Chapter 2- The Global System Around 1200 CE: Diverse Cultures and Growing Contacts

Between the eighth century and 1200 C.E., the Islamic heartlands in the Middle East and North Africa were under the direct control of the __________ caliphate.

Abbassid

Early eighth-century conquests from the western provinces of the Abbasid caliphate led to a Muslim presence in __________.

India

Which method proved to be the most effective in establishing Islam as a dominant faith in Malaya and the islands of Southeast Asia?

overland and sea-borne trade routes

Gold taken by traders across the Sahara from Ghana to the kingdoms of the Maghrib was exchanged mostly for __________.

salt

__________, which developed in India, has been mistakenly credited to Abbasid Muslims because they introduced it to the Christian West.

The Hindu numbering system

The works of Confucius __________.

influenced most aspects of human interaction in Chinese society

How was the spread of Muslim influence to the east coast of Africa and the African populations south of the Saharan Desert similar to what took place in Southeast Asia?

Muslim traders were the first individuals to introduce the Islamic culture to each region.

The complex, highly stratified societies neighboring China, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, __________.

were heavily influenced by Chinese technologies and trade goods

Camel caravan trade routes between the kingdoms of West Africa and Arab North Africa suggest that trade and human connectivity led to __________.

greater intercultural networking systems between Africa, Europe, and Asia

The written descriptions of Mali ruler Sundiata given by Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta in his famous journals demonstrate that Battuta __________.

admired Sundiata's skills as a political leader

How have cultural contributions made by West African kingdoms such as Benin shaped creativity in the modern world?

West African masks and sculptures influenced the work of modern artists.

Although a number of the scholar-gentry in China were appointed to bureaucratic governmental positions, most had to pass rigorous civil exams, and the need to master difficult Chinese writing characters essential in doing their jobs meant that they __________.

came from established, well-educated Chinese families

In its trading networks, China __________.

consistently maintained a trade surplus over its competitors

The decline of the Song dynasty in the twelfth century C.E. was mostly attributed to __________.

raids by northern nomadic people

China's conquest of Vietnam resulted from its need to _______

gain new river lands necessary for growing rice

What factor contributed most to a resurgence of Muslim rule in India at the end of the tenth century?

disunity by Indian rajas and princes in resisting renewed Muslim invasions

What term best describes the intercultural social relationships that developed in India after Islamic control over the Hindu core regions spread into other parts of the subcontinent at the end of the tenth century?

fragmentary

Political and cultural structures in the Zenj region of the East African coastline where Arab influence was most dominant demonstrated that __________.

Arab and African customs and traditions were frequently blended although both cultures retained some of their unique cultural features

How did the environment of the coastal rainforest belt in West Africa differ most from the more northerly savanna grasslands?

Lethal diseases were commonly found in the rainforest belt

In 1200 C.E., the Bantu migration in Central Africa __________.

was still occurring after nearly 2,000 years

The Byzantine Empire's greatest trading rivals were merchants from __________.

Venice

In the centuries before 1200 C.E., the first group of Europeans to reach North America were __________.

Viking sailors

Why were armored knights placed toward the top of the social hierarchy of medieval European aristocracy in 1200 C.E.?

Knights were vitally important for a society's defense system and required great expenditure to retain their military expertise and to maintain their equipment.

How did the schism of 1054 between the Orthodox church and the Latin church impact the Byzantine Empire?

Initially, the empire expanded its influence and trade networks, but the series of wars and loss of revenue accompanying this break contributed to its final decline.

Which term best describes the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan at the beginning of the fourteenth century?

metropolitan

The massive stepped pyramids in Aztec society reveal that __________.

cultural borrowing from the earlier Toltec civilization took place

Unlike Russian Slavs, Poles and Czechs __________.

had closer cultural connections to Western Europe rather than the Byzantine world

What factor was most responsible for unifying the fragmented societies of Western Europe during the medieval period?

Christianity

Most of the peasant population in Western Europe during the medieval era were classified as __________.

bonded serfs

One essential feature of the three-field system of agriculture in medieval Europe was that __________.

one field remain fallow each year to enhance the soil's fertility