AP European History : Hierarchy and Social Class

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP European History

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Example Questions

Example Question #31 : Hierarchy And Social Class

The reactionary slogan “Autocracy, orthodoxy, nationalism” is most closely associated with which of these countries in the nineteenth century?

Possible Answers:

Russia

France

Austria

Britain

Italy

Correct answer:

Russia

Explanation:

Nicholas I assumed the throne of Russia in 1825, but in order to do so, he had to first crush the Decembrist Revolt in St. Petersburg. The Decembrist Revolt occurred when a group of army officers and nobles in Russia’s capital supported the claim of Constantine, Nicholas’ younger brother, believing he would be more likely to implement social and political reforms. When Nicholas I defeated this rebellion, he instituted a reactionary policy of “Autocracy, orthodoxy, nationalism” that would reemerge at various points in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the rallying cry of the Tsarist regime. It was vehemently applied after the assassination of Alexander II in 1881.

Example Question #31 : Hierarchy And Social Class

The Congress of People’s Deputies reigned briefly in Russia following __________.

Possible Answers:

the Revolution of 1848

the end of the Second World War

the Revolution of 1917

the Revolution of 1905

the fall of the Soviet Union

Correct answer:

the fall of the Soviet Union

Explanation:

In 1989, the Congress of People’s Deputies replaced the Soviet legislature as the dominant governing body of Russia. It lasted for less than two years and served as the primary Russian government during the short-lived Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). It guided Russia, politically, during the transition from the Soviet Union to the independent Russian state.

Example Question #700 : Ap European History

What was the name given to the lowest class of people in Russia before the time of Alexander II?

Possible Answers:

Slaves

Serfs

Peasants

Untouchables

Correct answer:

Serfs

Explanation:

The Serfs were a group of people that were essentially slaves; however, they did not technically belong to any person, but were bonded to a particular plot of land, which was owned by a person. Thus giving that person the right to do whatever they wanted with the Serfs on their land.

Example Question #701 : Ap European History

What is the name for the nobility of Russia?

Possible Answers:

Boyars

Sejm

Hospodar

Kohary

Correct answer:

Boyars

Explanation:

The Boyars were the Russian noble class. They were a relatively small group that ruled over the day to day operations of the vast expanses of Russia for the Czar.

Example Question #32 : Hierarchy And Social Class

What was considered the lowest social standing in early British history (1066-1600)?

Possible Answers:

Squire

Baronet

Knight

Gentry

Serf

Correct answer:

Serf

Explanation:

Serfs were, essentially, the servant or commoner class. Often a serf would serve under a baron or lord who managed a fief (an area of land assigned to that lord by the king for management and protection). Serfs could be farmers, tradesmen, or servants to the gentry (nobility). Being a servant was the highest rank that could be achieved by a serf, unless one could conduct themselves well in battle and earn a knighthood.

Example Question #33 : Hierarchy And Social Class

Which group of British society during the Iron Age (55 BCE and onward), was considered the Briton's religious and intellectual class?

Possible Answers:

The Druids

The mages

The squires

The friars

The Celts

Correct answer:

The Druids

Explanation:

The druids were an integral part of early Briton pagan religious practice. They were both healers and in their own way, preachers. While the Druids did use stone sites like Stonehenge for their religious practices, opposed to popular belief the Druids are not responsible for Stonehenge's creation.

Example Question #34 : Hierarchy And Social Class

What social class were directly placed below kings in Anglo-Saxon culture?

Possible Answers:

Knights

Earls

Dukes

Thanes

Barons

Correct answer:

Thanes

Explanation:

Thanes, sometimes called earls, were the noble/ruling class before the establishment of one king in Britain with a house of lords underneath him. While Earls was as one of the answers it was not the correct popular name for them at the time. Thanes were only called earls in one area of early Britain, called Kent. 

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