AP World History : AP World History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #19 : Empires, Colonialism, Imperialism, Decolonization, And Globalization 600 Ce To 1450

The Mongol warlord Timur ruled over __________.

Possible Answers:

the Jagatai Khanate

the Golden Horde

the Delhi Sultanate

the Ilkhan Empire

Champa

Correct answer:

the Jagatai Khanate

Explanation:

The Mongol warlord Timur reigned over the Jagatai Khanate from 1370 to 1405. During this time he led a series of military conquests against Persia, Russia, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Notably he sacked the city of Delhi and led to the weakening of the Delhi Sultanate. Timur could probably be considered to be the last of the great Mongol warlords.

Example Question #254 : Political History

Which of these statements about the Inca is inaccurate?

Possible Answers:

Their society was extremely stratified and hierarchical.

They developed the only pre-Columbian system of writing in South America.

They constructed an elaborate road network stretching thousands of miles.

They practiced terrace farming.

None of these statements are inaccurate.

Correct answer:

They developed the only pre-Columbian system of writing in South America.

Explanation:

The Inca ruled over a vast swathe of land on the Pacific coast of South America before the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. The Inca practiced terrace farming and constructed an elaborate road network stretching for thousands of miles along the coast and through the Andean foothills. They are also well-known for their extremely stratified and hierarchical society. However, they did not possess a system of writing. Instead they employed the knot-tying system known as quipu.

Example Question #255 : Political History

Which of these statements about the downfall of the Mayan civilization is most accurate?

Possible Answers:

The downfall of the Mayan civilization was caused by widespread drought and famine

The downfall of the Mayan civilization was caused by an invasion of tribes from North America

The downfall of the Mayan civilization was precipitated by a series of ineffective rulers and a prolonged period of economic stagnation

The exact cause of the downfall of the Mayan civilization is not known

The downfall of the Mayan civilization occurred after the arrival of the Spanish

Correct answer:

The exact cause of the downfall of the Mayan civilization is not known

Explanation:

The Mayan civilization emerged in Mesoamerica during the classical period of American history. They are renowned for their art and architecture and their mastery, for the time period, of astronomy and the motion of celestial objects. The decline of the Mayan civilization began in the ninth century C.E., but it is not known what exactly caused the downfall. The Mayan people continued to live in small communities until eventually eradicated or assimilated during the Spanish conquest of Latin America.

Example Question #971 : Ap World History

Which of these Chinese dynasties ruled over the largest stretch of land?

Possible Answers:

Han

Tang

Sui

Song

Qin

Correct answer:

Tang

Explanation:

The Tang dynasty, which ruled from 618 - 906 CE, was the most powerful Chinese dynasty of the classical period. The Tang ruled over the largest stretch of the land of all these dynasties; including parts of Central Asia, Tibet, Manchuria, and southeast Asia.

Example Question #972 : Ap World History

Kublai Khan ruled over all of the following except __________.

Possible Answers:

China

Samarkand

the Mongol homeland

Korea

parts of southeast Asia

Correct answer:

Samarkand

Explanation:

After the division of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan ruled over the largest stretch of territory. He controlled Karakorum and the Mongol homeland, the entirety of China and Korea, parts of southeast Asia, Tibet, and parts of Central Asia.

Example Question #973 : Ap World History

The Mamluk Sultanate was founded in __________.

Possible Answers:

Arabia

Egypt

Iran

Spain

Morocco

Correct answer:

Egypt

Explanation:

The Mamluk Sultanate was founded in Egypt in the thirteenth century. It began with the overthrow of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Mamluks ruled over most of Egypt and the Levant for a few centuries before being conquered by the growing Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century.

Example Question #974 : Ap World History

An invasion of northern India by __________ in the fourteenth century contributed to the decline of the Delhi Sultanate.

Possible Answers:

Genghis Khan

Mahmud of Ghazni

Timur

Kublai Khan

Atilla the Hun

Correct answer:

Timur

Explanation:

In 1398, the Central Asian Mongol-Turkic warlord Timur invaded the Delhi Sultanate and sacked the city of Delhi. This contributed greatly to the weakening of the Delhi Sultanate, which would never again rule with the same authority. The Sultanate would come to an end in the early sixteenth century when it was conquered by the Mughals.

Example Question #975 : Ap World History

Which of these statements about the Toltecs is inaccurate?

Possible Answers:

They were contemporaries of the Aztecs.

They thrived in pre-Columbian America.

They were a peaceful trading society.

They were not contemporaries of the Olmecs.

They emerged in modern-day Mexico.

Correct answer:

They were a peaceful trading society.

Explanation:

The Toltec civilization emerged in pre-Columbian Mexico in the 800s CE. They were a warrior society and grew wealthy and powerful on the back of military conquest. They were not contemporaries of the Olmecs (who preceded them by more than a thousand years), but they were contemporaries of the Aztecs.

Example Question #976 : Ap World History

Osman I founded __________.

Possible Answers:

the Mamluk Sultanate

the Sassanid Empire

the Ottoman Empire

the Abbasid Caliphate

the Umayyad Caliphate

Correct answer:

the Ottoman Empire

Explanation:

Osman I founded the Ottoman Empire at the very end of the thirteenth century and, although it was only a minor emirate during his lifetime, it soon grew to control most of the Middle East and a large portion of southeastern Europe.

Example Question #262 : Political History

Which of these statements about the Mongols is inaccurate?

Possible Answers:

They fought on horseback.

Their territory was divided into two great empires.

They adopted a legal code based on Chinese law.

They adopted a written language based on the language of the Turkic people of Central Asia.

None of these statements are inaccurate.

Correct answer:

Their territory was divided into two great empires.

Explanation:

All of these statements are correct except that the Mongol territory was divided into two great empires. It was, in fact, divided into four great empires — the Empire of Kublai Khan, which ruled over China and the Mongol homeland; the Jagatai Empire, which ruled over Samarkand and Central Asia; the Golden Horde, which ruled over Russia and parts of Eastern Europe; and the Ilkhan Empire, which ruled over parts of the Middle East and Persia.

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