Midterm Vocab

Question 1

Monsoon

Answer 1

a seasonal prevailing wind in the region of South and Southeast Asia, blowing from the southwest between May and September and bringing rain (the wet monsoon ), or from the northeast between October and April (the dry monsoon )

Question 2

Bubonic Plague

Answer 2

the most common form of plague in humans, characterized by fever, delirium, and the formation of buboes. happened in Medieval Europe, killed most of the population. people thought it was the end of the world

Question 3

Hinduism

Answer 3

a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, developed from Vedic religion.

Question 4

Buddhism

Answer 4

a religion represented by the many groups (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha

Question 5

reincarnation

Answer 5

the rebirth of a soul in a new body.

Question 6

moksha

Answer 6

(in Hinduism and Jainism) release from the cycle of rebirth impelled by the law of karma.

Question 7

nirvana

Answer 7

(in Buddhism) a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Buddhism.

Question 8

eightfold path

Answer 8

the path to nirvana, comprising eight aspects in which an aspirant must become practiced: right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

Question 9

sanskrit

Answer 9

an ancient Indic language of India, in which the Hindu scriptures and classical Indian epic poems are written and from which many northern Indian languages are derived.

Question 10

caste system

Answer 10

a social structure in which classes are determined by heredity

Question 11

cultural diffusion

Answer 11

spreading ideas from one culture to another.

Question 12

judaism

Answer 12

the monotheistic religion of the Jews.

Question 13

christianity

Answer 13

the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and practices.

Question 14

islam

Answer 14

the religion of the Muslims, a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah.

Question 15

ten commandments

Answer 15

the biblical commandments of Moses

Question 16

five pillars

Answer 16

The Five Pillars of Islam are five basic acts in Islam, considered mandatory by believers and are the foundation of Muslim life. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel

Question 17

torah

Answer 17

(in Judaism) the law of God as revealed to Moses and recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures (the Pentateuch).

Question 18

animism

Answer 18

he attribution of a soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena.

Question 19

shintoism

Answer 19

the ancient indigenous religion of Japan lacking formal dogma; characterized by a veneration of nature spirits and of ancestors

Question 20

four noble truths

Answer 20

the four central beliefs containing the essence of Buddhist teaching

Question 21

polytheism

Answer 21

believing in multiple gods

Question 22

monotheism

Answer 22

believing in one god

Question 23

code of hammurabi

Answer 23

The Code of Hammurabi is a well-preserved Babylonian law code of ancient Iraq, formerly Mesopotamia, dating back to about 1772 BC

Question 24

brahma

Answer 24

The creator god, conceived chiefly as a member of the triad including also Vishnu and Shiva

Question 25

dharma

Answer 25

HINDUISM
the principle of cosmic order.
BUDDHISM
the teaching or religion of the Buddha.

Question 26

silk road

Answer 26

an ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean (4,000 miles); followed by Marco Polo in the 13th century to reach Cathay

Question 27

middle kingdom

Answer 27

a period of Egyptian history extending from the late 11th to the 13th dynasty

Question 28

Confucianism

Answer 28

a system of philosophical and ethical teachings founded by Confucius and developed by Mencius.

Question 29

pax romana

Answer 29

time of roman peace

Question 30

guilds

Answer 30

group of skilled workers

Question 31

democracy

Answer 31

a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

Question 32

hieroglyphics

Answer 32

ancient egyptian way of writing

Question 33

cuneiform

Answer 33

denoting or relating to the wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia, Persia, and Ugarit, surviving mainly impressed on clay tablets.

Question 34

fertile crescent

Answer 34

a geographical area of fertile land in the Middle East stretching in a broad semicircle from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates

Question 35

hagia sophia

Answer 35

a 6th century masterpiece of Byzantine architecture in Istanbul; built as a Christian church, converted to a mosque in 1453, and made into a museum in the middle of the 20th century

Question 36

justinian’s code

Answer 36

Roman law: the legal code of ancient Rome; codified under Justinian; the basis for many modern systems of civil law

Question 37

terrace farming

Answer 37

Terrace farming is a unique farming solution for hillsides. Farmers build terraces to shore up a hillside and provide multiple levels of farming. The Incas are most well known for doing this, and their farms looked like steps down a hillside.

Question 38

commercial revolution

Answer 38

Commercial Revolution is a period in time in the European history where there was a primary change in the quantity and scale of commerce. This historical era took place between the 16th century and the early 18th century.

Question 39

chivalry

Answer 39

the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code.

Question 40

one hundred years war

Answer 40

The Hundred Years’ War was a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France for control of the French throne.

Question 41

manorialism

Answer 41

the system of manorial social and political organization, as in the Middle Ages