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Practice Quiz
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1
As explained in “Modern Archaeology,” the great expansion of archaeology in the 1960s coincided with:
A)development of potassium argon dating.
B)expansion of higher education.
C)scientific competition between the United States and the Soviet Union.
D)the administration of Gamel Nassar in Egypt.
2
As pointed out in “Modern Archaeology,” we now know that the cradle of humankind was in:
A)Saharan Africa.
B)the Greek islands.
C)Palestine.
D)tropical Africa.
3
As stated in “Modern Archaeology,” the rulers of Moche in Peru were aware of the changes in fishing that we now know are caused by the phenomenon El Nino.
A)True
B)False
4
In assessing the rule of Hatshepsut, the author of “The Queen Who Would Be King,” suggests that
A)the fact that she never married limited Hatshepsut’s effectiveness.
B)creative arts suffered from her oppression.
C)she was the most successful female pharaoh.
D)the treatment she afforded her stepson was barbaric.
5
As identified in “The Queen Who Would Be King,” the greatest building project of Hatshepsut’s reign was her:
A)mortuary temple.
B)husband’s tomb.
C)temple in honor of Osiris.
D)palace.
6
As reported in “The Queen Who Would Be King,” the recent exhibit of items centered on Hatshepsut portrayed her as a largely beneficent ruler.
A)True
B)False
7
As detailed in "Journey to the Seven Wonders," the most fragile wonder of them all, standing for only 56 years before it collapsed, was the:
A)temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
B)lighthouse of Alexandria.
C)statue of Zeus at Olympia.
D)Colossus of Rhodes.
8
According to legend, as related in "Journey to the Seven Wonders," the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was built around 350 B.C. for:
A)Alexander the Great.
B)King Mausolos of Caria.
C)King Xerxes of Persia.
D)Helen of Troy.
9
As pointed out in "Journey to the Seven Wonders," the only one of the ancient seven wonders of the world still standing is the lighthouse at Alexandria.
A)True
B)False
10
As discussed in "The Coming of the Sea Peoples," the Sea Peoples were instrumental in the transformation of Mediterranean society because they:
A)introduced a new form of government.
B)opened trade with cities to the north and east.
C)changed the nature of warfare.
D)brought improved health practices to the area.
11
As noted in "The Coming of the Sea Peoples," the militaries of all the empires of the Late Bronze Age were dependent on:
A)naval power.
B)light battle chariots.
C)foot archers.
D)long swords and shields.
12
As cited in "The Coming of the Sea Peoples," by adopting the Sea Peoples' tactics, Egypt was able to repulse their invasion and regain its former strength.
A)True
B)False
13
According to “Before Tea Leaves Divination in Ancient Babylonia,” the liver diviners employed by King Ashurbanipal:
A)found his cause unjust.
B)predicted his early demise.
C)predicted his brother would defeat him.
D)fabricated their prediction to please him.
14
As noted in “Before Tea Leaves Divination in Ancient Babylonia,” the largest number of ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets is held by the:
A)Louvre Museum in Paris.
B)Museum of the Ancient Orient in Istanbul.
C)British Museum.
D)Yale University.
15
As stated in “Before Tea Leaves Divination in Ancient Babylonia,” all forms of divination were forbidden in ancient Israel.
A)True
B)False
16
As reported in “Millennia of Murex,” Central American murex differs from that found in the Mediterranean in that:
A)it imparts no odor to the cloth.
B)the pigment can be extracted without killing the shellfish.
C)the resulting dye cannot be used in yarn.
D)it produces a more even coverage.
17
In discussing the science upon which the appeal of Murex combined with silk was based, the author of “Millennia of Murex” notes that:
A)silk is less absorbent than cotton or other fibers.
B)silk is chemically weakened when dyed with murex.
C)it requires more murex to dye silk than other fibers.
D)silk is easier to dye than any other fiber.
18
As pointed out in “Millennia of Murex,” the Byzantines discouraged the trade in purple because it encouraged Syrian migration to Constantinople.
A)True
B)False
19
In “Troy’s Night of the Horse,” the author’s conclusion about the Trojan horse:
A)agrees exactly with scholars’ traditional convictions.
B)is that it is only a metaphor.
C)is that it might actually have existed.
D)demonstrates that such objects were common in the warfare of the day.
20
Concerning the building of the Trojan horse, the author of “Troy’s Night of the Horse” observes that:
A)Homer attributes the actual labor of building it to Odysseus.
B)the Greeks did not have with them the professionals to do such a job.
C)the Greeks would not have had the requisite materials to make such an object.
D)such construction was technologically possible at the time.
21
According to “Troy’s Night of the Horse,” Troy was situated south of the Simiptis and Scamander rivers.
A)True
B)False
22
According to “The First Olympics,” the most popular contact sport at Olympia was:
A)tag team wrestling.
B)bear wrestling.
C)gymnastics.
D)pankration.
23
As noted in “The First Olympics,” those prohibited from attending the ancient Olympics were:
A)married men.
B)children.
C)single women.
D)married women.
24
As pointed out in “The First Olympics,” the ancient Olympics were never cancelled.
A)True
B)False
25
According to “Can We Trust the Ancient Texts?”, the most common errors in ancient texts involve:
A)names.
B)dates.
C)types of weapons.
D)numbers.
26
As reported in “Can We Trust the Ancient Texts?”, an example of a trustworthy account of ancient events is:
A)Titus Livy’s account of the Second Punic War.
B)Herodotus on the Greco-Persian Wars.
C)Arrian’s report on the campaigns of Alexander.
D)Dio Cassius on the Second Punic War.
27
As discussed in “Can We Trust the Ancient Texts?”, the writing of history was essentially invented by the Romans.
A)True
B)False
28
According to “Unlocking the Mysteries of the Parthenon,” in the original building of the Parthenon:
A)work lasted for almost a century.
B)laborers had the benefit of many years of experience.
C)inferior tools hampered precision.
D)the overall plan was painstakingly followed.
29
As observed in “Unlocking the Mysteries of the Parthenon,” likely the most costly part of building the Parthenon was the:
A)quarrying.
B)hauling.
C)assembling.
D)fluting.
30
As noted in “Unlocking the Mysteries of the Parthenon,” the citizens of Athens had no voice in the decision to build the Parthenon.
A)True
B)False
31
According to “Outfoxed and Outfought,” at the time of the Battle of Marathon, the Athenians:
A)had the mightiest navy in the Aegean.
B)were ruled by a despot.
C)had the advantage in infantry equipment.
D)were too busy squabbling among themselves to mount an efficient defense.
32
As stated in “Outfoxed and Outfought,” dissent against the Persians began in:
A)Ionia.
B)Miletos.
C)Sparta.
D)Naxos.
33
As reported in “Outfoxed and Outfought,” it is clear that the Persians outnumbered the Greeks at Marathon.
A)True
B)False
34
According to "Mighty Macedonian: Alexander the Great," at the time of Alexander's death in 323 B.C., his empire stretched from the:
A)Tigris to the Euphrates.
B)Balkans to the Himalayas.
C)Mediterranean to the Aegean.
D)Danube to the Volga.
35
As recounted in "Mighty Macedonian: Alexander the Great," historians have disagreed about Alexander's character, but there is substantial agreement on the issue of his:
A)sexuality.
B)military prowess.
C)ability to pick administrators.
D)motives.
36
As noted in "Mighty Macedonian: Alexander the Great," historians now generally accept that Alexander was poisoned by his generals.
A)True
B)False
37
As maintained in "Etruscan Women: Dignified, Charming, Literate, and Free," the Etruscan women were the talk of their Greek and Roman neighbors for their freedom of action, their appetite for wine, and their:
A)use of makeup.
B)loose morals.
C)influence on politics.
D)learning.
38
As the author of "Etruscan Women: Dignified, Charming, Literate, and Free" notes, there is only one reference to the Etruscans in the story of antiquity's most famous traveler:
A)Hercules.
B)Theseus.
C)Odysseus.
D)Pericles.
39
According to "Etruscan Women: Dignified, Charming, Literate, and Free," the Etruscans developed a sophisticated dentistry, including bridges with prosthetic teeth.
A)True
B)False
40
According to “Rome’s Craftiest General,” when facing defeat, the Roman soldier was expected to:
A)commit suicide.
B)reconstitute and prepare for the next effort.
C)retire and accept disgrace.
D)surrender and die.
41
As noted in “Rome’s Craftiest General,” Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus first faced Hannibal at:
A)Lake Trasimine.
B)Cannae.
C)the Battle of Trebia.
D)the Ticinus River.
42
As observed in “Rome’s Craftiest General,” Spain was the core of Hannibal’s strength.
A)True
B)False
43
The author of "The End of the Roman Empire" bases his arguments about post-Roman civilization on:
A)language changes.
B)barbarian accounts.
C)the writings of early Christians.
D)archaeological evidence.
44
As shown in "The End of the Roman Empire," much of the examination of post-Roman sites is accomplished by studying:
A)pottery and pottery fragments.
B)coins.
C)climate changes.
D)the effects of fires.
45
The author of "The End of the Roman Empire" believes that the collapse of the empire can be seen as the "end of a civilization."
A)True
B)False
46
In evaluating Canadian documentarian Simcha Jacobivici’s film, the author of “The Volcano Explains Everything--Or Does It?” notes that:
A)the film aims to refute the biblical account of the Exodus.
B)no reputable scholars were interviewed for the film.
C)the film incorrectly dates the presence of Israelites in Egypt.
D)no explanation is offered for the plagues of Egypt.
47
As stated in “The Volcano Explains Everything--Or Does It?”, most biblical scholars would date the Exodus:
A)to the reign of Hathsepsut.
B)to the Ramesside Period.
C)to the Hyksos expulsion.
D)based on volcanic activity.
48
As reported in “The Volcano Explains Everything--Or Does It?”, Profesor Donald Redford was interviewed for the Exodus film because he is a super fundamentalist.
A)True
B)False
49
According to “Holy Family Values,” Jews differed from ancient Romans in that Jewish culture:
A)placed little value on children.
B)was not eager to produce children.
C)considered it wrong to kill children.
D)did not believe in eternal life.
50
As reported in “Holy Family Values,” the high value placed on virginity protected family values in the Jewish culture that put the family above everything by:
A)exalting the status of women.
B)assuring men that their children were their own.
C)establishing procreation as the only valid purpose of sexuality.
D)protecting the health of young women.
51
As stated in “Holy Family Values,” Roman society placed married men with children at the top of the social order.
A)True
B)False
52
As explained in "Adrianople: Last Great Battle of Antiquity," the Goths claimed that they originated in an area called Gothiscandza in southern Scandinavia, but they eventually made their homeland between the Oder and Vistula Rivers in what is now:
A)Spain.
B)Austria.
C)Poland.
D)France.
53
As noted in "Adrianople: Last Great Battle of Antiquity," the Goths who fought at Adrianople were led by a Visigothic warrior-king named:
A)Sitalces.
B)Alaric.
C)Strabo.
D)Fritigern.
54
As asserted in "Adrianople: Last Great Battle of Antiquity," one of the officers serving under Valens, the Comes Sebastianus, had been extremely successful using guerilla tactics against the Goths.
A)True
B)False
55
The Eastern Roman Empire managed to outlast the Western Empire, as explained in "The Survival of the Eastern Roman Empire," for all of the following reasons except that it had:
A)more skillful individual leaders.
B)a more strategic location.
C)a wealthier agricultural base.
D)leaders who practiced a higher order of statecraft.
56
The enemies of Rome who could boast the most centralized, sophisticated state, as identified in "The Survival of the Eastern Roman Empire," were the:
A)Huns.
B)Visigoths.
C)Persians.
D)Franks.
57
As noted in "The Survival of the Eastern Roman Empire," Alaric was a strong leader of the Germanic tribe known as the Vandals.
A)True
B)False
58
According to “Islam’s First Terrorists,” the issue that caused the civil war between the Umayyad and Ali was:
A)proper interpretation of holy writings.
B)territory.
C)polygamy.
D)succession of power.
59
As reported in “Islam’s First Terrorists,” the Kharijites:
A)were ostracized in Iraq.
B)looked favorably on converts.
C)did not tolerate non-Muslims in their midst.
D)did not tolerate non-Arabs in their midst.
60
As stated in “Islam’s First Terrorists,” Kharijites believed that heredity and supremacy should be based on tribal origin.
A)True
B)False
61
As noted in “Rediscovering Arabic Science,” the purpose behind the invention of algebra and the zero was to:
A)aid in the taking of the census.
B)streamline business computations.
C)serve as a navigational tool.
D)compute astronomical distances.
62
As reported in “Rediscovering Arabic Science,” among the science terms that come from Arabic are all of the following except:
A)algorithm.
B)elixir.
C)nadir.
D)parabola.
63
As pointed out in “Rediscovering Arabic Science,” unlike earlier Greek science, Arab science succeeded as much in pragmatic applications as it did in theoretical concepts.
A)True
B)False
64
In describing Thomas Becket’s life, the author of “A Turbulent Reputation,” suggests that Becket:
A)always comported himself austerely.
B)was devoutly loyal to his friend and king.
C)was considered by many a traitor.
D)was a distinguished scholar.
65
As noted in “A Turbulent Reputation,” at the time of his murder, Thomas Becket was:
A)living a life of obvious piety.
B)defying an order of exile.
C)strongly supporting Henry II.
D)wearing a hair shirt under his garments.
66
As reported in “A Turbulent Reputation,” King Henry II never accepted the idea of sainthood for Thomas Becket.
A)True
B)False
67
According to “What Did Medieval Schools Do for Us?”, a monk named Aelfric was responsible for the first:
A)elementary school for girls in England.
B)Latin textbook in English.
C)texts for Anglo-Saxon learners.
D)written English primer.
68
As reported in “What Did Medieval Schools Do for Us?”, the Anglo-Saxon approach to learning included belief that:
A)only boys should learn to read.
B)schooling was suitable in principle for everyone.
C)education should be limited to business people.
D)education should be limited to the clergy.
69
As noted in “What Did Medieval Schools Do for Us?”, girls learned to read basic Latin in nunneries.
A)True
B)False
70
As concluded in "Lackland: The Loss of Normandy in 1204," King John's defeat at Bouvines led to the:
A)establishment of the English navy.
B)annexation of Scotland.
C)French invasion of England.
D)creation of Magna Carta.
71
Before his defeat at Bouvines in 1214, King John of England's French territories:
A)were mostly in the south of France.
B)covered roughly two-thirds of modern France.
C)included only Normandy and Brittany.
D)were never considered part of the French king's realm.
72
As claimed in "Lackland: The Loss of Normandy in 1204," Richard the Lionheart's castle-building program in Normandy caused great financial strain.
A)True
B)False
73
As explained in "The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople," knights in northern Europe gained realistic preparation for warfare through:
A)practice at one-on-one combat.
B)skirmishes with Viking raiders.
C)tournaments.
D)acting as squires to knights from the age of seven until adulthood.
74
As described in "The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople," the participants for the Fourth Crusade included many European nobles and the naval fleet of:
A)Venice.
B)Greece.
C)Spain.
D)Florence.
75
As mentioned in "The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople," one of the first acts of the Fourth Crusade was the capture of the Christian city of Zara, which led to the excommunication of many of the crusaders.
A)True
B)False
76
As reported in “East Meets West in Venice,” the original settlers of Venice were:
A)attempting to build an open city.
B)looking to build a trading center.
C)fleeing Gothic and Lombard tribes.
D)in search of a fishing outpost.
77
As identified in “East Meets West in Venice,” the key to the Venetians’ trading success was:
A)prowess as mariners.
B)not seeing themselves as superior.
C)diplomatic skill.
D)good taste.
78
As stated in “East Meets West in Venice,” Venetians began to acknowledge the Turks as equals after they defeated the Ottomans in 1683.
A)True
B)False
79
According to “Genghis Khan,” the most common tactic practiced by the Mongols was the:
A)cavalry charge.
B)charge in close combat.
C)sneak attack.
D)arrow storm.
80
As stated in “Genghis Khan,” the Mongols used captives and conscripts from previously conquered areas:
A)as bargaining chips.
B)as forced labor.
C)to gather intelligence.
D)to conduct peace negotiations.
81
As reported in “Genghis Khan,” Chinggis Khan’s men considered it an act of shame to run away from an enemy in battle.
A)True
B)False
82
According to "How a Mysterious Disease Laid Low Europe's Masses," in the fourteenth century, a third of the population of Europe was destroyed by:
A)smallpox.
B)malaria.
C)bubonic plague.
D)typhoid fever.
83
In 1347, according to "How a Mysterious Disease Laid Low Europe's Masses," the first European site to be struck down by the plague was:
A)Florence.
B)Catania.
C)Messina.
D)Genoa.
84
The entire structure of feudal society, as claimed in "How a Mysterious Disease Laid Low Europe's Masses," was strengthened by the plague.
A)True
B)False
85
As reported in “The Guns of Constantinople,” the defenders of Constantinople:
A)outnumbered the attackers.
B)used their cannons as shot guns.
C)had excellent gun platforms but inferior guns.
D)never found a way to repair breaches in the wall.
86
As pointed out in “The Guns of Constantinople,” the cannon founder Orban was:
A)Byzantine.
B)Italian.
C)German.
D)Hungarian.
87
As stated in” The Guns of Constantinople,” while staying in Constantinople, Orban became destitute.
A)True
B)False
88
As reported in “Joan of Arc,” victories of Joan of Arc’s forces led to:
A)the end of the Hundred Years War.
B)the death of Henry V.
C)the coronation of Charles VII.
D)civil war in France.
89
As noted in “Joan of Arc,” the Battle of Agincourt in 1415:
A)marked the premiere of Joan of Arc in battle.
B)left the French profoundly demoralized.
C)caused few French casualties.
D)saw equal numbers of deaths on the French and English sides.
90
As stated in “Joan of Arc,” Joan of Arc possessed strategic and tactical prowess of the classical style.
A)True
B)False
91
According to “The Luther Legacy,” Jakob Burckhandt correctly identified the Reformation as:
A)a sowing of the seeds of doubt.
B)the renunciation of reason.
C)an escape from discipline.
D)the confirmation of nonconformity.
92
As reported in “The Luther Legacy,” the freeing revelation to Martin Luther was in the Bible verse that says:
A)as you sow, so shall you reap.
B)render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.
C)by their works you will know them.
D)the just man will live by faith.
93
As stated in “The Luther Legacy,” Martin Luther had an abhorrence of anarchy.
A)True
B)False
94
According to "Explaining John Calvin," Calvin was a:
A)joyless tyrant.
B)cold, inflexible moralist.
C)rigid thinker.
D)humanist.
95
The three languages of ancient Christian discourse, according to "Explaining John Calvin," included all of the following except:
A)Hebrew.
B)Greek.
C)French.
D)Latin.
96
John Calvin, as claimed in "Explaining John Calvin," strongly supported the traditional belief in hierarchy as the general principle of all order.
A)True
B)False
97
According to "The Third Way," while not themselves Anabaptists, the two men who can be considered the founders of the Anabaptist movement are:
A)Erasmus and Zwingli.
B)Luther and Calvin.
C)Knox and Penn.
D)Wesley and Cromwell.
98
As noted in "The Third Way," over time Zwingli came to believe that the foundation and source of Christian belief was the:
A)Roman Catholic Church.
B)Scriptures.
C)teachings of the priests.
D)writings of the early church fathers.
99
As stated in "The Third Way," most priests of the sixteenth century had never read the Bible.
A)True
B)False
100
As stated in "Vlad Dracula's War on the Turks," Dracula instilled in the common people a:
A)feeling of loyalty to a unified country.
B)distrust of the Russians to the East.
C)determination to make peace with the Turks.
D)commitment to Roman Catholicism.
101
As presented in "Vlad Dracula's War on the Turks," the Turks still equate the name of Dracula with:
A)prosperity.
B)war.
C)evil.
D)Christians.
102
As given in "Vlad Dracula's War on the Turks," to the Turks the name "Dracula" meant "Conqueror."
A)True
B)False
103
As reported in “Women in War,” the most important contribution of women to military camp life in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was:
A)cooking.
B)prostitution.
C)pillaging.
D)maintaining order.
104
As stated in “Women in War,” European leaders did not originally prohibit looting because:
A)it was good for army morale.
B)they could not provide adequately for their armies.
C)it made their armies more feared.
D)they had no concept of discipline.
105
As noted in “Women in War,” pillagers were careful to keep their stealing and savagery directed against civilians on the other side.
A)True
B)False
106
According to “Will the Real Henry VIII Please Stand Up?”, the ultimate explanation of Henry VIII’s break with Rome was:
A)paranoia.
B)suspicion.
C)status.
D)greed.
107
As stated in “Will the Real Henry VIII Please Stand Up?”, James Anthony Froude’s presentation of Henry VIII was as:
A)a leader devoid of respect for the law.
B)a compassionate but confused amateur theologian.
C)a statesman who led England from bigotry to toleration.
D)the worst scourge in English history.
108
As pointed out in “Will the Real Henry VIII Please Stand Up?”, more English notables were executed during the reign of Henry VIII than any other monarch before or since.
A)True
B)False







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