Question 1

When did the term "race"obtain its modern meaning?
A) late 1500s
B) mid 1600s
C) late 1700s
D) mid 1800s
E) early 1900s

Accepted Answer

The term "race" obtained its modern meaning in the late 1700s, during the period of Enlightenment, when it began to be used to classify humans into different groups based on physical characteristics and supposed shared lineage.

Question 2

Which two European countries, according to the authors, had more influence than others in creating the system of racial classification we know today?
A) England and France
B) Germany and England
C) Spain and Portugal
D) England and Spain
E) Italy and Portugal

Accepted Answer

D

Question 3

During the fourteenth century, which country's citizens were regarded as nothing short of "savages"to England?
A) American Indian
B) France
C) Ireland
D) Germany
E) Scotland

Accepted Answer

During the fourteenth century, the English often regarded the Irish as "savages" due to cultural and political conflicts, as well as English colonial attitudes towards Ireland.

Question 4

Spain's great interest in "religious purity"during the fifteenth century would lead others in the future to have a great interest in what type of "purity"?
A) political
B) spiritual
C) blood
D) economic
E) none of these

Accepted Answer

Spain's interest in "religious purity" during the fifteenth century, particularly through the Spanish Inquisition, led to an obsession with "limpieza de sangre" or "purity of blood," focusing on the absence of Jewish or Muslim ancestry as a measure of one's Christian orthodoxy and societal standing.

Question 5

What form of identity could we see in its beginning stages within fifteenth century Spain?
A) tribalism
B) state
C) regionalism
D) nationalism
E) cosmopolitan

Accepted Answer

Nationalism was beginning to emerge in Spain in the 15th century as a result of the Reconquista, which was a series of wars fought between the Christian kingdoms of Spain and the Muslim kingdoms of al-Andalus. The Reconquista led to the unification of Spain under a single monarchy, and this in turn led to the development of a sense of national identity among the Spanish people.

Question 6

What term do sociologists use to describe the time period when people began to reject superstition and myth and instead used rational forms of thought to explain the world?
A) great divide
B) disenchantment of the world
C) anomie of the world
D) great awakening
E) first enlightenment period

Accepted Answer

The term "disenchantment of the world" refers to the process by which the magical and supernatural explanations of the world, prevalent in pre-modern cultures, were replaced by rational and scientific understandings. This concept is often associated with the work of sociologist Max Weber, who described the modern world as disenchanted, where scientific understanding is more highly valued than belief in magic or the supernatural.

Question 7

Which of the following individuals was alive and contributed during the period of great intellectual revolution mentioned by your textbook's authors, which helped reshape our understanding of the world?
A) Leonardo da Vinci
B) Niccolo Machiavelli
C) Copernicus
D) Christopher Columbus
E) all of these

Accepted Answer

All of the individuals listed (Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli, Copernicus, and Christopher Columbus) were alive during the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery, periods that significantly contributed to the intellectual revolution reshaping our understanding of the world. Leonardo da Vinci was a polymath who made contributions to art, science, and technology. Niccolo Machiavelli was a political philosopher whose works influenced political thought. Copernicus was an astronomer who proposed a heliocentric model of the universe, challenging the geocentric model. Christopher Columbus was an explorer whose voyages to the Americas opened up new lands for European exploration and colonization.

Question 8

Which of the following terms refers to a historical era marked by the rise of nationalism, development of capitalism, global expansion, and disenchantment of the world and rapid growth of scientific knowledge?
A) neoclassical revolution
B) the great experience
C) modernity
D) age of discovery
E) spiritual awakening

Accepted Answer

Modernity is characterized by the rise of nationalism, development of capitalism, global expansion, disenchantment of the world, and rapid growth of scientific knowledge. These features distinguish the modern era from previous historical periods.

Question 9

Who were the first to colonize the Americas?
A) England
B) Spain
C) Portugal
D) France
E) Italy

Accepted Answer

Spain was the first European country to colonize the Americas, beginning with Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492, which was sponsored by the Spanish monarchs.

Question 10

Which of the following was a reason for Spain's desire to colonize the Americas?
A) to profit from gold and silver in the land
B) to claim the land for Spain's rulers
C) to convert indigenous people to Catholicism
D) none of these
E) all of these

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed were reasons for Spain's desire to colonize the Americas. They sought economic gain through gold and silver, aimed to expand their territory in the name of their rulers, and aimed to spread Catholicism among indigenous peoples.

Question 11

Which of the following are the terms for the two steps used by the English to create the concept of "The Indian"?
A) assimilation and re-education
B) homogenization and polarization
C) polarization and assimilation
D) homogenization and re-education
E) none of these

Accepted Answer

The English created the concept of "The Indian" through a process of homogenization, where diverse Native American cultures were lumped together under a single identity, and polarization, where this constructed identity was positioned as fundamentally different and inferior to European identities.

Question 12

According to the textbook, colonialism is always, everywhere, and above all:
A) profitable.
B) expensive.
C) illegal.
D) desirable.
E) violent.

Accepted Answer

Colonialism is often characterized by violence, as it involves the subjugation and control of one society by another, frequently leading to conflicts, resistance, and suppression of the colonized people.

Question 13

How many years did the violence known as "The Indian Wars"last in the Americas?
A) 35 years
B) 75 years
C) 135 years
D) 175 years
E) 350 years

Accepted Answer

The Indian Wars in the Americas spanned over 350 years, beginning with the arrival of Columbus in 1492 and ending around 1924 with the last of the conflicts. This period includes various battles, skirmishes, and conflicts between European settlers (and later American settlers) and the indigenous peoples of North America.

Question 14

What is the term for a laborer who was bound to an employer for a fixed amount of time, after which they were freed?
A) slave
B) peasant
C) indentured servant
D) chattel
E) vassal

Accepted Answer

Indentured servants were individuals who agreed to work for a certain period of time in exchange for passage to the New World, among other things. After their period of service, they were usually freed.

Question 15

Which of the following was the reason given by the textbook's authors as to why Native Americans were not also permanently enslaved?
A) their numbers were too few to meet the needs of plantation capitalism
B) they were too familiar with the land and could easily escape potential owners
C) their work as guides and trappers in fur trade industry was too lucrative to disrupt
D) none of these
E) all of these

Accepted Answer

The reasons given include Native Americans being too few in number to meet the demands of plantation capitalism, their familiarity with the land making them more likely to escape, and their valuable roles in the fur trade industry, which would be disrupted by enslavement. These factors combined explain why Native Americans were not also permanently enslaved.

Question 16

From the following, which was given as the reason Africans were viewed at the time as "the perfect slaves"?
A) Africans had no other refuge than those provided by their masters
B) Africans were immune to Old World diseases
C) Africans were used to the Southern U.S. climate
D) Many Africans were already farmers
E) all of these

Accepted Answer

The reasons listed, including immunity to Old World diseases, adaptation to the Southern U.S. climate, experience in farming, and having no refuge other than what their masters provided, collectively contributed to the perception of Africans as "the perfect slaves" during the transatlantic slave trade era. These factors made them particularly suited to the labor demands and conditions of the time, in the eyes of slave traders and plantation owners.

Question 17

The Atlantic slave trade, transporting African slaves to the Americas, had been in operation since when?
A) mid-fourteenth century
B) mid-fifteenth century
C) mid-sixteenth century
D) mid-seventeenth century
E) mid-eighteenth century

Accepted Answer

The Atlantic slave trade began in the mid-fifteenth century, with the Portuguese starting to trade African slaves to work in the newly colonized Atlantic islands.

Question 18

Which of the following was a consequence for the African societies who participated in the slave trade?
A) the trade ultimately underdeveloped Africa as a whole
B) depleted its population of young men
C) directed its attention away from more productive economic activities
D) constructed Africans as an inferior people in the minds of Europeans
E) all of these

Accepted Answer

Each of the options listed (A through D) accurately describes a consequence of the African societies' participation in the slave trade. The slave trade underdeveloped Africa by depleting its population of young and able individuals, diverting attention from more productive economic activities, and contributing to the construction of Africans as inferior in the minds of Europeans.

Question 19

For every one enslaved African working in the plantation fields for their entire life, how many perished en route during the voyage?
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
E) five

Accepted Answer

The answer of For every one enslaved African working in...

Question 20

Which North American crop single-handedly reinvigorated slavery due to its high demand and increased technological efficiency?
A) tobacco
B) wheat
C) corn
D) cotton
E) none of these

Accepted Answer

Cotton, particularly with the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793, significantly increased the efficiency of cotton processing. This led to a boom in cotton production in the American South, which in turn greatly increased the demand for slave labor to cultivate and harvest the cotton.

Quiz 2: The Invention of Race

When did the term "race"obtain its modern meaning?

Which two European countries, according to the authors, had more influence than others in creating the system of racial classification we know today?

During the fourteenth century, which country's citizens were regarded as nothing short of "savages"to England?

Spain's great interest in "religious purity"during the fifteenth century would lead others in the future to have a great interest in what type of "purity"?

What form of identity could we see in its beginning stages within fifteenth century Spain?

What term do sociologists use to describe the time period when people began to reject superstition and myth and instead used rational forms of thought to explain the world?

Which of the following individuals was alive and contributed during the period of great intellectual revolution mentioned by your textbook's authors, which helped reshape our understanding of the world?

Which of the following terms refers to a historical era marked by the rise of nationalism, development of capitalism, global expansion, and disenchantment of the world and rapid growth of scientific knowledge?

Who were the first to colonize the Americas?

Which of the following was a reason for Spain's desire to colonize the Americas?

Which of the following are the terms for the two steps used by the English to create the concept of "The Indian"?

According to the textbook, colonialism is always, everywhere, and above all:

How many years did the violence known as "The Indian Wars"last in the Americas?

What is the term for a laborer who was bound to an employer for a fixed amount of time, after which they were freed?

Which of the following was the reason given by the textbook's authors as to why Native Americans were not also permanently enslaved?

From the following, which was given as the reason Africans were viewed at the time as "the perfect slaves"?

The Atlantic slave trade, transporting African slaves to the Americas, had been in operation since when?

Which of the following was a consequence for the African societies who participated in the slave trade?

For every one enslaved African working in the plantation fields for their entire life, how many perished en route during the voyage?

Which North American crop single-handedly reinvigorated slavery due to its high demand and increased technological efficiency?