AP World History : AP World History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #951 : Ap World History

Why were centralized empires so much less prominent in India than in China?

Possible Answers:

decentralized city-states and nomadic lifestyle

weak military and clashing religious beliefs

the caste system and lack of cultural unity

political fragmentation and cultural diversity

Correct answer:

political fragmentation and cultural diversity

Explanation:

Political fragmentation and cultural diversity made the creation of centralized empires less common in India than in China. The Indian subcontinent was politically fragmented since the fall of the Mauryan Empire in 184 BCE. That, along with a great deal of cultural diversity, made it difficult to unify India under one centralizing force. Few people in India practiced a nomadic lifestyle by the Classical era. Also, most Indians were united by the caste system and Hinduism, so clashing religious beliefs would not have been a dividing factor. 

Example Question #952 : Ap World History

The Mongolian Empire ___________.

Possible Answers:

was defeated by the Song Empire

stabilized the rule of the Abbasids

ended serfdom

increased the wealth of Moscow 

promoted religious persecution

Correct answer:

increased the wealth of Moscow 

Explanation:

Muscovites worked as tribute collectors for the Mongols, which increased their wealth and power. Mongolians killed the Abbasid caliph in 1258, defeated the Song, promoted religious tolerance, and did not end serfdom. 

Example Question #953 : Ap World History

Which Chinese figure was responsible for leading several large maritime voyages authorized by the Ming dynasty during the 15th century?

Possible Answers:

Dowager Empress Cixi

Sun Yat Sen

Shi Huangdi

Zheng He

Cao Cao

Correct answer:

Zheng He

Explanation:

Zheng He was the admiral in charge of leading several large expeditions of Ming dynasty 'treasure fleets' throughout the Indian Ocean and East Asian coasts during the 15th century.  His journeys helped to establish in the minds of many contacted peoples the might of Imperial China, while confirming for many Chinese bureaucrats the power of the Ming dynasty.

Example Question #3 : Empires, Colonialism, Imperialism, Decolonization, And Globalization 600 Ce To 1450

Because it was primarily a cavalry army, the Mongol empire was able to conquer most of Asia except for the interior of ___________.

Possible Answers:

the Arab world

Russia

China

Vietnam

Afghanistan

Correct answer:

Vietnam

Explanation:

The Mongols were unable to conquer the interior of Vietnam because the dense jungle made it nearly impossible for Mongol cavalry to operate effectively.

The Mongols were able to conquer Afghanistan by destroying the Afghan irrigation system, turning much of the once fertile country into barren wasteland and depriving the Afghan resistance of irrigation tunnels used to transport fighters and weapons.

After heavy fighting, the Mongols conquered China and proclaimed the Yuan dynasty.

The Mongols were able to conquer much of the Arab world by using ingenious siege tactics against large cities.

The Mongols were able to conquer and destroy much of modern Russia, including Moscow.

Example Question #4 : Empires, Colonialism, Imperialism, Decolonization, And Globalization 600 Ce To 1450

Viking colonization efforts westward to Britain were not as successful as those eastward to ______________.

Possible Answers:

Russia

Afghanistan

North America

Japan

China

Correct answer:

Russia

Explanation:

Viking colonization of Russia was so successful that hundreds of years later Russian royalty was still descendant from the original invaders.

The Vikings never colonized China; it was too far for them to travel, and most likely too well defended for them to successful conquer even if they'd tried.

The Vikings never reached Japan, let alone attempted to colonize it.

Unlike in Russia, Viking settlements in North America were not successful and died out relatively quickly.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country whereas the Vikings were seaborne raiders and colonists; conquering Afghanistan would have been nearly impossible for them even if they'd tried.

Example Question #5 : Empires, Colonialism, Imperialism, Decolonization, And Globalization 600 Ce To 1450

The Mongol Yuan dynasty twice attempted to invade Japan, but its navy was destroyed each time by a great typhoon called ______________.

Possible Answers:

The Trade Winds

the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg

the Kamehameha

the Kamikaze

El Nino

Correct answer:

the Kamikaze

Explanation:

The great typhoons that twice destroyed the Mongol navy were called Kamikaze by the Japanese, meaning divine winds.

Kamehameha was a Hawaiian king who successfully defended Hawaii independence from European colonial expansion; his name has become synonymous with special powers in Japanese comic books, but he had nothing to do with the failed Mongol invasions of Japan.

El Nino is an aquatic phenomenon comprised of warming Pacific Ocean temperatures that has nothing to do with the defeat of the Mongol invasion force.

The Trade Winds are a longstanding pattern of wind that the early European colonial powers, especially Spain and Portugal, used in their naval campaigns; the trade winds had nothing to do with the Mongol's defeat in Japan.

The Miracle of the House of Brandenburg had nothing to do with the Mongol invasion of Japan. The "miracle" occurred after Prussia had been defeated by a combined Austrian-Russian attack; rather than follow up their victory, the Austrians and Russians withdrew, saving Prussia for the time being.

Example Question #5 : Empires, Colonialism, Imperialism, Decolonization, And Globalization 600 Ce To 1450

The Visigoth kingdom on the Iberian peninsula (modern day Spain and Portugal) was conquered by ___________________.

Possible Answers:

the British Navy

Communists

the Americans during the Spanish-American War

Napoleon Bonaparte

a Muslim force of Arabs, Berbers, and other Africans

Correct answer:

a Muslim force of Arabs, Berbers, and other Africans

Explanation:

The Visigoth kingdom on the Iberian peninsula was conquered by a Muslim force of Arabs, Berbers, and other Africans who sailed from North Africa to Gibraltar.

Communism would not come to exist for over another thousand years, and though the Spanish civil war of the 20th century featured Communists, they eventually lost to fascist forces.

Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain during the early 19th century, over a millennia after Visigoth culture ceased to exist, and although his invasion was very bloody, it was not very successful.

The British navy did conduct operations in Spain, capturing Gibraltar, but this was in the early 18th century and against the Spanish government, not the Visigoth kingdom.

The Spanish-American war was fought at the very end of the 19th century in the Pacific and Caribbean; at no point did any of the Iberian peninsula become a battlefield.

Example Question #2 : Africa From 500 C.E. To 1500 C.E.

The fall of Mali led to the rise of __________.

Possible Answers:

The Songhai Empire

The Kush Empire

The Arabian Empire

The Algerian Kingdom

The Boer Republic

Correct answer:

The Songhai Empire

Explanation:

Mali's time as a hegemonic power in West Africa was relatively short lived and their fall from grace coincided with the rise of the Songhai Empire. The Songhai Empire was centered around its capital in Gao. The height of the Songhai Empire was the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The most famous rulers of Songhai were Askia and Sunni Ali. 

Example Question #6 : Empires, Colonialism, Imperialism, Decolonization, And Globalization 600 Ce To 1450

Which Asian warlord founded the Uyan Dynasty in China?

Possible Answers:

Qin Shi Huang

Tokugawa 

Genghis Khan

Asoka the Great 

Kublai Khan 

Correct answer:

Kublai Khan 

Explanation:

The Uyan Dynasty (also called the Yuan Dynasty) was founded by the Mongolian warlord Kublai Khan in 1271. Kublai Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan, and he inherited a large swathe of Genghis’ massive territorial conquests. Kublai Khan established his capital at Beijing and proceeded to conquer and unify the rest of (what was at the time) China.

Example Question #7 : Empires, Colonialism, Imperialism, Decolonization, And Globalization 600 Ce To 1450

The Golden Horde was a Mongolian ruling dynasty that presided over territory in modern-day ___________.

Possible Answers:

China, India, and the Middle East

Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia

China and Southeast Asia

Central Asia and the Middle East

the Middle East and Southern Europe

Correct answer:

Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia

Explanation:

The Golden Horde was a division of the mighty Mongol Empire of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. The Golden Horde, led by Batu Khan, conquered Russia and much of Central Asia and parts of Eastern Europe and administered at least some parts of these territories from the mid-thirteenth century until the late fifteenth century.

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