Deck 9: The Rise and Spread of Islam: a New Religion

Question 1

Islam appealed to Christians in the Byzantine and Persian Empires because it

A)was deemed less conservative than Greek Orthodox Christianity.
B)promised freedom from persecution.
C)allowed converts to continue to hold land.
D)offered converts freedom from military service.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The word Islam means

A)chosen.
B)recitation.
C)servant.
D)submission.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The Qur'an advises Muslim women to dress modestly to

A)distinguish themselves from Christian women.
B)demonstrate submissiveness to men.
C)distinguish themselves from Jewish women.
D)avoid harassment.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Muslims generally avoid figurative imagery in the decoration of their mosques because

A)cleanliness is a worship requirement,so walls and windows must be free of paint.
B)Muhammad warned that image makers would face punishment on the Day of Judgment.
C)creating images is considered an act of people's vanity and thus a sin.
D)the Qur'an states that art in any form is an abomination against God.

Question 5

The surahs in the Qur'an are arranged

A)chronologically.
B)from shortest to longest.
C)alphabetically,
D)from longest to shortest.

Question 6

Why was Islam able to spread so quickly after Muhammad's death?

A)Rome's collapse left the Middle East,Eastern Europe,and Central Asia leaderless.
B)A long war had exhausted the Byzantine and Persian Empires.
C)The people in these areas embraced Islam as an alternative to paganism.
D)Muslims viewed converting non-believers as a requirement for entrance to heaven.

Question 7

The Arabic word masjid means

A)"Friday worship."
B)"stepped pulpit."
C)"direction of Mecca."
D)"place of prostration."

Question 8

Spanish Jews welcomed the Muslim invasion,because the

A)Muslims exempted them from taxes.
B)Muslims promised to help them defeat the Christians.
C)Visigothic rulers had persecuted them.
D)Muslims offered to resettle the Jews in Jerusalem.

Question 9

Muslim calligraphers placed great emphasis on beautiful writing style primarily to

A)aspire to Muhammad's exemplary handwriting.
B)best express the intonations of the Arabic language.
C)reflect the beauty of the Muslim faith as fully as possible.
D)promote literacy among the faithful.

Question 10

Contributing to Islam's rapid spread,the mosque held appeal for its

A)inexpensive housing available to the poor.
B)similarity to secular architecture,promoting familiarity.
C)hierarchical architecture,promoting a sense of a defined society.
D)provision of a sense of community.

Question 11

Why did Islam become the dominant faith of West Africa?

A)West Africans felt that Islam offered greater freedoms than Christianity did.
B)Muslims forced most West African women into marriage.
C)Muslims dominated the trans-Saharan trade routes.
D)West Africans dominated the trade routes to Arabia.

Question 12

All of the following are included among Islam's five pillars EXCEPT

A)prayer.
B)fasting.
C)education.
D)pilgrimage.

Question 13

Found in a mosque,a qibla serves to

A)support a flat roof.
B)provide a place for ablution.
C)indicate the direction of Mecca.
D)elevate the preacher.

Question 14

The design of most mosques is inspired by

A)the Kaaba in Mecca.
B)Muhammad's house in Medina.
C)Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.
D)Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

Question 15

Conquered Africans were perhaps eager to convert to Islam to

A)receive parcels of land in Arabia.
B)avoid becoming griots.
C)avoid enslavement.
D)gain military positions in Mali.

Question 16

Why do Muslims believe that the Qur'an cannot be translated?

A)Arabic does not translate well.
B)The rhyme scheme would be lost.
C)Muhammad forbade translation.
D)It is believed to be the direct word of God only in Arabic.

Question 17

Muslims believe that in 610 CE the Archangel Gabriel first visited Muhammad to

A)command him to found a new religion.
B)deliver messages from the one and only God.
C)guide him to the Islamic promised land.
D)warn him to leave Mecca for Medina.

Question 18

A natural feature of the Alhambra is the

A)abundant water.
B)distinctive red soil.
C)enclosure of trees.
D)mountainous backdrop.

Question 19

The Kaaba is significant to Muslims because it is believed to

A)represent the physical center of the planet and universe.
B)house the remains of the prophet Muhammad.
C)be the largest mosque ever built.
D)be the oldest madrasa ever built.

Question 20

The word "hadith" refers to

A)the history of Islam.
B)Islam's five pillars.
C)Muhammad's sayings.
D)the verses in the surahs.

Question 21

The explosion in book availability in the Arabic world was enabled by the eighth-century

A)invention of the printing press.
B)development of schools in mosques.
C)introduction of the art of papermaking.
D)expansion of African trade routes.

Question 22

Traditional Arabic music is based on the intonations and rhythms of

A)the four seasons.
B)the gurgling of water.
C)algebraic equations.
D)words.

Question 23

List and discuss three reasons Islam spread so rapidly in Africa.

Question 24

List Islam's five pillars and discuss the ways they fit with the claim that Islam is a religion of practice.

Question 25

Authors generally use framing tales to

A)introduce more characters.
B)unite different stories.
C)establish objectivity.
D)augment the emotional impact.

Question 26

Explain the Qur'an's statement for women to "act and dress modestly" in terms of the attitude expressed about women.

Question 27

In The Thousand and One Nights,Scheherazade tells her husband a story each night to

A)prove her intelligence to him.
B)teach him the ways of Islam.
C)prevent execution the next morning.
D)avoid having sexual relations with him.

Question 28

Muhammad and his followers initially thought that music would

A)incite the baser passions of the people.
B)distract the faithful from their true purpose.
C)make Islam too similar to Christianity.
D)cause Muslims to commit the sin of vanity.

Question 29

In the poems of Sa'di,Rumi,and Jami,pursuit of the beautiful represents

A)pursuit of the beauty that is God.
B)mastering the art of calligraphy.
C)navigating the intricate path of the soul.
D)understanding the differences between men and women.

Question 30

Analyze the portrayal of women in Islamic literature,referencing Nezami's Haft Parker and The Thousand and One Nights.

Question 31

Identify the contributions the Spanish Jews gave the world,and explain how Islam enabled them to thrive.

Question 32

Even when it is outlawed,art finds a means of expression.Explain this statement in terms of Islamic mosque decoration.