Deck 9: The Sasanid Empire and the Rise of Islam, 200-1200

Question 1

Religious conflicts in the Byzantine Empire resulted in treatment of Nestorian Christians as

A) holy, seeking the recovery of the holy lands through crusades.
B) heretics, seeking refuge under the Sasanid shah.
C) monks, seeking the true meaning of life in vows of poverty and chastity.
D) converts to new faiths to avoid taxation.
E) outcasts from society who were unable to find jobs.

Answer 1

heretics, seeking refuge under the Sasanid shah.

Question 2

The Arabs' involvement in Byzantine and Sasanid conflicts led to the penetration of these religions into the Arabian peninsula.

A) Judaism and Christianity
B) Judaism and Buddhism
C) Christianity and Buddhism
D) Zoroastrianism and Buddhism
E) Zoroastrianism and Christianity

Answer 2

Zoroastrianism and Christianity

Question 3

How did Muhammad experience revelations?

A) From the Angel Gabriel.
B) Dreaming about Ishmael from the Old Testament.
C) Many years of religious study in a mosque.
D) Being possessed by a shaitan.
E) Reading the Bible.

Answer 3

From the Angel Gabriel.

Question 4

The traditional occupation in the Arabian peninsula was more farming than

A) pastoral nomadism.
B) trade caravans.
C) maritime trading.
D) artisanship.
E) self-sufficient religious sects.

Question 5

After Muhammad's death, the Muslim community

A) held general elections to replace Muhammad.
B) abandoned the orthodox teachings of Islam.
C) chose a successor (caliph), Abu Bakr.
D) searched the entire peninsula for a suitable successor, according to Muhammad's last instructions.
E) embraced his wife, Khadija, as his successor.

Question 6

Manichaeism is a faith derived from Zoroastrianism and is founded on the idea that

A) Jesus is the Savior.
B) Muhammad is the Prophet.
C) there is a cosmic struggle between good and evil.
D) the universe is in cosmic balance.
E) people must attune themselves to nature.

Question 7

Muhammad's teachings built upon the beliefs of

A) Judaism and Buddhism.
B) Judaism and Hinduism.
C) Judaism and Christianity.
D) Judaism and Zoroastrianism.
E) Judaism and Manichaeism.

Question 8

What does Islam call on people to believe?

A) That they must surrender to the will of God.
B) That Islam is the one true religion.
C) That Allah will reward or punish all people after death.
D) That the Qur'an is the revelation of Allah.
E) All of the above.

Question 9

After the city of Mecca surrendered to Muhammad, he established a new state based on a

A) democratic government system.
B) dynastic system with his sons as the monarchs.
C) government system similar to the Persian administration.
D) common religious faith.
E) loose coalition of Arab city-states.

Question 10

Mecca was a late-blooming caravan city and

A) had an unusually cold climate for the Arabian peninsula.
B) was a pilgrimage site of the Ka'ba.
C) was the rival city to Jerusalem.
D) was abundantly watered and needs no irrigation for crops.
E) was the birthplace of Abraham.

Question 11

The Byzantine Empire was centered in the area that is present-day Turkey, while the Sasanid Empire was centered in the area that is present-day

A) Lebanon.
B) Egypt.
C) Afghanistan.
D) India.
E) Iran.

Question 12

Which group resisted the message of Islam in Medina and was eventually expelled or eliminated by Muhammad?

A) Jews
B) Christians
C) Buddhists
D) Zoroastrians
E) Nestorians

Question 13

The Sasanid Empire benefited from its location along the Silk Road. Some of the agricultural goods that it gained from China and East Asia were

A) wheat, jute, and coffee beans.
B) mangoes, bananas, and spelt.
C) oats, quinoa, and manioc.
D) sugar, wheat, and figs.
E) cotton, sugar, and rice.

Question 14

Muslim means

A) first followers.
B) the one true religion.
C) holy people.
D) one who makes submission to the will of God.
E) chosen for purity.

Question 15

Why did Muhammad leave Mecca for Medina (known as the hijra, which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar)?

A) He sought more followers in the north.
B) One of his visions commanded him to.
C) Meccan leaders were threatened by his popularity.
D) Muhammad's wife had family in Medina.
E) Theology argued that Abraham had lived in the north.

Question 16

Most subjects of both Byzantine and Sasanid rulers found common identity in

A) language.
B) religion.
C) commerce.
D) occupations.
E) family kin groups.

Question 17

The establishment of Zoroastrianism and Christianity as official faiths in the Sasanid and Byzantine empires (respectively) set the precedent for what future event?

A) The rise of Islam as the focus of a political empire.
B) The dominance of monotheism in all subsequent empires.
C) The rejection of religion as an official political focus.
D) The rise of corrupt leadership in those empires.
E) The worldwide spread of Christianity.

Question 18

What did the Sasanid and Byzantine Empires have in common?

A) dependence on camels
B) a shared distaste for Christianity.
C) central control of imperial finances.
D) a military emphasis on cavalry
E) societal unrest because of religious heterogeneity.

Question 19

The unified community that accepted Islam and believed that Muhammad was the "Messenger of God" was called the

A) jihad.
B) hijra.
C) shaitan.
D) ka'ba.
E) umma.

Question 20

All of the following are true about camels in Arab society except

A) they aided in control of the caravan trade.
B) there was decreased emphasis on wheeled vehicles by the sixth century.
C) they caused disintegration of the internal road structure because it was no longer necessary.
D) they had sustainability in the desert environs.
E) they were very strong pack animals.

Question 21

Mu'awiya chose his own son, Yazid, to succeed him thereby establishing this caliphate.

A) Umayyad
B) Abbasid
C) Mamluk
D) Fatimid
E) none of the above

Question 22

Why is the Abbasid rule considered a "golden age"?

A) It created a refined and cosmopolitan culture in Baghdad.
B) The Spanish region was considered the golden frontier.
C) It used gold as the standard coinage throughout the empire.
D) It used the golden cow as the focus of religious worship.
E) It is marked by the rule of the "golden" monarch, Abu Bakr.

Question 23

Why is the martyrdom of Husayn a significant event in Muslim history?

A) It marks the anniversary of Jesus's crucifixion.
B) It marks the beginning of Muslim expansion.
C) It marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
D) It marks the end of the Muslim expansion.
E) It marks the beginning of the sect of Shi'ism.

Question 24

The Muslims fought the Battle of the Camel (656) in a dispute over the

A) Nestorian control of Yemenite lands.
B) appointment of Abu Bakr.
C) control of the royal treasury.
D) legitimacy of Ali as caliph.
E) compilation of the Quran.

Question 25

The capital of the Umayyad caliphate was in

A) Damascus
B) Ephesus
C) Antioch
D) Bagdad
E) Mecca.

Question 26

Umayyad Spain developed a distinctive Islamic culture because of the

A) growing influence of Russian and Frankish traditions in Spain.
B) decrease in Arab power combined with a growing Christian influence.
C) Viking invasions of the ninth century.
D) blending of Roman, Germanic, Jewish, Arab, and Berber traditions.
E) blending of Islam with Roman traditions and Visigoth culture.

Question 27

Which of the following statements is not true about the rule of the Seljuk Empire?

A) They ruled the Middle East during the First Crusade.
B) Mesopotamia grew in population and influence.
C) Irrigation and canal systems fell into disrepair during their rule.
D) Seljuk leaders didn't get involved in internal religious fighting.
E) Cities shrank and lost population during their rule.

Question 28

Byzantine power was significantly diminished by the Seljuks as a result of

A) the Seljuk's alliance with the Mamluks.
B) the Byzantine alliance with the Buyids.
C) the Battle of Manzikert
D) the failure of the First Crusade.
E) the Schism of 1054.

Question 29

Muhammad's revelations from the angel are compiled in a book called

A) the Hadith.
B) the Third Testament.
C) the Quran.
D) the Ka'ba.
E) the Revelations.

Question 30

The Abbasids purchased Turkic slaves, called mamluks, into military service. The mamluks eventually founded their own state in

A) Turkey.
B) Spain.
C) Egypt.
D) Iran.
E) Arabia.

Question 31

The decline of the Umayyad dynasty was due to

A) converts to Islam numbered no more than 10 percent.
B) growing unrest among non-Arab Muslims, who demanded access to political power.
C) a peasant revolt over increases in taxes and decreases in wages.
D) the arrival of a Jewish messiah.
E) a and b above.

Question 32

The ulama were religious scholars and

A) government officials.
B) outcasts.
C) the primary interpreters of Islamic law.
D) rural leaders.
E) a hired foreign military force.

Question 33

Despite the fact that conversions to Islam were at their peak, Abbasid power declined because

A) there were constant revolts of non-Muslims against forced conversion.
B) the empire had to resist nomadic pressures on the frontier.
C) the empire had become too big to rule effectively.
D) new religious practices developed that challenged the appeal of Islam.
E) there were frequent religious wars between the Sunnis and Shi'ites.

Question 34

Muslim religious practice is based on the

A) Three Goals to Salvation.
B) Ten Commandments.
C) Eightfold Path.
D) Four Noble Truths.
E) Five Pillars.

Question 35

Which of the following areas was not brought under Muslim control under the leadership of the caliphs?

A) Egypt and North Africa
B) Syria
C) Spain
D) Eastern Europe
E) The Indus Valley

Question 36

Despite political decay in al-Andalus, under Islamic leadership, the Jewish people of Spain

A) experienced widespread discrimination.
B) were frequently arrested and persecuted.
C) contributed to the cultural growth of Spain as great thinkers and writers such as Maimonides.
D) experienced a diaspora to eastern Europe.
E) passed laws ensuring the ascension of Jews to the Spanish throne.

Question 37

The group of Muslims who believe the leader of Islam should be a descendent of Muhammad is called the

A) Shi'ites.
B) Sunnis.
C) Sufis.
D) Mobad.
E) Hadj.

Question 38

Why did the rulers of al-Andalus Spain finally take the title of caliph in 929?

A) The growing number of converts to Islam demanded it.
B) They had finally solidified control of the region.
C) They did so in response to the Fatimids take the title in Tunisia.
D) Christians in northern Spain threatened invasion.
E) They never did.

Question 39

The first caliphate to begin expansion outside of Arabia was:

A) Abu-Bakr
B) Ali
C) Umar
D) Uthman
E) Yazid

Question 40

The foundation of Islamic civilization is the Shari'a, or

A) taxes.
B) community.
C) literature.
D) philosophy.
E) law.

Question 41

Political divisions continued after the fall of the Abbasid caliphate, and other groups took hold of the Middle East over several centuries, including Seljuk Turks, Crusaders, Mamluks, and eventually ,

A) Byzantines
B) Kurds
C) Mongols
D) Armenians
E) Indians

Question 42

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Abbasid Caliphate

Question 43

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
umma

Question 44

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Ghana

Question 45

Which of the following statements about Muslim women is not true?

A) They were permitted to divorce.
B) They often played a role in public life.
C) They were permitted to practice birth control.
D) They were permitted to own property.
E) They adopted the Byzantine and Sasanid custom of veiling.

Question 46

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
ulama

Question 47

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Sasanid Empire

Question 48

Sufism was significant in being a(n)

A) quest for a direct union with God through rituals and training.
B) blending of Christian and Buddhist ideas into Islam.
C) rejection of religious formalism.
D) new doctrine that excluded the lower classes.
E) attempt to convert more women to Islam.

Question 49

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
caliphate

Question 50

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Quran

Question 51

Traditions relating the deeds and words of Muhammad which, next to the Qur'an, are the most importance source for Islamic law, are called

A) ulama
B) umma
C) shari'a
D) hadith
E) none of the above

Question 52

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Shi'ites

Question 53

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Muslim

Question 54

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
mamluks

Question 55

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Medina

Question 56

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Umayyad Caliphate

Question 57

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Islam

Question 58

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Mecca

Question 59

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Sunnis

Question 60

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Muhammad

Question 61

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Fatimid

Question 62

The Fihrist is one measure of the Islamic caliphate's dependence on paper and literature. It is __ ___.

Question 63

Describe the evolution of Islamic civilization. What was its effect on Europe?

Question 64

Explain how Islam was able to spread from Spain to India in a relatively short amount of time, dominating a wide range of territories and societies.

Question 65

Describe the changing relationship between the Arab peoples and the Byzantine and Sasanid Empires before Muhammad.

Question 66

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
hadith

Question 67

The core belief among all the sects of Shi'ites is that the rightful successor to Mohammad was _____.

Question 68

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
madrasa

Question 69

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Seljuk

Question 70

Using Map 9.1, identify the regions controlled by the Sasanids and the Byzantines before 622 C.E. What role did the Arab peoples play in their empires?

Question 71

Describe the birth of Islam and specifically the role Muhammad had in spreading the faith.

Question 72

What does the chapter reveal about the status of Muslim women? Compare their status with the status of women in other parts of the world at that time.

Question 73

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Ibn Rushd

Question 74

Using Map 9.1, examine the extent of the Islamic empire after Muhammad's death. What prevented it from gaining a hold in western Europe, except for Spain? Why did the Islamic empire not extend beyond Central Asia?

Question 75

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
shah

Question 76

What were the major reasons for the decline of both the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates? What role did the umma play in this?

Question 77

The founder of the Sasanid empire in approximately 224 was__________ .

Question 78

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Nestorians

Question 79

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Ka'ba

Question 80

Using Map 9.2, describe the "golden age" of Islamic civilization, during which a multiethnic Islamic world flourished. What groups were included in this "multiethnic" empire? Did geography play a role in this development? How?