Deck 4: New Civilizations Outside the West Asian Core Area

Question 1

The Mandate of Heaven meant that the ruler retained the right to rule as long as

A) he remained the strongest in the kingdom.
B) he remained a wise and principled guardian of his people.
C) he performed the correct ritual sacrifices.
D) he produced a male heir.
E) he kept the loyalty of the military.

Answer 1

he remained a wise and principled guardian of his people.

Question 2

The Chinese acquired silk by

A) encouraging Chinese "silk pirates" who raided merchant shipping.
B) importing raw silk from Europe.
C) hiring Japanese labor to work in textile mills.
D) conquering the neighboring Mongol regions.
E) raising silkworms and pioneering silk cloth production.

Answer 2

raising silkworms and pioneering silk cloth production.

Question 3

Which of the following is not one of the ways that Confucian philosophy attempts to create societal harmony?

A) By emphasizing the idea that the country is parallel to the family
B) By expanding the traditional feelings of benevolence toward family so that they apply to all of humanity
C) By avoiding violence and promoting justice, loyalty, and dignity
D) By emphasizing the goodness of human nature and seeking to promote it through education, particularly of public officials
E) By emphasizing individual freedoms

Answer 3

By emphasizing individual freedoms

Question 4

Mengzi's belief in human nature was that people

A) were innately corrupt.
B) would lead only if a charismatic ruler were to take charge of them.
C) must depend on one another to create a just society.
D) would do the right thing if a ruler led by example.
E) would always be at war with one another.

Question 5

Confucius' writings were handed down orally for several generations before it was compiled in written form as:

A) Book of Documents
B) Book of Songs
C) Book of Changes
D) Analects

Question 6

The greatest rival of Confucianism was:

A) Daoism.
B) Confucianism.
C) Legalism.
D) Moism.
E) Rationalism.

Question 7

What does the practice of feng shui accomplish?

A) It is part of the process of silk production.
B) It orients buildings in harmony with the terrain and the forces of nature.
C) It scares away ghosts of the ancestors.
D) It is a treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.
E) It is a term for "Divine Judgment," a kind of karmic response from Heaven.

Question 8

Compared with the Shang dynasty god, Di, the Zhou main god Tian was

A) much more demanding and harsh.
B) compassionate and understanding.
C) equally uninvolved in the affairs of humans.
D) retributive and moody.
E) generous and wise.

Question 9

This philosphy validated the institution of monarchy by connecting the religious and political spheres, served as the foundation of Chinese political thought for three thousand years.

A) First Past the Post
B) Divine Right
C) Mandate of Heaven
D) Winner-Take-All
E) Right of Kings

Question 10

The Shang elite were what part of society?

A) warriors.
B) priests
C) scholars.
D) merchants
E) farmers.

Question 11

Loess was

A) dust from gold ore, which was used for paint.
B) a kind of moss used for fuel.
C) a leafy green vegetable used for food.
D) a method of spinning silk cocoons.
E) a rich dust blown in from Central Asia.

Question 12

Which early Zhou writing is attributed to Sunzi?

A) The Book of Documents
B) The Art of War
C) The Book of Prayer
D) The Book of Changes
E) Spring and Autumn Annals

Question 13

Confucius most admired which political figure for maintaining harmony in his rule and being a dutiful servant of the state?

A) King Wu
B) King Wen
C) Prince Cheng
D) Duke Zhou
E) Duke Dao

Question 14

Significant insight into the lives, activities, and feelings of early Chinese people of the Zhou period is available to scholars because of:

A) oracle bones.
B) long-lasting archeological remains.
C) The Book of Songs.
D) The Mandate of Heaven.
E) Emperor Wu's immense stele of inscribed laws.

Question 15

The people and dynasty that created the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule were the

A) Shang
B) Zhou
C) Sythians
D) Daoists
E) Magyars

Question 16

Other than oracle bones, one of the main sources of information on Shang China is/are

A) records from western traders reporting the wealth of north China.
B) The Book of Records.
C) mummies.
D) royal and elite tombs.
E) excavation of cities.

Question 17

To Confucius, the fundamental element of society was the

A) king
B) city
C) maintenance of tradition
D) characteristic of respect
E) family

Question 18

During the Shang period, ancestor worship became important because

A) ancestors had special influence with the gods.
B) it was a way of spreading Chinese rule to other East Asian societies.
C) ancestors were necessary to ensure the birth of male children.
D) matrilineal descent was important for fertility.
E) it allowed people to claim specific inheritance of property.

Question 19

Characteristics of the supreme god Di in Shang religion include all of the following except:

A) Di is not approachable by humans.
B) Di unleashes the power of storms.
C) Di is concerned with the fate of humans.
D) Di will be in the same supernatural sphere as other spirits when humans die.
E) Di will intercede on behalf of humans by the pleas of their ancestors.

Question 20

The dominant people in the earliest Chinese dynasty for which we have written records (ca. 1766-1045 B.C.E.) were the

A) Shang
B) Zhou
C) Sythians
D) Daoists
E) Magyars

Question 21

Kush, the Egyptian name for Nubia, flourished in trade by using:

A) horses and chariots.
B) the Nile River.
C) a thoroughfare of roads connecting Nubia to Egypt.
D) isolationism kept the Nubians from contact with anyone.
E) letting trade-seekers come to them.

Question 22

Travel along the Nile River between Egypt and Nubia was interrupted by a series of

A) cataracts
B) raiders and nomads
C) toll posts
D) waterfalls
E) deepwater lakes

Question 23

In the Nubian kingdom's matrilineal system, the monarch who usually inherited the throne was the

A) daughter of the dead queen.
B) son of the dead king's sister.
C) niece of the dead queen.
D) first-born son of the monarch.
E) first-born child of the monarch, male or female.

Question 24

Unlike other ancient cultures in Europe and western Asia, Celts believed in

A) the belief in the afterlife for everyone, rather than just for the elite.
B) human sacrifice.
C) more than 400 nature-based gods and goddesses.
D) fertility cults with an emphasis on feminine religious power.
E) the belief in reincarnation.

Question 25

The fundamental idea of Daoism can be summarized as

A) accepting the world as you find it, avoiding useless struggles, and adhering to the "path" of nature.
B) unquestioning obedience to authority and reverence for structure brings success.
C) emphasizing aggressive action and radical change.
D) emphasizing communal action to promote the betterment of society.
E) technological and social progress can solve all social ills.

Question 26

Which of the following is true of Egyptian cultural influence on Nubia?

A) Nubian child hostages learned the Egyptian culture, religion, and language.
B) Nubians served as archers in the Egyptian armed forces and so learned Egyptian culture.
C) Nubians traded for Egyptian goods.
D) Nubians built Egyptian-style towns and temples to Egyptian gods and goddesses.
E) All of the above.

Question 27

Celtic women

A) never contributed property to a marriage.
B) had no freedom in their sexual relations.
C) could inherit their husbands' estates.
D) were regular combatants on the battlefield.
E) were considered more "royal" than men.

Question 28

How did Nubia become a "corridor" for long-distance trade before 3000 B.C.E.?

A) Government policies carefully regulated and promoted trade.
B) Egypt built a river highway for the passage of goods.
C) Nubia had no natural resources of its own and so needed to import them.
D) It connected sub-Saharan Africa with North Africa.
E) Actually, Nubia never did participate in the African trade networks, preferring isolationism.

Question 29

The later Eastern Zhou period is characterized by

A) warfare and fragmentation of central order.
B) invasion from the north.
C) extension of trade via the Silk Road.
D) a conservative government under a Legalist system.
E) ren, or "humaneness," of the government toward its citizens.

Question 30

Celtic is a member of which language group?

A) Indo-European
B) Altaic
C) Semitic
D) Bantu
E) Sino-Tibetan

Question 31

The earliest political and economic influence on Nubia was

A) Egypt.
B) the Sudan.
C) Mali.
D) Kush.
E) Meroë.

Question 32

Two indigenous Chinese philosophies that emerged from the Warring States Period are

A) Confucianism and Buddhism.
B) Confucianism and Hinduism.
C) Confucianism and Jainism.
D) Confucianism and Daoism.
E) Confucianism and Judaism.

Question 33

Why did the center of power shift to Meroë in the fourth century B.C.E.?

A) There was a plague epidemic throughout Egypt.
B) It was a better location for agriculture and trade.
C) Nubia allied militarily with peoples in sub-Saharan Africa.
D) The king of Meroë was the strongest man in the Eastern Hemisphere.
E) Egyptian culture weakened and became degenerate.

Question 34

What is a distinctive feature of Celtic military activity?

A) Warriors fought naked and took the heads of enemies.
B) Warriors fought with special armor.
C) Warriors used military bands to set the tempo for marching, and to keep up morale.
D) Warriors engaged in symbolic warfare, which obviated injuries.
E) Warriors fought only as a last resort after diplomacy failed.

Question 35

Why was the Nubian offer to aid Palestine a mistake?

A) Palestine lost.
B) Nubia had nothing to offer militarily.
C) The Palestinians misconstrued the offer and attacked the Nubians.
D) The Assyrians invaded Egypt as retaliation, driving the Nubians southward.
E) Egypt, angered by Nubia's siding against its ally, Assyria, invaded Nubia.

Question 36

Druids were

A) Celtic priests in Gaul and Britain
B) keepers of henges
C) the warrior elite of Germanic lands.
D) spell-casters who ate human hearts.
E) we don't know

Question 37

Which of the following were part of Celtic society?

A) elite classes of warriors
B) professional groups of priests
C) commoners laboring on their lands
D) groups of bards
E) all of the above

Question 38

The concept of yin and yang represented the complementary nature of

A) religion and the state in Chinese society.
B) good and evil in Chinese morality.
C) male and female roles in the natural order.
D) the wisdom of age and the strength of youth.
E) warrior and emperor in times of trouble.

Question 39

One of the best text sources we have about the Celts was written by

A) compilers of the Bible
B) Plato
C) Julius Caesar
D) Constantine the Great
E) the Celtic historian's guild.

Question 40

By 300 B.C.E., Celtic people were found in what regions?

A) Hungary and Turkey
B) Italy and Greece
C) Britain and France
D) Spain and Ireland
E) All of these

Question 41

Why was Chavin de Huantar's location pivotal in its success?

A) It was located at the intersection of trade routes between the mountain valleys and the coastal lowlands.
B) The rich farmland produced enormous agricultural surpluses.
C) The isolation from Andean societies prevented corrupting outside influences.
D) Its elevation was so high that it was difficult to invade.
E) Its location on the sea allowed for many positive outside influences and trade.

Question 42

Identify the following term(s).
yin/yang

Question 43

Identify the following term(s).
Meroë

Question 44

Identify the following term(s).
nomads

Question 45

People without permanent, fixed places of residence, whose way of life and means of subsistence require them to periodically migrate, often with their herds of domesticated animals, to a familiar series of temporary seasonal encampments are called:

A) sedentarians
B) wanderers
C) kulaks
D) nomads
E) rentiers

Question 46

Identify the following term(s).
Nubia

Question 47

Identify the following term(s).
Scythians

Question 48

Identify the following term(s).
Laozi

Question 49

Identify the following term(s).
Zhou

Question 50

Identify the following term(s).
Druids

Question 51

An ecological region of grass- and shrub-covered plains that is treeless and too arid for agriculture is the

A) prairie
B) grasslands
C) steppe
D) desert
E) tropics

Question 52

Identify the following term(s).
Celts

Question 53

Identify the following term(s).
oracle bone

Question 54

The term used by the ancient Greeks for the nomadic peoples living on the steppe north of the Black and Caspian Seas was

A) Cimmerians
B) Sima Qian
C) Sythians
D) Kushan
E) Saka

Question 55

The chief astrologer for the Han dynasty emperor Wu and regarded as the Chinese "father of history" was

A) Herodotus
B) Sima Qian
C) Sythians
D) Kushan
E) Saka

Question 56

Identify the following term(s).
loess

Question 57

Identify the following term(s).
Confucius

Question 58

Identify the following term(s).
feng shui

Question 59

Identify the following term(s).
Shang

Question 60

The heir to the technique of historia ("investigation/research") developed by Greeks in the late archaic period was

A) Herodotus
B) Sima Qian
C) Sythians
D) Kushan
E) Saka

Question 61

Refer to Map (in the textbook) 4.2 and compare the distribution of settled territory in proximity to the Nile in Egypt and in Nubia. What accounts for the differences in population distribution?

Question 62

Using Map (in the textbook) 4.1, identify the natural barriers that isolated China. Also locate the major waterways, including the Yangzi and Yellow Rivers, and explain how those were used to facilitate trade, despite the natural barriers.

Question 63

Briefly discuss pastoral nomadism as it unfolded across the Eurasian steppes after 1000 B.C.E.

Question 64

Using Map (in the textbook) 4.1, describe the extent of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

Question 65

According to the chapter, why was China's development unique?

Question 66

Definitive history began with what period of Chinese rule?

Question 67

What was the importance of trade to the native civilizations that emerged along the Nile south of Egypt?

Question 68

Refer to Map (in the textbook) 4.2 and describe why Nubia was a "corridor" of trade in East Africa.

Question 69

What was the importance of the Mandate of Heaven in the transition from the Shang to the Zhou period?

Question 70

Identify the following term(s).
Sima Qian​

Question 71

Refer to Map (in the textbook) 4.2 and label the important rivers, cities, deserts, and bodies of water. What resources were available to the Nubians? How were geographic features important to Nubia's historical development?

Question 72

In contrast to the civilizations discussed in previous chapters, what do the civilizations in China, Nubia, and Celtic Europe have in common? How were they shaped by long-distance trade?

Question 73

Refer to Map (in the textbook) 4.4 and explain why the Celtic people had a different cultural identity and way of life than Mediterranean Europeans. Did this way of life affect their urban development?

Question 74

If you were a Roman traveler, how would you describe Celtic society and explain the Celts' lack of state building?

Question 75

Describe the role that geography, climate, and natural resources had on the classical Chinese civilizations which emerged in East Asia after 2000 B.C.E.

Question 76

Discuss the importance of the Chinese concept of "harmony" in both religious and political terms. How does this concept manifest itself in political and religious structures? Does this concept remain stable?

Question 77

If Confucianism emphasized social engagement, its great rival, Daoism, urged ____________.

Question 78

The Warring States Period was a time of political and social change in China. How do Daoism and Confucianism reflect these changes?

Question 79

Refer to Map (in the textbook) 4.2 and compare the resources and strategic locations of Egypt and Nubia. Do you agree with the statement "Nubia was richer than Egypt"?

Question 80

Refer to Map (in the textbook) 4.4 and discuss why the Celts had a widespread influence in Europe despite their lack of a unified state.