AP World Study guide Q&A

Describe Song China (Social, Political, Economic).

Social: Confucian hierarchy; scholar-gentry elite; patriarchal system (foot binding).

Political: Centralized bureaucracy with civil service exams; emperor at top.

Economic: Commercial Revolution; Champa rice → population boom; paper money, credit, expanded Grand Canal, booming trade, steel and porcelain exports.

How did Confucianism influence Song China's political system?

Confucian principles justified the emperor's rule and emphasized order, hierarchy, and merit.

Civil service exams based on Confucian classics created a merit-based bureaucracy.

Explain how Confucianism impacted Song China's culture and society.

Shaped social values around filial piety and hierarchy.

Reinforced patriarchy (e.g., foot binding).

Emphasized education and scholarship.

How did Buddhism arrive in China?

Via Silk Road trade routes and missionaries from India.

What were some of the cultural impacts of the arrival of Buddhism?

New art, architecture, and monasteries.

Blending with Confucianism/Daoism → Neo-Confucianism.

Sometimes seen as a threat by Confucian elites.

Explain the difference between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

Theravada: older, stricter, emphasizes monastic life and meditation.

Mahayana: more flexible, emphasizes compassion, accessible to laypeople.

Explain the effects of each of the following on Song China:

Grand Canal: expanded internal trade, unified N/S China.

Champa rice: boosted food supply, population doubled.

Steel/iron production: strengthened weapons, tools, construction.

Textiles/porcelain: luxury exports that fueled trade wealth.

Core beliefs/practices of Islam and effects on Africa and Asia.

Belief in one God (Allah), Five Pillars of Islam, Sharia law.

Spread education, law, and Arabic language; unified diverse peoples.

Boosted trade networks in Africa and Asia.

Core beliefs/practices of Judaism and effects.

Monotheism, covenant with God, Torah law.

Minority religion under Islam; tolerated as "people of the book," but taxed (jizya).

Core beliefs/practices of Christianity and effects.

Belief in salvation through Jesus; sacraments; Bible.

Minority under Islam; also tolerated but taxed. Influenced interactions in Spain and Crusades.

Describe the Abbasid Caliphate (Social, Political, Economic).

Social: cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic society, slavery existed.

Political: caliph as both religious and political leader.

Economic: Baghdad = trade hub on Silk Roads/Indian

Ocean; agriculture + paper, sugar, citrus spread.

Explain the CAUSES of expansion of Muslim rule.

Military conquest, use of Turkic slave-soldiers, political fragmentation of rivals.

Merchants and Sufi missionaries spread Islam culturally.

How and where did it expand prior to 1450?

North Africa, Spain (al-Andalus), Middle East, Persia, South Asia (Delhi Sultanate).

What were some of the effects of the rise of Islamic states?

Spread of Islam, Arabic language, and Islamic law.

Growth of trade networks, intellectual exchange, urban centers.

Describe the intellectual innovations and transfers of Muslim states.

Math: algebra, trigonometry.

Medicine: Ibn Sina's Canon of Medicine.

Literature: A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah.

Transfers: preserved Greek philosophy; House of Wisdom; Muslim-Christian knowledge sharing in Spain.

What were some of the effects of these innovations on Dar al-Islam?

Advanced medicine, navigation, and scholarship; connected Afro-Eurasian intellectual traditions.

Explain the significance of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.

Translation center; preserved Greek, Indian, Persian texts; fostered new discoveries in science, math, and medicine.

Explain how Hinduism impacted societies.

Reinforced caste system and social order.

Inspired Bhakti movement (personal devotion to deities).

Legitimized Hindu kingdoms (e.g., Vijayanagara).

Explain how Islam impacted societies.

Brought new architecture, language, and education.

Attracted low-caste Hindus and Buddhists in India.

Spread via merchants, Sufis, and Delhi Sultanate.

Explain how Buddhism impacted societies.

Buddhist monasteries supported trade and education.

Spread across SE Asia (Sri Lanka, Khmer, Srivijaya).

What role did Buddhist monasteries play?

Centers of learning, supported merchants, spread Buddhism via trade networks.

How did Southeast Asian nations maintain power?

Srivijaya: controlled and taxed trade through the Strait of Malacca.

Khmer Empire: advanced irrigation for rice agriculture; monumental architecture (Angkor Wat) to display power.

Describe the Mexica (Aztec) (Social, Political, Economic).

Social: hierarchy → emperor, nobles, warriors, priests, merchants, slaves. Human sacrifice central to religion.

Political: tribute system, expansion through military conquest.

Economic: chinampas (floating gardens), long-distance trade, marketplaces.

Describe Great Zimbabwe (Social, Political, Economic).

Social: elite rulers demonstrated power with stone architecture.

Political: centralized kingdom with king at the top.

Economic: wealth from cattle and gold trade; part of Indian Ocean network.

What caused political decentralization in Europe (1200-1450)?

Fall of Rome left fragmented states.

Reliance on feudal ties (lords/vassals/knights) for protection.

Weak monarchies, invasions (Vikings, Magyars, Muslims).

What were the effects of political decentralization?

Feudalism and manorialism dominated.

Local lords held power, not centralized monarchs.

Church gained influence as stabilizing force.

Describe the manorial system.

Self-sufficient estates with lords, serfs, farmland, and resources.

Provided economic base for feudalism.

Describe the social hierarchy of feudal Europe.

King → nobles → knights → peasants/serfs.

What was the role of serfdom?

Serfs worked the land in exchange for protection.

Bound to estates, provided coerced agricultural labor.