Deck 16: Imperial Arenas: New Empires in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Question 1

What was a key discovery during the early sixteenth century that made regular trade possible across the Atlantic Ocean?

A) monsoonal winds
B) longitude
C) the Gulf Stream
D) square sails

Answer 1

the Gulf Stream

Question 2

In 1529,Portugal agreed with what other imperial power to divide up dominion over global trade?

A) China
B) the Netherlands
C) Spain
D) Britain

Answer 2

Spain

Question 3

What was the primary reason for the Russian conquest and colonization of Siberia?

A) a desire to control the fur trade
B) a need for more land to put under cultivation
C) a plan to spread the gospel and convert the natives to Christianity
D) the Russian military's desire for continuing conquests

Answer 3

a desire to control the fur trade

Question 4

What was the primary reason that Europeans were so eager to tap into the economies of the Indian Ocean and maritime Asia?

A) as a resource for new technologies and knowledge
B) because their economies were richer
C) a sense of exploration and discovery
D) to create new converts to Christianity

Question 5

A key factor in the success of the Ottoman Empire during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was its

A) rapid expansion during the reigns of Suleiman's successors.
B) lack of powerful enemies on its borders.
C) economic prosperity.
D) uniform system of government.

Question 6

One of the key reasons that the Netherlands grew into a major global trading power during the late sixteenth century was its

A) traditional role in trade with southern Europe.
B) control over the pepper trade.
C) rebellion against the king of Spain.
D) development of joint-stock companies.

Question 7

During the late sixteenth century,what Asian power sought to create an empire through naval and military means?

A) China
B) Japan
C) Korea
D) Philippines

Question 8

The capital of the Mughal Empire was at

A) Delhi.
B) Kabul.
C) Chittorgarh.
D) Samarkand.

Question 9

What was the key factor in the defeat of Japan's attempt to conquer Korea?

A) the Korean army
B) the intervention of China
C) the Korean navy
D) the intervention of China and the Korean navy

Question 10

Why was Columbus hopeful that his "discoveries" in the Caribbean would lead to trade links with East Asia?

A) He believed that superior Spanish technology would achieve this goal.
B) He felt that the good relations he had established with the native peoples would help achieve this goal.
C) He felt that Spain could become a major land power in East Asia.
D) He believed that the world was smaller than it actually is.

Question 11

The source of many of the developments in naval technology,such as rudders,that enabled Europeans to travel longer distances more efficiently,originated in

A) Asia.
B) Africa.
C) Southern Europe.
D) Northern Europe.

Question 12

What was the dominant commodity in the spice trade during the sixteenth century both for flavoring food and for its use as a preservative?

A) salt
B) nutmeg
C) cumin
D) pepper

Question 13

The purpose of Chinese imperialism under the Qing dynasty was primarily

A) to develop trade and commerce.
B) to spread Chinese culture and to colonize.
C) to spread Buddhism and Confucian philosophy.
D) to keep the military occupied.

Question 14

One of the main roles played by Chinese businessmen like Bencon and Jan Con in the development of the Dutch colony of Batavia was as

A) bankers.
B) labor brokers.
C) shipping contractors.
D) land developers.

Question 15

During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (r.1520-1566),the Ottoman Empire

A) conquered the city of Vienna.
B) defeated a Christian fleet.
C) conquered the Safavid Empire.
D) established direct rule over all Arabia.

Question 16

The Spanish saw their successful overthrow of the Aztec Empire as

A) proof that God was on their side.
B) the work of disease that ravaged the empire.
C) a simple matter of chance that favored them.
D) impossible without the assistance of the native peoples.

Question 17

The biggest creditor to European merchants in India during the early seventeenth century was

A) Virji Vora.
B) the Dutch East India Company.
C) Muhammad Said.
D) Souw Beng Kong.

Question 18

Most Japanese migration was motivated by

A) religion.
B) political repression.
C) economics.
D) war.

Question 19

The structure of the Mughal Empire consisted of

A) a centralized bureaucracy run by professionally trained staff who were recruited through a system of examinations and promoted on merit.
B) a military state in which the army controlled all elements of government and provincial administration.
C) a theocratic government that was controlled by the Muslim clergy and discriminated against the Hindu population.
D) a heartland in northern India with outlying kingdoms and principalities linked to the court through marriage and tribute and manpower obligations.

Question 20

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,Japan was the world's leading producer of

A) porcelain.
B) pepper.
C) silver.
D) rhubarb.

Question 21

The River Plate served as

A) a major silver-bearing artery for the Spanish.
B) an important shipping area for Portuguese sugar.
C) a principal area of trade between the Dutch and Portuguese.
D) a major route for cotton production in the Spanish Empire.

Question 22

During King Philip's War in 1676,the tide of battle was turned mainly because of

A) the use of cavalry.
B) the superiority of European weapons.
C) the successful recruitment of Native American allies.
D) an outbreak of smallpox.

Question 23

The Americas provided Europeans with all of the following EXCEPT:

A) land.
B) natural resources.
C) labor.
D) technological skill.

Question 24

Doña Marina was

A) a Spanish woman who served as an interpreter.
B) a Native American woman who was an interpreter.
C) a key naval base established by the Spanish.
D) the site of an important victory won by the Spanish in 1520.

Question 25

The route of the Manila Galleon facilitated trade in

A) African slaves for American gold.
B) Mexican silver for Chinese silk.
C) Asian spices for European tools and weapons.
D) American tobacco for African slaves.

Question 26

How and why did Russia expand across Asia?

Question 27

Traditional trading routes that existed along the coast of Venezuela consisted primarily of

A) cacao beans and jade.
B) local textiles and healing plants.
C) a wide variety of potato species.
D) llama skins and otter pelts.

Question 28

How did the Qing dynasty in China and the Ottoman Empire deal with the problem of ruling over large numbers of people whose religion and culture were different?

Question 29

To many colonial settlers in North America,

A) native peoples were a useful source of labor.
B) Native Americans were in the way.
C) Native American states created useful buffer zones.
D) Native Americans were thought to be easily converted to Christianity and included as a part of colonial society.

Question 30

An excellent example of the new intra-American trade created by the Spanish was between

A) the Amazon River basin and Venezuela.
B) the fur trade in North America.
C) the Yucatan and Central Mexico.
D) Mexico and Peru.

Question 31

What roles did the Chinese play in the development of the Dutch and Spanish empires in Asia?

Question 32

What roles did Native Americans play in the creation and development of the Spanish colonies?

Question 33

What structural similarities did the Mughal Empire have with the Ottoman Empire? How were their cultural challenges similar,and how were they different?

Question 34

What were the comparative strengths and weaknesses of territorial and maritime empires?

Question 35

One critical factor in the rapid success of the Spanish in conquering the Aztecs and the Inca that has often been overlooked is

A) the role of superior Spanish technology.
B) the role of disease.
C) the role of native resentment against the Aztec and Inca.
D) the role of native belief that the Spanish were gods.

Question 36

What new types of imperialism developed during the sixteenth century? What was particularly new about these empires? Provide at least one example of a territorial empire and one example of a trading empire.

Question 37

What role did Asians play in building the Portuguese Empire in Asia and in India?

Question 38

If the Americas had not existed,European traders would have probably

A) taken a presumably larger part in Asia's trade.
B) had no more of a role in Asian trade than they had previously.
C) only focused on developing their trade within Europe.
D) only expanded trade links to Africa.

Question 39

What effects did attempts by Portugal at converting Asians to Christianity have on Portuguese empire building?

Question 40

One way that Europeans would have most significantly contributed to the world economy,even if the Americas had not existed,was probably

A) in the textile trade.
B) recycling Japanese silver.
C) in passing along new technologies like the compass.
D) in the ceramics trade.

Question 41

How might Europe's development have been different if it had not had access to American silver?
In Perspective

Question 42

Discuss whether early European explorers benefitted from pre-existing regional trading patterns or if the real benefits of exploration required significant disruption of earlier trade patterns.Consider examples from North America,South America,and the Indian Ocean.

Question 43

What role did the conquest of the Americas play in the transformation of Europe and the development of a new global economy?

Question 44

What advantages did the new European empires in the Americas provide that began to shift the global balance of trade during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?

Question 45

How did the new maritime empires in Europe and Asia compare with the great land empires of the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries?

Question 46

How was the relationship between Europeans and Native Americans different in the North American colonies from the interactions that existed in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in South America? What accounts for the difference?

Question 47

How were trade and communication transformed in the Americas by the European conquests?

Question 48

For most of the sixteenth century,the Portuguese and Japanese conducted extensive overseas voyages and trade.Compare the motives and practices of these two societies and explain why this vibrant activity diminished significantly in the seventeenth century.

Question 49

How did a global trade network emerge in the sixteenth century?

Question 50

What is syncretism,and what role did it play in the cultural development of South American versus North American colonies?