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| 1 | |
The Medes and the Persians were |
| | A) | Sumerians who migrated from Mesopotamia to Persia. |
| | B) | Babylonians who migrated from Mesopotamia to Persia. |
| | C) | Indo-Europeans who migrated from Anatolia to Iran. |
| | D) | Indo-Europeans who migrated from central Asia to Persia. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 2 | |
All but one of the following sets of characteristics were true with regard to the early Medes and Persians: |
| | A) | loosely subject to the Babylonian and Assyrian empires. |
| | B) | expert archers, and equestrians. |
| | C) | descendants of nomadic peoples, pastoralists culturally close to the Aryans. |
| | D) | organized by clans rather than by states. |
| | E) | descendants of the Greeks, related to Alexander of Macedon. |
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| 3 | |
Which of the following is true of Cyrus? |
| | A) | He successfully rebelled against his Medean overlord. |
| | B) | His conquests laid the foundation of the first Persian empire. |
| | C) | He conquered Babylon in a swift campaign. |
| | D) | He ruled from his palace in Pasargadae. |
| | E) | All of the above |
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| 4 | |
Egypt was conquered by |
| | A) | Cyrus. |
| | B) | Cambyses. |
| | C) | Darius. |
| | D) | Xerxes. |
| | E) | Zarathustra. |
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| 5 | |
To govern a far-flung empire consisting of more than seventy distinct ethnic groups, the Achaemenid rulers |
| | A) | established effective communications with couriers and roads. |
| | B) | forced the peoples to speak only Persian and believe only in the Persian religion. |
| | C) | used imperial spies to control the conquered masses. |
| | D) | decentralized their administration. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 6 | |
The Persian Royal Road stretched some 2,575 kilometers (1,600 miles) from Sardis in Lydia to Susa in Iran. To travel from one end to the other, it would take |
| | A) | six months for caravans. |
| | B) | ninety days for caravans. |
| | C) | two weeks for Marathon runners. |
| | D) | one week for imperial couriers. |
| | E) | one year for merchants. |
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| 7 | |
The Persian Wars (500–479 B.C.E.) referred to |
| | A) | the rebellions of Mesopotamia and Egypt against the Achaemenid overlord. |
| | B) | the rebellions of the Greek city-states, fighting for their independence. |
| | C) | the wars between Alexander of Macedon and the Achaemenid empire. |
| | D) | the series of civil wars that occurred within the Achaemenid empire. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 8 | |
Alexander's invasion of the Achaemenid empire met with great success because |
| | A) | his army outnumbered the Persian army. |
| | B) | he proclaimed himself the heir to the Achaemenid rulers. |
| | C) | his army was well disciplined, was well armed, and used sophisticated tactics. |
| | D) | he was popular with the people of the empire. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 9 | |
The rulers of the Seleucid empire could not control the empire effectively primarily because |
| | A) | they abandoned the Achaemenid systems of administration and communication. |
| | B) | as foreigners, they were opposed by native Persians. |
| | C) | they were challenged by the Greeks. |
| | D) | they were not able to resist the military pressure of the Islamic empire. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 10 | |
All of the following were true about the early Parthians except that |
| | A) | they had a centralized government. |
| | B) | they were seminomadic people. |
| | C) | they had well-trained forces of heavily armed cavalry. |
| | D) | they portrayed themselves as restorers of Persian traditions. |
| | E) | they were pressured by the Roman empire. |
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| 11 | |
Darius constructed Persepolis to serve as both an administrative center and as a monument to his dynasty's power. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 12 | |
Though the Achaemenid dynasty was militarily powerful, it failed to develop a robust agricultural economy and thus depended on conquests to feed its people. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 13 | |
Achaemenid monarchs sought to limit the independence of the satraps by checking their power with other officials and by spying on them. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 14 | |
Persian forces suffered a crushing defeat at the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.E. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 15 | |
Alexander imposed a Greek political system on the Persian empire. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 16 | |
The Parthian empire was toppled by |
| | A) | the Roman army. |
| | B) | the Islamic army. |
| | C) | the Sassanid army. |
| | D) | a revolt from within the empire. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 17 | |
The administration of the Persian empires called for a new class of bureaucrats who |
| | A) | undermined the position of the old warrior elite. |
| | B) | were essential to the survival of the empire. |
| | C) | were well educated. |
| | D) | included a corps of translators. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 18 | |
The construction of numerous underground canals (known as qanat) was undertaken because |
| | A) | a scarcity of land meant that there was no room for normal irrigation techniques. |
| | B) | there was an overabundance of slave labor that needed to be utilized. |
| | C) | water was scarce and underground canals could keep water from evaporating. |
| | D) | it was the least labor-intensive way to irrigate. |
| | E) | there was no agriculture surplus in the empire. |
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| 19 | |
In classical Persia, slaves |
| | A) | often came from the ranks of the free who went into debt. |
| | B) | could not marry another slave at will. |
| | C) | were often prisoners of war. |
| | D) | provided much of the manual labor on construction projects. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 20 | |
The economic foundation of classical Persian society was |
| | A) | long-distance trade. |
| | B) | herding domestic animals. |
| | C) | manufactured goods. |
| | D) | slavery. |
| | E) | agriculture. |
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| 21 | |
The growth of trade was promoted by |
| | A) | the general prosperity of the Persian state. |
| | B) | standardizing coinage. |
| | C) | the availability of good trade routes. |
| | D) | relative political stability. |
| | E) | all of the above |
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| 22 | |
Zarathustra was |
| | A) | an emperor. |
| | B) | a prophet. |
| | C) | a magi. |
| | D) | a monotheist. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 23 | |
Which of the following was not a Zoroastrian teaching? |
| | A) | the cosmic conflict between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu |
| | B) | individual souls would undergo future judgment |
| | C) | ascetic renunciation of the world in favor of a future heavenly existence |
| | D) | the forces of good would ultimately prevail |
| | E) | a belief in six lesser deities |
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| 24 | |
From the mid-seventh century C.E., Zoroastrianism lost its popularity because |
| | A) | Zoroastrians were converting to Islam. |
| | B) | it was outlawed by the Persian government. |
| | C) | it was outlawed by the Roman conquerors. |
| | D) | more and more people turned to belief in Christianity. |
| | E) | none of the above |
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| 25 | |
The Gathas were |
| | A) | hymns composed in honor of Zoroastrian deities. |
| | B) | Zoroastrian priests. |
| | C) | the elite troops of the Sassanid dynasty. |
| | D) | underground canals. |
| | E) | important trade centers. |
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| 26 | |
The Parthian government broke completely with the Achaemenid example. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 27 | |
As time passed, slavery became less prominent in societies such as the Persian empire. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 28 | |
Alexander's empire and the subsequent Seleucid state stimulated trade between the Mediterranean region and northern India. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 29 | |
The magi were early Persian converts to Christianity. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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| 30 | |
Zarathustra taught that the beneficent god Ahura Mazda was in cosmic conflict with the evil god Angra Mainyu. |
| | A) | True |
| | B) | False |
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