Question 1

Proof of women's subordinate position in Chinese society is evident in its written language, where the character for woman displays a posture of deference.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Which statement most accurately describes Confucius?

Accepted Answer

A)  He was a cousin of Siddhartha Gautama. 
B)  He was deified by the Chinese government within five years after his death. 
C)  He assumed that all humans had their own Dao. 
D)  He was a Qin emperor. 
E)  He followed a Legalist philosophy. 
A)  He was a cousin of Siddhartha Gautama. 
B)  He was deified by the Chinese government within five years after his death. 
C)  He assumed that all humans had their own Dao. 
D)  He was a Qin emperor. 
E)  He followed a Legalist philosophy.

Question 3

A primary factor that contributed to the significant role of the family in Chinese life was the

Accepted Answer

A)  female-dominated nature of ancient life. 
B)  labor-intensive demands of crop cultivation. 
C)  merit-based structure of Chinese government. 
D)  highly centralized organization of Qin government. 
E)  density of the population in the Yangtze valley. 
A)  female-dominated nature of ancient life. 
B)  labor-intensive demands of crop cultivation. 
C)  merit-based structure of Chinese government. 
D)  highly centralized organization of Qin government. 
E)  density of the population in the Yangtze valley.

Question 4

How might a peasant come to own a small plot of farmland?

Accepted Answer

A)  Through the death of a landowner who had no heirs 
B)  Through the well-field system, which allocated small plots for personal use, with the rest farmed for the lord 
C)  By purchasing it with money earned from selling excess farm products and hand-made items 
D)  By waging war on neighboring villages and seizing their land 
E)  By a lottery system run by the king 
A)  Through the death of a landowner who had no heirs 
B)  Through the well-field system, which allocated small plots for personal use, with the rest farmed for the lord 
C)  By purchasing it with money earned from selling excess farm products and hand-made items 
D)  By waging war on neighboring villages and seizing their land 
E)  By a lottery system run by the king

Question 5

The Chinese written language maintained its unique quality because of

Accepted Answer

A)  the ambiguity of its characters. 
B)  its unifying role within the society. 
C)  the isolationist nature of ancient China. 
D)  its adoption by the peoples of northern India. 
E)  its rejection by the Koreans and Japanese. 
A)  the ambiguity of its characters. 
B)  its unifying role within the society. 
C)  the isolationist nature of ancient China. 
D)  its adoption by the peoples of northern India. 
E)  its rejection by the Koreans and Japanese.

Question 6

Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor to unify China.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The Shang dynasty

Accepted Answer

A)  came to power immediately after the Han dynasty. 
B)  was the only one in ancient China to master the widespread use of steel and the printing press. 
C)  established its capitals at Lhasa and Samarkand. 
D)  was the first to employ over half of its people in various types of heavy manufacturing. 
E)  equipped its army with two-horse chariots. 
A)  came to power immediately after the Han dynasty. 
B)  was the only one in ancient China to master the widespread use of steel and the printing press. 
C)  established its capitals at Lhasa and Samarkand. 
D)  was the first to employ over half of its people in various types of heavy manufacturing. 
E)  equipped its army with two-horse chariots.

Question 8

Although not technically rejecting aristocratic rule, Confucius believed that a primary basis for granting the right to participate in government should be

Accepted Answer

A)  merit. 
B)  birth. 
C)  wealth. 
D)  force. 
E)  moral insight. 
A)  merit. 
B)  birth. 
C)  wealth. 
D)  force. 
E)  moral insight.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a reason for the weakening and collapse of the Han dynasty?

Accepted Answer

A)  Weak rulers who were dominated by court insiders. 
B)  A lack of and variety of crops for the people. 
C)  Powerful landed families who seized more control. 
D)  Conflict with the Xiongnu beyond the Great Wall. 
E)  Frivolous and depraved rules who failed to address needs of the kingdom. 
A)  Weak rulers who were dominated by court insiders. 
B)  A lack of and variety of crops for the people. 
C)  Powerful landed families who seized more control. 
D)  Conflict with the Xiongnu beyond the Great Wall. 
E)  Frivolous and depraved rules who failed to address needs of the kingdom.

Question 10

Under the Qin dynasty, the cultural hubs of China shifted from major cities to provincial towns.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which statement about the "five relationships" is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  The son was subordinate to the father. 
B)  The husband was subordinate to the wife. 
C)  The younger brother was subordinate to the elder brother. 
D)  The proper relationship must exist between friend and friend. 
E)  The people were all subject to the emperor. 
A)  The son was subordinate to the father. 
B)  The husband was subordinate to the wife. 
C)  The younger brother was subordinate to the elder brother. 
D)  The proper relationship must exist between friend and friend. 
E)  The people were all subject to the emperor.

Question 12

Chinese political philosophy justifies overthrowing a ruler if he has lost the Mandate of Heaven.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

What do historians consider a defining characteristic of Chinese civilization?

Accepted Answer

A)  The building of the Great Wall 
B)  The emergence of notable philosophies and philosophers 
C)  The challenging geography of mountains and deserts 
D)  The interaction between nomadic and agricultural peoples 
E)  The lack of a clear writing system 
A)  The building of the Great Wall 
B)  The emergence of notable philosophies and philosophers 
C)  The challenging geography of mountains and deserts 
D)  The interaction between nomadic and agricultural peoples 
E)  The lack of a clear writing system

Question 14

The idea of the Mandate of Heaven was

Accepted Answer

A)  introduced in the Bhagavad Gita. 
B)  borrowed from Tibetan nomads in the fifth century B.C.E. 
C)  introduced by the Zhou dynasty and it served to legitimize its power. 
D)  contained in the Rites of Mao. 
E)  a concept that last only a short time in Chinese history. 
A)  introduced in the Bhagavad Gita. 
B)  borrowed from Tibetan nomads in the fifth century B.C.E. 
C)  introduced by the Zhou dynasty and it served to legitimize its power. 
D)  contained in the Rites of Mao. 
E)  a concept that last only a short time in Chinese history.

Question 15

Characteristic elements of daily Chinese life were

Accepted Answer

A)  complex, mostly meat diets. 
B)  simple and sparsely furnished houses. 
C)  highly decorated modes of dress. 
D)  constant wars. 
E)  changing urban lifestyles. 
A)  complex, mostly meat diets. 
B)  simple and sparsely furnished houses. 
C)  highly decorated modes of dress. 
D)  constant wars. 
E)  changing urban lifestyles.

Question 16

Confucius thought it more important to ponder the metaphysical than worry about ordering the affairs of this world.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

In early China, it was believed that the universe was divided between two primary forces,

Accepted Answer

A)  the sun as the yang and the moon as the yin. 
B)  the sun as the yin and the moon as the yang. 
C)  the sun as the tin and the moon as the tang. 
D)  the sun as the tang and the moon as the tin. 
E)  heaven as the qing and earth as the ming. 
A)  the sun as the yang and the moon as the yin. 
B)  the sun as the yin and the moon as the yang. 
C)  the sun as the tin and the moon as the tang. 
D)  the sun as the tang and the moon as the tin. 
E)  heaven as the qing and earth as the ming.

Question 18

Han rulers embraced Legalism as their governing philosophy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

What is the evidence that the social classes were becoming increasingly differentiated during the Shang Dynasty?

Accepted Answer

A)  The various clans were ranked by wealth and status. 
B)  There was a sharp rise in the number of enslaved people. 
C)  Poorer people were unable to own their own farms and instead worked for others. 
D)  An emerging middle class became the primary landowners. 
E)  The aristocracy hired substitutes to take their place in battles. 
A)  The various clans were ranked by wealth and status. 
B)  There was a sharp rise in the number of enslaved people. 
C)  Poorer people were unable to own their own farms and instead worked for others. 
D)  An emerging middle class became the primary landowners. 
E)  The aristocracy hired substitutes to take their place in battles.

Exam 3: China in Antiquity

Proof of women's subordinate position in Chinese society is evident in its written language, where the character for woman displays a posture of deference.

Which statement most accurately describes Confucius?

A primary factor that contributed to the significant role of the family in Chinese life was the

How might a peasant come to own a small plot of farmland?

The Chinese written language maintained its unique quality because of

Qin Shi Huangdi was the first emperor to unify China.

The Shang dynasty

Although not technically rejecting aristocratic rule, Confucius believed that a primary basis for granting the right to participate in government should be

Which of the following is not a reason for the weakening and collapse of the Han dynasty?

Under the Qin dynasty, the cultural hubs of China shifted from major cities to provincial towns.

Which statement about the "five relationships" is FALSE?

Chinese political philosophy justifies overthrowing a ruler if he has lost the Mandate of Heaven.

What do historians consider a defining characteristic of Chinese civilization?

The idea of the Mandate of Heaven was

Characteristic elements of daily Chinese life were

Confucius thought it more important to ponder the metaphysical than worry about ordering the affairs of this world.

In early China, it was believed that the universe was divided between two primary forces,

Han rulers embraced Legalism as their governing philosophy.

What is the evidence that the social classes were becoming increasingly differentiated during the Shang Dynasty?

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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