Deck 3: The Civilization of the Greeks

Question 1

What were the causes, results, and turning points of the Persian Wars?

Answer 1

Answers will vary.

Question 2

Discuss the causes and course of the Great Peloponnesian War. What impact did the war have on the Greeks?

Answer 2

Answers will vary.

Question 3

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Mycenaeans

Answer 3

Answers will vary.

Question 4

Why did some Athenians see the Sophists as a threat to social and political stability? Were their fears grounded?

Question 5

How did social status and gender affect the life experiences of those who resided in ancient Athens?

Question 6

What do historians mean by the phrase "The Age of Pericles?" What were the characteristics of this period that made it distinct?

Question 7

What were the major features of the civilizations of the Minoans and Mycenaeans, and how did they create a foundation for classical Greece?

Question 8

Discuss the organization of the Athenian democratic system. Was it a democracy? In what ways is Athenian democracy similar to American democracy? In what ways is it different?

Question 9

What role did religion play in Greek life?

Question 10

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Minoan Crete

Question 11

Why did Greek civilization go into decline in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War?

Question 12

What were the characteristics of the Greek polis ? How did it differ from the Sumerian city-state?

Question 13

Describe the typical Athenian family. How was it organized? What role did husbands play? What about wives?

Question 14

What significant philosophical differences separated Plato and Aristotle?

Question 15

The classical age of Greece is known for its literary, artistic, and intellectual achievements. In what ways do Greek history, drama, art, and philosophy celebrate Greek accomplishments and values, and in what ways does Greek culture explore more universal human concerns and ideals?

Question 16

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Greek Dark Age

Question 17

How did Greek males regard Greek females and what opportunities did Greek society and culture offer to women for self-expression?

Question 18

How did the geography of Greece shape the development of the polis ?

Question 19

What role did each of the following play in the life of Athens: male citizens, women, and slaves?

Question 20

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
King Philip II of Macedonia

Question 21

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Cleisthenes

Question 22

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
phalanx

Question 23

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Solon

Question 24

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Thucydides

Question 25

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Herodotus

Question 26

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Darius

Question 27

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
polis

Question 28

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Marathon

Question 29

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
oligarchies

Question 30

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
helots

Question 31

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Pericles

Question 32

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Peloponnesian War

Question 33

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Xerxes

Question 34

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
demos and kratia

Question 35

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey

Question 36

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Delian League

Question 37

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Athens

Question 38

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Sparta

Question 39

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Socrates

Question 40

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Aristophanes

Question 41

Which of the following is true of Greece from ca. 750 to ca. 500 B.C.E.?

A)It was the Golden Age, dominated by Socrates, Plato, and Pericles.
B)The Greeks' colonization efforts in the Aegean and Black Seas came to an end.
C)It was a period of social cohesion and great Greek empires.
D)The polis evolved into the central institution in Greek life.
E)It was a period of incessant warfare.

Question 42

The conquest of which region shaped early Spartan history?

A)Asia Minor
B)Persia
C)Messenia
D)Macedonia
E)Crete

Question 43

According to most scholars, what accounts for the collapse of Minoan civilization?

A)Pillaging and conquest by the Mycenaeans
B)Drought and famine
C)Widespread epidemics
D)Natural disasters
E)Ineffective leadership

Question 44

Who was the English archaeologist who uncovered the Bronze Age Minoan civilization on Crete?

A)Sir Arthur Evans
B)Heinrich Schliemann
C)Gertrude Bell
D)Mary Leakey
E)Richard Leakey

Question 45

The term polis refers to the

A)county.
B)police.
C)people.
D)city-state.
E)culture.

Question 46

Most Greek colonies can be best described as

A)sizable settlements that included agricultural land.
B)simple military outposts.
C)vast kingdoms in their own right.
D)sacred spaces valued primarily for religious reasons.
E)places of punishment for Greek criminals.

Question 47

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Plato's Republic

Question 48

What was the main focus of Homer's Iliad ?

A)The honor and courage of Greek aristocratic heroes in battle
B)The exalted position of women in Greek society
C)The absolute abhorrence of violence by the Greeks
D)The Greeks' rejection of slavery
E)The superiority of the military phalanx over the aristocratic cavalry

Question 49

Which of these states developed in the Peloponnesus?

A)Thessaly
B)Macedonia
C)Thebes
D)Athens
E)Sparta

Question 50

A popular Minoan sport was

A)wrestling.
B)throwing javelins.
C)soccer.
D)bull leaping.
E)bowling.

Question 51

For each historical identification question, define the term and briefly describe its historical significance.
Aristotle

Question 52

In general, separate early Greek communities

A)exchanged diplomatic representatives only.
B)established formal federations early in Greece's history.
C)became fierce rivals fighting so often as to threaten Greek civilization itself.
D)developed close ties and cooperated with one another.
E)avoided all contact to appease their city gods.

Question 53

The civilization of Minoan Crete

A)declined after the Sea Peoples conquered Crete.
B)was known as a great military power.
C)was poor and isolated.
D)developed elaborate skills in art and architecture, visible in their great palaces.
E)flourished after 1450 B.C.E.

Question 54

Which statement best describes the Mycenaeans?

A)They were merchants who dominated Mediterranean trade in the fourth century B.C.E.
B)They were a warrior people who achieved their apex between 1400 and 1200 B.C.E.
C)They produced exotic articles of trade in the fifth century B.C.E.
D)They were a people dominated by a theocracy; they were often led into battle by their warrior priesthood.
E)They were a non-Greek speaking peoples on the island of Crete.

Question 55

By the fifth century B.C.E., the population of Athens had reached about

A)20,000.
B)1 million.
C)250,000.
D)5,000.
E)2 million.

Question 56

What was the primary focus on the Mycenaens?

A)Agriculture
B)Trade
C)Intellectual pursuits
D)Education
E)Warfare and conquest

Question 57

During the migrations of the Greek Dark Age, many Ionians

A)abandoned Attica in favor of the Peloponnesus.
B)crossed the Aegean Sea to settle in Asia Minor.
C)took control of the Peloponnesus.
D)occupied northern Greece.
E)moved to Crete.

Question 58

All of the following are prominent features of Greece's topography EXCEPT

A)extensive open plains.
B)bays and harbors.
C)mountains.
D)valleys.
E)long seacoast.

Question 59

Which location was the center of the Minoan civilization?

A)Corinth
B)Thebes
C)Athens
D)Sparta
E)Knossus

Question 60

What were the chief characteristics of the Greek Dark Age?

A)It was an era in which the mainland of Greece was controlled by Crete.
B)It was a period of political anarchy and many foreign invasions.
C)It was a period of intermittent warfare between highly developed city-states.
D)It was the most economically productive period of Greek history due to the rapid development of Greek colonies.
E)It was a period of migrations and declining food production.

Question 61

What role did the ephors play in the Spartan state?

A)They made rulings on matters of religious practice and belief.
B)They had control over the state budget and taxes.
C)They were responsible for promoting trade.
D)They made diplomatic and military decisions.
E)They oversaw education and the conduct of all citizens.

Question 62

The hoplite phalanx relied for its success on

A)speed and mobility.
B)superior horsemanship.
C)fortified wine.
D)discipline and teamwork.
E)individual acts of valor.

Question 63

Which Greek philosopher said, with regard to the polis , "We must... regard every citizen as belonging to the state"?

A)Socrates
B)Plato
C)Aristotle
D)Xenophanes
E)Pythagoras

Question 64

What was the fundamental institution of Greek society?

A)The hoplite
B)The polis
C)The phalanx
D)The agora
E)The deme

Question 65

What did the term arete mean to the Greeks?

A)Moral failure of cowards
B)Essential virtues of ordinary women
C)Duties of a citizen
D)The striving for excellence
E)Avoidance of destructive competition

Question 66

The neighbors of the Spartans who were free inhabitants and required to pay taxes and perform military service but who were not citizens of Sparta were

A)hoplites.
B)perioikoi.
C)kouros.
D)helots.
E)ephors.

Question 67

Which of the following is NOT true of Greek colonization?

A)Those enriched through colonization desired new political privileges, which fueled political crises in many Greek states.
B)Colonies contributed to the expansion of Greek culture through the Mediterranean basin.
C)Colonization promoted increased trade and industry.
D)Greek colonies were trading posts rather than permanent settlements.
E)Greek colonists became more aware of their own linguistic and cultural similarities.

Question 68

The Greek polis put primary emphasis on

A)untrammeled private enterprise.
B)cooperation between its citizens for the common welfare.
C)military conquest of neighboring poleis.
D)the protection of its citizens' individual rights.
E)cooperating with neighboring poleis for the common good.

Question 69

What was expected of Spartan women, but not women of most other Greek cities?

A)That they fight in the army alongside the men
B)That they remain secluded at home for most of their lives
C)That they stay physically fit to bear healthy children
D)That they become proficient in poetry and philosophy
E)That they rule the city in their husbands' absence

Question 70

Why did the Spartans make the army the center of their society?

A)They loved killing and mayhem.
B)They feared a naval attack by Athens.
C)They feared a naval attack by Persia.
D)They feared an uprising by their helots.
E)Thebes appeared to be a looming threat.

Question 71

Why did tyranny arise in the Greek poleis ?

A)It was brought on by the people's increasing complacency about the egalitarian nature of Greek society.
B)It was a response to the cry for strong leadership from the established aristocratic oligarchies.
C)It was the result of fierce sectarian battles of competing religious systems.
D)It was the result of foreign invasion, mainly the Persians under Darius.
E)It was a reaction to aristocratic power and a widening gulf between the rich and the poor.

Question 72

Which city-state dominated the Peloponnesian League?

A)Thrace
B)Corinth
C)Thebes
D)Athens
E)Sparta

Question 73

What was the agora?

A)An important legislative body in both Thebes and Athens
B)A barracks for a city's soldiers
C)A neighborhood reserved for the wealthy
D)An open space that served as a market and a place where citizens could gather
E)A religious district where temples were constructed

Question 74

What was a consequence of the development of the polis ?

A)It fostered a sense of disunity among commoners.
B)It divided Greece into fiercely competitive states.
C)It discouraged the development of polytheistic religion.
D)It retarded democracy in the organization of civic governments.
E)It limited the development of Greek artistic and intellectual accomplishments.

Question 75

A hoplite was a

A)skilled horseman.
B)soldier-slave.
C)temple priest.
D)heavy infantryman.
E)non-Greek merchant.

Question 76

Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of the typical Greek polis ?

A)Each polis was autonomous from all other poleis .
B)Each polis had a population of between 90,000 and 100,000 citizens.
C)The strength of the community came through cooperation.
D)Most Greek women were restricted largely to the home.
E)It contained an agora and acropolis within its fortifications.

Question 77

What resulted from the Lycurgan reforms?

A)The establishment of a permanent military state in Sparta
B)More constitutional rights for Spartans
C)The outlawing religion in Sparta
D)A revolt among Spartan slaves
E)The Peloponnesian War

Question 78

What was a major aim of the reforms of Cleisthenes?

A)To promote and expand Athenian trade
B)To empower the Athenian nobility
C)To end slavery in Athens
D)To turn Athens into a military state like Sparta
E)To weaken the power of the traditional localities and regions

Question 79

Which statement is closest to the Greek definition of a tyrant?

A)A cruel and oppressive ruler
B)A ruler who seizes power by force and is not subject to the law
C)A man of noble birth and great ambitions
D)A leader of a political faction or party
E)A ruler who is denied the typical high social status of his position

Question 80

Spartan helots

A)were conscripted to fight in the city's phalanx.
B)were captives of war.
C)declared war on the perioikoi every year.
D)had achieved the right to hold land themselves by the sixth century B.C.E.
E)comprised the elite class of Spartan society.