World History Unit 1

Use the diagram illustrating the caste system of ancient India to answer the question: How did this system impact ancient India?

• All people were treated equally regardless of their occupation.
• Religion did not affect the everyday lives of the people of the civilization.
• Rights and freedoms were based on the social class one was born into.
• Citizens played an important role in the decisions of the government.

"He who takes the oath of fealty to his lord ought always to keep in mind these six things: what is harmless, safe, honorable, useful, easy, and practicable. . . . It remains, therefore, that in the same six things referred to above he should faithfully advise and aid his lord, if he wishes to be regarded as worthy of his benefice and to be safe concerning the fealty which he has sworn. The lord also ought to act toward his faithful vassal in the same manner in all these things." Letter to the Duke William of Aquitaine from Bishop Fulbert of Chartres, 1020 Translated in A Source Book of Medieval History edited by Frederic Austin Ogg, 1908 Based on the text, how did feudalism affect group identity in medieval society?

• It established the power of the vassals, increasing their sense of economic and political independence.
• It enforced a new social hierarchy, establishing specific contractual obligations between socioeconomic groups.
• It compelled the lords to serve the vassals, increasing the lords’ economic and political subservience to the vassals.
• It expanded social mobility, undermining traditional expectations about the relative power of socioeconomic classes.

The following text comes from the Analects written by the students of Confucius in the generations following his death (circa 479–221 BCE) as the students recalled his teachings and conversations: The Master said, “In serving his parents, a son may remonstrate with them, but gently; when he sees that they do not incline to follow his advice, he shows an increased degree of reverence, but does not abandon his purpose; and should they punish him, he does not allow himself to murmur.” The Chinese Classics: Volume 1. Confucian Analects, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean translated by James Legge, 1861 Based on the text, with which statement would Confucius agree?

• Individuals should submit to the will of those in positions of authority.
• Complete equality should exist among all individuals in society.
• People in positions of power should obey their subjects.
• Rulers should establish written rules of justice.

Read the text and answer the question. "Griots were musicians and artists in West Africa who retold stories important to the region. One of the poems told by griots, for example, was called the Sundiata. It told the story of a hero named Sundiata, who was born without the ability to walk. After Sundiata's father died, his stepbrother and stepmother forced Sundiata and his mother into exile. Eventually, he learned to walk and became "as strong as a lion." Sundiata became a powerful military leader in exile and grew up to defeat the kingdom's evil leader. As the kingdom's new ruler, he founded Mali. Each griot interpreted and told the story with slight differences, but each version became an important source of information about the origins of West African culture for many years. The first modern, written version of the tale was not recorded until 1960, when it was collected into a single story by a Guinean author named Djibril Tamsir Niane." According to the text, which TWO options accurately explain why griots were significant to West Africa?

• Griots helped to preserve West African tradition by keeping written records.
• Griots helped to preserve West African culture by creating stories and artwork.
• Griots helped to preserve West African security by becoming political leaders.
• Griots helped to preserve West African religion by preserving spiritual texts.

"1. . . . We have also granted to all freemen of our kingdom, for us and our heirs forever, all the underwritten liberties, to be had and held by them and their heirs, of us and our heirs forever. . . . 39. No freemen shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him nor send upon him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land. 40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice." Magna Carta, 1215 Based on the text, why did the philosophical ideas of the Magna Carta alter English society in the thirteenth century?

• They established a democratic system in which citizens had a right to determine which laws they would follow.
• They established a capitalist economy in which private property could not be taxed by elected governments.
• They established a contractual government in which rulers were bound by laws they had to follow.
• They established a monarchy in which the Church was bound by the laws of secular government.

View the two maps and answer the question. The left map shows a large area of land in West Africa conquered by the Mali Empire, and a series of trade networks across the continent that spread to the Mediterranean Sea and Southwest Asia. The right map shows the Mongol Empire's territorial conquests extending from East Asia to Eastern Europe, with trade networks spanning across Asia, the Indian Ocean, parts of Southwest Asia, Africa, and eastern Europe. How did the Mali and Mongol Empires gain power in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries?

• by destroying roads and conducting military raids to disrupt trade in neighboring territories
• by building alliances with more powerful civilizations that controlled major trade networks
• by using their military power to seize new territory and establish control of extensive trade networks
• by protecting their culture and resources by avoiding contact and trade with other civilizations

Since the Sung dynasty had lost the throne and Heaven had cut off their sacrifice, the Yüan [Mongol] dynasty had risen from the desert to enter and rule over China for more than a hundred years, when Heaven, wearied of their misgovernment and debauchery, thought also fit to turn their fate to ruin. . . . We, as a simple peasant of Huai-yu, conceived the patriotic idea to save the people. . . . We were selected by Our people to occupy the Imperial throne of China under the dynastic title of “the Great Ming.” Letter by First Ming Emperor T’ai-tsu, 1371 translated in China and the Roman Orient by Friedrich Hirth, 1885 Based on the text, what role did the Ming Dynasty play in the development of China?

• The Ming Dynasty weakened the political power of Chinese peasants.
• The Ming Dynasty promoted the return to power of government workers.
• The Ming Dynasty facilitated the unification of China under native rule.
• The Ming Dynasty enabled foreigners to establish control of key government offices.

Use the information to answer the question. The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. During that time, Chinese shipbuilding and navigation techniques were developed. These innovations allowed enormous Chinese fleets to sail the oceans as far away as Africa. How did these developments affect global trade during this time period?

• Chinese ports were closed to foreign merchants.
• International trade relied on the production of Chinese goods.
• Chinese advancements helped explorers navigate across oceans.
• Merchants were forced to use the Chinese language to communicate.

Use the map of the Silk Road to answer the question. How did the Silk Road affect the societies that it linked?

• by preventing violent conflicts
• by limiting technological progress
• by protecting local traditions
• by increasing cultural diffusion

Use the graphs to answer the question. In 1400, the population of England was only half of what it was in 1300. Approximately 1,000 villages disappeared during this period, and their inhabitants were killed by the Plague. How did the Plague in Europe during the fourteenth century impact European development?

• As a result of the loss of laborers in towns and cities, many peasants moved to more urban areas leading to the decline of feudalism.
• As a result of the loss of markets to sell to, factories shut down and many peasants moved to rural areas to engage in agriculture.
• As a result of the loss of livestock in rural regions, many peasants moved to major cities due to the availability of jobs.
• As a result of the loss of farm workers in rural regions, many peasants moved to rural areas to take over abandoned farmland.