Question 1

What was the greatest factor leading to the fall of the Qin dynasty?

Accepted Answer

A)  A power grab by members of the emperor's family 
B)  The rise of factionalism and growing resentment for Qin Shi Huangdi's policies 
C)  A military coup within the emperor's army 
D)  The frustration among Legalists and Daoists with the emperor's censorship program 
E)  The emperor's inability to deal with the crisis caused by the Yellow River flood 
A)  A power grab by members of the emperor's family 
B)  The rise of factionalism and growing resentment for Qin Shi Huangdi's policies 
C)  A military coup within the emperor's army 
D)  The frustration among Legalists and Daoists with the emperor's censorship program 
E)  The emperor's inability to deal with the crisis caused by the Yellow River flood B

Question 2

What was the first metal used for making tools?

Accepted Answer

A)  Iron 
B)  Copper 
C)  Tin 
D)  Bronze 
E)  Steel 
A)  Iron 
B)  Copper 
C)  Tin 
D)  Bronze 
E)  Steel B

Question 3

In what valleys did ancient Chinese civilization originate?

Accepted Answer

A)  Yellow and Yangtze rivers 
B)  Yangtze and Mekong rivers 
C)  Indus and LuMai rivers 
D)  Lo Min and Hainan rivers 
E)  Nanjing and Hunan rivers 
A)  Yellow and Yangtze rivers 
B)  Yangtze and Mekong rivers 
C)  Indus and LuMai rivers 
D)  Lo Min and Hainan rivers 
E)  Nanjing and Hunan rivers A

Question 4

The primary source of power and influence during the late Zhou era was

Accepted Answer

A)  noble birth. 
B)  profession. 
C)  wealth. 
D)  proximity to the emperor. 
E)  gender. 
A)  noble birth. 
B)  profession. 
C)  wealth. 
D)  proximity to the emperor. 
E)  gender.

Question 5

During the Shang dynasty, the Chinese

Accepted Answer

A)  made major advancements in developing stainless steel castings. 
B)  achieved esteem for their bronze casting achievements. 
C)  used a highly sophisticated written alphabet. 
D)  developed cuneiform writing. 
E)  seized power from the Qin. 
A)  made major advancements in developing stainless steel castings. 
B)  achieved esteem for their bronze casting achievements. 
C)  used a highly sophisticated written alphabet. 
D)  developed cuneiform writing. 
E)  seized power from the Qin.

Question 6

What evidence demonstrates that the Shang ruling elite believed the king was an intermediary between heaven and earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  The written records created by Shang leaders 
B)  The history written by Sima Qian 
C)  The works of Confucius 
D)  The inscriptions on oracle bones 
E)  The engravings on bronze castings 
A)  The written records created by Shang leaders 
B)  The history written by Sima Qian 
C)  The works of Confucius 
D)  The inscriptions on oracle bones 
E)  The engravings on bronze castings

Question 7

Most of the currently standing Great Wall of China - which appears in popular photos -- was

Accepted Answer

A)  built by Qin Shi Huangdi. 
B)  built fifteen hundred years after the Qin, during the Ming dynasty. 
C)  the solitary South Chinese construction project built to keep out nomadic invaders. 
D)  thirty thousand kilometers long and ten meters high. 
E)  built to keep rabbits and wild yaks from destroying crops. 
A)  built by Qin Shi Huangdi. 
B)  built fifteen hundred years after the Qin, during the Ming dynasty. 
C)  the solitary South Chinese construction project built to keep out nomadic invaders. 
D)  thirty thousand kilometers long and ten meters high. 
E)  built to keep rabbits and wild yaks from destroying crops.

Question 8

How was government organized under the Qin?

Accepted Answer

A)  Power was distributed regionally. 
B)  Power rested exclusively with the king. 
C)  Power was centralized and divided into three ministries. 
D)  Power was centralized but divided between the emperor and the military. 
E)  Power was hereditary at the administrative levels. 
A)  Power was distributed regionally. 
B)  Power rested exclusively with the king. 
C)  Power was centralized and divided into three ministries. 
D)  Power was centralized but divided between the emperor and the military. 
E)  Power was hereditary at the administrative levels.

Question 9

What was one of the major preoccupations of Chinese philosophers of the late Zhou dynasty?

Accepted Answer

A)  To determine the meaning of life 
B)  To determine the finer arts of warfare 
C)  To determine the essential quality of human nature 
D)  To determine how to centralize the empire 
E)  To understand the major tenets of the human consciousness. 
A)  To determine the meaning of life 
B)  To determine the finer arts of warfare 
C)  To determine the essential quality of human nature 
D)  To determine how to centralize the empire 
E)  To understand the major tenets of the human consciousness.

Question 10

Which dynasty created the first unified empire in China?

Accepted Answer

A)  Shang 
B)  Zhou 
C)  Qin 
D)  Han 
E)  Ming 
A)  Shang 
B)  Zhou 
C)  Qin 
D)  Han 
E)  Ming

Question 11

The legendary "three sovereigns" of prehistoric China were

Accepted Answer

A)  Fu Xi, Ling Pioa, and Shong Tui. 
B)  Shen Nong, Ling Pioa, and Shonh Tui. 
C)  Fu Xi, Shen Nong, and Huang Di. 
D)  Ling Pioa, Shong Tui, and Huang Di. 
E)  Chiang, Deng, and Sun. 
A)  Fu Xi, Ling Pioa, and Shong Tui. 
B)  Shen Nong, Ling Pioa, and Shonh Tui. 
C)  Fu Xi, Shen Nong, and Huang Di. 
D)  Ling Pioa, Shong Tui, and Huang Di. 
E)  Chiang, Deng, and Sun.

Question 12

How did China's landscape play an important role in shaping its history?

Accepted Answer

A)  Its mountains and deserts isolated the Chinese from advanced agrarian societies in other parts of Asia. 
B)  Its vast stretches of rich farmland made it easy for agricultural advancement. 
C)  Its eastern and western frontiers became the site of conflict between various Chinese peoples. 
D)  Its earliest settlements developed in mountainous regions. 
E)  Its hazardous terrain forged strong bonds between different groups who relied on each other for survival. 
A)  Its mountains and deserts isolated the Chinese from advanced agrarian societies in other parts of Asia. 
B)  Its vast stretches of rich farmland made it easy for agricultural advancement. 
C)  Its eastern and western frontiers became the site of conflict between various Chinese peoples. 
D)  Its earliest settlements developed in mountainous regions. 
E)  Its hazardous terrain forged strong bonds between different groups who relied on each other for survival.

Question 13

During the Zhou Dynasty, merchants were

Accepted Answer

A)  independent operators who were vital to the economy. 
B)  interested only in trading domestic goods. 
C)  the property of the local lord and could sometimes be bought and sold. 
D)  were originally slave owners but later freed their slaves. 
E)  the funders and sponsors of massive irrigation projects. 
A)  independent operators who were vital to the economy. 
B)  interested only in trading domestic goods. 
C)  the property of the local lord and could sometimes be bought and sold. 
D)  were originally slave owners but later freed their slaves. 
E)  the funders and sponsors of massive irrigation projects.

Question 14

Confucius' interest in philosophy was essential theological and transcendent.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

One of the most important reasons for the decline of the Zhou Dynasty was its

Accepted Answer

A)  inability to fight off incursions of nomadic attackers. 
B)  loss of the Mandate of Heaven following extensive flooding, causing famine and death. 
C)  loss of centralization due to internal rivalries. 
D)  fight against a rebellion for control of key commodities like salt. 
E)  rise of rival religious clans. 
A)  inability to fight off incursions of nomadic attackers. 
B)  loss of the Mandate of Heaven following extensive flooding, causing famine and death. 
C)  loss of centralization due to internal rivalries. 
D)  fight against a rebellion for control of key commodities like salt. 
E)  rise of rival religious clans.

Question 16

During the Shang Dynasty, who was most likely to become a slave?

Accepted Answer

A)  Corrupt rulers 
B)  Women 
C)  The poor 
D)  Criminals 
E)  Africans 
A)  Corrupt rulers 
B)  Women 
C)  The poor 
D)  Criminals 
E)  Africans

Question 17

Due to advances in agriculture, China's population during the Zhou era rose to

Accepted Answer

A)  1 million. 
B)  5 million. 
C)  10 million. 
D)  15 million. 
E)  20 million. 
A)  1 million. 
B)  5 million. 
C)  10 million. 
D)  15 million. 
E)  20 million.

Question 18

Ancient Chinese villages were organized on the basis of

Accepted Answer

A)  nuclear family units. 
B)  race. 
C)  clans. 
D)  trade. 
E)  religion. 
A)  nuclear family units. 
B)  race. 
C)  clans. 
D)  trade. 
E)  religion.

Question 19

What was a central tenet of Legalism?

Accepted Answer

A)  Human nature is essentially evil. 
B)  The universe contains a moral core. 
C)  Human nature is essentially good. 
D)  Government ruled by the best men could solve society's problems. 
E)  Officials should be trusted to carry out their duties in a fair manner. 
A)  Human nature is essentially evil. 
B)  The universe contains a moral core. 
C)  Human nature is essentially good. 
D)  Government ruled by the best men could solve society's problems. 
E)  Officials should be trusted to carry out their duties in a fair manner.

Question 20

The terra-cotta figures near the Qin First Emperor's burial mound demonstrate the

Accepted Answer

A)  use of ceramics as a sculpture medium, replacing the ivory-casting of the Shang. 
B)  huge expenditures that were devoted to afterlife preparation for the monarch. 
C)  continuation of the Shang practices of human sacrifices. 
D)  freeing of the individual soul under the influence of Daoism. 
E)  transience of human life. 
A)  use of ceramics as a sculpture medium, replacing the ivory-casting of the Shang. 
B)  huge expenditures that were devoted to afterlife preparation for the monarch. 
C)  continuation of the Shang practices of human sacrifices. 
D)  freeing of the individual soul under the influence of Daoism. 
E)  transience of human life.

Exam 3: China in Antiquity

What was the greatest factor leading to the fall of the Qin dynasty?

What was the first metal used for making tools?

In what valleys did ancient Chinese civilization originate?

The primary source of power and influence during the late Zhou era was

During the Shang dynasty, the Chinese

What evidence demonstrates that the Shang ruling elite believed the king was an intermediary between heaven and earth?

Most of the currently standing Great Wall of China - which appears in popular photos -- was

How was government organized under the Qin?

What was one of the major preoccupations of Chinese philosophers of the late Zhou dynasty?

Which dynasty created the first unified empire in China?

The legendary "three sovereigns" of prehistoric China were

How did China's landscape play an important role in shaping its history?

During the Zhou Dynasty, merchants were

Confucius' interest in philosophy was essential theological and transcendent.

One of the most important reasons for the decline of the Zhou Dynasty was its

During the Shang Dynasty, who was most likely to become a slave?

Due to advances in agriculture, China's population during the Zhou era rose to

Ancient Chinese villages were organized on the basis of

What was a central tenet of Legalism?

The terra-cotta figures near the Qin First Emperor's burial mound demonstrate the

Early Humans and the First Civilizations

Ancient India

The Civilization of the Greeks

The Roman World Empire

The Americas

Ferment in the Middle East: the Rise of Islam

Early Civilizations in Africa

The Expansion of Civilization in South and Southeast Asia

The Flowering of Traditional China

The East Asian Rimlands: Early Japan, Korea, and Vietnam

The Making of Europe

The Byzantine Empire and Crisis and Recovery in the West

New Encounters: the Creation of a World Market

Europe Transformed: Reform and State Building

The Muslim Empires

The East Asian World

The West on the Eve of a New World Order

The Beginnings of Modernization: Industrialization and Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century

The Americas and Society and Culture in the West

The High Tide of Imperialism

Shadows Over the Pacific: East Asia Under Challenge

The Beginning of the Twentieth-Century Crisis: War and Revolution

Nationalism, Revolution, and Dictatorship: Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America From 1919 to 1939

The Crisis Deepens: World War Ii

East and West in the Grip of the Cold War

Brave New World: Communism on Trial

Europe and the Western Hemisphere Since 1945

Challenges of Nation Building in Africa and the Middle East

Toward the Pacific Century

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