All SAT II World History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #3 : Feudalism
The rise of feudalism in Europe in the Middle Ages was primarily a response to __________.
the migration patterns of the nomadic people of Western Europe
the growing economic wealth of the Italian city-states
the need for protection from invaders
the growing influence of Christianity
political instability caused by the rise of the Ottoman Empire
the need for protection from invaders
Feudalism arose in Europe during the so-called "Dark Ages" in response to the power vacuum left behind by the Roman Empire. The institution was then strengthened in the ninth and tenth centuries after the fall of the Carolingian Empire. The people of Western and Central Europe were being relentlessly invaded and plundered by the Vikings, the Magyars, the people of the Asiatic Steppe, and Muslim Caliphates. Without a strong king to protect them, the people turned to local landowners, who established a system whereby the lords would provide protection in exchange for the common people working their lands. Labor for protection is the underlying tenet of feudalism.
Example Question #4 : Feudalism
Which of these best describes a "fief" in Feudalism?
A worker who toils in the fields
A pledge of loyalty to a landowner in exchange for protection
A pledge of loyalty to a landowner in exchange for territory
A noble who owns property and controls the lives of the workers
Territory given to a vassal by a landowner in exchange for loyalty
Territory given to a vassal by a landowner in exchange for loyalty
Feudalism was the prevailing economic and social system throughout much of Europe during the Middle Ages. Under the Feudal System a landowner would grant a "fief" or "fiefdom" to a vassal who in exchange would pledge "fealty" or allegiance to the landowner and agree to fight to defend his lands.
Example Question #2 : Feudalism
Which of these best describes a "villein?"
A knight who owed allegiance to a noble, but owned no property of his own
A knight who owed allegiance to a noble, but had serfs of his own
A nobleman who did not use serfs or other forms of slave labor
A serf who was tied to feudal land
A serf who had no political rights whatsoever
A serf who was tied to feudal land
"Villeins" were peasant farmers, or serfs, in Feudalism. They were tied to the land and many of their rights were directly granted and controlled by the nobleman who owned the land. They were distinct from slaves, who had no political rights of their own, and freemen, who were free to leave the land and seek work elsewhere.
Example Question #4 : Feudalism
The Feudal System was introduced to England by _______________.
Harold of Wessex
William the Conqueror
Edward the Confessor
King Henry II
King Henry VIII
William the Conqueror
The Feudal System was introduced to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Norman Conquest is the name given to the invasion of William the Conqueror, also called William Duke of Normandy, who invaded from modern-day Northern France and defeated the Anglo-Saxon King of England Harold of Wessex.
Example Question #3 : Feudalism
The term "motte-and-bailey" refers to _______________.
a type of Feudal castle
a legal code of Feudal France
an economic system of Feudal Russia
a religious settlement during the reign of King Henry I
an open-market in southern England
a type of Feudal castle
A "motte-and-bailey" is a type of early Feudal castle. The Feudal System emerged in response to the chaos of the Dark Ages. It relied upon a landowner giving grants of land to knights - in exchange for loyalty and protection of his land. And rights to work given to serfs - in exchange for the assurance of their safety and the ownership of their labor. The system necessarily relied upon defensive fortifications that could protect small communities. A "motte-and-bailey" castle was a type of early castle, where the "motte" was a raised-earth stone or wood castle and the "bailey" was an accompanying enclosed area surrounded by a palisade.
Example Question #11 : Europe
William the Conqueror is famous for his conquest of __________.
Rome
The Iberian Penninsula
France
Scandinavia
England
England
William the Conqueror, also called William Duke of Normandy, is famous for his conquest of England in 1066. He established feudalism in England and is the last invader to successfully conquer the British Isles.
Example Question #12 : Europe
Joan of Arc is famous for her role in __________.
the Thirty Years' War
the Seven Years' War
the French Wars of Religion
the War of Spanish Succession
the Hundred Years' War
the Hundred Years' War
Joan of Arc is often credited with helping turn the tide of the Hundred Years' War between the English and the French. At the time of Joan's arrival on the scene, the English had seemed poised to overwhelm the French monarchy and conquer much of France, but the piety and belief of Joan is said to have inspired the French troops to victory after victory. She was captured by the English and tried for witchcraft, for which she was condemned to death by being burnt at the stake.
Example Question #13 : Europe
Rurik of Scandinavia is most famous for __________.
founding the Russian state
establishing feudalism in Denmark
abolishing feudalism in Denmark
conquering the British isles
converting the Scandinavian people to Christianity
founding the Russian state
Prince Rurik of Scandinavia is a possible mythical figure who is credited with founding the Russian State in the ninth century C.E. and a ruling dynasty that lasted for several hundred years. The Kingdom he founded, Kievan Rus, eventually evolved into the Duchy of Moscow and later into the Russian state and the empire of the Soviet Union.
Example Question #14 : Europe
All of the following are true about Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine except _____________.
like many noblewomen, she could inherit property as a widow
her presence as a public figure helped cause the rise of romantic love and chivalry
her sons, Richard and John, both became kings of England
she helped govern England with her husband, Henry II
she refused to take on political responsibilities
she refused to take on political responsibilities
Eleanor helped govern England and she took on an active role as queen. Although her contemporaries believed that women were delicate (this was part of what fueled chivalry), Eleanor did not shy away from her state responsibilities.
Example Question #15 : Europe
The Venerable Bede is remembered for __________.
bringing Christianity to Ireland
his heretical writings against church teachings
his collection of relics from around the world
writing an early history of English civilization
his deathbed confession to Catholicism
writing an early history of English civilization
The Venerable Bede was a monk and historian in England in the seventh and eighth centuries. He is most commonly remembered as the author of The Ecclesiastical History of English People (completed circa 730 C.E.), one of the earliest recorded histories of the English civilization.