7th Grade History Final-2nd Semester 2021

Question 1

What were the major technological and artistic developments of the Tang and Song dynasties.

Answer 1

Woodblock printing, gunpowder, magnetic compass and paper money.
One of the most important inventions was gunpowder which changed the way wars were fought and in doing so, changed the course of human history.

Question 2

Compare the influences of Confucianism on the Government and changes in Confucian thought during the Song Dynasty.

Answer 2

The philosophy of Confucianism focused on ethics or proper behavior for individuals and governments. The philosophy was that society would function better if everyone conducted their lives following two basic principles. The two principles were ren (concern for others) and li (appropriate behavior).
The Song dynasty looked to Confucianism to improve their government and society. They added emphasis on spiritual matters incorporating Buddhist and Daoist concepts in the meaning of life. This Neo-Confucianism became very appealing under the Song dynasty and became official government teaching.

Question 3

Why was the period of the Yuan Dynasty a significant time in China’s history?

Answer 3

The Mongols that ruled China had vast public works-projects. They extended the Grand Canal and built new roads and palaces. They also improved roads that were part of the postal system. Mongol soldiers were sent throughout China to keep the peace. The soldiers presence kept overland trade routes safe for merchants. Sea trade also continued and the Mongol emperors welcomed foreign traders.

Question 4

Why was the overland trade and maritime expeditions between China and other civilizations in the Mongol Ascendancy and Ming Dynasty important?

Answer 4

The overland trade and maritime expeditions between China and other civilizations in the Mongol Ascendancy and Ming Dynasty were important because it expanded China’s fame overseas, helped fund building and restoration projects throughout China and helped China to become prosperous and stable.

Question 5

Why did the Ming Dynasty turn towards isolationism?

Answer 5

After years under Mongol rule, the Ming Dynasty worked to expel all Mongols from China as well as all foreign influences. In the 1430s a new Ming emperor dismantled the shipping fleet and banned foreign trade. They entered a period of isolationism to avoid contact with other countries.

Question 6

How did Geography shape ways of life in Medieval Europe?

Answer 6

Geography influenced where and how people lived. In southern Europe, most people lived on coastal plains or river valleys where land was flat enough to farm. In the mountains, people raised goats or sheep Because southern Europe has many peninsulas, many people became traders or seafarers.
In northern Europe, people lived far from the sea but had many rivers. Rivers were an easy method of transportation. Towns grew up long the rivers. Rivers also provided protection. Farmers grew crops in fields around the cities but the flat lands made an easy route for invaders to follow. There were no mountains to block people’s access to northern Europe so northern Europe was frequently invaded.

Question 7

Describe in detail how Christianity spread to Northern Europe.

Answer 7

Christianity was spread to northern Europe largely by missionaries and monks. The Pope sent missionaries to teach people in the northern kingdoms about Christianity. Communities of monks were built all over Europe. While the monks mostly lived in isolation they performed many services: healthcare, aid, ran schools, copied books for those who couldn’t read or write, served as scribe and advisors to local leaders and collected ancient writings from Greece and Rome.

Question 8

How did feudalism start and develop?

Answer 8

Noble leaders could no longer rely on protection from their king and turned to knights to help defend their land. Nobles gave ” fief “ or a piece of land to knights for their support. A knight that promises to support the noble is called a vassal and the noble is called a lord. This system of lords and vassals was feudalism.

Question 9

How did feudal relationships provide the foundation for political order?

Answer 9

The feudal relationships and the obligations and duties of people in the feudal system provided for political order. Kings and Queens were the greatest lords of Europe and all nobles and knights were their vassals. Nobles were vassals of kings and queens. Knights were vassals to their nobles or lords. Peasants and serfs worked the lands owned by nobles or knights. Peasants and serfs provided food for their nobles or knights and for themselves but they were also protected by the knights or nobles.

Question 10

How did the papacy and European monarchs clash and cooperate?

Answer 10

The pope was seen as God’s representative on earth as the head of the Christian church in Europe. In addition to great spiritual power, many popes had political power because so many people looked to the pope as their leader. As popes worked to increase their power they came into conflict with kings. For example, Kings wanted to select bishops in their own countries but the pope argued only they could choose religious officials A compromise was made where the pope and church officials would choose all bishops and abbots but the bishops and abbots would have to obey the emperor.

Question 11

What were the causes and courses of the Crusades?

Answer 11

Muslim Turks invaded and capture the city of Jerusalem and begain to raid the Byzantine Empire. The emperor there called on Pope Urban for help. Pope Urban called on all Christians in Europe to retake the Holy Land from the Muslim Turks.

Question 12

What happened with the First Crusade?

Answer 12

5,000 Crusaders left Europe for the Holy Land in 1096. Most of the first crusaders were peasants who poorly trained and equipped. The Turkish troops killed most of these peasants. The nobles and knights did better. When they reached Jerusalem in 1099 the found the Muslin army disorganized and unready to fight. After about a month of fighting, the Crusaders took Jerusalem. The Christians in the Holy Land did not last long. Within 50 years the Muslims started taking back land from the Christians. In response, Europe launched more Crusades.

Question 13

What happened with the Second Crusade?

Answer 13

French and German Kings set off to retake the land from the Muslim. The Second Crusade was a terrible failure. Poor planning and heavy losses sent the crusaders home in less than year.

Question 14

What happened with the Third Crusade?

Answer 14

The Third Crusade begin after the Muslims retook Jerusalem in 1189. Rulers from England, Germany, France and the Holy Roman Empire lead their armies to Jerusalem. The German king died, the French king left and only King Richard 1 stayed. In the end, he returned home with Jerusalem still under Muslim rule.

Question 15

What happened with the Fourth Crusade?

Answer 15

In 1201 French knights begin a Fourth Crusade but they did not have any money. So to pay for the voyage, the knights were asked to conquer Zara and they later attacked Constantinople and took off with many treasures.

Question 16

What was the Catholic Church’s role as political institution?

Answer 16

Political: Nearly everyone in Europe in the Middle Ages were part of the Christian church. Church clergy were very influential in European culture and politics. Life revolved around the local church - markets, festivals and religious ceremonies. People made pilgrimages to holy sites.
The church was one of the largest landholders in Europe and eventually divided their land into fiefs becoming feudal lords. Bishops and abbots were most involved in political matters.

Question 17

What was the Catholic Church’s role as an intellectual institution?

Answer 17

Intellectual: Some of the earliest universities were created by the church. Most of the teachers in the universities were part of the clergy.

Question 18

What was the Catholic Church’s role as an aesthetic institution?

Answer 18

Arts: Many of Europe’s churches were incredible works of art. Europeans built cathedrals using a dramatic style called Gothic architecture. Gothic cathedrals were towering works of great majesty and glory in that they were much taller than older churches with ceilings that seemed to reach to heaven. The churches were also filled with beautiful paintings and objects to show respect to God.

Question 19

What was the significance of the Magna Carta? Why was it important? How does it relate to today?

Answer 19

he Magna Carta was one of the first documents to protect the rights of the people. It was a document that required the king to honor a list of certain rights that belong to the people. The Magna Carta was important because it required that everyone, including the KIng, had to obey the law. The Magna Carta inspired the English to find more ways to limit the king’s power. A council of nobles was created to advise the king, called the Parliament, which is a lawmaking body that governs England today. Also, people demanded that judges be free of royal control so that everyone was treated fairly. The creation of an independent judicial system was a key step to bringing democracy to England.

Question 20

Describe the impact of the bubonic plague on global population?

Answer 20

The bubonic plague that swept through Europe between 1347 and 1351 killed millions of people in Europe and millions more around the world. Some historians think Europe lost about a third of its population– perhaps 25 million people.
The manor system fell apart completely and the peasants and serfs who survived the plague found their skills in high demand. Suddenly, they could demand wages for their labor. Once they had money, they left their manors and moved to the cities.

Question 21

How did the revival of classical learning and the arts foster a new interest in humanism?

Answer 21

The renaissance brought in new interests in the arts and education. Scholars began to study subjects besides religion such as history, literature, public speaking, and arts. These subjects together we called the humanities and it led to a new way of thinking. Ancient writings by Greek thinkers such as Plato and Thucydides were rediscovered as well as Latin texts in monasteries which renewed their interest in classical culture.

Question 22

What were the effects of reopening of the ancient “Silk Road” between Europe and China, including Marco Polo’s travels and the location of his routes.

Answer 22

Reopening the ancient “Silk Road” between Europe and China, made travel and trade possible again. It allowed Marco Polo to visit China, meet Kublai Khan and become a member of his court. Marco Polo was able to see all of the amazing things China was doing at that time: the palaces, the art and technology. When he wrote about what he saw and experienced, many Europeans were curious and demand for goods from Asia increased. Trade between Asia and Europe increased and he Italian merchants organized much of this trade. The Italian merchant families became rich, powerful and influential. A powerful family was the Medici family, they started spending money to make Florence the most beautiful city in the world. He hired artists and architects to decorate or redesign buildings. This led to them supporting the arts and learning .

Question 23

Explain the advances made in literature during the Renaissance.

Answer 23

Literature: Many Italian writers contributed great works of literature. One was Dante (Dante Alighieri) who wrote in Italian. By using Italian and not Latin, it showed he considered Italian to be as good as Latin. His major work was The Divine Comedy. Another writer was Niccolo Machiavelli. He wrote a book called The Prince that gave leaders advice on how they should rule. He emphasized that rulers should focus on the “here and now” to be successful instead of theories.

Question 24

Explain the advances made in the arts during the Renaissance.

Answer 24

Arts: Renaissance artists showed people more realistically than medieval artists. They studied the human body, perspective and depicting people clearly as individuals with personalities. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were two of the best artists: sculpture, painting, poetry and architecture. Da Vinci also was an engineer, inventor, map maker and a town planner.

Question 25

Explain the advances made in science and education during the Renaissance.

Answer 25

Scholars studied ancient math texts and built new ideas. They created symbols we still use today like the square root sign. As mathematics advanced so did engineering and architecture.

Question 26

Explain the advances made in astronomy during the Renaissance.

Answer 26

Astronomy: Renaissance scientists studied astronomy to learn more about the sun and stars and planets. They learned that the earth moves around the sun. Later astronomers built on this discovery to lay the foundation for modern astronomy.

Question 27

Explain the advances made in cartography during the Renaissance.

Answer 27

Other scholars used measurements and calculations made by merchants and sailors to create better and more accurate maps.

Question 28

Explain the advances made in anatomy during the Renaissance.

Answer 28

Anatomy: Leonardo da Vinci studied anatomy or the structure of human bodies by dissecting corpses to see how bones and muscles worked.

Question 29

Describe the growth and effects of new ways of disseminating information?

Answer 29

Describe the growth and effects of new ways of disseminating information?
Travelers and artists helped spread the Renaissance throughout Europe. But it was the development of printing that was a giant step in spreading ideas. For the first time ever, thousands of people could read books and share ideas about them.
Bibles were printed that were translated from Latin into common languages. Because the Bible was available to read, more people wanted to learn to read. After more people learned to read, they wanted more education.
Students from all over Europe travelled to Italy to study in Italian universities. Students from Northern Europe took Renaissance ideas with them back to their home countries.

Question 30

Explain the implications of the Age of Exploration

Answer 30

The voyages of discovery changed the way Europeans thought of the world and their place in it. Exploration brought new knowledge of geography. Improved mapmaking allowed Europeans to see maps of the whole world. Using these maps they saw new ways to gain wealth by finding and controlling new trade routes and resources on new lands. These explorations and voyages of discovery would lead to Europeans spreading their influence around the world.