Key Questions – World History 1
Unit 1- Origins of
Civilization
|
QuestionÉ |
AnswerÉ |
|
1. Students can identify the continents, and know
their relative locations. |
(skill) |
|
2. Students will correctly title centuries. (1066
was in the 11th century, 44 BC was the 1st century BC,
etc.) |
(skill) |
|
3. When were the Americas first populated, and by
whom? |
-About 10,000 BC, at the end of the last ice age, by
nomadic peoples from Asia. [teacherÕs note:
anthropologists debate the exact date this happened, and exactly how, but
this statement is, in a general
way, true.] |
|
4. What was the Neolithic Revolution? |
-When humans first learned to farm and
to domesticate animals. |
|
5. What is civilization? |
-Complex cultures with cities,
governments, and writing.
[teacherÕs note: this
is a simplification, but the typical Òfive characteristics of civilizationsÓ
arenÕt set in stone, but are constructs of anthropologists that vary.] |
|
6. In what four places in the ÒOld WorldÓ did the
first civilizations develop, and why? |
-In the fertile valleys of the Tigris
and Euphrates in Sumer, of the Nile in Egypt, the Indus on the Indian
subcontinent, and along the Yellow River in China, because the good farming
in these fertile valleys helped create the first large cities. [teacherÕs note:
the Indus River is today almost entirely in Pakistan, but to know that, in
general, it is Òin IndiaÓ helps kids when theyÕre first learning all of this] |
|
7. Who is considered the founder of Judaism, and
what other religions also consider this man to be a ÒfatherÓ? |
-Abraham, also considered as one of the
Òfounding fathersÓ by Muslims and Christians. |
|
QuestionÉ |
AnswerÉ |
|
1. How does Hinduism shape
the people of India? |
- the caste system developed in India
and is closely related to the religion of Hinduism. Society is divided into
different castes, or levels, and a personÕs caste determines their diet,
their job, and who they marry. - the idea of reincarnation strengthened
the caste system, and the idea that all life is sacred has led to such
practices as vegetarianism and reverence toward cows. [TeacherÕs note: (from Encarta) ÒThe caste
system has been perpetuated by the Hindu ideas of samsara (reincarnation) and
karma (quality of action). According to these religious beliefs, all people
are reincarnated on earth, at which time they have a chance to be born into
another, higher caste, but only if they have been obedient to the rules of
their caste in their previous life on earth. In this way karma has
discouraged people from attempting to rise to a higher caste or to cross
caste lines for social relations of any kind.Ó] |
|
2. What mountain ranges
have kept the cultures in India largely separate from other cultures in Asia? |
- the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush |
|
3. What two major
philosophical systems began in China? |
- Confucianism, Daoism |
|
4. What major world religion began in India but then
spread to China and other parts of Asia? |
- Buddhism |
|
5. In what ways does
Chinese history reflect their tendency toward isolationism? |
- the building of the Great Wall, and
the stopping of overseas exploration in the 15th century. [ TeacherÕs note- the wall was first built
during the Qin dynasty, but most of the ÒGreat WallÓ was built by the Ming,
in an effort to end trade with the Mongols. Likewise, the stopping of admiral
Zheng HeÕs exploration was also a turn inwardÉ] |
|
6. How did the Qin dynasty
set the stage for future Chinese unity and prosperity? |
- they built the Great Wall, roads, and
canals , they standardized written language, centralized the government, made
standard weights and measures,
and united China. |
|
QuestionÉ |
AnswerÉ |
|
1. How did the geography
and climate of Greece shape ancient Greek life? |
- the area was very mountainous and
rocky, which led to much trade by sea because the land was hard to farm. The
mountains also limited land travel, which led to many isolated city states
with their own customs, and a tendency to travel by sea. This cultural
separation helped keep the Greeks from unifying at several points in their
history. |
|
2. Who was Homer, and what
did he write? What were these stories about? |
- Homer was a Greek poet who wrote The
Iliad, the story about the GreeksÕ war with the city of Troy (the Trojan
War), and The Odyssey,
the story of OdysseusÕ journey home from the Trojan War.
|
|
3. How did the city-states
of Sparta and Athens differ? |
- During GreeceÕs Golden Age, Athens was
a democracy, had a strong navy, and the Athenians appreciated learning,
creativity, the arts, and philosophy. Their navy protected their merchant
ships, and the city-state grew wealthy from trade and tribute. - The Spartans valued war, and trained their boys from young
ages to be tough soldiers in their army. They shunned luxury, ate simple
food, didnÕt value gold and silver (they used iron bars for money), and were
ruled by two kings. |
|
4. Why is the time of Pericles
considered the Golden Age of Greece? |
- During the 5th century BC,
after the Greeks united together and defeated the mighty Persians, the Greeks
made incredible accomplishments in geometry, philosophy, theater, history,
and architecture, and democracy, mostly in the city of Athens, which Pericles
was in charge of. |
|
5. How was Athenian
democracy limited? Why was it a Òdirect democracyÓ? |
- Athenian democracy was limited because
only citizens could vote, and you had to be a free male with citizen parents
to be a citizen. Slaves and children could not vote. - It was a direct democracy because all
citizens voted on every issue, rather than electing representatives to study
the issues and vote for them. |
|
6. What cultures blending
became known as Hellenistic culture, and how did this happen? |
- Greek, Persian, And Egypt, after these
areas were conquered by Alexander the Great. |
|
QuestionÉ |
AnswerÉ |
|
1. How did the actions of
Julius Caesar lead to the creation of the Roman Empire? |
- he made himself Òdictator for life,Ó and ruled as a
dictator until his was assassinated. From then on Rome had emperors, rather
than elected leaders, and is called the Roman Empire. |
|
2. What principles of Roman
law contribute to modern legal systems? |
- the Romans thought that the law should
be written for all to see, that all citizens had a right to protection under
the law, and that the law should be the same for all. |
|
3. In what ways does the US
government resemble the Roman Republic? |
- Romans had a Senate that functioned
much like the US Senate. - Romans had three branches of
government—the senate to make laws, the consul to rule, and the courts
to decide issues of law, which is similar to the USÕs three branches of
government. |
|
4. Who was the founder of Christianity? |
- Jesus |
|
5. Give three reasons for
the spread of Christianity. |
- Christianity spread because it
appealed to the poor and powerless, because it offered life after death, and
because it started during the Pax Romana, a period of Roman control and
peace, when people and ideas could travel to easily to all parts of the
Empire. |
|
6. What was the Pax Romana? |
- a period of Roman peace, prosperity
and expansion of the empire that started with the emperor Augustus and lasted
for about 200 years. |
|
7. What caused the fall of
the Western Roman Empire? |
- the Roman Empire didnÕt fall all at
once, but declined over a period of about century. It was under pressure from
barbarian tribes, its economy was weak and more people were poor, and people
were losing confidence in the government and army. |
|
8. How is Eastern Orthodoxy
different from Catholicism? |
- for Orthodox Christians the use of
icons is essential, and their iconography a very famous art form from this
religion. - their church services and Bibles were
in the local language. - in the Catholic Church all control
came from the Pope, but in Orthodox churches there was much more local
control. - their church architecture evolved to
be quite distinctive, with onion-shaped domes and floor plans in the form of
the Greek cross. |
|
QuestionÉ |
AnswerÉ |
|
1. What were the early
kingdoms in Africa? |
- Aksum, Kush, Egypt |
|
2. What was historically
traded from Africa to the rest of the world? |
- salt, gold, ivory, and dates, and
slaves. |
|
3. Who is the founder of
Islam? |
- Islam was founded by Muhammad, a
merchant from the Arabian city of Mecca. |
|
4. What are the basic
beliefs and practices of Islam? |
- Muslims believe that there is only one
god, Allah, and that Muhammad was the last and the greatest of the prophets. - Muslims believe in the ÒFive PillarsÓ
of Islam—proclaiming that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad
is his prophet, giving alms to the poor, making a pilgrimage to Mecca at
least once in ones lifetime, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, and
praying five times a day. - the holy book of Islam is the Quran,
(Koran), and Muslims worship in buildings called mosques. |
|
5. After the death of
Muhammad, to what areas of the world did Islam spread? |
- North Africa and Spain |
|
6. What were the
achievements of the Islamic Golden Age?. |
- the Muslims were noted for their
skills in medicine, math, art, science, astronomy, and philosophy. |
|
7. What are the two main
religious sects of Islam, and what caused this split? |
- the ShiÕa, the Sunni. The split arose
over who would succeed Muhammad. |
|
QuestionÉ |
AnswerÉ |
|
1. What was feudalism in
Europe? |
- a social and political system in the
Middle Ages based on military service and the distribution of land. This was
a time of knights, kings, peasants, and castles. |
|
2. What institution held
the most power over medieval society? |
- the Christian church |
|
3. What form of church
architecture replaced the Romanesque style, and what were some of its
characteristics? |
- Gothic architecture, which was
characterized by large, stained-glass windows, pointed arches, ribbed vaults,
and flying buttresses. |
|
4. What document guaranteed English nobles
basic legal rights and limited the power of the King? |
- the Magna Carta |
|
5. Why were the crusades
fought? |
- The Crusades were wars during the
Middle Ages between Christians from Europe and Muslims over control of the
areas around Jerusalem. |
|
6. In the 14th
century what deadly infection killed 1/3 or more of the population of Europe?
|
- The Black Death, or bubonic plague. |
|
QuestionÉ |
AnswerÉ |
|
1. From 1300-1600 why was
there increased growth in southern European cities? |
- cities grew largely as a result of the
revival of trade after the Crusades, as a money economy began to replace the
barter economies of the Middle Ages. |
|
2. What powerful Florentine
family made a fortune in trade and banking, and how did they use their
fortune? |
- the Medicis. They used their wealth to
become influential in the politics of Florence, to build luxurious urban
palaces, and to become patrons of the arts. |
|
3. What renaissance
philosophy focused on human potential and achievement? |
- humanism |
|
4. Name two great Renaissance artists. |
- Michelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci,
Rafael, DonatelloÉ |
|
5. What does the term ÒRenaissance ManÓ mean? |
- it refers to someone who is an expert
in many fields. An example of this would be Leonardo DaVinci, who was a great
painter, but was also a musician, an architect, a sculptor, and an engineer. |
|
6. Who posted his 95 Thesis
on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, and what were some of this
documentÕs main points? |
- Martin Luther; he felt that the sale
of indulgences was wrong, the only the Bible was infallible (and not the
pope), and that salvation was attainable only through grace, and could not be
earned. |
|
7. How did Christianity in
Europe change during the time of Martin Luther? |
- Martin Luther protested the sale of
indulgences, which is where the church was selling forgiveness of sins. This
led to a split in the Catholic Church as whole groups of people began to
follow Martin Luther and other reformers. This time period is called the
Reformation, and the groups who broke away from the Catholic Church were
called Protestants. |
|
8. What was the church that
Henry VIII developed, and why? |
- the king of England, Henry VIII, broke
with the Catholic Church during the Reformation and made himself the head of
a new church, the Church of England, which is also called the Anglican
Church. He did this because the Pope would not allow him to end the marriage
with his wife so that he could remarry. |
|
QuestionÉ |
AnswerÉ |
|
1. List at least one famous
native culture from South America before the time of Columbus, and at least
two from Central America. |
- from South America- the Inca, the
Nazca - from Central America- the Aztec, Maya,
Toltec, Teotihuacan, Olmec. |
|
2. What European country
led the push for a trade route around the horn of Africa? |
- Portugal |
|
3. Which European
explorerÕs discoveries opened the door for further European exploration and
colonization in the Americas? |
- Columbus |