Question 1

The war between China and Japan over control of _________ graphically exposed the problems of China's self-strengthening efforts.

Accepted Answer

The war between China and Japan over control of Korea (the First Sino-Japanese War, 1894-1895) highlighted the inadequacies in China's attempts to modernize its military and government institutions through the self-strengthening movement.

Question 2

Much of the resistance to the Emperor _________'s "hundred days' reform" program, issued in a flurry of edicts in 1898, was centered on the empress dowager.

Accepted Answer

The "hundred days' reform" was initiated by Emperor Guangxu in 1898, aiming at modernizing China's institutions and governance. However, it faced significant opposition from conservative factions, including the powerful Empress Dowager Cixi.

Question 3

Throughout northern China, Boxer units hunted down and killed Western missionaries and ___________.

Accepted Answer

The Boxer Rebellion targeted Western missionaries and Chinese Christians, seeing both as symbols of foreign influence and threats to traditional Chinese culture.

Question 4

One of the positive outcomes of the Boxer Protocols of 1901 was that the US agreed to return its share of the indemnity money to China on the condition that:

Accepted Answer

The US agreed to return its share of the indemnity money to China with the condition that it would be used to fund scholarships for Chinese students to study in the United States, fostering educational exchange and goodwill between the two nations.

Question 5

Taking the slogan Sonno joi ("Honor the emperor, ________"), members of the "Satcho" clique challenged the shogunate and forced the Tokugawa to capitulate in 1867.

Accepted Answer

The slogan "Sonno joi" translates to "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians." It was a rallying cry for those opposing the Tokugawa shogunate and advocating for the restoration of imperial rule, leading to the Meiji Restoration.

Question 6

Like the Chinese "self-strengtheners", Japanese senior advisors to the emperor sought to use new foreign technologies and institutions to strengthen the state ___________.

Accepted Answer

The Japanese senior advisors aimed to adopt foreign technologies and institutions primarily to protect the state against further foreign intrusion, similar to the Chinese "self-strengtheners" who sought to modernize to defend against Western powers.

Question 7

One of the signs of the prominence of Cao Xueqin's novel The Dream of the Red Chamber is:

Accepted Answer

The prominence of Cao Xueqin's novel "The Dream of the Red Chamber" is evidenced by the existence of an entire field of scholarship dedicated to the study of the book, known as "red studies" or "redology." This demonstrates the novel's significant cultural and academic impact.

Question 8

All of the rights of Japanese subjects set out in the Meiji Constitution's 15 articles are:

Accepted Answer

The Meiji Constitution, while granting certain rights to Japanese subjects, often included qualifications such as "unless provided by law" or similar phrases, allowing the government to restrict these rights under specific legal conditions. This meant that while the constitution appeared to grant freedoms, these could be limited or controlled by subsequent laws.

Question 9

By the 1880s, a university system anchored by Tokyo Imperial University was offering courses in all of the following areas except:

Accepted Answer

By the 1880s, Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) had established a broad curriculum that included modern disciplines such as Engineering, Medicine, and Geology, reflecting Japan's rapid modernization during the Meiji period. However, traditional Japanese poetic forms like Haiku were not part of the university's formal curriculum, as the focus was more on Western-style education and scientific disciplines.

Question 10

Kabuki theater was altered in the Meiji period by now:

Accepted Answer

During the Meiji period, Kabuki theater saw the reintroduction of female actors playing female roles, which had been previously banned.

Question 11

The Japanese occupation of Manchuria's Liaodong Peninsula in the 1890s was opposed by the Triple Intervention, an alliance of all of the following European countries except:

Accepted Answer

The Triple Intervention consisted of Russia, Germany, and France, who opposed the Japanese occupation of Manchuria's Liaodong Peninsula in the 1890s. Great Britain was not part of this intervention.

Question 12

A ________ sect called the White Lotus sparked a rebellion against the Qing soon after the Qianlong emperor stepped down from his throne in 1795.

Accepted Answer

The White Lotus was a Buddhist sect that initiated a rebellion against the Qing Dynasty shortly after the Qianlong Emperor's abdication in 1795, reflecting discontent with Qing rule and inspired by millenarian beliefs.

Question 13

The power of opium to suppress pain and hunger made it particularly attractive to the ____________ inhabitants of south China.

Accepted Answer

Opium's ability to suppress pain and hunger made it especially appealing to the poor and ordinary inhabitants of south China, who were more likely to suffer from these conditions due to their socioeconomic status.

Question 14

The Treaty of ______ between the Chinese and the British in 1842 marked the first of the century's "unequal treaties" that would be imposed throughout east Asia by European powers.

Accepted Answer

The Treaty of Nanjing was signed in 1842 between the Chinese Qing dynasty and the British, marking the end of the First Opium War and the beginning of the era of "unequal treaties" in East Asia.

Question 15

Through a treaty, the British imposed the policy of _________, by which their subjects who were accused of violating Chinese laws would be tried and punished by British consuls.

Accepted Answer

The policy imposed by the British through a treaty, which allowed their subjects accused of violating Chinese laws to be tried and punished by British consuls, is known as extraterritoriality. This meant that British citizens in China were subject to British laws and courts, not Chinese laws and courts.

Question 16

The ________ Rebellion, led by Hong Xiuquan and his Christian-influenced declarations, began in 1851.

Accepted Answer

The Taiping Rebellion, initiated by Hong Xiuquan who claimed to be the brother of Jesus Christ, was a massive civil war in southern China from 1851 to 1864 against the ruling Qing dynasty.

Question 17

As a result of a British and French raid on Beijing in 1860, a newly created Chinese board, the Zongli Yamen, was to handle Qing ________, and the Chinese were invited to send their own ambassadors abroad.

Accepted Answer

The Zongli Yamen was established by the Qing dynasty in response to the need for more sophisticated handling of its foreign affairs, especially after the Second Opium War and the events of 1860, including the British and French raid on Beijing.

Question 18

The two key terms in the popular Chinese self-strengthening formulation Zhongxue wei ti and Xixue wei yong meant "Chinese studies for the essence" and "Western studies for the __________."

Accepted Answer

The terms "Zhongxue wei ti" and "Xixue wei yong" reflect a philosophy during the late Qing Dynasty that aimed to maintain Confucian values and Chinese cultural essence (Zhongxue) while adopting Western technology and methods for practical use (Xixue) to modernize and strengthen China.

Question 19

With the ascension of the infant Guangxu as emperor in 1874 came the regency of Empress Dowager _________.

Accepted Answer

Empress Dowager Cixi was the de facto ruler of China during the minority of Emperor Guangxu, starting from his ascension in 1875, not 1874 as mentioned in the question.

Question 20

In 1899, _________, the US secretary of state, circulated a note suggesting that all powers remain committed to an "open door" to trade in China.

Accepted Answer

In 1899, John Hay, the US Secretary of State, circulated a note suggesting that all powers remain committed to an "open door" policy for trade in China. This policy aimed to ensure equal trading rights for all nations and to maintain China's territorial and administrative integrity.

Quiz 24: The Challenge of Modernity: East Asia, 1750-1910