1. Which culture is credited with the development of
gunpowder, the abacus, and the compass?
A) Chinese
C) Indian
B) Persian
D) Japanese
2. Which geographic factor directly influenced the early
interactions between China and Korea?
A) location
C) arid climate
B) monsoons
D) tropical savannas
3. A major reason for Zheng He’s voyages during the 15th
century was to
A)
B)
C)
D)
promote trade and collect tribute
establish colonies in Africa and India
seal off China’s borders from foreign influence
prove the world was round
4. Confucianism had a strong impact on the development of
China mainly because this philosophy
A) established a basic structure for military rule
B) provided a basis for social order
C) contained the framework for a communist
government
D) stressed the importance of the individual
5. Which source of information is considered a primary
source?
A)
B)
C)
D)
travel diary of Ibn Battuta
modern novel about the Golden Age of Islam
textbook on the history of North Africa
dictionary of English words adapted from Arabic
6. A similarity between Bantu migrations in Africa and
migrations of the ancient Aryans into South Asia is that
both moved
A)
B)
C)
D)
across the Atlantic Ocean
from rural lands to urban areas
in search of additional food sources
for religious freedom
7. Which factor most influenced a person’s social position
in early Indian societies?
A)
B)
C)
D)
education
birth
geographic location
individual achievement
8. Base your answer to the following question on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.
The technology of papermaking traveled from China to Baghdad along the
A) Saharan caravan trails
C) Silk Roads
B) Trans-Siberian Railway
D) Suez Canal
9. Before the use of the Silk Road, how did geography
affect early China?
A) The mountains and deserts in western and
southwestern China slowed the exchange of ideas.
B) The northwestern region provided many fertile
areas suitable for farming.
C) The three major river systems provided barriers
against invasion.
D) The lack of deep-water ports on the eastern coast
prevented China from developing trade with other
nations.
10. Which heading best completes the partial outline
below?
I. ____________________
A. Maurya
B. Gupta
C. Delhi sultanate
A)
B)
C)
D)
Empires of India
Latin American Civilizations
Empires of the Fertile Crescent
Dynasties of China
11. Which quotation from the teachings of Confucius is
most similar to the Golden Rule from Judeo-Christian
teaching?
A) “If a ruler is upright, all will go well without
orders.”
B) “By nature, men are pretty much alike. It is
learning and practice that set them apart.”
C) “While a father or mother is alive, a son should
not travel far.”
D) “Do not do to others what you do not wish for
yourself.”
12. The terms Brahma, dharma, and moksha are most
closely associated with which religion?
A) Judaism
C) Hinduism
B) Islam
D) animism
13. Traditional Chinese values emphasized that the best
society was one in which people
A)
B)
C)
D)
received equal treatment
tried to improve their status in life
carried out their assigned tasks and duties
shared political power with the emperor
14. Believers of Hinduism are expected to
A)
B)
C)
D)
fulfill their dharma for a favorable reincarnation
complete a pilgrimage to Mecca
obey the Ten Commandments
follow the Eightfold Path to achieve
enlightenment
18. Which belief is shared by Hindus and Buddhists?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Everyone should have the same social status.
People should pray five times a day.
The soul can be reincarnated.
Material wealth is a sign of the blessing of the
gods.
15. • The Ganges River is sacred to people practicing
19. Base your answer to the following question on the
Hinduism.
diagram below and on your knowledge of social studies.
• Shinto shrines are usually located near mountains or
lakes.
• The Jordan River is a site of many Christian baptisms.
Which conclusion is most valid based on these
statements related to belief systems?
A) The Middle East was the birthplace of these belief
systems.
B) Water plays an important role in these belief
systems.
C) Pilgrimages to mountainous regions are
encouraged by these belief systems.
D) Understanding nature is a requirement of these
belief systems
Base your answers to questions 16 and 17 on the
diagram below and on your knowledge of social studies.
The diagram represents the rigid social class system of
A)
B)
C)
D)
colonial Latin America
traditional India
feudal Japan
dynastic China
20. In traditional India, the caste system and the Hindu
beliefs in karma and dharma most directly resulted in
A) the establishment of a set of rules for each
individual in the society
B) the rapid industrialization of the economy
C) a strong emphasis on the acquisition of wealth
D) a strong belief in the importance of education
16. Which religion or belief system is most closely
associated with the social class system illustrated in the
diagram?
A) Hinduism
C) Catholicism
B) Daoism
D) animism
17. Which concept is illustrated in the diagram?
A) manorialism
C) caste
B) apartheid
D) encomienda
21. Which statement was true of the caste system in
traditional India?
A) Members of different castes often intermarried.
B) Caste membership determined a person's
occupation.
C) The highest caste was composed of untouchables.
D) The caste system had little effect on daily village
life.
22. The caste system influenced traditional rural Indian
society by
A)
B)
C)
D)
limiting social and economic progress
promoting political instability
reducing the power of landowners
contributing to greater social mobility
23. Which statement about the caste system in present-day
India is most accurate?
A) Most villages are still inhabited by only one
specific caste.
B) Although discrimination based on caste is illegal,
caste remains an important factor in Indian
society.
C) The caste system is much stronger in India's urban
areas than it is in rural areas.
D) The caste system remains an important part of the
Muslim religion.
24. In India, the people have resisted changing their
attitudes toward the caste system because
A) national Muslim leaders have supported the caste
system
B) the government is unwilling to end the caste
system
C) continued religious conflict prevents changes in
the caste system
D) the Hindu beliefs of karma and dharma reinforce
the caste system
25. "Your words are wise, Arjuna, but your sorrow is for
nothing. The truly wise mourn neither for the living nor
for the dead. There never was a time when I did not
exist, nor you, nor any of these kings. Nor is there any
future in which we shall cease to be ...."
This passage best reflects a belief in
A) ancestor worship
C) reincarnation
B) the Eightfold Path
D) nirvana
26. Which religion includes the Four Noble Truths, the
Eightfold Path, and nirvana?
A) Buddhism
C) Judaism
B) Hinduism
D) Christianity
27. Base your answer to the following question on on the
passage below.
. . . He who, being of weak faculties [abilities],
develops the wisdom of the first path with a dull insight
is reborn seven times at most; after seven rebirths in
states of bliss he will make an end of misery: he who
develops it with medium faculties and insight is a
roamer; after two or three rebirths he will make an end
of misery: he who develops it with keen faculties and
insight takes root but once, only one human birth will
he pass through and make an end of misery. . . .
— Charles W. Eliot, ed., Sacred Writings, Vol II, P.F.
Collier Son, 1910
Which belief system is described in this passage?
A) Buddhism
C) Islam
B) Christianity
D) Confucianism
28. Which belief is most closely associated with the
teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)?
A)
B)
C)
D)
People are born into a specific caste.
Believers must follow the Ten Commandments.
Followers must fast during Ramadan.
People can overcome their desires by following
the Eight-Fold Path.
29. Base your answer to the following question on the image below.
The diagram illustrates the key concepts of which religion?
A) Islam
B) Christianity
C) Hinduism
30. Which values are most closely associated with the
fundamental principles of Buddhism?
A) competition and financial success
B) maintaining the caste system and providing
education for all people
C) practicing nonviolence and giving up worldly
desires
D) self-determination and democracy
D) Buddhism
Base your answers to questions 31 and 32 on the
speakers' statements below and on your knowledge of
social studies.
Speaker A: "The eightfold noble path and four noble
truths as expressed by Siddhartha Gautama are the
foundations of our faith."
Speaker B: "There is one God and his name is Allah and
his truth has been revealed to us through his prophet
Mohammed."
Speaker C: "The Ten Commandments and the teachings
of the Gospels guide us in our quest for a fulfilling
spiritual life."
Speaker D: "To achieve union with atman, we must
pass through many births and acquire good karma by
being obedient to moral laws and societal regulations."
31. Which speaker expresses a belief in reincarnation?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
32. Which speaker is most likely a Buddhist?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
33. Base your answer to the following question on the
35. Base your answer to the following question on the
diagram below and on your knowledge of social studies.
illustrations below and on your knowledge of social
studies.
Which Chinese philosophy best completes this graphic
organizer?
A) Maoism
C) legalism
B) Daoism
D) Confucianism
34. Which belief is most closely associated with the
philosophy of Confucianism?
A) nirvana
C) prayer
B) reincarnation
D) filial piety
The illustration shows the relationship between
individuals in a society according to the ideas of
A)
B)
C)
D)
Confucius
Moses
Mohammad
Siddhartha Gautama
36. The five relationships taught by Confucius encouraged
people to
A)
B)
C)
D)
improve their position in life
maintain social and political order
respect and worship nature
serve the needs of religious leaders
37. In China, Confucianism emphasized the idea that
A) equality should exist between all members of
society
B) salvation could be attained by prayer, meditation,
and good deeds
C) individual goals should be placed ahead of the
needs of the group
D) harmony could be achieved by the proper behavior
of each member of a family or society
38. According to Confucius, which factor linked the three
groups represented by the chain shown in the
illustration below?
A)
B)
C)
D)
the need for education
legalistic principles
the Four Noble Truths
filial piety
39. The philosophy of Confucius stresses the importance of
A) respect for authority B) religious beliefs
C) a classless society D) owning land