World History : World History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Revolutions In South America

Who was the military and political leader that helped overthrow Spanish rule in Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru?

Possible Answers:

Pablo Escobar

Moctezuma II

Simon Bolivar

George Washington

King Ferdinand II

Correct answer:

Simon Bolivar

Explanation:

Simon Bolivar was from a wealthy Creole family and he was one of the major leaders in the revolutions that created all of the above nations, so he would be the best choice. Moctezuma II was the ruler of the Aztecs when the Spanish arrived, so he would not be a good answer to this question. George Washington was a revolutionary general but he was only active in the modern United States, so he would not be a good answer here. King Ferdinand II was an Old World monarch and sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyage, so he would not be the best choice here. Lastly Pablo Escobar was an infamous 20th century drug smuggler, so he would not be a correct answer.

Example Question #4 : Revolutions In South America

Juan Peron's, president of Argentina, running platform included which one of these positions?

Possible Answers:

Allowing foreign investments

Limiting multinational corporations

Giving tax cuts to the wealthy

Repressing the organization of labor

Correct answer:

Limiting multinational corporations

Explanation:

Juan Peron was a champion of the working class and his platform exemplified this. He was in favor of ridding the country of multinational corporations and giving the jobs, that he believed they had taken, back to the Argentinian people. He therefore was in favor of organized labor and wished to keep foreign investors out of the country. He also did not believe in giving tax cuts to the wealthy.

Example Question #1 : Revolutions In South America

Which of the following South American countries did NOT become a Republic after its independence?

Possible Answers:

Peru

Brazil

Argentina

Chile

Correct answer:

Brazil

Explanation:

Due to Napoleon's conquest, the Portuguese royal family had already moved to Brazil, setting up the path towards independence with the establishment of the Empire of Brazil in 1822.

Example Question #5 : Revolutions In South America

What was the first South American country to achieve independence from Spanish colonialism?

Possible Answers:

Venezuela

Colombia

Bolivia

Ecuador

Peru

Correct answer:

Venezuela

Explanation:

Venezuela declared its independence from Spain on July 5, 1811. It was the first country to do so during the general Spanish American Wars for Independence that occurred between 1810 to 1823. The collapse of the Spanish Monarchy in 1808 led to a power vacuum in South America that allowed several colonies to move to independence. Even though Venezuela declared its independence in 1811, the last Spanish Loyalist forces did not stop fighting until 1823. 

Example Question #4 : Revolutions In South America

Defeat of the Spanish at what battle essentially guaranteed Ecuadorian independence in 1822?

Possible Answers:

Battle of Ayacucho

Battle of Bogota

Battle of Pichincha

Battle of Maipu

Battle of Caracas

Correct answer:

Battle of Pichincha

Explanation:

The Battle of Pichincha was the final battle on the Ecuadorian rebels' advance to Quito. It was the culmination of Ecuador's struggle for independence that started in 1820. Even before conflict began, Spanish Loyalist forces were already on the retreat throughout the continent. Thus, Ecuador's fight for independence was shorter and less bloody than other conflicts on the continent. The Battle itself occurred over 3,500 meters above sea level on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano. Victory by General Antonio Jose de Sucre allowed the rebels to enter Quito, in effect guaranteeing the formation of Ecuador as an independent country.  

Example Question #6 : Revolutions In South America

What 1824 defeat of the Spanish resulted in the independence of Peru, and essentially guaranteed the independence of the rest of South America as it resulted in the complete surrender of the major Royalist army?

Possible Answers:

Battle of Bogota

Battle of Ayacucho

Battle of Carabo

Battle of Maipu

Battle of Pichincha

Correct answer:

Battle of Ayacucho

Explanation:

The Battle of Ayacucho was the last great battle of the South American wars for independence. Peruvian rebels led by Jose Antonio de Sucre (the same general from the Battle of Pichincha crushed the remnants of Royalist control of Peru. Although the battle occurred in Peru, it also resulted in the formation of the nation of Bolivia, which incorporated parts of Upper Peru that had been led by Simon Bolivar. 

Example Question #7 : Revolutions In South America

Simon Bolivar took advantage of which European conflict to encourage independence from Spain for Latin America?

Possible Answers:

Hundred Years' War

Gunboat War

War of 1812

War of the Roses

Peninsular War

Correct answer:

Peninsular War

Explanation:

Bolivar began his efforts to encourage revolution a year after the Peninsular War began in 1807. The Peninsular War was a conflict between France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the Bourbon and Bonapartist Spanish forces. By 1821, Bolivar had helped Venezuela secure its independence.

Example Question #1 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures

Which of these statements about women in ancient Mesopotamian society is most accurate?

Possible Answers:

Women were more disempowered than they were in any other contemporary society

Women were generally less powerful than men, but had many rights not seen elsewhere - such as the right to own property

Women were the full societal equals of men; they were allowed to own property and hold elected office

Mesopotamia was a matriarchal society; women held more power than did men

Correct answer:

Women were generally less powerful than men, but had many rights not seen elsewhere - such as the right to own property

Explanation:

Women in Mesopotamia generally had less societal power than men; however, they enjoyed certain rights and privileges which were uncommon elsewhere in the world. Women had the right to own property and businesses, for example.

Example Question #1 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures

Women were granted full citizenship in which of the following empires?

Possible Answers:

The Han Dynasty

The Roman Empire

The Aztec Empire

The medieval Islamic Empire

The Spanish Empire

Correct answer:

The Roman Empire

Explanation:

During the Roman Empire, women could receive educations, own property, and run businesses, but were considered inferior to men. Still, this places the Roman Empire on a higher level of gender equality than many of its contemporaries and empires to come - in Han China or medieval Arabia, women were completely subservient to their husbands and, in many areas, not even permitted to leave their homes.

Example Question #1 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures

Which of the following is one of the ways that the Protestant Reformation transformed marriage?

Possible Answers:

Marriage was based less on transferring wealth and property and more often based on love

Women were given more positions in the clergy, making marriage less central to religious life

Men were encouraged to take many spouses, leading to an increase in polygamous marriages

Women lost their long-held access to education, forcing them to rely on marriage for economic stability

Marriage was based less on love and more often based on transferring wealth and property

Correct answer:

Marriage was based less on transferring wealth and property and more often based on love

Explanation:

Historically, marriage in Europe signified as much (if not more) for the families of the betrothed than for the bride and groom themselves - marriages would be strategically arranged to secure social status, distribute wealth and estate, and (in the case of nobles) establish political alliances. Notions of individualism that stemmed from the Reformation, however, led to an increase in marriages for love. Marriage did continue remain a primarily economic arrangement in many cases even after the Reformation.

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