Student Center | Instructor Center | Information Center | Home

The Western Experience, 8/e

Mortimer Chambers, University of California - Los Angeles
Barbara Hanawalt, Ohio State University
Theodore Rabb, Princeton University
Isser Woloch, Columbia University
Raymond Grew, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

The Empires of the Early Middle Ages (800-1000): Creation and Erosion

Multiple Choice


1	The Emperor Heraclius accomplished all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	defeating the Persian Empire.
		B)	creating the system of themes.
		C)	resisting Moslem encroachments.
		D)	recapturing the Holy Cross.


2	The Byzantine Empire's government can best be characterized as
		A)	inefficient.
		B)	bureaucratic.
		C)	arbitrary.
		D)	democratic.


3	The Eastern Church and the Roman Church differed in all of the following ways EXCEPT
		A)	their doctrines on the relationship between God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
		B)	the language used in the liturgy.
		C)	their desire to expand Christendom through missionary activity.
		D)	their relationships to civil authority.


4	Byzantine missionaries had their greatest successes in converting the
		A)	Moslems.
		B)	Turks.
		C)	Slavs.
		D)	Persians.


5	The theme system involved all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	paying soldiers and sailors by granting them their own farms.
		B)	putting a general in charge of civil administration.
		C)	letting farmers make decisions about common lands.
		D)	expanding the use of slaves and mercenary soldiers.


6	The single most important commodity produced by the Byzantine Empire was
		A)	wine.
		B)	spices.
		C)	silk.
		D)	gold.


7	Byzantine culture produced significant examples of all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	historical scholarship.
		B)	religious mosaics.
		C)	biblical commentaries.
		D)	scientific advances.


8	The social transformations that weakened the Byzantine Empire included all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	the increasing power of local landlords.
		B)	the decline of the peasantry into serfdom.
		C)	the declining authority of the central government.
		D)	the growing power of the Church over lay society.


9	The Arabs' were receptive to Muhammad's message because they
		A)	were hearty desert nomads, well adapted to their harsh environment.
		B)	lived between the stronger powers of Byzantium, Persia, and Abyssinia.
		C)	were already in a state of political and religious ferment.
		D)	were extremely spirited, tenacious, and formidable warriors.


10	Ideas similar to which of the following religions are NOT found to any significant extent in Islam?
		A)	Christianity.
		B)	Judaism.
		C)	Hinduism.
		D)	Traditional Arab paganism.


11	Muhammad's leadership of Medina affected the nature of his teachings by
		A)	making him intolerant of Christians and Jews.
		B)	focusing him on problems of law and government.
		C)	convincing him that religion and secular affairs cannot be mixed.
		D)	introducing him to Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian beliefs.


12	The central tenet of Islam is
		A)	the divine nature of Muhammad.
		B)	the special destiny of the Arabs.
		C)	submission to the will of God.
		D)	the separate role of the clergy.


13	Islam was able to expand rapidly for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
		A)	the Arabs' mastery of desert warfare.
		B)	the religion's easily comprehended beliefs.
		C)	the divisions within Persia and Byzantium.
		D)	Muhammad's inspired military leadership.


14	The Arab conquests had the effect of
		A)	disrupting the civilizations they affected, leading to their gradual but permanent decline.
		B)	creating a new community bound by faith and language and distinguished by economic and cultural vigor.
		C)	creating a series of autonomous cultural areas bound by faith but united by little else.
		D)	transforming the civilizations they affected from cosmopolitan urban to insular rural societies.


15	Medieval Islamic culture made significant advances in all of the following areas EXCEPT
		A)	archeology.
		B)	medicine.
		C)	mathematics.
		D)	philosophy.


16	The resurgence of the West visa vie the Islamic world was signified by all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	the beginning of the reconquest of Spain.
		B)	Christian successes in the Western Mediterranean.
		C)	the Seljuk capture of Baghdad.
		D)	the success of the First Crusade.


17	Charlemagne's success ultimately depended on
		A)	victory in war.
		B)	Papal support.
		C)	his physical presence.
		D)	his deep learning.


18	Charlemagne made his government effective by all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	capitalizing on his prestige as Emperor.
		B)	traveling widely himself.
		C)	sending inspectors to scrutinize a county each year.
		D)	creating an elaborate bureaucracy.


19	The Carolingian Renaissance accomplished all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	creating an improved handwriting for manuscripts.
		B)	establishing a new standard form of Latin.
		C)	standardizing religious texts.
		D)	creating of an impressive array of monumental buildings.


20	The Carolingian Empire began to decline when it ceased to expand because
		A)	the Byzantine Empire seized the opportunity to reassert itself at its expense.
		B)	the Popes ceased to back it since it was no longer winning new converts to Christianity.
		C)	its constant wars had overtaxed its resources, crippling its economy.
		D)	it lost the ability to buy the aristocracy's loyalty with grants of new land.


21	The reasons for the Vikings' widespread expansion include all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	The population had grown larger than the available farmland could support.
		B)	Chiefs often preferred to emigrate rather than submit when defeated by rivals in war.
		C)	Their shallow-draft ships were seaworthy enough for the high seas while able to travel along rivers.
		D)	Their strong kings carefully coordinated their attacks to the West, South, and East.


22	The major targets of Viking activity included all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	Germany.
		B)	France.
		C)	Russia.
		D)	Britain.


23	Kiev Rus was characterized by all of the following EXCEPT
		A)	Fertile agriculture.
		B)	Lucrative trade.
		C)	Thriving cities.
		D)	Fervent Catholicism.

2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.