2013 Middle East Test1. In what order did these three monotheistic religions come into being?

a. Judaism, Islam, Christianityb. Christianity, Islam, Judaismc. Islam, Shinto, Taoismd. Judaism, Christianity, Islam*e. Christianity, Judaism, Islam

2. Which of the following Arabic terms refers to the “community of the faithful?”a. Hijabb. Umma*c. Hajjd. Hadithe. Mecca

3. All of the following are part of the Five Pillars of Faith EXCEPTa. Prayerb. Fastingc. Reading of Qur’an*d. Pilgrimagee. Alms

4. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity share which of the following?a. The belief in a single god*b. Belief in Jesus as the Messiah.c. Acceptance of Muhammad as a prophet.d. The requirement of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.e. Restrictions of particular food items, like pork.

5. Muhammada. Made provisions for the future leadership of Islamb. Established clear class distinctions for Islamic societyc. Went against established gender distinctions in the practice of his faithd. Spoke out against military conquest as a vehicle for the extension of Islame. Built on the religious traditions of the Arabian peninsula*

6. The term Dar-al-Islam refers toa. Lands that are enemies of the Muslim religionb. Religious leaders influence in the communityc. Conquered areas that refuse to convert to Islamd. Areas that share a common Muslim culture as a basis for society*e. Trade routes that link the Islamic world to the non-Muslim world

7. Which of the following best describes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the latter half of the 20th Century

a. The international community ignored the issues of both sidesb. Both sides had religious and historic claims to the same land*c. The conflicts between European powers in the region continuedd. The competition was over oil rights in the lande. Both sides have consistently refused to meet with each other

8. The Twelve Tables and Hammurabi’s Code are important examples ofa. Written laws*b. Trade agreementsc. Political treatisesd. Religious doctrinee. Social structure

9. In the Balfour Declaration of 1917, thea. United States supported the Palestinians right to settle their homeland and govern as they

choseb. Russians declared the right to occupy the Middle East region in order to prevent the spread

of capitalism to the areac. Germans occupied the former Ottoman Empire, claiming the need for “Lebensraum” for

German peopled. Ottoman Empire refused to recognize the independence of Palestine and forced the

territory to remain part of the empiree. British government committed to support the creation of a homeland for Jews in Palestine*

10. Which city became the capital of the Abbasid Empire and a center of what has been termed an Islamic golden age?

a. Istanbulb. Timbuktuc. Sevilled. Baghdad*e. Samarkand

11. Which of the following areas of expertise or learning progressed under the rule of the Abbasid caliphate?

a. Medicineb. Lawc. Philosophyd. Mathematicse. All of the above*

12. Which three Muslim empires emerged from the wreckage left behind after the Mongol invasions?a. Umayyad, Safavid, Mughalb. Mughal, Safavid, Ottoman*c. Abbasid, Ottoman, Umayyadd. Mughal, Umayyad, Abbaside. Ottoman, Umayyad, Safavid

13. The goal of the Christian Crusades was toa. Retake the Holy Land from the Muslims*b. Evangelize the Africansc. Find a way to divide the Holy Land equallyd. Increase papal territoriese. Share Jerusalem with the Turks

14. Which is the most distinguishing characteristic of the Safavid civilization when compared to its Ottoman and Mughal empires?

a. High levels of palace intrigue and violent fights for succession to the throneb. Limited public roles for womenc. Adherence to Shia and not Sunni Islam*d. Growing interaction with maritime Western powerse. Architectural and artistic splendor

15. Why were Egyptian farmers more fortunate than the farmers of Mesopotamia?a. The Tigris and Euphrates frequently changed course, the Nile didn’tb. The Nile flooded at regular intervals, the Tigris and Euphrates flowed southeast*c. The Nile flowed north, the Tigris and Euphrates flowed southeastd. The Nile flooded more deeply than the Tigris and Euphratese. The Tigris and Euphrates flowed north and the Niles flowed south

16. The most sacred writings of the Jewish religion are the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, known as the

a. Torah*b. Qur’anc. Old Testamentd. Ten Commandmentse. Ark of the Covenant

17. In the Hebrew tradition, a covenant isa. A prophecy about the futureb. A law handed down by God to humanityc. A mutual promise between God and humanity*d. An ornamental chest for storing religious documentse. A prediction of future by prophets

18. What was the chief purpose for constructing and using the royal road?a. For more efficient tradeb. For more efficient transportationc. For more efficient communication*d. For more efficient troop movemente. For more efficient travel

19. Calligraphy is a type of what?a. Handwriting*b. Map makingc. Mathematicsd. Scientific measuremente. Law

20. What does the word “Islam” mean in Arabic?a. “one who has submitted”b. “there is no god but Allah”c. “submission to the will of Allah”*d. “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”e. “sacrifice your desires”

21. What do Muslims believe about Muhammad?a. He was the last and greatest of the prophets*b. He was the only son of the one true God, Allahc. He was the first and only prophet of Allahd. He was a combination of god and mane. He was human, but is not a god with Allah

22. What division of Islam believes that only a relative of Muhammad is qualified to be a caliph?a. Sufib. Safavidc. Shi’a*d. Sunnie. None of the above

23. What are the Five Pillars of Islam?a. The various divisions of Islamb. The major duties required of all Muslims*c. The times during the day when a Muslim must prayd. Muhammad and the four leaders who followed hime. Muhammad and the four great prophets

24. As a new faith, Islam gained strengtha. Within portions of the former Roman Empireb. When adherence to Arabic ethnicity was emphasized over adherence to Islamc. First in Mecca, then throughout the Arabian peninsula*d. Because of rules of succession established by the first caliphse. In East Asia

25. Why was the Hijrah important?a. Muhammad was accepted as a political leader in Medina*b. It was during the Hijrah that Muhammad first heard the voice of Gabrielc. Muhammad sounded the call of prayer from its roof in Meccad. It was the first battle Muhammad wone. It is the time period in which the Qur’an was received

26. How were conquered peoples treated by the Muslim Empire?a. They were forced to give up their religions and convert to Islamb. Their religions were tolerated, but restriction and taxes were imposed*c. They were treated as equal citizens with Muslimsd. They were allowed to become first class citizens upon converting to Islame. They were forced to flee the land now conquered by the Muslim Empire

27. Seljuk culture was influenced more bya. Arabic cultureb. Jewish culturec. Christian cultured. Persian culture*e. Mongolian culture

28. The Ottoman Empirea. Weakened because its technology fell behind that of Europe*b. Unlike the Mughal Empire, was not a gunpowder empirec. Was unsuccessful in controlling European territoryd. Reached it’s height around 1750e. Prohibited the use of forced labor

29. All of the following contributed to the cultural blending that created the Ottoman culture EXCEPT:a. Tradeb. Spread of Literature*c. Conquestd. Pursuit of religious convertse. Migration

30. What was the devshirme system designed to do?a. Turn Christian boys into Muslim soldiers*b. Do away with all possible rivals to the thronec. Make the tax system fairer and more efficientd. Divide political power equally between Christians and Muslimse. Train upcoming leaders in the dynasty

31. What contributed to the decline of both the Ottoman and Safavid Empire?a. Natural disastersb. Disruption in tradec. Religious rebellionsd. Incompetent leadership*e. Lack of leaders

32. Which event best illustrates geopolitics- an interest in taking land for strategic purposes?a. Boer Warb. Crimean War*c. Maji Maji Rebelliond. Sepoy Mutinye. None of the above

33. In 1978, the Camp David Accords were signed bya. Egypt and Palestineb. Egypt and the United Statesc. Egypt and Israel*d. Israel and the United Statese. Palestine and the United States

34. Which event precipitated the formal creation of the state of Israel in 1947?a. Multilateral US-Soviet-Palestinian-Jewish negotiationsb. The Balfour declarationc. UN-sanctioned partition of Palestine*d. Negotiated agreement between Zionist leaders and a unified Palestinian leadershipe. Arab League approval

35. What was the main reason for the Crimean War?a. Russia wanted land on the Black Sea to gain access to the Mediterranean*b. Russia wanted oil and other raw materials found in the Ottoman landsc. Russia refused to pay an export tax levied by the Ottoman Empired. Russia broke a treaty that limited its trade through the Bosporuse. Russia wanted to gain control of the Suez Canal

36. A long period of Ottoman territorial retreat ended with the birth of which modern nation?a. Iran b. Pakistanc. Turkey*d. Egypt e. Serbia