Chapter 8

Question 1

Mecca is an important city because it.

A. has an unusually cold climate for the Arabian peninsula.
B. is a caravan city and pilgrimage site of the Ka’ba.
C. is the rival city to Jerusalem.
D. is abundantly watered and needs no irrigation for crops.

Answer 1

b

Question 2

Muhammad conceived Islam after

A. experiencing revelations.
B. dreaming about Ishmael from the Old Testament.
C. many years of religious study in a mosque.
D. being possessed by a shaitan.

Answer 2

a

Question 3

Muslim means

A. first followers.
B. the one true religion.
C. holy people.
D. one who makes submission.

Answer 3

d

Question 4

Islam means

A. surrender to the will of God.
B. the one true religion.
C. the true belief.
D. leader of God’s people.

Answer 4

a

Question 5

Muhammad’s teachings built upon the beliefs of

A. Judaism and Buddhism.
B. Judaism and Hinduism.
C. Judaism and Christianity.
D. Judaism and Zoroastrianism.

Answer 5

c

Question 6

Why did Muhammad leave Mecca for Medina (hijra)?

A. He sought more followers in the north.
B. One of his visions commanded him to.
C. Meccan leaders were threatened by his popularity.
D. Muhammad’s wife had family in Medina.

Answer 6

c

Question 7

The unified community that accepted Islam and believed that Muhammad was the “Messenger of God” was called the

A. jihad.
B. hijra.
C. shaitan.
D. umma

Answer 7

d

Question 8

After the city of Mecca surrendered to Muhammad, he established a new state based on a

A. democratic government system.
B. dynastic system with his sons as the monarchs.
C. government system similar to the Persian administration.
D. common religious faith.

Answer 8

d

Question 9

Why was the direction of prayer focused on Mecca?

A. because Mecca is the site of the Ka’ba.
B. because that is where Mohammad had his revelations.
C. that is where Mohammad was buried.
D. because it is 180 degrees opposite of Jerusalem

Answer 9

a

Question 10

After Muhammad’s death, the Muslim community

A. held general elections to replace Muhammad.
B. abandoned the orthodox teachings of Islam.
C. chose a caliph, Abu Bakr.
D. searched the entire peninsula for a suitable successor, according to Muhammad’s last instructions.

Answer 10

c

Question 11

Muslim religious practice is based on the

A. Three Goals to Salvation.
B. Ten Commandments.
C. Eightfold Path.
D. Four Noble Truths.
E. Five Pillars.

Answer 11

e

Question 12

The founder of the Umayyad Caliphate was

A. Yazid, son of Mu'awiya.
B. Hasan, son of Ali.
C. Husayn, brother of Hasan.
D. Ali, cousin to Muhammad.
E. Uthman, brother-in-law to Muhammad.

Answer 12

a

Question 13

Which of the following areas was not brought under Muslim control under the leadership of the caliphs?

A. Egypt and North Africa
B. Syria
C. Spain
D. Eastern Europe
E. The Indus Valley

Answer 13

d

Question 14

The first caliphate to begin expansion outside of Arabia was:

A. Abu-Bakr
B. Ali
C. Umar
D. Uthman
E. Yazid

Answer 14

c

Question 15

The capital of the Umayyad caliphate was in

A. Damascus
B. Ephesus
C. Antioch
D. Bagdad
E. Mecca.

Answer 15

a

Question 16

The decline of the Umayyad dynasty was due to

A. scandals involving the morality of the caliphs.
B. growing unrest among non-Arab Muslims, who demanded access to political power.
C. a peasant revolt over increases in taxes and decreases in wages.
D. the arrival of a Jewish messiah.
E. lack of a competent heir.

Answer 16

b

Question 17

Why is the Abbasid rule considered a “golden age”?

A. It created a refined and cosmopolitan culture in Baghdad.
B. The Spanish region was considered the golden frontier.
C. It used gold as the standard coinage throughout the empire.
D. It used the golden cow as the focus of religious worship.
E. It is marked by the rule of the “golden” monarch, Abu Bakr.

Answer 17

a

Question 18

Despite the fact that conversions to Islam were at their peak, Abbasid power declined because

A. there were constant revolts of non-Muslims against forced conversion.
B. the empire had to resist nomadic pressures on the frontier.
C. the empire had become too big to rule effectively.
D. new religious practices developed that challenged the appeal of Islam.
E. there were frequent religious wars between the Sunnis and Shi’ites

Answer 18

c

Question 19

Why did the rulers of al-Andalus Spain finally take the title of caliph in 929?

A. The growing number of converts to Islam demanded it.
B. They had finally solidified control of the region.
C. The Fatimids in Tunisia did.
D. Christians in northern Spain threatened invasion.
E. They never did.

Answer 19

c

Question 20

The ulama were

A. government officials.
B. outcasts.
C. religious scholars.
D. rural leaders.
E. a hired foreign military force.

Answer 20

c

Question 21

The foundation of Islamic civilization is the Shari’a, or

A. taxes.
B. community.
C. literature.
D. philosophy.
E. law.

Answer 21

e

Question 22

The great vision of the Shari’a is an umma with

A. a separate identity from Christians.
B. a common monetary system and central taxation.
C. a common history and literary base.
D. common moral values, minimizing ethnic and political divisions.
E. all members living in a unified, homogeneous Muslim state.

Answer 22

d

Question 23

Which of the following statements about Muslim women is not true?

A. They were permitted to divorce.
B. They often played a role in public life.
C. They were permitted to practice birth control.
D. They were permitted to own property.
E. They adopted the Byzantine and Sasanid custom of veiling.

Answer 23

b

Question 24

Sufism was significant in being a(n)

A. quest for a direct union with God through rituals and training.
B. blending of Christian and Buddhist ideas into Islam.
C. rejection of religious formalism.
D. new doctrine that excluded the lower classes.
E. attempt to convert more women to Islam.

Answer 24

a

Question 25

The traditional occupation on the Arabian peninsula was

A. farming.
B. trade caravans.
C. pastoral nomadism.
D. artisans
E. self-sufficient religious sects.

Answer 25

a

Question 26

The subsequent split of supporters to different caliphs, or successors, divided the umma into

A. Shi'ites and Sunnis.
B. Sunnis and Sufis.
C. Mobad and Quran.
D. Shi'a and Mobad.
E. Hadj and Sunni.

Answer 26

a

Question 27

Why is the martyrdom of Husayn a significant event in Muslim history?

A. It marks the anniversary of Jesus’s crucifixion.
B. It marks the beginning of Muslim expansion.
C. It marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
D. It marks the end of the Muslim expansion.
E. It marks the beginning of the sect of Shi’ism.

Answer 27

e

Question 28

After failing to reform the government and military, the Abbasid Caliphate fell under the influence of the

A. Ali family of Cairo.
B. Umayyad family of Damascus.
C. Buyid family of northern Iran.
D. Husan family of Medina.
E. Suarez family of Spain.

Answer 28

c

Question 29

Byzantine power was significantly diminished by the Seljuks with

A. the Seljuk’s alliance with the Mamluks.
B. the Byzantine alliance with the Buyids.
C. the Battle of Manzikert
D. the failure of the First Crusade.
E. the Schism of 1054

Answer 29

c

Question 30

Under Islamic leadership, the Jewish people of Spain

A. experienced widespread discrimination.
B. were frequently arrested and persecuted.
C. contributed to the cultural growth of Spain as great thinkers and writers.
D. experienced a diaspora to eastern Europe.
E. passed laws ensuring the ascension of Jews to the Spanish throne.

Answer 30

c