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NY Regents Global History and Geography II study materials
NY Regents Global History and Geography II study resources

NY Regents Global History and Geography II practice questions

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Question 1World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which geographic feature was most important to the development of the earliest river valley civilizations such as Mesopotamia and Egypt?

  1. Highland plateaus that protected settlements from invasion
  2. Deep natural harbors that supported large merchant fleets
  3. Predictable rivers that deposited fertile silt on surrounding plains Correct answer.
  4. Dense tropical forests that supplied abundant timber

Explanation

Early civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China all arose beside rivers whose annual floods left nutrient-rich silt, enabling surplus farming that supported cities and specialization. The other features mattered in some regions but were not the basis of the first urban civilizations.

Question 2World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Code of Hammurabi is historically significant mainly because it

  1. created the first monotheistic religion in the region
  2. recorded a written set of laws with graded punishments Correct answer.
  3. abolished slavery throughout Mesopotamia
  4. established a democratic assembly in Babylon

Explanation

Hammurabi's code was inscribed on stone stelae and publicized a written body of law, with penalties that varied by social class and offense. It is a landmark in the history of law because it made rules public and systematic, even though it was not egalitarian.

Question 3World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The system of varna and jati in ancient India is best described as

  1. a religious order of wandering monks who renounced property
  2. a military organization created to defend against invaders
  3. a social hierarchy linked to occupation and ritual purity Correct answer.
  4. a merchant guild network that regulated overseas trade

Explanation

The varna system divided society into ranked groups (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and those outside the system), while jati referred to local occupational and kinship groups. Together they formed a hereditary social hierarchy tied to ideas of ritual purity.

Question 4World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which belief is central to the teachings of Confucianism?

  1. Harmony in society depends on proper relationships and moral conduct Correct answer.
  2. Political power should be held by the wealthiest landowners
  3. Only a single god deserves worship and sacrifice
  4. The soul is reborn repeatedly until all desire is extinguished

Explanation

Confucius taught that social order arises when people fulfill their roles in the five key relationships and cultivate virtues such as filial piety and propriety. The goal was a well-governed, harmonious society led by moral example.

Question 5World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Classical Athens is often described as a democracy because

  1. all residents voted directly on every law
  2. representatives were chosen by lot from every social class
  3. a single elected king made all final decisions
  4. male citizens could participate in the assembly and vote Correct answer.

Explanation

Athenian democracy allowed adult male citizens to debate and vote in the assembly and to serve on juries, but women, enslaved people, and foreigners were excluded. It was therefore a limited, direct democracy rather than universal suffrage.

Question 6World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Silk Roads are best understood as

  1. a sea route used only by Polynesian navigators
  2. a single paved highway built by the Han dynasty
  3. a series of fortified walls separating China from Europe
  4. a network of overland routes linking East Asia, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean Correct answer.

Explanation

The Silk Roads were a shifting network of caravan routes across Eurasia that carried goods such as silk, spices, and horses as well as ideas, technologies, and religions. Trade along these routes linked China, India, Persia, and the Mediterranean world.

Question 7World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The primary purpose of the Great Wall in imperial China was to

  1. mark the boundary of farmland and pasture
  2. defend northern borders against nomadic raids Correct answer.
  3. serve as a royal road for imperial messengers
  4. collect tolls from Silk Roads merchants

Explanation

Chinese dynasties built and connected walls to slow incursions by nomadic groups from the northern steppes. The wall functioned as a military barrier and warning system rather than a commercial or ceremonial structure.

Question 8World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Islamic Empire's expansion between the 7th and 8th centuries spread which language across North Africa and the Middle East?

  1. Arabic Correct answer.
  2. Persian
  3. Greek
  4. Latin

Explanation

As Islam spread, Arabic became the language of the Quran, administration, and scholarship across a vast region from Spain to Iraq. It remains a major shared cultural element of the Islamic world.

Question 9World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The feudal system in medieval Western Europe was characterized mainly by

  1. state-owned factories producing goods for export
  2. free elections of kings by all adult males
  3. land granted in exchange for military service and loyalty Correct answer.
  4. a ban on all agricultural production

Explanation

In feudal arrangements, lords granted fiefs (land) to vassals who owed military service and other obligations in return. This decentralized system of land-for-service relationships shaped political and social life in medieval Europe.

Question 10World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Magna Carta, sealed in 1215, is important in the history of government because it

  1. limited the power of the king and protected certain rights Correct answer.
  2. established universal voting rights for men
  3. created the first written constitution in the Americas
  4. ended the monarchy in England

Explanation

English nobles forced King John to accept the Magna Carta, which asserted that the king was subject to law and guaranteed certain privileges and legal protections. It became a symbol of limited government and due process.

Question 11World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which statement best explains why the Inca built terraces on Andean mountainsides?

  1. To create flat farmland and reduce soil erosion on steep slopes Correct answer.
  2. To provide roads for imperial messengers
  3. To store surplus grain in cool conditions
  4. To mark the boundaries of conquered provinces

Explanation

Terracing carved stepped, level fields into steep terrain, which conserved soil and water and allowed farming at high altitudes. This agricultural technique supported a large population in the Andes.

Question 12World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Mongol conquests of the 13th century had which long-term effect on Eurasia?

  1. They spread Christianity as the dominant religion of Asia
  2. They increased trade and exchange across a vast connected territory Correct answer.
  3. They permanently isolated China from the rest of the world
  4. They ended the use of the Silk Roads for a thousand years

Explanation

Mongol rule unified much of Eurasia under a single authority, which made travel safer and increased commerce and cultural exchange along the Silk Roads. The period is often called the Pax Mongolica.

Question 13World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Black Death of the 14th century contributed to which change in Western Europe?

  1. A sharp rise in the number of feudal serfs
  2. The immediate end of all long-distance trade
  3. The rapid growth of large industrial cities
  4. A decline in population that increased the bargaining power of laborers Correct answer.

Explanation

The plague killed a large share of Europe's population, creating labor shortages that allowed surviving peasants to demand higher wages and greater freedom. This contributed to the decline of serfdom.

Question 14World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Crusades affected Europe primarily by

  1. causing the immediate fall of the Byzantine Empire
  2. ending the influence of the Catholic Church
  3. uniting all European kingdoms under one emperor
  4. increasing contact with the Islamic world and stimulating trade Correct answer.

Explanation

Crusaders who traveled to the eastern Mediterranean encountered Muslim scholarship, new goods, and unfamiliar technologies, which increased European demand for Asian and Middle Eastern products. Italian city-states profited from this expanded trade.

Question 15World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The trans-Saharan trade routes were made possible mainly by

  1. the use of camels and the organization of caravans Correct answer.
  2. the construction of stone-paved roads across the desert
  3. the invention of steam-powered ships
  4. the presence of large rivers through the Sahara

Explanation

Camels, which could carry heavy loads and travel long distances without water, made regular desert crossings feasible, and caravans organized trade in salt, gold, and other goods. This linked West African kingdoms such as Mali and Ghana to North Africa.

Question 16World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Mansa Musa of Mali is best remembered for

  1. building the Great Wall of China
  2. conquering the Byzantine capital of Constantinople
  3. founding the Mongol Empire in Central Asia
  4. his pilgrimage to Mecca and the wealth he displayed in gold Correct answer.

Explanation

Mansa Musa's 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca brought him through Cairo, where he distributed so much gold that he affected local prices. His journey publicized Mali's wealth and strengthened ties between West Africa and the Islamic world.

Question 17World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Renaissance in Italy was characterized by

  1. the rejection of all ancient Greek and Roman texts
  2. a revival of classical learning and interest in human potential Correct answer.
  3. the decline of cities and a return to rural isolation
  4. the elimination of trade with the Islamic world

Explanation

Renaissance thinkers drew on Greek and Roman sources to develop humanism, emphasizing human achievement, reason, and artistic realism. Wealthy Italian city-states such as Florence funded artists and scholars who advanced these ideas.

Question 18World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which technological development from China most transformed European warfare in the late Middle Ages?

  1. The magnetic compass
  2. Paper money
  3. Gunpowder Correct answer.
  4. The printing press

Explanation

Gunpowder, developed in China, reached Europe along trade routes and was used to make firearms and cannons. This shifted military advantage toward centralized states that could afford artillery, undermining the traditional role of castle-based nobles.

Question 19World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 is significant because it

  1. ended the Islamic religion in the region
  2. began the Hundred Years' War
  3. marked the end of the Byzantine Empire Correct answer.
  4. established the Mongol Empire in Anatolia

Explanation

Ottoman forces under Mehmed II captured Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire and making the city the new Ottoman capital. The event is often used to mark the transition from the medieval to the early modern period.

Question 20World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which of these best describes the political structure of the Aztec Empire?

  1. A centralized bureaucracy staffed by professional officials
  2. A network of tribute-paying city-states dominated by Tenochtitlan Correct answer.
  3. A democratic republic with elected representatives
  4. A loose alliance of independent farming villages

Explanation

The Aztec Empire was a hegemonic system in which Tenochtitlan and its allies extracted tribute from conquered city-states rather than ruling them through a highly centralized administration. Local rulers often retained authority while paying tribute.

Question 21World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which factor best explains why the Inca Empire could administer a vast territory without a written language?

  1. The reliance on Arabic numerals for accounting
  2. The use of a phonetic alphabet developed by priests
  3. The use of printed maps distributed to provinces
  4. The use of quipu, a system of knotted cords for recording information Correct answer.

Explanation

The Inca recorded numerical and other data using quipu, knotted cords that functioned as a mnemonic and accounting system. Coupled with a road network and messengers, this allowed administration of a large Andean state.

Question 22World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

A historian studying the spread of Buddhism from India to China would most likely focus on which route?

  1. The Viking routes across the North Sea
  2. The Atlantic sea lanes
  3. The Silk Roads through Central Asia Correct answer.
  4. The trans-Saharan caravan routes

Explanation

Buddhism traveled from India into Central Asia and then to China along the Silk Roads, carried by merchants and monks. The transmission is visible in the translation of Buddhist texts and in Chinese pilgrimage accounts.

Question 23World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The spread of the bubonic plague along trade routes in the 14th century best illustrates which historical concept?

  1. The isolation of regional economies from one another
  2. The replacement of overland trade by air travel
  3. The decline of all long-distance trade after 1300
  4. The interconnection of societies through exchange networks Correct answer.

Explanation

The plague traveled from Asia toward Europe along the same routes used for trade, showing how closely linked Eurasian societies had become. Disease diffusion is a key example of cultural and biological exchange across networks.

Question 24World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which comparison of the Roman and Han empires is most accurate?

  1. Both abolished agriculture as an economic base
  2. Both rejected the use of written law codes
  3. Both relied on a large bureaucracy and road networks to govern extensive territories Correct answer.
  4. Both were ruled by elected assemblies

Explanation

The Roman and Han empires both governed large populations through complex administrations and extensive road systems that supported communication, taxation, and military movement. Their methods differed in detail, but both depended on centralized bureaucratic control.

Question 25World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Protestant Reformation beginning in 1517 is best explained as a response to which set of conditions?

  1. The discovery of the Americas by European explorers
  2. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East
  3. The invention of the steam engine in England
  4. Discontent with Church corruption and the sale of indulgences Correct answer.

Explanation

Criticism of practices such as selling indulgences, along with concerns about clerical wealth and authority, fueled calls for reform. Martin Luther's challenge in 1517 became the catalyst for a movement that split Western Christianity.

Question 26World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Hammurabi's Code, carved on a stele in Babylon around 1750 BCE, is historically significant mainly because it

  1. abolished slavery throughout Mesopotamia
  2. created the world's first coinage system
  3. established monotheism as Babylonian state religion
  4. recorded a written set of laws and penalties for a state Correct answer.

Explanation

Hammurabi's Code is the best-known surviving example of a ruler publishing a formal body of law with specified punishments, so it shows written law and state authority in Mesopotamia. It did not abolish slavery, which the code regulated, nor did it create coins or monotheism.

Question 27World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The development of cuneiform in Sumer was most directly connected to which activity?

  1. Writing epic poetry about naval battles
  2. Prescribing medical treatments for plague
  3. Recording temple and palace accounts of goods Correct answer.
  4. Mapping the movements of planets

Explanation

Cuneiform began as pictographic marks pressed into clay to track stored grain, livestock, and labor owed to temples and palaces. Record keeping drove the signs toward a flexible script, and literary and scientific uses came later.

Question 28World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which geographic feature was most important to the agricultural prosperity of ancient Egypt?

  1. The annual flooding of the Nile River Correct answer.
  2. The monsoon rains of the Ethiopian highlands
  3. The natural harbors of the Mediterranean coast
  4. The mineral wealth of the Sinai Peninsula

Explanation

The Nile's predictable summer flood deposited fertile silt along its banks, making dense farming and a centralized state possible in an otherwise arid region. Egypt's calendar and administration were organized around this flood cycle.

Question 29World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The caste system as it developed in classical India organized society primarily according to

  1. military rank awarded by the emperor
  2. wealth measured in silver and land
  3. hereditary social groups linked to occupation and ritual status Correct answer.
  4. membership in Buddhist monasteries

Explanation

The varna and jati system assigned people to hereditary groups associated with occupations and degrees of ritual purity, and the system was justified in Brahmanical texts. Birth, rather than wealth or appointment, determined status.

Question 30World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Athenian democracy in the 5th century BCE differed from modern representative democracy chiefly because Athenian citizens

  1. elected a single monarch to rule for life
  2. limited voting to men who owned land
  3. voted directly on laws in the assembly rather than electing legislators Correct answer.
  4. delegated all decisions to a council of priests

Explanation

In Athens eligible citizens participated personally in the ekklesia, debating and voting on measures themselves, which is direct rather than representative democracy. Modern systems generally elect representatives to decide most legislation.

Question 31World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which statement best describes the role of the Roman road network in sustaining the empire?

  1. It was built primarily to mark the frontier with Persia
  2. It moved legions and goods quickly while spreading Roman law and Latin Correct answer.
  3. It served mainly to transport pilgrims to Jerusalem
  4. It replaced Mediterranean shipping for bulk cargo

Explanation

Paved roads built by the army allowed rapid military deployment, tax and grain transport, and the movement of officials, merchants, and ideas, which helped integrate the provinces culturally and legally. Sea routes remained cheaper for bulk goods.

Question 32World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Edict of Milan, issued in 313 CE, is best understood as an agreement that

  1. ordered the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem
  2. made Christianity the sole official religion of Rome
  3. divided the empire between two co-emperors
  4. granted toleration to Christians within the Roman Empire Correct answer.

Explanation

The edict issued under Constantine and Licinius ended official persecution and allowed Christians to practice and recover property. Christianity became the empire's favored religion later, under Theodosius, not through this edict.

Question 33World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Justinian Code, compiled in the 6th century, mattered to later European legal history because it

  1. replaced Roman law with Germanic customary law
  2. abolished the office of emperor in Byzantium
  3. introduced trial by jury across the Mediterranean
  4. preserved and organized Roman law for later societies to study and adapt Correct answer.

Explanation

Justinian's commissioners gathered and arranged centuries of Roman legal rulings into a coherent body, the Corpus Juris Civilis. This text survived and was revived by medieval and early modern jurists, shaping civil-law traditions.

Question 34World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

One major consequence of the schism between the Western and Eastern churches in 1054 was that

  1. the pope moved his residence to Constantinople
  2. the Byzantine emperor converted to Islam
  3. Latin and Greek Christian traditions developed separate hierarchies and practices Correct answer.
  4. the Crusades were permanently cancelled

Explanation

Mutual excommunications in 1054 formalized a growing split over papal authority, the filioque clause, and ritual differences. Each side thereafter developed its own institutions, though the break was not fully final at once.

Question 35World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The House of Wisdom in Abbasid Baghdad is best known as a center where

  1. Christian crusaders negotiated the surrender of Jerusalem
  2. the caliph stored his military payroll records
  3. scholars translated Greek, Persian, and Indian works and advanced mathematics and medicine Correct answer.
  4. the Quran was first compiled into a single text

Explanation

Under Abbasid patronage, translators and scholars rendered Greek philosophy, Persian literature, and Indian mathematics into Arabic, and figures such as al-Khwarizmi worked there. This helped preserve and extend classical knowledge.

Question 36World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which factor most helped the kingdom of Ghana grow wealthy between the 8th and 11th centuries?

  1. Conquering the Byzantine capital
  2. Exporting silk produced in West African workshops
  3. Taxing the gold and salt trade that crossed its territory Correct answer.
  4. Controlling Mediterranean shipping lanes

Explanation

Ghana's rulers positioned themselves between southern gold fields and northern salt sources, levying duties on goods passing through and using that revenue to support a strong state. This transit trade, not Mediterranean or silk commerce, was the foundation of its power.

Question 37World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Bantu migrations, which spread across sub-Saharan Africa over many centuries, are best identified by which cultural marker?

  1. The spread of related Bantu languages and iron-working farming communities Correct answer.
  2. The adoption of Arabic as a first language
  3. The introduction of horses and chariots from Egypt
  4. The construction of stone pyramids along the Niger River

Explanation

Linguists and archaeologists trace the Bantu expansion through closely related languages and the spread of farming, iron tools, and pottery from a homeland near modern Nigeria and Cameroon. This package of traits moved south and east over roughly two millennia.

Question 38World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

In medieval Japan, the emperor's practical authority was often limited because

  1. Buddhist monks held all provincial governorships
  2. the country was ruled directly by Chinese officials
  3. real power lay with military lords and later with the shogun Correct answer.
  4. the emperor was chosen by popular election

Explanation

From the late Heian period onward, warrior houses gained land and armed followings, and the Kamakura shogunate (from 1185) placed military government beside the imperial court. The emperor retained symbolic and religious prestige while the shogun and daimyo exercised power.

Question 39World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

A historian comparing the Tang and Song dynasties would most likely emphasize which change?

  1. The relocation of the capital to Baghdad
  2. The end of the Grand Canal's use
  3. A shift toward a commercialized economy with expanded trade and urban growth Correct answer.
  4. The abandonment of Confucian examinations

Explanation

During the Song, markets, paper money, overseas trade, and cities expanded markedly, and the examination system grew more central to recruitment. The Tang had laid foundations, but the Song is associated with this commercial and urban transformation.

Question 40World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Delhi Sultanate, established in 1206, is best described as

  1. a Portuguese colony on the Malabar coast
  2. a series of Turkic and Afghan Muslim dynasties ruling much of northern India Correct answer.
  3. a Mongol khanate centered on the Deccan plateau
  4. a Hindu empire that expelled all Muslims from India

Explanation

The Delhi Sultanate comprised several successive dynasties of Turkic and Afghan origin that governed northern India from Delhi, introducing new administrative and architectural forms. It was neither a Hindu restoration nor a European colony.

Question 41World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Angkor Wat, built in the 12th century, reflects which combination of influences in Southeast Asia?

  1. Roman basilica construction techniques
  2. Indian Hindu cosmology adapted by a Khmer ruler Correct answer.
  3. Islamic mosque architecture from Persia
  4. Chinese Confucian temple design

Explanation

Angkor Wat was erected as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu by the Khmer king Suryavarman II and designed to represent Mount Meru, showing how Indian religious and cosmological ideas were adopted and reshaped locally. It later became Buddhist.

Question 42World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which development most enabled the voyages of Zheng He between 1405 and 1433?

  1. The invention of the magnetic compass by European sailors
  2. The opening of the Suez Canal
  3. The construction of large treasure ships and state sponsorship under the Ming Correct answer.
  4. The conquest of Malacca by Portugal

Explanation

The Yongle emperor sponsored vast fleets built at Chinese shipyards, using advanced shipbuilding, the compass, and centralized resources to project Ming power into the Indian Ocean. The other options either reverse the direction of technological diffusion or occur much later.

Question 43World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which statement best explains why the Silk Road trade declined after about 1500 CE?

  1. European sea routes offered cheaper transport for Asian goods Correct answer.
  2. Chinese emperors banned the production of silk
  3. The Ottoman Empire abolished overland trade by law
  4. Central Asian nomads destroyed all caravan cities

Explanation

Once Portuguese and other European ships could carry spices and textiles around Africa directly to Europe, ocean shipping undercut the cost and risk of long overland caravan routes. The overland trade did not vanish entirely but lost its dominant position.

Question 44World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Columbian Exchange following 1492 is best defined as

  1. a treaty dividing the Atlantic between Spain and Portugal
  2. the forced conversion of Native Americans to Christianity
  3. the exchange of silver for enslaved Africans in the Indian Ocean
  4. the transfer of crops, animals, and diseases between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia Correct answer.

Explanation

The term refers to the biological and material exchange that followed contact, including maize and potatoes moving east and wheat, horses, and smallpox moving west. The demographic collapse from disease was one of its most consequential results.

Question 45World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The encomienda system in Spanish America primarily involved

  1. Native Americans electing their own colonial governors
  2. the establishment of self-governing Puritan towns
  3. the sale of African slaves to Portuguese planters
  4. Spaniards receiving Native American labor in return for supposed protection and instruction Correct answer.

Explanation

Under the encomienda, the crown granted a colonist the right to demand labor and tribute from a Native community, justified as payment for Christian instruction. In practice it imposed harsh forced labor and was criticized by figures such as Bartolomé de las Casas.

Question 46World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which of these best describes the role of the Ottoman devshirme system?

  1. It collected taxes from non-Muslims in place of military service
  2. It organized merchant guilds in Constantinople
  3. It granted hereditary noble titles to Turkish landowners
  4. It recruited Christian boys for conversion and service in the sultan's administration and army Correct answer.

Explanation

The devshirme periodically took boys from Christian communities in the Balkans, converted them to Islam, and trained them for the Janissary corps or palace service, creating loyal servants of the sultan. The tax paid by non-Muslims in lieu of service was the jizya, a separate institution.

Question 47World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Which factor best explains the rapid expansion of Islam across North Africa in the 7th and 8th centuries?

  1. North Africans were forced to adopt Arabic by the Chinese
  2. Arab armies, trade networks, and the appeal of a unifying faith combined to spread Islam Correct answer.
  3. Christian missionaries in the region converted to Islam en masse
  4. Mass conversion followed a single decree by the Byzantine emperor

Explanation

Military conquest removed hostile regimes, while merchants, scholars, and rulers spread the faith and Arabic language over generations. Conversion was gradual and often voluntary, driven by social and economic incentives as well as belief.

Question 48World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

Machiavelli's The Prince, written in 1513, broke with earlier political writing mainly by

  1. arguing that kings should obey the pope in all matters
  2. proposing a unified world government
  3. analyzing how rulers actually gain and keep power rather than describing ideal rule Correct answer.
  4. defending democracy as the best form of government

Explanation

Machiavelli examined the practical, sometimes ruthless methods by which rulers acquire and retain states, judging them by results rather than Christian moral ideals. This empirical, secular approach made the work a landmark in political thought.

Question 49World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula concluded in 1492 with

  1. the signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas
  2. the unification of Spain and Portugal
  3. the capture of Granada by Castile and Aragon Correct answer.
  4. the expulsion of the Moors from Sicily

Explanation

The fall of Granada removed the last Muslim-ruled state in Iberia, completing the Christian reconquest and allowing Ferdinand and Isabella to consolidate authority. That same year they also expelled Jews who refused conversion.

Question 50World History to 1600 CE (ancient and classical civilizations, medieval and early modern worlds)

The Ming dynasty's decision to end state-sponsored ocean voyages in the 1430s most likely reflected

  1. a lack of navigational knowledge among Chinese sailors
  2. the loss of all Chinese interest in foreign goods
  3. the destruction of China's shipyards by Portuguese fleets
  4. a turn toward defending northern borders and prioritizing internal consolidation Correct answer.

Explanation

After Zheng He's voyages, court factions argued that the expeditions drained resources and that the empire's security lay in the north against the Mongols. The state curtailed the fleets and later restricted maritime trade, though private commerce continued.