AP World History : Political History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #441 : Political History

Which of the following was not a factor in the fall of the Qing dynasty? 

Possible Answers:

A rise in Christianity among Chinese peasants

Increasing anger against Imperial powers

A surge in Nationalism after the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War

Uprisings such as the Taiping Rebellion and the Boxer Rebellion

The death of Empress Ci Xi

Correct answer:

A rise in Christianity among Chinese peasants

Explanation:

The fall of the Qing Dynasty was marked by resentment of Western influence, many people wanted reform, and a stronger Chinese identity, not to allow for greater penetration of the influence of Christianity and Western imperial powers.

Example Question #442 : Political History

Who was a pivotal figure in the Mexican Revolution? 

Possible Answers:

Julio Prestes

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Miguel Hidalgo

Simon Bolivar

Jose San Martin

Correct answer:

Miguel Hidalgo

Explanation:

Father Miguel Hidalgo rallied Mestizo and Creole peasants in an uprising against Spanish rule of Mexico that eventually led to independence. The other leaders were key figures in other Latin American Revolutions (Ouverture in Haiti, Bolivar in Venezuela, San Martin in Argentina, and Prestes in Brazil)

Example Question #3 : Political Protest, Reforms, And Revolution 1750 To 1900

Which of these was not a cause of Latin American independence movement that emerged in the 19th century? 

Possible Answers:

Inspiration from the success of the American and French revolutions

Napoleon's invasion of Spain,  weakening the Spanish government's power

Influence from Qing China to establish a more elaborate bureaucracy 

Spread of Enlightenment ideas regarding economic and social equality 

Growing resentment of European colonial powers 

Correct answer:

Influence from Qing China to establish a more elaborate bureaucracy 

Explanation:

The independence movement in Latin America was a result of the Western Imperial influence over the continent, Qing China was not interested in overseas conquest, and was not a player in Latin America. The rise of nationalism, and enlightened thinking eventually trickled down to the Latino populace, creating deep resentment of colonial rule. 

Example Question #11 : Political Protest, Reforms, And Revolution 1750 To 1900

George Washington’s strategy during the American war of independence was for the colonial army to ___________.

Possible Answers:

draw the British deep into the interior of the continent, away from the powerful British navy and their ability to reinforce and resupply

send fighters into England to destroy the British parliament

defeat the Redcoats in pitched battles using orthodox tactics

defeat the British navy in the open ocean so that they couldn’t resupply or send reinforcements

immediately attack the British, pushing them into the sea

Correct answer:

draw the British deep into the interior of the continent, away from the powerful British navy and their ability to reinforce and resupply

Explanation:

George Washington's strategy was to draw the British redcoats deep into the continent, away from Britain's powerful navy and their ability to resupply and reinforce their troops.

Washington's troops did attack the British, but more as an incitement to draw them into the continent's interior than to push them into the sea.

George Washington never sent fighters into England itself.

Fighting the British in pitched battles using orthodox tactics would have been suicide, as would have defeating the British navy in the open ocean.

Example Question #443 : Political History

Some of the most enthusiastic French revolutionaries were tradesmen and women, such as shopkeepers and fishmongers, who were collectively known as _______________.

Possible Answers:

the Red Guards

the Hashisheen

the Sans-Culottes

the Ghibellines

the Guelphs

Correct answer:

the Sans-Culottes

Explanation:

The sans-culottes, so called because they wore long pants rather than the britches associated with nobles, were some of the most enthusiastic and energetic French revolutionaries who formed the nucleus of the movement that stormed the Bastille and invaded Versailles.

Both the Guelphs and the Ghibellines were factions in medieval Italy at a time when the rule of the Church was a major political issue.

The Hashisheen were a semi-mythological sect of Muslim assassins.

The Red Guards were young Maoists during China's Cultural Revolution.

Example Question #13 : Political Protest, Reforms, And Revolution 1750 To 1900

The French Revolution was driven by what two political philosophies?

Possible Answers:

Liberalism and Egalitarianism

Socialism and Liberalism

Egalitarianism and Socialism

Liberalism and Nationalism

Nationalism and Egalitarianism

Correct answer:

Liberalism and Nationalism

Explanation:

Liberalism and Nationalism are considered the major philosophical drivers of the French Revolution. Liberalism holds that the power of the government should reside in the people and that government should allow individuals responsibility for controlling their own actions. Nationalism calls for popular loyalty to focus on the nation rather than on one monarch or ruler.

Example Question #14 : Political Protest, Reforms, And Revolution 1750 To 1900

What is considered the last of the feudal shogunate of Japan?

Possible Answers:

Shinto

Tokugawa

Yoshinobu

Edo

Tokyo

Correct answer:

Tokugawa

Explanation:

The Tokugawa Shogunate is considered the last of Japan's shogunates and was replaced in 1868 by the imperial Japanese government under the Emperor Meiji. The opening of communications with Japanese society by Commodore Matthew Perry in in 1854 greatly changed Japanese society and converted the insular and isolationist nation into one fully engaged in global and regional politics.

Example Question #444 : Political History

Which of the following events incited the Sepoy Mutiny in India in 1857?

Possible Answers:

Hindu and Muslim soldiers working for the British East India Company discovered that their bullet cartridges were greased with beef and pork fat

Queen Victoria was named Empress of India

The British East India Company gained sole rights over British trade with India

The Mughal Empire fell into decline

Robert Clive and the British East India Company conquered Benghal

Correct answer:

Hindu and Muslim soldiers working for the British East India Company discovered that their bullet cartridges were greased with beef and pork fat

Explanation:

Sepoys were Indian soldiers employed by the British East India Company, and because most Indians were either Hindu or Muslim, these soldiers were shocked and outraged to learn that their bullets were greased with fat from animals that their religions forbade them to eat. Bullet cartridges had to be bitten off, so the soldiers were frequently ingesting the fat without their knowledge. Their employment by the British East India Company shows that the British takeover of India was already well under way, as was the decline of Mughal rule. Queen Victoria was named Empress of India in 1877, decades after the rebellion had been put down.

Example Question #445 : Political History

In 1789, King Louis XVI of France called a meeting of the governing body known as the Estates General to deal with which national crisis?

Possible Answers:

Uneven distribution of power within the Estates General

Severe debt following French involvement in conflicts such as the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution

Food shortages caused by an ongoing drought

Intense public disapproval of the royal family's lavish lifestyle

A violent attack on the Bastille prison in Paris

Correct answer:

Severe debt following French involvement in conflicts such as the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution

Explanation:

Louis XVI originally called the Estates General because he needed its approval to raise taxes, which he hoped would help pay off France's military debts. However, the meeting of the Estates General turned into an airing of other public grievances over food shortages, the excesses of royals and nobles, and the unfair distribution of power among the Estates. The attack on the Bastille was the result of increasing unrest over these issues.

Example Question #446 : Political History

Which of the following puts the ruling bodies of the French Revolution in chronological order?

Possible Answers:

National Assembly, Convention, Directory, Committee of Public Safety

National Assembly, Convention, Committee of Public Safety, Directory

Committee of Public Safety, National Assembly, Convention, Directory

Convention, National Assembly, Committee of Public Safety, Directory

National Assembly, Directory, Committee of Public Safety, Convention

Correct answer:

National Assembly, Convention, Committee of Public Safety, Directory

Explanation:

The National Assembly was established in 1789 by members of the Estates General, but a new constitution replaced it with the Convention in 1792. The Convention was then followed by the Committee of Public Safety, led by Maximilien Robespierre, until a five-man governing body called the Directory took control in 1795.

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