Question 1

In what ways was humanism representative of the Renaissance? How was it different from traditional European thought? Does humanism mean something different today?

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Question 2

Humanists scorned the language of the Greek and Roman authors and early church fathers,preferring the writing style of the scholastic theologians.

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This statement is false. Humanists actually preferred the language and writing style of the Greek and Roman authors and early church fathers over the dry and technical writing style of the scholastic theologians.

Question 3

Relate the humanistic thought of the Renaissance to philosophies in other societies in the world at that time.How revolutionary was the humanistic view? How does the Renaissance emphasis on the uniqueness of the individual relate to other societies' worldview?

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Question 4

Upon establishing the Ming dynasty,Hongwu embraced Mongol rule and kept China's government decentralized.

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Upon establishing the Ming dynasty, Hongwu rejected Mongol rule and centralized the government.

Question 5

What is the significance of the Yongle Encyclopedia? In what ways would the Yongle Encyclopedia be representative of the accomplishments of the Ming dynasty?

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Question 6

Examine the career of Hongwu and the establishment of the Ming dynasty.How did Hongwu influence China? What were his goals? How long-lasting were his changes?

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Question 7

What factors explain the increasing trade and interaction between various parts of the world in the centuries immediately following 1000 C.E.? Who was making these journeys and why? What were the results? Relate this information to the role that trade played in other societies.

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Question 8

The bubonic plague typically killed 60 to 70 percent of its human victims and had the potential to ravage a society within a few months.

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This is generally true for outbreaks of bubonic plague throughout history.

Question 9

What role did trade play,both beneficial and harmful,during this period? How does this role relate to the role that trade has played in other societies studied earlier in the class?

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Question 10

Examine European exploration.What were the Europeans' motives? Were their motives different from the reasons of the Chinese? What were the results of these journeys?

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Question 11

What was the significance of the Chinese decision to end the journeys of Zheng He? Why did Yongle send Zheng He out in the first place? Compare Zheng He's journeys of exploration to their European equivalents.Why were the Chinese journeys stopped? What did this change mean for China?

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Question 12

What was the role of religion in the cultural interactions of this era? Which religion had the greater international impact,Christianity or Islam? Explain.

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Question 13

Read the selection from Ibn Battuta (see Textbook: Sources from the Past: Ibn Battuta on Customs in the Mali Empire).What can we learn about the status of women from this account?

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Question 14

Fernando and Isabel sought to make a place for Spain in the markets of Asia by sponsoring Christopher Columbus's quest for a western route to China.

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Fernando and Isabel indeed sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyage in the hope of finding a western route to Asia, specifically to China, to expand Spain's trade opportunities. However, Columbus instead encountered the Caribbean islands and the Americas, leading to the establishment of Spanish colonial rule in the New World.

Question 15

What role did disease play in China and Europe in the fourteenth century? How were these societies influenced by the outbreak of disease? How did they recover? Compare the spread of the bubonic plague to other times when disease played an important role in history.

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Question 16

Why would a relatively poor nation like Portugal have played such an important role in exploration? Why was Portugal the first of the European nations to make a serious attempt at long-distance exploration?

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Question 17

Identify the most significant land and sea routes in the fourteenth century.What societies tended to control and profit from these routes?

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Question 18

Examine the reinvigoration of Europe in the later middle ages.How was it different from the reinvigoration of China during the same period?

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Question 19

Ibn Battuta suggested that,in regard to the people of Mali,"Among their good practices are their avoidance of injustice; there is no people more averse to it,and their Sultan does not allow anyone to practice it in any measure." At the same time Battuta could be quite critical.How valuable is Battuta as a source? Compare him to Marco Polo.

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Question 20

Examine the Renaissance.What were its foundations? In what ways was it different from earlier European thought?

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Quiz 21: Expanding Horizons of Cross-Cultural Interaction