Question 1

What are the origins of the Shiite and Sunni sects?

Accepted Answer

The schism occurred originally in 661 with the murder of Ali,the fourth caliphate and son-in-law/cousin of Mohammad.Prior to this,the first three caliphs had been two of Mohammad's fathers-in-law (Abu Bakr and Umar,respected elders of the Quraysh tribe)and Uthman.There was dissent over whether Ali or an elder member of the tribe should take over.Although Ali was elected in 656,this caused civil war between those who felt confident that Ali should rule (Shiites)and those of the Quraysh tribe (Sunnis).Because the political and religious leader were one and the same,and this schism came at a time when the Islamic people were seeking new areas for conquest,these sides sought military conquest of each other and other territories in order to build an empire.Ultimately,the Ummayad dynasty (or caliphate)became predominant,moved the capital to Damascus,and became wealthy from trade.

Question 2

What measures did Heraclius take to restore the strength of the Byzantine Empire?

Accepted Answer

Heraclius took ruthless measures to reinforce the empire against myriad enemies.He seized church property and melted down their metal furnishings to provide precious metals for coinage to sustain a war effort.He bribed the Avars to avoid a potential alliance with the Persians.He made huge and expensive efforts to restore control of Jerusalem to the empire,although this would not last long because he had yet to contend with the Islamic forces of the Near East.

Question 3

Why was the issue of icons such a dramatic confrontation in the Byzantine Empire?

Accepted Answer

Emperor Leo III began to ruminate on whether the use of icons in religious worship constituted a violation of the Commandment regarding "no graven images." This stirred an argument within Christianity about the appropriateness of using images and whether or not the coming of Christ had removed the Old Testament prohibition.Adherents argued that it was not worship of the objects themselves,but merely a representation of the divine in order to feel a spiritual closeness to God,Jesus or the Virgin Mary.At the Council of Constantinople in 754,Leo III banned all icons except for the Cross.The Western Church centered in Rome even weighed in,arguing that the position taken by Leo and other "iconoclasts" was heretical.Finally,with the ascent of Irene in 775,as regent for her son,Constantine VI,the iconoclastic conflict came to an end when she reinstated the use of icons.

Question 4

Which was the most costly of Justinian's economic expenses?

Accepted Answer

A)  retaking Italy 
B)  building fortifications to fend off the Slavs 
C)  maintaining armies against Persia 
D)  building the Hagia Sophia cathedral 
E)  None of these 
A)  retaking Italy 
B)  building fortifications to fend off the Slavs 
C)  maintaining armies against Persia 
D)  building the Hagia Sophia cathedral 
E)  None of these

Question 5

After Justinian's death,the territory of Italy was reconquered by the

Accepted Answer

A)  Ostrogoths. 
B)  Vandals. 
C)  Lombards. 
D)  Dacians. 
E)  Seljuks. 
A)  Ostrogoths. 
B)  Vandals. 
C)  Lombards. 
D)  Dacians. 
E)  Seljuks.

Question 6

Heraclius used all of the following ways to fortify his borders except

Accepted Answer

A)  He confiscated church furnishings to pay his military. 
B)  He overhauled the tax system to increase revenues. 
C)  He bribed the Avars to ceasefire in order to push back the Persians. 
D)  He charged a fee to see the relic of the True Cross. 
E)  He inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Persians. 
A)  He confiscated church furnishings to pay his military. 
B)  He overhauled the tax system to increase revenues. 
C)  He bribed the Avars to ceasefire in order to push back the Persians. 
D)  He charged a fee to see the relic of the True Cross. 
E)  He inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Persians.

Question 7

What were Muhammad's recitations called?

Accepted Answer

A)  visions 
B)  sura 
C)  Quran 
D)  zakat 
E)  hadj 
A)  visions 
B)  sura 
C)  Quran 
D)  zakat 
E)  hadj

Question 8

The Cyrillic alphabet is derived from Greek.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

What evidence can you point to for a decline in the middle Byzantine period?

Accepted Answer

There was significant loss of geographic

Question 10

In enforcing his religious authority Justinian forbade the study of what?

Accepted Answer

A)  Arianism. 
B)  the Old Testament. 
C)  Pre-Christian philosophy. 
D)  Socratic rhetoric. 
E)  Roman historical treatises. 
A)  Arianism. 
B)  the Old Testament. 
C)  Pre-Christian philosophy. 
D)  Socratic rhetoric. 
E)  Roman historical treatises.

Question 11

The purpose of the Five Pillars of Islam was to

Accepted Answer

A)  provide a set of absolute law like Moses did. 
B)  provide unity of purpose and action among all Muslims. 
C)  be symbolic representations of the five golden rules mandated by Mohammad. 
D)  establish who the five principal leaders of the religion were after Mohammad's death. 
E)  None of these. 
A)  provide a set of absolute law like Moses did. 
B)  provide unity of purpose and action among all Muslims. 
C)  be symbolic representations of the five golden rules mandated by Mohammad. 
D)  establish who the five principal leaders of the religion were after Mohammad's death. 
E)  None of these.

Question 12

What is the only action necessary to convert to Islam?

Accepted Answer

A)  reciting "admission" three times in the presence of qualified witnesses 
B)  fasting during Ramadan 
C)  making a profession of faith at the Kaaba 
D)  being baptized 
E)  declaring an oath of worship in a mosque 
A)  reciting "admission" three times in the presence of qualified witnesses 
B)  fasting during Ramadan 
C)  making a profession of faith at the Kaaba 
D)  being baptized 
E)  declaring an oath of worship in a mosque

Question 13

What limitations or opportunities did Islam provide for women in this time period?

Accepted Answer

Women in Arabic civilization occupied a

Question 14

A worthy life in the Muslim faith is obtained through

Accepted Answer

A)  submission to the will of God. 
B)  adherence to the Five Pillars. 
C)  rejecting all other faiths. 
D)  following the Ten Commandments. 
E)  being a good person. 
A)  submission to the will of God. 
B)  adherence to the Five Pillars. 
C)  rejecting all other faiths. 
D)  following the Ten Commandments. 
E)  being a good person.

Question 15

The first place that Justinian successfully conquered in his attempt to rebuild the empire was

Accepted Answer

A)  Crimea. 
B)  North Africa. 
C)  Italy. 
D)  the Balkans. 
E)  Jerusalem. 
A)  Crimea. 
B)  North Africa. 
C)  Italy. 
D)  the Balkans. 
E)  Jerusalem.

Question 16

Which policies had undermined Byzantine authority in the Near East and made Muslim rule preferable?

Accepted Answer

A)  mandatory enlistment in the military 
B)  high taxation and harsh treatment 
C)  requiring all conquered territory to speak only Greek 
D)  imposition of Christianity 
E)  monopolies on trade contracts 
A)  mandatory enlistment in the military 
B)  high taxation and harsh treatment 
C)  requiring all conquered territory to speak only Greek 
D)  imposition of Christianity 
E)  monopolies on trade contracts

Question 17

Emperor Heraclius never fully reclaimed lands lost to the Persians.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

One of the triumphs of Justinian's rule was the construction of what?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Hippodrome 
B)  the Porphyrian Palace 
C)  the city bazaars 
D)  Hagia Sophia 
E)  the Golden Horn 
A)  the Hippodrome 
B)  the Porphyrian Palace 
C)  the city bazaars 
D)  Hagia Sophia 
E)  the Golden Horn

Question 19

In the seventh century,the Byzantine Empire lost territory to all of the following invading forces except the

Accepted Answer

A)  Persians. 
B)  Slavs. 
C)  Turks. 
D)  Avars. 
E)  The Byzantine Empire lost territory to all of these. 
A)  Persians. 
B)  Slavs. 
C)  Turks. 
D)  Avars. 
E)  The Byzantine Empire lost territory to all of these.

Question 20

Mohammad's journey from Mecca to Medina in 622 is known as the

Accepted Answer

A)  Hajj. 
B)  Hejira. 
C)  Zakat. 
D)  Ramadan. 
E)  Kabaa. 
A)  Hajj. 
B)  Hejira. 
C)  Zakat. 
D)  Ramadan. 
E)  Kabaa.

Exam 8: The Eastern Mediterranean,500-1000

What are the origins of the Shiite and Sunni sects?

What measures did Heraclius take to restore the strength of the Byzantine Empire?

Why was the issue of icons such a dramatic confrontation in the Byzantine Empire?

Which was the most costly of Justinian's economic expenses?

After Justinian's death,the territory of Italy was reconquered by the

Heraclius used all of the following ways to fortify his borders except

What were Muhammad's recitations called?

The Cyrillic alphabet is derived from Greek.

What evidence can you point to for a decline in the middle Byzantine period?

In enforcing his religious authority Justinian forbade the study of what?

The purpose of the Five Pillars of Islam was to

What is the only action necessary to convert to Islam?

What limitations or opportunities did Islam provide for women in this time period?

A worthy life in the Muslim faith is obtained through

The first place that Justinian successfully conquered in his attempt to rebuild the empire was

Which policies had undermined Byzantine authority in the Near East and made Muslim rule preferable?

Emperor Heraclius never fully reclaimed lands lost to the Persians.

One of the triumphs of Justinian's rule was the construction of what?

In the seventh century,the Byzantine Empire lost territory to all of the following invading forces except the

Mohammad's journey from Mecca to Medina in 622 is known as the

The Origins of Western Civilization in the Ancient Near East,3000-1200 B.C.E.

Iron Age Civilizations,1200-500 B.C.E.

The Rise of Greek Civilization,1100-387 B.C.E.

From Polis To Cosmopolis: The Hellenistic World,387-30 B.C.E.

The Rise of Rome,753-27 B.C.E.

The Roman Empire,27 B.C.E.-284 C.E.

Late Antiquity,284-527

The Kingdoms of Western Europe,500-1000

The High Middle Ages,1000-1300

Reversals and Disasters,1300-1450

The Renaissance in Italy and Northern Europe,1350-1550

Europe’s Age of Expansion, 1450–1550

Reform in the Western Church,1490-1570

A Century of Crisis,1550-1650

State-Building and the European State System,1648-1789

The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment,1550-1790

Trade and Empire,1700-1800

Revolutionary France and Napoleonic Europe,1775-1815

Restoration and Reform: Conservative and Liberal Europe,1814-1847

Industrialization and Society,1800-1850

The Triumph of the Nation-State,1848-1900

The Culture of Industrial Europe,1850-1914

The Age of Imperialism,1870-1914

War and Revolution,1900-1918

A Decade of Revolutionary Experiments,1918-1929

Democracy Under Siege,1929-1945

Europe Divided,1945-1968

Lifting the Iron Curtain,1969-1991

Europe in a Globalizing World,1991 to the Present

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