AP World History : Political History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #91 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

What two countries participated in the Falklands War of 1982?

Possible Answers:

the United Kingdom and Brazil 

Spain and Brazil 

the United Kingdom and Argentina

Argentina and The United States

Chile and the United Kingdom

Correct answer:

the United Kingdom and Argentina

Explanation:

The Falklands war, which was a short war (2 months and 1 week in length), that was fought between Argentina and the United Kingdom. It was caused by a disagreement over the sovereignty of the small islands off the coast of Argentina and resulted in a British victory, in which the UK maintained control of the islands. 

Example Question #831 : Political History

The Treaty of Paris (1898) ended what major conflict? 

Possible Answers:

the Spanish-American War

the Mexican-American War

the Battle of Britain 

the French and Indian War

World War I

Correct answer:

the Spanish-American War

Explanation:

The Treaty of Paris (1898) ended the Spanish American War. In its agreement, the United States was given all Spanish lands in the Caribbean, including Cuba and Puerto Rica, as well as the Philippines and Guam in the South Pacific Ocean. This document is widely considered the birth point of the United States as a major global power. 

Example Question #1551 : Ap World History

What was the resulting end of the Korean War?

Possible Answers:

an armistice

a peace treaty 

none of the above

no formal agreement 

a demarcation of space

Correct answer:

an armistice

Explanation:

The Korean War, which involved North Korea (supported by China) and South Korea (supported by the United States), ended in an armistice and not a formal peace treaty. The results of this are still felt on the Korean peninsula, where tensions between the north and south remain high to this day. 

Example Question #1 : Regional And Global Groups And Organizations

Ancient Egypt was a collection of city-states along the Nile River under the tutelage of a __________________.

Possible Answers:

President

Caliph

Pope

Pharaoh

Mufti

Correct answer:

Pharaoh

Explanation:

Ancient Egypt was ruled by a Pharaoh, a title that comes from the ancient Egyptian word for "Great House."

A "mufti" is a Muslim legal expert; Ancient Egypt existed for millennium prior to Islam.

Likewise, a "Caliph" is a supreme Muslim leader, similar to an Islamic pope. While Egypt today is a mostly Muslim nation, ancient Egypt was mostly polytheistic with only small sects of monotheistic faiths; none of which were Islamic.

The "Pope" is the supreme Catholic leader. While the ancient Egyptian language eventually became the traditional language of Egypt's Christian community, Ancient Egypt existed long before Christianity.

A "president" is a leader elected in a democratic process of competing political parties, whereas the ancient Egyptian leadership was hereditary and based on the support of the clergy and warriors.

Example Question #2 : Regional And Global Groups And Organizations

The Pax Romana was a period in which ___________________.

Possible Answers:

Rome's leadership converted to Christianity

Rome was sacked by Gothic tribes

cities and agricultural areas around the Mediterranean had an established network of trade relations with the city of Rome that was protected by Roman military force

Rome was able to defeat enemies due to the development of the Sarissa, the pike

Rome became a tributary of Greece

Correct answer:

cities and agricultural areas around the Mediterranean had an established network of trade relations with the city of Rome that was protected by Roman military force

Explanation:

The Pax Romana was a period of relative peace, stability, and wealth for the city of Rome, maintained by beneficial trade relations with different parts of the empire policed by the Roman military.

Although Rome's military changed over thousands of years, the sarissa was a Greek weapon never used by Roman soldiers.'

Rome was sacked by Gothic tribes many times, but not during the Pax Romana.

Rome's leadership was still pagan during the Pax Romana.

Rome was never a Greek tributary.

Example Question #1 : Regional And Global Groups And Organizations

In ancient Hellenic regional politics, an international institution, a sort of proto-United Nations, was originally centered __________________.

Possible Answers:

on the island of Crete; a center of ancient Minoan civilization for over a thousand years before the rest of Greece

in the city of Athens

in the city of Sparta

on the island of Delos

in the Greek colony of Sinope, because it was in between the Hellenic and Persian civilizations

Correct answer:

on the island of Delos

Explanation:

The island of Delos was both relatively geographically central to the entire Hellenic world, and uninhabited at the time, so it was viewed as neutral territory by, and therefore a good location for, an association of Greek city states.

Athens eventually commandeered the Delian league, using its navy for its own purposes, something that oftentimes aggrieved the smaller city states, but the original site was not in Athens.

Sparta was never the site of the Delian League, although Sparta's role was of great importance.

Sinope was never the site of the Delian League, although Sinope's legacy as a Greek colony conquered by the Persian empire was a prime example of why many Greeks thought a Delian League necessary.

Crete was not the site of the Delian League as it was inhabited, and therefore considered not neutral.

Example Question #2 : Regional And Global Groups And Organizations

The Delian League was _______________.

Possible Answers:

an alliance of city-states led by Sparta

an alliance of Greek city-states under the control of Rome

an alliance of city-states led by Athens

an alliance of Italian city-states under the control of Sparta

an alliance of tributary states led by Persia

Correct answer:

an alliance of city-states led by Athens

Explanation:

The Delian League was formed in 477 BCE It was an alliance of Greek city-states under the control of Athens that was formed to deter and protect against a Persian invasion of Greece. Over time Athens took more and more control over the league, leading to the formation of the Peloponnesian League by Sparta. Eventually these two alliances would be pitted against each other in the Peloponnesian War.

Example Question #4 : Regional And Global Groups And Organizations

What is the historical connection between Rome and Greece?

Possible Answers:

Greece was the city at the heart of the Roman empire: We refer to "Greece" as the time before Rome expanded

The city-state Rome conquered and enslaved Greece, but adopted and embraced its culture and philosophy

After the fall of the Grecian Empire to the Persians, Rome was what was left that rebuilt

Rome was the city at the heart of the Grecian empire: We refer to "Greece" as the wider rule of the Romans

Correct answer:

The city-state Rome conquered and enslaved Greece, but adopted and embraced its culture and philosophy

Explanation:

The Roman Empire started with the city of Rome. Greece was a nation containing multiple city states such as Sparta and Athens, which had risen and fallen before the expanding Romans conquered what remained of Greece and integrated its culture, history, and beliefs.

Example Question #6 : Regional And Global Groups And Organizations

For what purpose was the Delian League founded?

Possible Answers:

To facilitate trade and oceangoing commerce in the Adriatic Sea

To provide for the mutual protection of Greek city-states who were threatened by the rise of Rome

To provide for the mutual protection of Greek city-states who were threatened by the rise of Sparta

To provide for the mutual protection of Greek city-states against the threat of the Persian Empire

To facilitate trade and oceangoing commerce in the Aegean Sea

Correct answer:

To provide for the mutual protection of Greek city-states against the threat of the Persian Empire

Explanation:

The Delian League was founded by Athens and more than a hundred other Greek city-states in 477 BCE. Its original purpose was to provide for the mutual protection of Greek city-states against the threat of the Persian Empire. Over the years the Delian League morphed into an extension of Athenian power and hegemony, and a rival Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta, emerged to challenge the authority of Athens.

Example Question #1552 : Ap World History

Which of the following was NOT a pre-Columbian society?

Possible Answers:

Incan

Olmec

Zulu

Maya

Aztec

Correct answer:

Zulu

Explanation:

The Zulu kingdom was a 19th-century state based in South Africa that fought a series of wars with expansionist Boer and British forces primarily during the 1860s. The label of pre-Columbia society is reserved for societies that existed in the Americas before colonial expansion and contact. The Zulu kingdom, while a society that existed prior to colonial European expansion, is excluded from this definition due to simple geography.

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