Deck 1: The Rise of Universalizing Religions 300-600 Ce

Question 1

Which of the following was a major cause of the Roman Empire's fall in the West?

A) Byzantine invasions of the Italian peninsula
B) Mismanagement and corruption among the Roman elite
C) Overextension of the empire, leading to high taxes and constant demands for more manpower
D) Slave uprisings occurring after Christian missionaries taught slaves the ideal of brotherhood among all believers

Answer 1

Overextension of the empire, leading to high taxes and constant demands for more manpower

Question 2

Which two faiths in particular aspired to universality in the period between 300 and 600 CE?

A) Buddhism and Hinduism
B) Hinduism and Confucianism
C) Islam and Hinduism
D) Christianity and Buddhism

Answer 2

Christianity and Buddhism

Question 3

Which of the following accurately describes Central Asia between 400 and 600 CE?

A) The Huns prevented trade from following traditional routes.
B) It became the hub of a system that linked eastern and western Afro-Eurasia, as well as South Asia.
C) The Sasanian Empire brought it under its control.
D) Unusually warm weather destroyed pasturelands required by horse and camel caravans.

Answer 3

It became the hub of a system that linked eastern and western Afro-Eurasia, as well as South Asia.

Question 4

Why was the capital of the Byzantine Empire established at Constantinople?

A) Roman culture was strongest in Anatolia.
B) Its strategic location on the strait of Gibraltar, which controlled western Mediterranean Sea lanes
C) Constantine's birthplace was there, providing religious significance.
D) Its strategic location on the Bosporus, which controlled the trade in the eastern Mediterranean

Question 5

Which of the following, in addition to the charisma of its leaders, was a reason for Christianity's growing success before Constantine's endorsement?

A) The fit between the church's doctrines and popular preexisting beliefs and practices made conversion smoother.
B) The church's militant appeal to Roman warrior ethos encouraged the conversion of soldiers.
C) The church's appeal primarily to the poor and downtrodden rapidly increased its numbers.
D) The church's egalitarian institutional structure appealed to people chafing under hierarchical imperial rule.

Question 6

The Sogdians were responsible for which of the following achievements?

A) Blending Christian and Jewish beliefs to create a new religion
B) Adopting the techniques of siege warfare from Alexander's heirs
C) Linking the two ends of the Silk Road through their oasis cities
D) Organizing the caravan trade across the Sahara Desert

Question 7

The so-called barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire in the late fourth and fifth centuries CE were, in actuality:

A) a consolidation of power among non-Roman tribes under kings who could coordinate widespread attacks against Roman troops.
B) an armed insurrection against Christian missionaries who tried to force the conversion of pagan peoples to Christianity.
C) a more violent continuation of military recruits from the provinces pouring into the empire.
D) a massive slave revolt in the provinces that destroyed the empire.

Question 8

For the Byzantine Empire, which of the following was a negative impact of trade connections to the east?

A) Outbreak of bubonic plague during Justinian's reign
B) Higher prices for grain in Constantinople
C) Displacement of skilled silk workers from Constantinople
D) Numerous competing religions entered the empire.

Question 9

How did Roman landowners in Gaul respond to the threat of peasant revolts and barbarian invasions?

A) They imported slave labor from Spain.
B) They allied themselves with Christian Goths to provide stability.
C) They abandoned their lands and returned to the Italian peninsula.
D) They embraced a version of Christianity that called for them to abandon riches and enter monasteries.

Question 10

What replaced the political unity provided by imperial Rome after its collapse in Western Europe?

A) The Christian church brought cultural unity centered on the authority of regional bishops under the bishop of Rome.
B) Gothic kingship united all of Western Europe under Germanic rule.
C) A common spoken language, Latin, provided communication between small Germanic chiefdoms.
D) Opposition to the Huns united disparate Germanic and Latin chiefdoms.

Question 11

Which of the following was a reason that Constantine called all bishops to a council in Nicaea in 325 CE?

A) He hoped to convince the bishops to pay taxes to support his army.
B) He wanted the support of the bishops to start a crusade against nonbelievers.
C) He hoped to bring unity to the diversity of beliefs within Christian communities.
D) He wanted the endorsement of the bishops when he seized the throne.

Question 12

What was the symbolic importance of the mosaic over the southwest entryway to Hagia Sophia that depicted Constantine presenting models of Constantinople and Hagia Sophia itself to the Virgin Mary and Jesus?

A) It showed the new imperial state's dominance over the church.
B) It showed the role of spectacle in Byzantine life.
C) It represented the growing together of Christian and imperial culture.
D) It represented the dominance of the church over the state.

Question 13

In exchange for tax exemption, Constantine gave the Christian church:

A) responsibility for the urban poor.
B) judicial authority to resolve disputes between nations.
C) sweeping powers to appoint bureaucrats.
D) designation as the only religion permitted in the empire.

Question 14

Which of the following was Emperor Justinian's most enduring legacy?

A) Selecting Byzantium as the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire
B) Instituting a major reform and codification of Roman law
C) Conquering the Sasanian Empire
D) Establishing fiscal responsibility by frugally controlling his personal expenses

Question 15

Which of the following statements concerning Christian churches built after the conversion of Constantine indicates the structure of the religion?

A) Only male Christian converts were permitted inside.
B) The bishop sat on a throne to preach his sermon.
C) The buildings were small and intimate.
D) The buildings were elaborately decorated.

Question 16

What notion, perhaps derived from China, spurred Attila to attempt to conquer much of Eurasia?

A) Daoist ideas about proper government
B) Successful Confucian-trained bureaucracy
C) Propitious omens and auguries
D) Divine right to rule all the tribes of the north

Question 17

Which of the following offset the Christian church's increasingly male leadership?

A) The increased importance of the Virgin Mary
B) Financial support by Empress Theodosia
C) The remembered heroism of women martyrs
D) An increasing number of women disciples

Question 18

Which of the following facilitated Christianity's spread outside cities and into the hinterlands?

A) Establishing the Pope's primacy over all matters of doctrine and faith
B) Translating the Christian Bible into local languages
C) Replacing hieroglyphics with Coptic script
D) Ending the disputes between different sects of Christianity

Question 19

The status of Nestorians in the Sasanian Empire exemplified which of the following?

A) The Sasanian Empire's persecution of non-Zoroastrians
B) Universalizing religious communities spreading across Asia along trade routes
C) The lack of political unity in the Sasanian Empire
D) Merging Christian and Zoroastrian beliefs

Question 20

Which of the following was a source of strength for the Sasanian Empire under Khusro I Anoshirwan?

A) The long era of peace that he established, allowing trade and agriculture to develop
B) Religious conformity with the Sasanian empire
C) Control of the Silk Roads and other land routes between East Asia and the Mediterranean region
D) Control of sea lanes in the Indian Ocean to dominate trade between East Asia and the Mediterranean

Question 21

Why did the second-wave migration of Bantu people turn to subsistence farming as it traveled southward?

A) The tsetse fly-infested environment did not permit raising livestock.
B) Local populations resisted their migration and pushed them into the desert.
C) The lack of iron tools prevented them from pursuing more intensive agriculture or livestock raising.
D) The rain forests of the Kalahari provided all that they needed, so intensive agriculture was not required.

Question 22

Which of the following inhibited the Mayans from developing a centralized state similar to that in Han China?

A) The Mayans settled in a region that was hot and infertile, lacked navigable river systems, and was vulnerable to hurricanes.
B) The Mayans were unable to develop long-distance trade because they lacked large domesticated pack animals.
C) The Mayans' religious beliefs were centered on worship of the natural world, so they did not need to build large cities or monumental architecture.
D) The Mayans' low population growth rates over several centuries failed to produce the manpower needed to build a large urban center.

Question 23

Which of the following was a major difference between Mahayana and Hinayana (Theravada) Buddhism?

A) The Hinayana school became a major universalizing religion, while the Mahayana school remained centered in South Asia.
B) The Hinayana school was accepted by Hinduism, while the Mahayana school was not.
C) The Mahayana school encouraged bhakti devotion, but the Hinayana school rejected it.
D) The Mahayana school accepted the divinity of both the Buddha and the bodhisattvas, while the Hinayana barred colorful idols of the bodhisattvas.

Question 24

Which of the following facilitated the spread of Brahmanism in south and Southeast Asia?

A) Sanskrit emerged as a common language of the elites.
B) The Gupta Empire conquered Southeast Asia.
C) The Vedas were translated into the vernacular languages of Southeast Asia.
D) Brahmans abandoned the strict rules of caste in order to appeal to more people.

Question 25

What was an important difference between Daoism and Buddhism in China during the Six Dynasties period?

A) Daoism provided the Wei rulers with legitimacy, while Buddhism remained the official practice of the southern Han.
B) Daoists sought eternal life, while Buddhists sought release from the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
C) Daoism taught a notion of karmic retribution, while Buddhists sought salvation through penance and ceremony.
D) Daoists attempted focus on reason, while Buddhists focused on the occult and magical.

Question 26

What new crop introduced by the Bantus into the rain forests of Central Africa radically changed regional agriculture and slowed deforestation?

A) The yam
B) Manioc
C) The banana
D) Date palms

Question 27

Which of the following is an accurate statement concerning the city-state of Teotihuacán?

A) It influenced its neighbors beyond the Valley of Mexico mostly through cultural and economic diffusion.
B) It lacked monumental architecture and large urban areas.
C) It forced its political culture on neighboring peoples as it established sovereignty over them.
D) It became an empire as it expanded its influence throughout Mesoamerica.

Question 28

Which of the following changes in the Brahmanic tradition in South Asia began during the reign of Chandragupta?

A) Brahmanic practices became increasingly centered in urban culture.
B) Brahmanic beliefs about ideal behavior became major literary topics.
C) Animal sacrifice became essential to Brahmanic practices.
D) Buddhist and Jainist practices were rejected.

Question 29

In what way did both Mayan kings and many rulers of Eurasian empires legitimate their authority?

A) Both claimed divine approval for their rule and traced their lineage directly back to the gods.
B) Both obtained the financial support of powerful merchants.
C) Both centralized authority to undermine the authority of the priestly class.
D) Both isolated themselves from the public in order to create a sense of mystery about kingship.

Question 30

What was the political and social structure of the eastern Bantu-speakers?

A) They created priestly rule under the control of healers and spirit guides.
B) They established centralized political systems whose kings ruled by divine right.
C) They established independent city-states governed by rich merchants.
D) They organized themselves into small-scale societies that relied on family and clan connections.

Question 31

Which of the following did the Tuoba, founders of the Northern Wei dynasty, pursue after taking control of part of the old Han territory?

A) They maintained many Chinese traditions of statecraft.
B) They refashioned the Chinese military traditions to emphasize the military practices of the nomadic tribes.
C) They abolished the practice of forced labor for large public projects.
D) They worked to systematically destroy all evidence of previous dynasties, especially the Han.

Question 32

Which of the following statements concerning Buddhism in the third and fourth centuries CE is accurate?

A) Buddhist travelers had become frequent visitors in the competing Chinese capitals of various Warring States.
B) Buddhism had already been widely adopted and would now develop its Chinese forms without continued influence from South Asia.
C) Buddhism had been outlawed as an example of negative foreign influence.
D) Buddhist thought found little support due to the violence and chaos of constant war.

Question 33

What was an effect of the spread of Buddhism in the northern Chinese "barbarian" courts?

A) It provided a justification for the integration of "barbarian" elites with Han Chinese aristocrats.
B) It allowed the Wei to espouse a philosophy just as legitimate as that of the Han.
C) It allowed the "barbarians" to introduce nomadic practices and values into Chinese society.
D) It undermined the position of female consorts and concubines over the rulers.

Question 34

Why did universalizing religions fail to arise in sub-Saharan Africa or Mesoamerica?

A) People in these areas had not yet developed urban life.
B) People in these areas were concerned with pragmatic issues of survival and had no opportunity to create religious systems.
C) It was difficult for ideas, peoples, or institutions to circulate broadly because of geographical barriers.
D) Religious beliefs in these areas were too closely tied to local caste and kin structures to be able to diffuse outside of a limited region.

Question 35

Which of the following slowed Hinduism from becoming a universalizing religion?

A) Hinduism was intertwined with the varna system, which was specific to South Asia.
B) Hinduism was less accessible to a wide audience than Brahmanism.
C) Hinduism was supplanted in South Asia by Jainism.
D) Hinduism rejected written sacred texts in favor of oral tradition.

Question 36

The scholar Kumarajiva was responsible for which of the following?

A) Translating Buddhist texts into Hindi
B) Stressing the role of public ritual and ceremony
C) Merging Buddhism and Confucianism into a single religion
D) Using irony and paradox to show that reason was limited

Question 37

Why did the progressive land reform policies of the Northern Wei dynasty fail to bridge the cultural divide between the Han and the Tuoba?

A) The Han were insulted that the Tuoba wanted to redistribute their land.
B) The Han nobility had all fled south, and Han peasants refused to work for the Tuoba.
C) The Han showed little interest in working with the Tuoba because they had little interest in farming.
D) Empress Fang had overreached her powers as regent, raising strong opposition to the Northern Wei dynasty.

Question 38

What was the impact of the Code of Manu on South Asia?

A) It established government control and coercion over social behavior.
B) It only applied to individual actions, so Hindu religious expansion was unaffected.
C) It provided mechanisms for absorbing new groups into the system of varnas and jatis, propelling Hinduism into every aspect of life.
D) It represented social relations and could easily be transported to new societies.

Question 39

Which technological innovation allowed the Bantu to become successful agriculturalists in different ecological zones?

A) Digging sticks
B) Iron smelting
C) Crop rotation
D) Ox-drawn plow

Question 40

Which of the following is an accurate comparison between the way Bantu "big men" and Eurasian elites achieved status and wealth?

A) Eurasian elites achieved status through education, while "big men" relied on the support of their age groups.
B) Eurasian nobles were usually military leaders, while "big men" opposed territorial expansion.
C) "Big men" attracted followers based on valor and wisdom, while Eurasian nobility was based on inheritance.
D) Bantu ruling elders included women beyond childbearing age, while Eurasian elites rarely included women.

Question 41

Senators used the popular frenzy surrounding the chariot races to foment a rebellion against Constantine, leading to the Nika riots in 532 CE.

Question 42

During this period, Buddhism was highly adaptable, incorporating the deities and wisdom of every country it touched.

Question 43

Identify the similarities and differences between the development of Christianity in the Roman Empire and the development of Buddhism in China. How did each relate to the political configurations of the two empires?

Question 44

Explain and compare the ways that the Bantu and Mayan political, social, and cultural systems provided unity for their regions.

Question 45

In the first few centuries CE, South Asia remained deeply fragmented politically and did not have a unified or cohesive cultural system.

Question 46

The Sasanian Empire established a practice of religious tolerance that allowed Christian and Jewish populations to flourish in their empire.

Question 47

Compare the roles of the Sasanian Empire and the Sogdians in the spread of universal religions and common cultures in the Afro-Eurasian world, including ways in which the geographic contexts of their empires affected their influence on other societies.

Question 48

Compare how Buddhism offered religious and political alternatives to Hinduism in India and to Confucianism in China. How did Buddhism challenge and adapt to Hinduism and Confucianism?

Question 49

During this period, Mayan kingdoms consisted of major ritual centers and their agricultural hinterlands.

Question 50

What was the main purpose of warfare in Mayan lands?

A) To provide a way to release population pressure
B) To support the role of the Mayan king as he centralized authority in all of Mayan society
C) To provide victims for the bloodletting rituals of rival dynasties
D) To unite the Mayan communities against a common enemy, the Aztecs

Question 51

Which of the following accurately describes Mayan culture?

A) Mayan rulers did not construct monumental architecture because there was no universalizing religion.
B) Mayan priests were skilled mathematicians who integrated mathematics with astronomy and worked out an accurate calendar.
C) Mayan spiritual centers were abandoned after the Aztecs conquered them.
D) Mayan funerary tradition emphasized that the soul would return to nature following the body's decomposition while being exposed to the elements.

Question 52

Analyze the ways that Buddhism's diffusion beyond South Asia affected its further development.