Social Studies Spring Exam (7th Grade)

Shogun

A great Japanese general who rules

Prince Shotoku

Introduced many Chinese ideas to Japan

Structure (Japan)

The social pyramid: Emperors, Daimyo, Samurai, Peasants, Merchants

Values (Bushido)

A set of ethical standards: loyalty, honor, and courage

Zen

A form of Japanese Buddhism

What is the most common geographical feature of Japan?

Mountains

Which of Japan's four main islands is the largest? Which is the smallest?

Largest: Honshu. Smallest: Shikoku

Why did the Japanese adopt the Chinese method of writing?

The Japanese did not have a written language of their own

Why were many of the best writers of early Japanese literature women?

Men were always working and writing in Chinese. Women used hiragana to write stories in their native language.

What issues did Japan face in the 1100s?

Shoguns overthrowing emperors

Why would shoguns keep emperors in power as figureheads?

To preserve religious order and secure political legitimacy by claiming they ruled as the divine monarch's authorized military deputies

What is a Samurai? What values are most important to them?

A Japanese fighter. Values: loyalty, honor, and courage. If a samurai didn't meet these virtues, they had to kill themselves (seppuku).

Akbar

Mughal Emperor known for religious tolerance, fair taxation, military expansion, and unifying much of India

Babur

Founder of the Mughal Empire in India; descendant of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane; defeated the Delhi Sultan in 1526

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman soldiers made up of Christian boys taken from conquered lands, converted to Islam, and trained for military service

Mehmed II

Ottoman Sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453

Shia

Branch of Islam that believes the rightful leaders are descendants of Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law

Suleyman I

Ottoman Sultan known as Suleyman the Magnificent; expanded the empire and reformed its legal system

Sultan

A Muslim ruler or king

Sunni

Branch of Islam that believes leaders should be chosen by the Muslim community

Taqi al-Din

Ottoman astronomer, mathematician, and founder of the Istanbul Observatory

What was Constantinople renamed?

Istanbul

Who was the Ottoman astronomer and founder of the Istanbul Observatory?

Taqi al-Din

What other empire did the Ottomans conquer?

The Byzantine Empire

What was an example of women's limited role in Ottoman society?

Women had limited public roles and were often restricted to the home; upper-class women lived in seclusion in the harem

What was the main religion in the Ottoman Empire?

Islam

In what present-day country was the Mughal Empire located?

India

What is the Taj Mahal? Who built it and why?

Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his favorite wife — it served as her tomb and a monument to his love and grief

Atahualpa

Last Inca emperor; captured and executed by Francisco Pizarro

Causeways

Raised roads built by the Aztecs to connect their island capital to the mainland

Codex

Book made of folded bark used by Mesoamerican civilizations to record information

Conquistadors

Spanish conquerors who explored and claimed land in the Americas

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire

Mesoamérica

Region in present-day Mexico and Central America where the Maya and Aztec civilizations developed

Moctezuma II

Aztec emperor who ruled when Hernán Cortés arrived

Obsidian

Volcanic glass used to make sharp tools and weapons

Why did early people in the Americas move from place to place?

They were nomadic hunters and gatherers searching for food

What helped make the soil of Mesoamerica fertile?

Volcanic ash from nearby volcanoes enriched the soil

What made farming difficult for the Mayans?

Thin soil and lack of large animals for farming; they had to clear dense rainforests

How did ALL Mayan people contribute blood to the gods?

Through bloodletting rituals — even common people pierced their skin to offer blood

What is the best evidence for the decline of Mayan civilization?

Abandoned cities and unfinished buildings

What modern-day country housed the Aztec and Mayan civilizations?

Mexico

How did the Aztecs adapt to their island location? What was a benefit and a hindrance?

They built causeways. Benefit: protection from enemies and productive farming. Hindrance: limited space and dependence on causeways for travel and trade.

Eurasia

A large landmass including Europe and Asia

Middle Ages

A period that lasted from about 500 to about 1500

St. Patrick

A saint who converted Ireland to Christianity

Monks

Religious men living apart from society in monasteries

Spanish Inquisition

Punished suspected religious disloyalty

Charlemagne

King of the Franks and emperor

Vassals

Served a lord in exchange for land

Queen Isabella

Queen of Spain; helped complete the Reconquista; banned Islam and forced Jews to become Christian

Feudalism

A system of obligations between lords and vassals

William the Conqueror

Powerful French noble who conquered England; brought feudalism to Britain

Manor

A large estate

Serfs

Workers who were tied to the land on which they lived

Excommunicate

Cast out from the church

Crusades

Religious wars

Holy Land

The region where Jesus lived

Pope Urban II

Medieval pope who called on Christians to launch the First Crusade

King Richard I

Led the Third Crusade

Saladin

Muslim general who led Muslim forces during the Third Crusade

Religious order

A group of people who dedicate their lives to religion and follow common rules

Friars

Religious workers who lived among the people (not in monasteries)

Heresy

Religious ideas that opposed accepted church teachings

Magna Carta

Document signed in 1215 by King John of England; required the king to honor certain rights

Parliament

England's law-making body

Hundred Years' War

A long conflict between England and France lasting from 1337 to 1453

Joan of Arc

French peasant girl who rallied French troops during the Hundred Years' War

Eleanor of Aquitaine

A powerful queen

Black Death

A deadly plague

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, where in Europe was Christianity most common?

Italy, Spain, and Southern Europe

Which nation did St. Patrick convert to Christianity?

Ireland

Whom might a pope excommunicate?

Anyone who commits grave offenses against church law

Over which issue did Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV disagree?

Henry thought he should be able to select bishops; Gregory thought only the pope should select them

What was the main purpose of the Crusades?

To gain back Palestine, the Holy Land

What is the difference between a monk and a friar?

Monks live in monasteries; friars live among the normal people

What was the main idea promoted by the Magna Carta?

Everyone, including the king, must obey the law

What was the main reason the Black Death spread so rapidly throughout Europe?

Crowded and dirty living conditions, garbage in the streets, and rats

What is the name of the Church split into Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic?

The Great Schism

Explain Feudalism. What exchange took place between a lord and his vassals?

The lord provided food, protection, and a place to live. The vassal provided loyalty, military service, financial aid, and political advice.

Dante Alighieri

Italian Renaissance poet who wrote The Divine Comedy in the Italian language

Jan van Eyck

Pioneering 15th-century Flemish painter who revolutionized Northern Renaissance art through mastery of oil painting

Leonardo da Vinci

Genius of the Renaissance — painter, sculptor, engineer, town planner, and map maker

Michelangelo

Italian Renaissance artist who designed buildings, wrote poetry, and created sculptures and paintings

Niccolo Machiavelli

Italian writer and politician who wrote The Prince, advising leaders on how to rule

Petrarch

Early Italian Renaissance scholar who wrote about the importance of knowing history

Raphael

Italian master painter and architect

William Shakespeare

English Renaissance writer and playwright; considered by many the greatest English writer of all time

Filippo Brunelleschi

Pioneering Italian architect, engineer, and sculptor

Desiderius Erasmus

Dutch priest who published The Praise of Folly criticizing corrupt clergy; inspired the Protestant Reformation

Johann Gutenberg

German printer who developed a printing press that used moveable type

What road did Marco Polo travel to Asia?

The Silk Road

What was the impact of the Medici family on Florence?

They turned Florence into the center of the Italian Renaissance; they funded artists, architects, and humanist ideas

Why were Genoa and Venice important in trade between Asia and Europe?

Because of their strategic Mediterranean location

What advice does Machiavelli give in The Prince?

A ruler must prioritize political survival and power by being ruthless, cunning, and feared when necessary

Why did Christian humanists call for church reform?

They believed the Catholic Church had become corrupt and had detached from the scriptural teachings of Jesus