SAT II World History : Other Southwest Asian History from 500 C.E. to 1500 C.E.

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Other Southwest Asian History From 500 C.E. To 1500 C.E.

The Eastern Roman Empire, which survived the Western Roman Empire by 1000 years, was finally overcome by __________.

Possible Answers:

the Egyptian Empire

the Polish Empire

the Ottoman Empire

the Armenian Empire

the Russian Empire

Correct answer:

the Ottoman Empire

Explanation:

In the third century CE, the Roman Emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into a Western Empire, centered around Rome, and an Eastern Empire, centered around Byzantium (later Constantinople, later still Istanbul). While the Western Roman Empire succumbed to barbarian invasion within two centuries, the Eastern Roman Empire continued until the fifteenth century when it was finally overcome by the Ottomans.

Example Question #2 : Other Southwest Asian History From 500 C.E. To 1500 C.E.

Harun al-Rashid was a ruler of the __________

Possible Answers:

Hittite Empire 

Umayyad Caliphate

Rashidun Caliphate 

Abbasid Caliphate

Sumerian Empire

Correct answer:

Abbasid Caliphate

Explanation:

Harun al-Rashid is one of the most famous caliphs of the long lasting Abbasid Caliphate. He ruled from 786 C.E. until his death in 809 C.E. His reign is remembered as the height of the early Islamic golden era, marked by a flourishing of arts and science and characterized by continuous expansion of Islam. A caliph, just to be clear, is a particular type of ruler within an Islamic government said to be the political and religious successor to the Prophet Muhammad. 

Example Question #3 : Other Southwest Asian History From 500 C.E. To 1500 C.E.

Suleiman the Magnificent was a ruler of which of these empires? 

Possible Answers:

The Mongolian Empire

The Umayyad Empire

The Ottoman Empire

The Abassid Empire

The Seljuk Empire

Correct answer:

The Ottoman Empire

Explanation:

Suleiman the Magnificent is one of the most famous rulers of the Ottoman Empire. He came to power in the early sixteenth century and is famous for his conquest of many Christian strongholds in Southern Europe, such as Belgrade, Budapest, and Rhodes.

Example Question #4 : Other Southwest Asian History From 500 C.E. To 1500 C.E.

Which of these cities served as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate? 

Possible Answers:

Medina

Basra

Baghdad

Damascus

Jerusalem

Correct answer:

Baghdad

Explanation:

The Abbasid Caliphate emerged in the eighth century C.E. as the inheritors of Muhammad's Islamic Empire. At the height of its power, the Abbasid Caliphate stretched from Central Asia through North Africa. The capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, for most of its existence, was Baghdad, in modern-day Iraq.

Example Question #3 : Other Southwest Asian History From 500 C.E. To 1500 C.E.

In what century was Constantinople renamed Istanbul? 

Possible Answers:

The ninth century

The fifth century

The fifteenth century

The third century

The fourteenth century

Correct answer:

The fifteenth century

Explanation:

Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and then after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the capital of Byzantium. The Byzantine Empire waned in influence from the 1100s to the 1400s, and by the time of Ottoman invasion in the fifteenth century, it was little more than a city-state. The Ottomans captured Constantinople in 1453 and renamed it Istanbul (the name of the city today).

Example Question #4 : Other Southwest Asian History From 500 C.E. To 1500 C.E.

The Abbasid Caliphate was brought to an end when the __________ sacked the capital city of Baghdad. 

Possible Answers:

Franks

Crusaders

Mongols

Kazakhs

Huns

Correct answer:

Mongols

Explanation:

Like so many other great empires in the period from 1200 to 1400, the Abbasid Caliphate was devastated by the attacks of the nomadic horsemen from the Mongolian Steppes—the Mongols. The Mongols sacked the Abbasid capital city, Baghdad, in 1258, bringing to an end the Golden Age of Islam.

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