whap midterm study

“Emperor Zhengzong, being deeply concerned with agriculture, came to know that the Champa rice was drought resistant and that the green lentils of India were famous for their heavy yield and large seeds. Special envoys, bringing precious things, were dispatched with a view to securing these varieties.... When the first harvests were reaped in the autumn, the emperor called his closest ministers to taste them and compose poems for Champa rice and Indian green lentils.”

- Shu Wenying, Buddhist monk, China, eleventh century C.E.

The activities of the state described in the passage are consistent with which of the following Song dynasty policies?

🇦) Tribute exchanges with Central Asian peoples, such as the Mongols
🇧‌) Increasing state investment in economic development, such as improving the Grand Canal
🇨‌) Revival of traditional Chinese forms of learning, such as Neoconfucianism
🇩‌) State-sponsored maritime expeditions in the Indian Ocean, such as those led by Zheng He

🇧‌) Increasing state investment in economic development, such as improving the Grand Canal

“Emperor Zhengzong, being deeply concerned with agriculture, came to know that the Champa rice was drought resistant and that the green lentils of India were famous for their heavy yield and large seeds. Special envoys, bringing precious things, were dispatched with a view to securing these varieties.... When the first harvests were reaped in the autumn, the emperor called his closest ministers to taste them and compose poems for Champa rice and Indian green lentils.”

- Shu Wenying, Buddhist monk, China, eleventh century C.E.

The agricultural developments described in the passage contributed most directly to which of the following?

🇦‌. Changes in gendered forms of labor in Chinese agriculture
b. The increased export of luxury goods from China to the Indian Ocean trade network
c. The development of new forms of coerced labor in East Asia
d. Population growth and urbanization in southern China

d. Population growth and urbanization in southern China

Muslim scholars’ incorporation of cultural and intellectual influences from pre-Islamic societies can best be used as evidence that

a. European merchants had established trade outposts throughout Muslim Central Asia
b. most educated Muslims continued to speak European languages well into the fifteenth century
c. Muslim states and empires were central to the processes of intellectual transfer in Eurasia
d. Muslim scientists rejected the contributions of scientists from other cultures as heretical

c. Muslim states and empires were central to the processes of intellectual transfer in Eurasia

Muslim scientists in the period before 1450 c.e. generally participated in intellectual and scholarly exchanges with neighboring cultures by

A) learning from the superior scientific knowledge of medieval western European scientists
B) serving strictly as copyists of earlier works that otherwise would have been lost
C) expanding upon the legacy of earlier scientific works by conducting their own research
D) being the recipients of funding from foreign rulers

c) expanding upon the legacy of earlier scientific works by conducting their own research

“One of the things that struck me most in Peru was its great, splendid highways, and I wondered how many men it must have required to build them and what tools and instruments were used to level the mountains and cut through the rock to make them as broad and good as they are. It seems to me that if the king of Spain wanted to build a highway from Quito to Cuzco, I do not think that he could do it even with all of his power unless he followed the method that the Inca employed.

When an Inca king decided to build one of these highways, all he needed to do was give the command. Then, the inspectors would go through the provinces, laying out the highway’s route and assigning Indians to help build the road. In this way, the road was built in a short time from one boundary of the kingdom to the other. The Inca rulers built many of these roads and were so full of pride that when one ruler died, his heir would build his road larger and broader if he intended to set out on a conquest.”

Pedro Cieza de León, Spanish soldier and historian, Chronicles of Peru, 1553

Which of the following pieces of evidence does the author most directly use to support his argument about the king of Spain following the Inca method of highway construction?

a. The Inca rulers could acquire specialized tools to cut through mountains.
b. The Inca rulers constructed roads to help complete conquests.
c. The Inca rulers only had to command their officials to construct a highway, and it was completed quickly.
d. The Inca rulers clearly marked their kingdom with boundaries.

c. The Inca rulers only had to command their officials to construct a highway, and it was completed quickly.

“One of the things that struck me most in Peru was its great, splendid highways, and I wondered how many men it must have required to build them and what tools and instruments were used to level the mountains and cut through the rock to make them as broad and good as they are. It seems to me that if the king of Spain wanted to build a highway from Quito to Cuzco, I do not think that he could do it even with all of his power unless he followed the method that the Inca employed.

When an Inca king decided to build one of these highways, all he needed to do was give the command. Then, the inspectors would go through the provinces, laying out the highway’s route and assigning Indians to help build the road. In this way, the road was built in a short time from one boundary of the kingdom to the other. The Inca rulers built many of these roads and were so full of pride that when one ruler died, his heir would build his road larger and broader if he intended to set out on a conquest.”

Pedro Cieza de León, Spanish soldier and historian, Chronicles of Peru, 1553

Which of the following pieces of evidence does the author use to support his argument about the pride of Inca rulers in the second paragraph?

a. Inca rulers performed religious ceremonies to bless the highways and those who traveled on them.
b. Inca rulers followed the method of dynastic succession for passing political authority from one ruler to another.
c. Inca rulers typically tried to construct bigger and broader highways than their predecessors if they wanted to undertake conquests.
d. Inca rulers had officials assign men from the provinces to construct the highways.

c. Inca rulers typically tried to construct bigger and broader highways than their predecessors if they wanted to undertake conquests.

“One of the things that struck me most in Peru was its great, splendid highways, and I wondered how many men it must have required to build them and what tools and instruments were used to level the mountains and cut through the rock to make them as broad and good as they are. It seems to me that if the king of Spain wanted to build a highway from Quito to Cuzco, I do not think that he could do it even with all of his power unless he followed the method that the Inca employed.

When an Inca king decided to build one of these highways, all he needed to do was give the command. Then, the inspectors would go through the provinces, laying out the highway’s route and assigning Indians to help build the road. In this way, the road was built in a short time from one boundary of the kingdom to the other. The Inca rulers built many of these roads and were so full of pride that when one ruler died, his heir would build his road larger and broader if he intended to set out on a conquest.”

Pedro Cieza de León, Spanish soldier and historian, Chronicles of Peru, 1553

Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the author’s arguments about the quality of the highways described in the passage?

a. There were many roads throughout the kingdom.
b. They were built by men with tools.
c. Their construction was supervised by government officials.
d. They were very broad, and some extended across the entire kingdom.

d. They were very broad, and some extended across the entire kingdom.

“The East African coast was certainly known to the people of Arabia by the eighth century b.c.e. In fact, the ancient Southern Arabian state of Ausan traded extensively there and may have actually held a portion of the coast. Traders who reached the coast discovered a number of potentially valuable raw materials there. Among these were spices, tortoise shell, coconut oil, ivory, and later, gold and slaves.

It was not until almost 1000 c.e., however, that the first important commercial city-states emerged along the coast. These city-states fluctuated in wealth and prestige as they competed for coastal hegemony. Because of their way of life, they tended to have a broad regional perspective. Their destinies and fortunes were at least partly determined in distant lands by foreign merchants and rulers.

Information on early political aspects of East African states remains very limited. We know that they had kings or sultans, who wielded a good deal of power. Sultans were advised by councils of princes, elders, and members of the ruling household. It seems probable that the sultan and his close relatives controlled the religious and military offices of the state.”

Terry H. Elkiss, historian, “Kilwa Kisiwani: The Rise of an East African City-State,” article published in African Studies Review, a scholarly journal, 1973.

The example of an ancient Arabian state that traded extensively and controlled territories on the East African coast can best be used as evidence of

a. the long-term continuities in state building in coastal East Africa
b. the importance of the East African coast in the development of African national identities
c. the contributions of East Africa to the development of Eurasian religions
d. the technological and logistical challenges faced by Eurasian merchants trying to reach the East African coast

a. the long-term continuities in state building in coastal East Africa

“The East African coast was certainly known to the people of Arabia by the eighth century b.c.e. In fact, the ancient Southern Arabian state of Ausan traded extensively there and may have actually held a portion of the coast. Traders who reached the coast discovered a number of potentially valuable raw materials there. Among these were spices, tortoise shell, coconut oil, ivory, and later, gold and slaves.

It was not until almost 1000 c.e., however, that the first important commercial city-states emerged along the coast. These city-states fluctuated in wealth and prestige as they competed for coastal hegemony. Because of their way of life, they tended to have a broad regional perspective. Their destinies and fortunes were at least partly determined in distant lands by foreign merchants and rulers.

Information on early political aspects of East African states remains very limited. We know that they had kings or sultans, who wielded a good deal of power. Sultans were advised by councils of princes, elders, and members of the ruling household. It seems probable that the sultan and his close relatives controlled the religious and military offices of the state.”

Terry H. Elkiss, historian, “Kilwa Kisiwani: The Rise of an East African City-State,” article published in African Studies Review, a scholarly journal, 1973.

The interregional connections of states such as those on the East African coast can best be used as an illustration of the continued importance of which of the following?

a. Patriarchal gender norms
b. International diplomacy
c. Long-distance trade
d. Polytheistic religions

c. Long-distance trade

“The East African coast was certainly known to the people of Arabia by the eighth century b.c.e. In fact, the ancient Southern Arabian state of Ausan traded extensively there and may have actually held a portion of the coast. Traders who reached the coast discovered a number of potentially valuable raw materials there. Among these were spices, tortoise shell, coconut oil, ivory, and later, gold and slaves.

It was not until almost 1000 c.e., however, that the first important commercial city-states emerged along the coast. These city-states fluctuated in wealth and prestige as they competed for coastal hegemony. Because of their way of life, they tended to have a broad regional perspective. Their destinies and fortunes were at least partly determined in distant lands by foreign merchants and rulers.

Information on early political aspects of East African states remains very limited. We know that they had kings or sultans, who wielded a good deal of power. Sultans were advised by councils of princes, elders, and members of the ruling household. It seems probable that the sultan and his close relatives controlled the religious and military offices of the state.”

Terry H. Elkiss, historian, “Kilwa Kisiwani: The Rise of an East African City-State,” article published in African Studies Review, a scholarly journal, 1973.

The coexistence of rulers and councils of elders in African states in the period circa 1200–1450 best demonstrates

a. the influence of indigenous African political practices
b. a reflection of the hardships and uncertainties faced by Muslim seaborne traders
c. an adaptation to the climatic conditions of the East African coast
d. an attempt to imitate the feudal governments of European states and East Asian empires

a. the influence of indigenous African political
practices