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| 1 | |
The word Islam means |
| | A) | submission. |
| | B) | one who has submitted. |
| | C) | the god. |
| | D) | Arabia. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 2 | |
The nature of the society into which the prophet Muhammad was born was |
| | A) | an urban-based culture with small manufacturing. |
| | B) | a strictly disciplined military society. |
| | C) | an agricultural society dominated by warriors. |
| | D) | a society made up largely of nomads and merchants. |
| | E) | a society based on maritime trade. |
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| 3 | |
Muhammad experienced profound spiritual revelations that led him to believe that |
| | A) | he was chosen by Allah to create a new religion. |
| | B) | that there was only one god, Allah, and that Muhammad was his prophet. |
| | C) | Judaism and Christianity were major offenses to Allah. |
| | D) | Allah was one of many gods. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 4 | |
The Quran |
| | A) | is the holy book of Islam. |
| | B) | were priests who watched over the Ka'ba. |
| | C) | was Muhammad's journey to Yathrib. |
| | D) | was written by Muhammad. |
| | E) | were Islamic scholarly bureaucrats. |
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| 5 | |
Under pressure from authorities in Mecca, Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina in 622. Muslims call this move |
| | A) | the hijra. |
| | B) | the umma. |
| | C) | Yathrib. |
| | D) | the hajj. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 6 | |
The Five Pillars include all of the following except |
| | A) | there is only one God, and Muhammad is his prophet. |
| | B) | asceticism. |
| | C) | fasting during Ramadan. |
| | D) | contributing alms to the poor. |
| | E) | pilgrimage to Mecca. |
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| 7 | |
Which of the following is not true with regard to the sharia? |
| | A) | It offered detailed guidance on proper behavior in almost every aspect of life. |
| | B) | It was created by the prophet Muhammad. |
| | C) | It drew inspiration especially from the Quran. |
| | D) | It was elaborated by jurists and legal scholars. |
| | E) | It developed into a way of life. |
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| 8 | |
Which of the following is true of the early caliphs? |
| | A) | The early caliphs quickly rejected many of Muhammad's teachings. |
| | B) | The caliph was strictly a political leader, not a religious one. |
| | C) | The early caliphs were unanimously agreed upon by the umma. |
| | D) | The early caliphs concentrated on religious doctrine, not expansion. |
| | E) | None of the above |
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| 9 | |
The Umayyad dynasty |
| | A) | was founded by the Shias. |
| | B) | was established following the reign of Muhammad Ali. |
| | C) | moved the capital to Baghdad. |
| | D) | was established immediately following the death of Muhammad. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 10 | |
Which of the following actions was not taken by the Umayyad caliphs? |
| | A) | They became more and more lax in their attitudes toward Islamic doctrine. |
| | B) | They levied a special head tax called jizya on non-Muslims. |
| | C) | They showed great favor to the Arab military aristocracy. |
| | D) | They temporarily solved the problem of succession to the caliphate. |
| | E) | They maintained their simple lifestyle even in the capital of Damascus. |
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| 11 | |
Muhammad worked for a wealthy woman named Khadija whom he married in 595 |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 12 | |
Muhammad wrote the Quran while in Medina. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 13 | |
Muhammad incurred the wrath of the Meccan ruling elite in part because of his attacks on idolatry. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 14 | |
The concept of jihad or "struggle" requires Muslims to combat vice and evil and to struggle against unbelief. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 15 | |
In the 630s and 640s, Arab armies destroyed the Byzantine Empire. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 16 | |
Differing from the Umayyad caliphs, the Abbasid rulers |
| | A) | were from the Shia sect. |
| | B) | did not allow the Arabs to play a large role in government. |
| | C) | paid more attention to administration rather than expansion of the empire. |
| | D) | moved the capital to Mecca. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 17 | |
Ulama and qadis were important in Islamic society because they |
| | A) | developed public policies and heard cases in accordance with the Quran and the sharia. |
| | B) | were learned priests in the roles of magistrates and judges. |
| | C) | were effective missionaries encouraging the people's obedience and devotion to Allah. |
| | D) | were part of the military arm of Islam, responsible for its expansion. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 18 | |
Which of the following statements is not true with regard to the Saljuq Turks? |
| | A) | They invaded the Byzantine empire. |
| | B) | They were a nomadic people from Central Asia. |
| | C) | They usurped the Abbasid caliphate and claimed the title of caliph for themselves. |
| | D) | They were conquered by the Mongols. |
| | E) | They were the true source of power of the Abbasids for about two centuries. |
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| 19 | |
During Abbasid times, the Arabs learned from China the technique of making |
| | A) | fine silk. |
| | B) | wood block prints. |
| | C) | gunpowder and cannons. |
| | D) | paper. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 20 | |
Islamic Spain, known as al-Andalus, was |
| | A) | controlled by Muslim Berber conquerors. |
| | B) | not part of the Abbasid empire. |
| | C) | an active participant in the commercial life of the Islamic world. |
| | D) | the home of ibn Rushd (Averroes). |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 21 | |
Which of the following was not a right of Islamic women? |
| | A) | They could legally inherit property and divorce husbands. |
| | B) | They could engage in business ventures. |
| | C) | They were equal to men before Allah, not the property of the men. |
| | D) | They could take up to four husbands, just as a man could take up to four wives. |
| | E) | None of the above is true. |
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| 22 | |
The veiling of women as a social custom was |
| | A) | not specifically addressed in the Quran. |
| | B) | practiced long before Muhammad was born. |
| | C) | adopted from Byzantine and Sassanid societies by Muslims. |
| | D) | originally practiced by upper-class women. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 23 | |
Which of the following was true of Sufis? |
| | A) | They were very effective missionaries. |
| | B) | They sought an emotional and mystical union with Allah. |
| | C) | They used emotional sermons and song and dance to encourage devotion. |
| | D) | They tolerated observances of some non-Islamic customs. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 24 | |
The hajj |
| | A) | is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. |
| | B) | brought Muslims from disparate parts of the world together. |
| | C) | ends at the Ka'ba in Mecca. |
| | D) | contributed to the spread of Islamic beliefs and values. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 25 | |
Which of the following is not correct in describing cultural influences on Islam? |
| | A) | Persian literature deeply influenced Islamic literary works. |
| | B) | Indian numerals had a profound influence on the development of mathematical thinking among Muslims. |
| | C) | The caliphs adopted Persian ideas of kingship. |
| | D) | Greek rational reasoning had a long-lasting influence on the theological development of Islam. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 26 | |
The Abbasids won an important victory over the Chinese Tang dynasty at the battle of Talas River in 751. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 27 | |
The Abbasid Empire began to decline in the ninth century because of the Crusades. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 28 | |
Overland trade by Arab merchants was frequently carried by camel caravans. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 29 | |
Arab maritime trade benefited from key technologies such as the astrolabe and magnetic compass. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 30 | |
Madrasas were Sufi soldiers who spread Islam through conquest. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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