Question 1

Describe the unique features of literature,music,and sculpture in African culture.

Accepted Answer

Diversity characterizes all aspects of Africa's history and culture.Literature,art,and music vary widely from region to region.Still,some common characteristics emerge.Most African cultures,for example,prize a synthesis of the arts of music,dance,poetry,and decorative display that mirrored shared spiritual and communal values.
Most African cultures were steeped in folk traditions,which they transmitted orally.As a result,the literary contributions of Africans remained unrecorded for hundreds of years-in some cases until the nineteenth century and thereafter.Over time,several of the traditional African languages have developed written forms and produced a literature of note.Even to this day,however,a highly prized oral tradition dominates African literature.The oral tradition was the province of griots,a special class of professional poet-historians who preserved the legends of the past by chanting or singing them from memory.
African music,an integral part of any major life event,is marked by a sophisticated use of polyrhythms.Reflecting the communal nature of African life,call-and-response techniques were also an important part of the music.A wide variety of percussion instruments,including various types of drum and rattle,is used in performances,as are pitched instruments,such as the balafon and the kora.African culture is notably musical,and the dynamic convergence of poetry,dance,and music generates a singularly dramatic experience.
African figural sculpture served many functions:grave figures were designed to watch over the dead,fertility images were invoked to promote pregnancy or assist in childbirth;still other sculptures served in rituals of divination and healing.In style,such objects range from realistic to abstract.The greater part of African sculpture was executed in the medium of wood,using axes,knives,and chisels to carve.

Question 2

The period between ________ was the greatest age of trans-Eurasian travel since the days of the Roman Empire.

Accepted Answer

The period between 1400 and 1600 was known as the Age of Exploration or the Age of Discovery, where there was an increase in travel and exploration of the world, including trans-Eurasian travel. This period saw the voyages of Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, and Zheng He, among others.

Question 3

The fourteenth-century travels of the scholar ________ document a cross-cultural encounter between peoples of vastly different customs and beliefs.

Accepted Answer

Ibn Battuta was a medieval Muslim traveler and scholar who is known for his extensive travels throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. His writings document his encounters with people of different cultures, religions, and customs, providing valuable insights into the societies he visited.

Question 4

The first of the great Meso-American empires,the ________ built civic centers with stone temples,palaces,and ball courts.

Accepted Answer

The Maya built civic centers with stone temples, palaces, and ball courts. The Aztecs and Incas were also great Meso-American empires but did not build their civic centers in the same way or style as the Maya. Tua is not a known empire or civilization in Meso-America.

Question 5

Two features that distinguish the history of the vast African continent are the dominance of a kinship system that forms the basis of social and communal organization,and a(n)________ view of nature.

Accepted Answer

The term "animistic" refers to the belief that non-human entities, such as animals, plants, and even inanimate objects, possess a spiritual essence or soul. This is a common view of nature in many traditional African societies, and it often intersects with the kinship system to form a holistic framework for understanding the world. The other options either do not apply to African cultures in general or are not prominent features of their historical development.

Question 6

Christopher Columbus,an Italian in the employ of ________,sailed west in search of an all-water route to China.

Accepted Answer

Christopher Columbus made his historic voyages under the patronage of the Spanish monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

Question 7

By 1498,________ had navigated around Southern Africa to establish Portuguese trading posts in India.

Accepted Answer

Vasco da Gama is known for successfully navigating around the Cape of Good Hope in Southern Africa and reaching India in 1498, establishing Portuguese trading posts there. Francesco Pegolotti was a Florentine merchant and author who lived in the 14th century and wrote about trade and business practices. Marco Polo was an Italian explorer who traveled in the 13th century and wrote about his experiences in China. Christopher Columbus is known for his voyages to the Americas in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, but he did not navigate around Africa to reach India.

Question 8

Which of the following are NOT among the rich output of the native populations of the Northwest?

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

At their height in the late fifteenth century,the ________ ruled a Peruvian empire of some sixteen million people.They left monumental architecture,textiles,and ritual objects in silver and gold.

Accepted Answer

The Inca civilization ruled a Peruvian empire at its height in the late fifteenth century. They were known for their monumental architecture, textiles, and ritual objects made of silver and gold. The Aztecs were a civilization that flourished in Mexico from the 14th to the 16th century and the Maya civilization was dominant in Central America from 2000 BC to 900 AD. There is no historical reference to the Tua civilization.

Question 10

Inseparable from the rituals for which they were made,African masks function as transformative objects that work to

Accepted Answer

African masks are believed to have spiritual powers and are used to connect the living with the spirits of ancestors and other divine beings. Therefore, they function as objects that channel spiritual energy.

Question 11

Explain the impact of "encounter" in Africa,the Americas,and Europe.

Accepted Answer

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Question 12

By the year 1500,the ________ controlled the flow of both gold and slaves to Europe.The transatlantic slave trade commenced in 1551,when they began to ship thousands of slaves from Africa to work on the sugar plantations of Brazil.

Accepted Answer

The statement mentions that by the year 1500, the group controlling the flow of both gold and slaves to Europe is referred to as "they". This implies that it is a specific group that has been mentioned previously, which in this case is the Portuguese. Additionally, the statement also mentions the transatlantic slave trade beginning in 1551, which can be traced back to the Portuguese as they were the ones who initiated the trade by shipping slaves from Africa to Brazil. Therefore, the best choice for this question is C) Portuguese.

Question 13

List some specific characteristics of the African cultural heritage,as illustrated in the arts of West Africa.

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

Which of the following African empires did NOT come under the influence of Muslim culture?

Accepted Answer

Benin was a primarily animist kingdom that did not come under significant Islamic influence. Ghana, Mali, and Songhai all had significant Islamic influence through trade with North Africa and the spread of Islam through conquest and missionary activity.

Question 15

The great body of African literature emerges out of

Accepted Answer

African literature has its roots in an oral tradition, where stories, poems, and songs were passed down through generations by word of mouth. These oral narratives were used to convey the history, culture, and traditions of African communities. It was only later that African literature began to be recorded in a written form.

Question 16

The last of the Native American empires,the ________,was centered in Mexico at their capital of Tenochitlán.

Accepted Answer

The statement mentions that the empire was centered in Mexico and its capital was Tenochitlán, both of which are characteristics of the Aztec empire. The Incas were located in South America, the Mayas in Central America, and "Tua" is not a known empire.

Question 17

The ________ produced maps and charts that exceeded the accuracy of those drafted by Classical and Muslim cartographers.

Accepted Answer

The Portuguese were known for their expertise in navigation and cartography during the Age of Discovery between the 15th and 17th centuries. They produced highly accurate maps and charts, which were essential for their maritime voyages and conquests. This surpassed the accuracy of maps made by Classical and Muslim cartographers before them.

Question 18

Explain the factors that precipitated European overseas expansion.

Accepted Answer

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Question 19

Describe the unique features of Meso-American cultures,as illustrated by the Maya.
C.E.and survived with considerable political and economic vigor until roughly 1600.Mayans constructed fortified cities consisting of elaborate palace complexes,replete with carved and painted scenes of religious ceremonies and war,as well as images of their gods: Quetzalcoatl,the creator god and Tlaloc,the long-snouted rain deity.According to the Maya,the gods fashioned human beings out of maize-the principal Native American crop-but chose deliberately to deprive them of perfect understanding.
The Maya were the only known Native American culture to produce a written language.Their ancient script,comprised of hieroglyphs,was decoded during the second half of the twentieth century.Further,the Maya became accomplished mathematicians and astronomers.Carefully observing the earth's movements around the sun,they devised a calendar that was more accurate than any used in medieval Europe before the twelfth century.Having developed a mathematical system that recognized "zero," they computed planetary and celestial cycles with some accuracy,tracked the paths of Venus,Jupiter,and Saturn,and successfully predicted eclipses of the sun and moon.At the principal pyramid at Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán,the ninety-one steps on each of four sides,plus the platform on which the temple stands,correspond to the 365 days in the solar calendar.
Maya culture also features a key feature of almost all Meso-American sacred precincts: an I-shaped,high-walled stone court that served as a ballpark.It was used for the performance of ceremonial games that enacted a life-and-death ritual that maintained the regenerative power of the sun,thus securing cosmic order.
Also in line with other cultures was the practice of blood sacrifice and bloodletting.We have a window into these rituals from carvings,such as the low-relief lintel from Yaxchilan in Chiapas,Mexico that shows a royal bloodletting ceremony.Such ceremonies were performed on the accession of a new king,prior to waging war,and at ceremonies celebrating victory in battle.They served to honor the gods and confirm the political legitimacy of the ruler.

Accepted Answer

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Question 20

European exploration was motivated by the fall of ________ in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks,who now dominated overland trade routes to the East.

Accepted Answer

The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 disrupted overland trade routes to the East, sparking a desire among Europeans to find alternative sea routes to access the riches of Asia.

Quiz 18: Cross-Cultural Encounters