Part I: The Renaissance

1. What is the most direct translation of the word Renaissance?a. rebirthb. resurgencec. reawakening

Use the map, “Crusades to the Holy Land, 1095-1291” answer question # 2

2. How did the Crusades to the Holy Land contribute to the Renaissance?

a. Europeans became more aware of other cultures and exposing them to new ideas and knowledge.

b. The Crusades enabled the establishment of trade routes between Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Holy Land.

c. The Crusades enabled Europeans to secure disputed areas which would allow thousands of Christian pilgrims to visit the holy sites.

Read the following debate between a Franciscan friar [William] and a Buddhist priest in the year 1254 in the Mongol capital of Karakorum to help you answer question #3.

“It is fools who say that there is only one God,” declared the wily Buddhist. “Are there not many great rulers on earth?...There are ten Gods in Heaven and none is all powerful.” “So then,” replied William, “not one of your Gods is capable of rescuing you, in so much if you encounter a predicament [problem] …the God has no power over, hewill be unable to help.” Alas, the three Mongol judges who scored the debate declared the Buddhist priest victor.

(“The Great Mortality” by John Kelly)

3. How might this exchange of beliefs between William and the Buddhist priest impact trade among future European merchants.

a. European merchants would be allowed to travel to Mongolia because the Buddhist priest was judged winner of the debate.

b. European merchants could expect a welcoming attitude among the Mongolians because of their religious tolerance.

c. European merchants traveling to Mongolia should be knowledgeable of Buddhism because the Mongolians did not believe in Christianity.

Read the following passage to help you answer question #4

In the fifty years after the Black Death, the medieval world’s traditional economic winners and losers exchanged places. The new losers, the landed gentry, began to see their wealth shredded by the scissors of low food prices and higher labour costs; the new winners, the people at the bottom, saw their one marketable asset-labour-increase dramatically and with it their standard of living rise.

(“The Great Mortality” by John Kelly)

4. According to the passage, how did the Black Death change the social and economic status of Europeans?

a. Serfdom began to disappear entirely

b. The landed gentry lost much of their wealth but maintained their social status.

c. Feudalism gave way to a new social and economic order

5. How did increased trade lead to the emergence of powerful city-states ( ie., Florence,Venice,Genoa)?

a. increased availability of goods provided business opportunities

b. increased contact with other societies and cultures introduced new ideas and knowledge

c. growing merchant class, industry, and banking established prosperous and powerful communities.

Examine the map below to help you answer question #6.

6. How did the physical geography of Italy impact where city- states were established?

a. Rivers provided transportation.

b. Mountain ranges formed barriers to trade.

c. Coastal regions provided easy access to other ports.

7. The Renaissance period is one that may be understood as

A. an era of knowledge and change

B. an era of cultural rebirth

C. a French period of change

D. both A and B

8. Many empires had an influence in moving Europe from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance period, however, the empires which had the most impact was the

A. Asian empire

B. Mayan empire

C. South African empire

D. Mali empire

9. The Silk Road refers to

A. adventure

B. travel and trade in the Middle East

C. a road royalty built

D. the joining of countries

10. The Silk Road brought cultures together and helped transfer many things to people. One of the most important contributions to other nations were

A. spices and medicines

B. goods and materials

C. languages and religions

D. ideas and inventions

11. In the late Middle Ages crusades were organized with the main purpose of

A. abolishing Christians

B. returning land to Muslim people

C. controlling the Holy Land

D. collecting money for the church

12. The feudal system of government was

A. a hierarchical class structure

B. a system that sold land to peasants

C. controlled by the citizens

D. democratic in nature

13. Cities in Europe began to grow and become more powerful by the middle of the 14th century. The major factor that led to this growth was

A. the sharing of ideas

B. the Crusades

C. business development

D. increased trading

14. All except one of the factors below contributed to the Islamic Empire becoming the centre of learning during the Middle Ages. The Islamic Empire

A. was located at the crossroad of the trading routes

B. had a powerful army

C. promoted scholarship and inquiry

D. developed science and medicine

15. The Italian Renaissance spread to northern Europe in all but one of the following ways. Which was not a way in which the Renaissance spread?

A. Scientists began to use scientific observation and apply their findings to everyday life.

B. Feudalism was more entrenched in the lands beyond Italy to support an agricultural society.

C. Writers and philosophers expressed ideas that showed changing worldviews.

16. Life began to improve during the Renaissance in which of the following ways?

A. Many areas of Europe remained under the care and influence of the Roman Catholic Church and maintained the status quo.

B. People’s attitudes towards the world around them were changing and they began to ask questions and look for answers.

C. Resources were used for military purposes, survival, and expansion.

18. What was the ‘exchange’ that was a key part of the Renaissance spreading throughout Europe.?

A. ideas

B. people

C. goods

19. Which of the following is not a belief or value of humanism?

A. life on Earth

B. contact with other cultures

C. preparing for the afterlife

20. What would be the most effective method for expanding the Renaissance?

A. The invention of the printing press.

B. A common language used throughout Europe.

C. Peace treaties between nations.

Part II: Japan Between 1600 – 1900

21. This social class lived outside the rules but met some of the needs of the Japanese society.

A. eta or outcasts

B. merchants

C. hinin or non-humans

22. How did the role of the Samurai change during the Edo period?

A. They helped in the design and constructions of Edo.

B. They became educators and instructors in the martial arts.

C. They became civil administrators.

23. During Japan’s Isolation period, what was the main factor in the growth of cities?

A. The construction of quality roads.

B. A huge increase in population.

C. Accommodating the movement of people to Edo and other castle towns.

Examine the map below to help you answer question 24 and 25:

24. How did Japan’s topography impact on its feudal past?

A. Access to the sea enabled the daimyo to travel easily from region to region.

B. Mountains provided natural barriers that divided the country into many separate areas.

C. Higher elevations helped daimyo build stronger defenses.

25. How did geography impact Japan’s worldviews?

A. Japan’s isolation contributed to its unique culture.

B. Japan was easily accessible by other nations wishing to trade.

C. Japan’s location on the ‘Ring of Fire’ forced the Japanese to contend with natural disasters.

26. What was Magellan able to accomplish before anyone else?

A. He established a trade partnership between Spain and the islands of the Philippines?

B. He made the coast of South America

C. He was the first to circumnavigate the globe.

27. How would the World View if Indigenous people be affected by Europeans and the Age of Exploration?

A. Other people in the world were cruel and dangerous.

B. Trade and working opportunities were available in other lands.

C. Other religions were superior to their own primitive beliefs.

28. Spain, Portugal and England were far from the riches of Asia and North America. How did these nations attempt to overcome this obstacle?

A. Access to resources such as gold and spices were used to create powerful nation states.

B. Establishing and maintaining trade routes.

C. A strong military which allowed the countries to conquer weak nations.

29. Spain and Portugal were very powerful during the Age of Exploration where they shipped gold and silver from the Americas back to their homelands. How did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain go about to solve their lack of gold and silver?

A. Colonizing the Americas to search for gold.

B. Pirating other countries ships and trade routes.

C. All of the above.

30. What did the Aztec people believe that Huitzilopochtli, their patron god, would do for them?

A. He would suggest taking over societies to become most powerful

B. He would tell them when to move to a new place, leaving behind everything.

C. He would lead them to a land of destiny, where they would flourish as a society.

31. In both the Spanish and Aztec societies who provided the labour to keep the economy of their empires flourishing?

A. merchants

B. commoners

C. slaves

32. The economy established in New Spain after the conquest of the Aztecs had the primary purpose of

A. creating wealth by starting a wide variety of industries.

B. using the labour of Indigenous people to enrich the conquerors.

C. enriching the leaders of the Aztec community at the expense of the common people.

33. The demolition of the Aztec calender stones and temples by the Spanish was a deliberate attempt to:

A. remove all traces of Aztec religion

B. control every aspect of the Aztec community

C. eliminate political leadership of the Aztec society

34. What beliefs of the Aztecs led to their war-like nature?

A. The Aztecs believed that the gods required human sacrifice, and with out it the world would end.

B. The Aztecs killed for fun

C. The Aztecs had nothing better to do.

35. In what way did the geography of the Aztec land influence the Aztec farmers?

A. used slash/burn techniques to create fertile ground.

B. developed chinampa agriculture because of the swampy terrain

C. grew grain on the flat prairies.

36. Commodore Perry used a tactic called 'Gunboat Diplomacy' in dealing with the Japanese. What would happen if Japan responded back to Perry in the same way?

A. Japan would show the Americans that they were a strong and powerful nation to be treated fairly.

B. Japan would be in a war that they could not win due to their military inequalities.

C. Japan would be victorious and could do what they wanted.

37. During the time of civil unrest during Commodore Perry's Expedition what solution arose in dealing with Japan's political future?

A. The Shogun and Emperor worked together to unite Japan as a strong nation.

B. The government would become more militaristic in oder to deal with other nations.

C. The Emperor was reinstated as the head of the country replacing the Bakufu and the Shogun.

38. In order to compete with Western ideas, politics and technology, how did the new government organize itself?

A. The Bakufu and Emperor created city states, which brought the Japanese people together as a nation.

B. The Emperor formed an Oligarchy, which ruled the country.

C. The Shogun gave more responsibility to the Daimyo who ran the regions more efficiently.

39. What was the nature of the problem that the Samurai encountered as Japan began to modernize?

A. The samurai were given employment and were treated as strong warriors and leaders by the people of Japan.

B. The samurai were viewed as weak after Japan encountered the new technology from other countries.

C. The samurai had to change their lifestyles from being protectors to businessmen.

40. What was the major factor that led the Japanese to open the doors to the west?

A. need to compete with the west and ensure the Japanese character

B. signing of the treaty of Kanasawa with Commodore Perry.

C. need to protect Japanese Sovereignty.

41. What was the major reason for the development of the Charter of Oath by Emperor Meiji?

A. ensure the loyalty of all Japanese citizens

B. show the nation that he was serious about his new rule.

C. show confidence in all areas of the new government.

42. How did the worldview of Japan change during the Meiji period?

A. Japan viewed the rest of the world as a threat and became more militaristic and secluded.

B. Japan realized it had to modernize or it would be assimilated into one of the Western cultures.

C. Japan realized that it was a backward society and completely altered its culture and beliefs.

43. What was the symbol that was used to help develop nationalistic feelings in the people of Japan during the Meiji era?

A. samurai

B. emperor

C. the military uniform

44. Many changes occurred in Japan from the Edo period to the Meiji period. Which of the following is one area in which very little changed?

A. culture

B. social system

C. education

45. Although Japan had begun to make economic changes, what did the leaders believe they needed to increase more?

A. industrializing the nation.

B. adaptability

C. democratic process

46. How was the worldview of the Japanese altered by the creation of a national military during its rebuilding stage?

A. The Japanese became discouraged of the backwardness of their people as compared to the Americans and the Europeans.

B. Culture and tradition was lost in Japan and the people looked towards the American way of life.

C. Class barriers were broken down and a new sense of nationalism and loyalty grew.

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