considered them false prophets of no value in understanding God's will.
E)Muhammad rejected them as prophet of another God rather than Allah.

Question 25

What kind of relationship did the Byzantine emperor have with his subjects?

A)While a vast gulf separated him from his subjects,the emperor's autocratic government kept strict control over the people.
B)The emperor maintained close personal contact with his subjects in order to understand their wants and needs.
C)The emperor mainly oversaw military affairs,and thus,his subjects lived mostly autonomously from the central authority.
D)The emperor focused on political issues,leaving the people to practice religion as they wished.
E)The emperor lived a simple and humble life to set an example of Christian love to his subjects.

Question 26

Muhammad's feisty young wife A'isha remained influential after his death because

A)as his close companion,she was the source of many hadiths.
B)she married each of the next three caliphs.
C)she had the original text of the Qur'an.
D)Muhammad had declared her his successor as leader of Islam.
E)she was the mother of all of his children.

Question 27

What set of beliefs is cited as a summary of the essence of Muslim practice?

A)Five Pillars of Islam
B)Five Standards of Islam
C)Five Commandments of Islam
D)Five Revelations of Islam
E)Five Rules of Islam

Question 28

Anthony of Egypt was an important early Christian

A)hermit.
B)missionary.
C)theologian.
D)epistle writer.
E)heretic.

Question 29

How did the eastern Roman Empire deal with both the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths?

A)Both groups were diverted to the west.
B)Both tribes were defeated when they attempted to storm the borders.
C)Both groups were invited to cross Roman territory and settle further east.
D)Both tribes were allowed to enter the empire as independent allies known as foederati.
E)Small areas of imperial land were ceded to each group by treaty.

Question 30

After the western Roman Empire was gone,Byzantine culture was largely a mix of what elements?

A)Greek,Christian,and Persian
B)Latin,Christian,and Arabic
C)Greek,Christian,and German
D)German,Christian,and Latin
E)Arabic,Islamic,and Greek

Question 31

Why is the Muslim holy book called the Qur'an,or Recitation?

A)Because Muhammad was ordered to speak the revelations he received from Gabriel.
B)Because Muslims are expected to recite it from memory and it has never been written down.
C)Because most of it repeats sections of the Old and New Testaments word for word.
D)Because Allah recited it to Moses who then repeated it to Muhammad.
E)Because only ordained priests are allowed to read or recite the Qur'an.

Question 32

What was the outcome of the Nicaean council over the theological dispute between God the Father and Christ the Son?

A)Both sides signed the Nicene Creed,but later disagreed on its interpretation.
B)Both sides signed the Nicene Creed,and the dispute was resolved.
C)The Nicaean council failed to arrive at a resolution.
D)The Arian position was peacefully accepted by most Christians.
E)The Nicaean council could not resolve the issues,leading to a permanent split in the Western church.

Question 33

Romulus Augustus would best be described as

A)a figurehead whose deposition made no difference,as real power had passed to German military leaders.
B)Rome's first great Christian emperor.
C)a dynamic leader who rebuilt Rome as a great city.
D)widely admired as a symbol of Rome's great past.
E)a barbarian whose invasion of Italy was the last straw in the fall of the Roman Empire in the West.

Question 34

Who was Muhammad's caliph or "successor" after his death?

A)Abu Bakr
B)Ali
C)Mu'awiya
D)Kadija
E)A'isha

Question 35

What allowed Arab Muslim armies to spread their influence into the eastern half of the Roman Empire?

A)the constant fighting between the Byzantine and Persian empires
B)an open mindset amongst the peoples of the region
C)the deterioration of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire
D)an efficient organization of troops that were well-equipped and trained in cavalry
E)a series of favorable weather seasons

Question 36

Why were monasteries important institutions during the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the west?

A)Monasteries were the primary institutions that kept literacy and classical culture alive.
B)Most later European towns grew up around monasteries.
C)Monasteries retained most of the wealth accrued by the Roman world.
D)Monasteries were at the center of European social life after the fall of Rome.
E)By emphasizing spiritual purity rather than education,monasteries were centers of Christian religious enthusiasm.

Question 37

What precedent was there for the emergence of an ascetic movement with the Christian church?

A)The secular philosophies of the day also tended to be world-denying.
B)Ascetics' self-denial had been an important part of Roman culture.
C)The Christian church's founders were themselves ascetics.
D)German invaders of the west practiced a form of pagan asceticism.
E)Classical Greek philosophy and science saw the world as worthless and meaningless.

Question 38

Islam and Christianity hold all of the following in common EXCEPT

A)a belief in Muhammad's position as a prophet.
B)Hebraic ancestry.
C)monotheism.
D)reference to Greek philosophy for help in developing their theologies.
E)stress on helping the poor.

Question 39

Which of the following best describes the role of foederati in the later western Roman Empire?

A)They were useful as military allies in the short term,but contributed to the fall of the empire in the long run.
B)They were savage barbarians who undermined Roman culture.
C)By introducing Islam to the West,they hastened the fall of the empire.
D)They strengthened the empire economically but had little military impact.
E)Roman emperors took advantage of the foederati's weak leaders.

Question 40

How does Islam differ from Christianity in terms of their respective relationships between sacred and secular authority?

A)In Christianity,the distinction between secular and religious government is much clearer.
B)In Islam,the distinction between secular and religious government is much clearer.
C)Islam functions as a religion separate from secular government.
D)Christianity,unlike Islam,makes no distinction between church and state.
E)Christian society is governed by religious law,while Islamic society is governed by secular law.

Question 41

What made the Christian New Testament a powerful influence for centuries after Jesus?

A)The Gospels are testimonials of faith that did not depend on eyewitness evidence.
B)Other Greek and Roman writings confirmed all of the main points of the Christian writings.
C)Most people around the Mediterranean continued to speak Greek for centuries after Jesus.
D)Christian writings confirmed Jewish expectations that the Messiah would be a political rather than a spiritual leader.
E)Paul made the historical Jesus he had personally known the center of the faith.

Question 42

What was the most important long-term significance of Constantine?

A)He made Christianity respectable and incorporated it into Roman culture.
B)He successfully resolved all of Christianity's internal conflicts.
C)His rejection of Christianity kept paganism dominant in Rome.
D)He ensured that the western empire would persist far longer than the eastern empire.
E)He showed that the "city of man" was more important than the "city of God."

Question 43

As is evident when examining the experience of enlisting foederati into the Roman Empire,when are foreign allies most likely to contribute to the military interests of the host nation?

A)when their own lands are being threatened
B)if coerced into these actions
C)when they feel incorporated as equals into the host society
D)if an effective assimilation campaign is undertaken
E)if the enemy being fought is a common enemy to both groups

Question 44

The reign of Theodosius shows that

A)the western Roman Empire was only viable with German support.
B)the Germans needed Rome more than Rome needed the Germans.
C)Christianity was the greatest threat to the western empire
D)the pope,rather than the emperor,was the real power in Rome.
E)the western Roman Empire was stronger and richer than the eastern empire.

Question 45

What was the main difference between the Eastern Orthodox tradition and the Latin Roman Catholic Church?

A)Eastern Christianity was more preoccupied with doctrinal purity.
B)The Orthodox Church rejected the doctrine of the Trinity.
C)The Roman Catholic Church embraced icons,while the Orthodox Church rejected them.
D)The Orthodox Church had a patriarch,while the Latin Church was leaderless after the fall of Rome.
E)The Roman Catholic Church had fewer doctrinal disputes.

Question 46

What is the best explanation for the rapid spread of Islam?

A)Muhammad had encouraged jihad so that Muslims would not fight among themselves.
B)Most people in the Middle East and North Africa already spoke Arabic,the language of the Qur'an.
C)There was much disillusion with Christianity in the Roman periphery because of the theological disputes within the church.
D)Islam,unlike Christianity,emphasized the individual over the community.
E)Islam spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa,areas that did not have strong religious traditions.

Question 47

Why did early Christian congregations resist the tendency that many religions have to splinter as they spread?

A)Christians believed that Christ was going to return and end history,forcing them to cooperate and pool their resources together.
B)Part of their belief system included a respect for diverse opinions,which allowed congregations to voice dissent without the worry of sparking theological disputes.
C)The Christian congregations were too small at this point in history to splinter.
D)They were united though a common ancestral heritage,with Christianity a secondary identity for Roman citizens.
E)Missionary work in the thinly populated countryside gave Christian leaders an outlet for possible troublemakers.

Question 48

How does the Arch of Constantine suggest that Rome's ancient glory was fading?

A)Its best components were from other buildings and the new parts were of poor craftsmanship.
B)It was built in Ravenna,not Rome,as the ancient capital had been abandoned.
C)The arch was smaller than its predecessors.
D)After Constantine died,it was never finished.
E)The style of the arch broke with Roman architectural tradition.

Question 49

Which problem undermined Constantine's hope that adopting Christianity as Rome's state religion would bring Christian unity?

A)Donatist and Arian heresies threatened unity.
B)Ascetics fleeing civilization weakened the population.
C)Many Christians converted to Islam after the 600s.
D)Roman popes refused to accept Constantine's leadership.
E)Christian leaders made no attempt to define orthodoxy,splintering the community.

Question 50

How did the Huns exemplify the problems faced by the later Roman Empire?

A)Outside forces played both positive and negative roles in the empire's fate.
B)Economics rather than military strength would determine the empire's fate.
C)Most of the threats to Rome came from the west rather than the east.
D)The imperial policy of playing one group off against another seldom worked.
E)Barbarians controlled the agricultural wealth on which Rome depended.

Question 51

A'isha's life after her husband Muhammad died shows that

A)women could occasionally play a role in the Islamic community.
B)only women with education had a role in Islamic society.
C)men dominated Islamic society and gave women no voice.
D)respect for Muhammad ended with his death.
E)women could be wives and mothers,but not gain wealth or influence men.

Question 52

Why did Roman diplomats help some German chiefs consolidate tribes into kingdoms?

A)to help stabilize turbulent regions and raise up leaders with whom Rome could negotiate lasting treaties
B)in order to ensure that the German kingdoms would be a deterrent to a potential Hun advance
C)as a strategy of divide-and-conquer whereby Rome could pick off weak German kingdoms
D)because the Roman diplomats were German by nationality and wanted to help their own
E)because kingdoms made better trading partners for each other,freeing Rome from contact with them

Question 53

Which of these aspects of medieval Christianity is NOT similar to the practices of its Muslim counterpart?

A)Both expected a messiah to come soon to redeem mankind.
B)Churches and mosques called worshipers to prayer at certain hours of the day.
C)Both were essentially monotheistic creeds.
D)Both had the power to levy taxes to support charitable works.
E)Christians and Muslims alike were encouraged to make pilgrimages to holy places.

Question 54

Before Muhammad's revelations,Mecca was

A)an important center of trade and traditional religion.
B)an important Christian center.
C)isolated,uncultured,and poor.
D)the capital of a powerful Arab nation.
E)a fortified Roman border town.