Deck 9: The Sasanid Empire and the Rise of Islam

Question 1

Muhammad conceived Islam after

A) experiencing revelations.
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 1

experiencing revelations.

Question 2

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

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

Answer 2

Quran.

Question 3

Muslim means

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

Answer 3

"one who makes submission."

Question 4

The subsequent split of supporters to different caliphs, or successors, divided the umma into

A) Shi'ites and Sunnis.
B) Sunnis and Sufis.
C) Mobad and Quran.
D) Shi'a and Mobad.
E) Hadj and Sunni.

Question 5

What role did the Arabs play in the rivalry between the Sasanid and Byzantine Empires?

A) They played a significant role as merce naries for both powers.
B) They played a significant role as negotiators and diplomats.
C) They were unknown to these empires.
D) They were viewed as "inferior" peoples and therefore were practically ignored by these powers.
E) They became a financial drain to these empires through welfare plans.

Question 6

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

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

Question 7

The Arab community prior to the seventh century C.E.

A) was polytheistic.
B) was devoted to Zoroastrianism.
C) practiced Christianity but split between monophysitism and Nestorianism.
D) was persecuted by Jews and Christians.
E) was devoted to fire-worshiping rituals.

Question 8

Why did Muhammad leave Mecca for Medina ( hijra )?

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 9

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 10

After the rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate in the mid-eighth century, it was overthrown in all areas except

A) Spain.
B) Baghdad.
C) Khurasan.
D) Turkmenistan.
E) Yemen.

Question 11

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 12

Muhammad's teachings built upon the beliefs of Judaism and

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

Question 13

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 14

The Arabs' involvement in Byzantine and Sasanid conflicts led to

A) the conversion of Arab nomads to Manichaeism.
B) peaceful coexistence of Jews and animists in Yemen.
C) several religious wars between Arabs and Nestorians.
D) a growing awareness of Christian ideas on the Arabian peninsula.
E) the passage of several laws protecting Jews from violence.

Question 15

The founder of the Umayyad Caliphate was

A) Yazid, son of Mu'awiya.
B) Hasan, son of Ali.
C) Husayn, brother of Hasan.
D) Ali, cousin to Muhammad.
E) Uthman, brother-in-law to Muhammad.

Question 16

The Muslims fought the Battle of the Camel 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, son-in-law of Muhammad, as caliph.
E) compilation of the Quran.

Question 17

Before Muhammad, Mecca was an i mportant city because it

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

Question 18

Islam means

A) "surrender to the will of God."
B) "the one true religion."
C) "the true belief."
D) "leader of God's people."
E) "the Chosen People."

Question 19

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

A) It marks the beginning of the Umayyad caliphate.
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 20

After Muhammad's death, the Muslim community

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

Question 21

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 did not get involved in internal religious fighting.
E) Cities shrank and lost population during their rule.

Question 22

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

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

Question 23

A significant factor in creating a powerful Abbasid culture was the

A) introduction of paper from China.
B) uniform adoption of the Arabic language throughout the region, as Latin had been in the Roman Empire.
C) introduction of new dyes from the East for making ink.
D) the creation of a formal alphabet in the vernacular Arabic language.
E) use of organized crews of scribes called mamluks.

Question 24

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 25

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 26

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 27

The Sasanid Empire benefited from its location along the Silk Road.  The exotic crops its farmers adopted after obtaining seeds through trade included

A) cocoa, jute, and coffee beans.
B) mangoes, bananas, and spelt.
C) corn, quinoa, and manioc.
D) maize, honey, and blueberries.
E) cotton, sugar, and rice.

Question 28

After the hijra , the location toward which Muslims prayed changed

A) from Jerusalem to the Ka'ba.
B) from the Ka'ba to Jerusalem.
C) from Constantinople to Jerusalem.
D) not at all; Muslims have always prayed facing in the direction of Jerusalem.
E) not at all; Muslims have always prayed facing in the direction of the Ka'ba.

Question 29

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

A) holy believers in the truest form of Christianity.
B) heretics and therefore a threat.
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.

Question 30

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

A) The rise of Islam as the focus of an empire based on religion.
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 31

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.
D) experienced a diaspora to eastern Europe.
E) passed laws ensuring the ascension of Jews to the Spanish throne.

Question 32

After failing to reform the government and military, the Abbasid Caliphate fell under the influence of the

A) Ali family of Cairo.
B) Umayyad family of Damascus.
C) Buyid family of northern Iran.
D) Husan family of Medina.
E) Suarez family of Spain.

Question 33

The decline of the Umayyad dynasty was due to

A) scandals involving the morality of the caliphs.
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) lack of a competent heir.

Question 34

The ulama were

A) government officials.
B) outcasts.
C) religious scholars.
D) rural leaders.
E) members of a hired foreign military force.

Question 35

Which of the following is true of the Kharijite sect?

A) It did not believe that Ali was a legitimate caliph.
B) It was more sympathetic to the Sunni cause.
C) It is the sect of the majority of present-day Muslims.
D) It began with followers who rejected Ali's acceptance of arbitration after the Battle of the Camel.
E) None of these.

Question 36

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) The Fatimids in Tunisia did.
D) Christians in northern Spain threatened invasion.
E) They never did.

Question 37

The great vision of the Shari'a is an umma with

A) a separate identity from Christians.
B) a common monetary system and central taxation.
C) a common history and literary base used in all Muslim communities.
D) common moral values that minimize ethnic differences and rise above all political divisions.
E) all members living in a unified, homogeneous Muslim state and ruled by a political leader.

Question 38

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 39

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 40

Among the most significant causes for the decline of Iran and Iraq under the Seljuks was

A) relocation of the center to Constantinople.
B) the destruction of libraries and the persecution of non-Muslim scholars.
C) overly intense urbanization, which strained food resources.
D) privatization of land by Shi'ite supporters.
E) the inhabitants' refusal to learn Turkish.

Question 41

The Muslim leader who re-took Jerusalem from the European Crusaders was

A) Nur al-Din.
B) Tughril Beg.
C) Abd al-Rahman.
D) Salah al-Din.
E) Ibn Rushd.

Question 42

The Buyids did not take the Abbasid caliph's authority seriously because

A) they were not particularly devout Muslims.
B) the caliph had allowed himself to be unseated so easily.
C) they believed the elite in Baghdad was too effete to enforce its will.
D) they were Shi'ites and the caliph was Sunni.
E) the caliph was the 12th Imam.

Question 43

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Shi'ites

Question 44

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
umma

Question 45

According to Islam, slavery was

A) forbidden.
B) only permitted if the slave was not a Muslim or a "person of the book."
C) permitted only if the enslaved was a prisoner of war.
D) a hereditary status passed from parents to children.
E) only permitted if the slave was a "person of the book."

Question 46

Which of the following did not contribute to the erosion of Abbasid power?

A) Mass conversions to Islam among non-Arab populations.
B) Discontent about having to pay taxes to a distant capital.
C) Growing reliance on Mamluk mercenaries.
D) Mass rejection of Islam by conquered non-Arab populations.
E) The difficulty of conveying information quickly across the empire.

Question 47

Non-Arab converts to Islam often migrated to cities that were centers of Arab government

A) to take advantage of economic opportunities.
B) because the expensive rituals of conversion could only be performed at capital-city mosques.
C) to escape persecution by their non-Muslim neighbors.
D) A and C.
E) A, B and C.

Question 48

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Islam

Question 49

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Muhammad

Question 50

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Mecca

Question 51

The Sub-Saharan kingdom of Ghana became important to Muslim trade by providing which resource?

A) Rubber
B) Gold
C) Silk
D) Ivory
E) Slaves

Question 52

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Medina

Question 53

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Muslim

Question 54

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Sunnis

Question 55

Conversion to Islam

A) was a time-consuming process that took many years of study.
B) required little ritual or religious instruction.
C) required little instruction, but several elaborate and expensive rituals.
D) involved a set of painful physical ordeals that frightened many potential converts.
E) was difficult, because Muslims did not want to make large numbers of converts.

Question 56

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Umayyad Caliphate

Question 57

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Quran

Question 58

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Sasanid Empire

Question 59

When Muslim thinkers worked out the specifics of Shari'a, they turned to

A) the Quran.
B) their own reasoned analysis.
C) the hadith.
D) A and C.
E) A, B and C.

Question 60

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
caliphate

Question 61

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Mamluks

Question 62

What was the relationship between Arab peoples and the Byzantine and Sasanid Empires before Muhammad, and how did those two empires influence the development of Islam?

Question 63

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Abbasid Caliphate

Question 64

Earliest Islamic literature addressing the status of women deals with relatives of Muhammad. What were the early conditions of Islamic women? Compare their status with the status of women in other parts of the world at that time.

Question 65

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 66

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

Question 67

Explain the way Islam began to fragment along three separate paths. What were these paths, and how were their beliefs different?

Question 68

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
Ghana

Question 69

Describe the evolution of Islamic culture beyond religious beliefs. What was its lasting effect on Europe?

Question 70

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
ulama

Question 71

Instructions: Explain/Define the following terms.
hadith