Unit 1 Part 1 Practice Questions Flashcards
Which of the following best explains the changes in China’s population shown in the table above?
Agricultural output increased as a result of the use of the new crop strains, iron plows, and expanded irrigation.
Which of the following is a key philosophical and religious element of Daoism?
Emphasis on harmony between humanity and nature
Abbasid reliance on Persian bureaucrats and the introduction of Confucianism to Japanese political institutions both illustrate which of the following processes?
The synthesis of foreign political traditions in the formation of new states
All of the following were part of the Confucian social order EXCEPT
chastity by husbands
Source 1:
“[In the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries] Europeans derived more profit from their participation in trade within Asia than they did from their Asian imports into Europe. They were able to do so ultimately only thanks to their American silver. . . . Only their American money, and not any ‘exceptional’ European ‘qualities’ permitted the Europeans [to access Asian markets]. . . . However, even with that resource and advantage, the Europeans were no more than a minor player at the Asian, indeed world, economic table [until the nineteenth century].”
Andre Gunder Frank, ReOrient: Global Economy in the Asian Age, 1996
Source 2:
“The societies of Europe had been at the margins of the great trading systems, but they were at the center of the global networks of exchange created during the sixteenth century because they controlled the oceangoing fleets that knit the world into a single system. Western Europe was better placed than any other region to profit from the vast flows of goods and ideas within the emerging global system of exchange. . . . [European states] were keen to exploit the commercial opportunities created within the global economic system. They did so partly by seizing the resources of the Americas and using American commodities such as silver to buy their way into the markets of southern and eastern Asia, the largest in the world.”
David Christian, This Fleeting World: A Short History of Humanity, 2008
Which of the following earlier developments contributed most directly to the importance of the Asian market during the early modern period as described by both passages?
The commercialization of the Chinese economy under the Song and Ming dynasties
“Women leave their families to marry, and the husband is the master of the household they marry into. . . . The husband is to be firm, the wife soft; conjugal affections follow from this. While at home, the two of you should treat each other with the formality and reserve of a guest. Listen carefully to and obey whatever your husband tells you. If he does something wrong, gently correct him. Don’t be like those women who not only do not correct their husbands but actually lead them into indecent ways.”
Wife of a Tang dynasty official
The excerpt above best illustrates which of the following attributes of Confucianism?
The virtues and duties of family members
The Chinese concept “Mandate of Heaven” was sometimes used to justify
rebellion
“Emperor Zhengzong, being deeply concerned with agriculture, came to know that the Champa rice was drought resistant and that the green lentils of India were famous for their heavy yield and large seeds. Special envoys, bringing precious things, were dispatched with a view to securing these varieties…. When the first harvests were reaped in the autumn, the emperor called his closest ministers to taste them and compose poems for Champa rice and Indian green lentils.”
Shu Wenying, Buddhist monk, China, eleventh century C.E.
Which of the following made possible the Chinese cultivation of the staple crops described in the passage?
The intensification of regional trade networks in East and South Asia
“Emperor Zhengzong, being deeply concerned with agriculture, came to know that the Champa rice was drought resistant and that the green lentils of India were famous for their heavy yield and large seeds. Special envoys, bringing precious things, were dispatched with a view to securing these varieties…. When the first harvests were reaped in the autumn, the emperor called his closest ministers to taste them and compose poems for Champa rice and Indian green lentils.”
Shu Wenying, Buddhist monk, China, eleventh century C.E.
The activities of the state described in the passage are consistent with which of the following Song dynasty policies?
Increasing state investment in economic development, such as improving the Grand Canal
Which of the following has the greatest manufacturing capacity during the time period 1000 to 1450 ?
China
Which of the following developments best explains why many historians argue that the Song dynasty period (960-1279 C.E.) was pivotal in the development of China as an economic world power?
China’s population doubled and Chinese urban centers experienced massive growth during the Song period.
“The commercial area of the capital extends from the old Qing River market to the Southern Commons and to the city border on the north. . . . Some famous fabric stores sell exquisite brocade fabric and fine silk, which are unsurpassed elsewhere in the country. . . . Most other cities can only boast of one special product; what makes the capital unique is that it gathers goods from all places. Furthermore, because of the large population and the busy commercial traffic, there is a demand for everything.”
Description of Hangzhou, capital of the southern Song dynasty, circa 1235 C.E.
Which of the following assertions in the description of Hangzhou above would be most difficult to verify?
That the merchandise sold in Hangzhou was of higher quality than that sold in other Chinese cities
The image depicts a Chinese Confucian scholar and two female attendants.
In addition to China, the cultural tradition alluded to in Liu Guandao’s painting strongly influenced the society and culture of
Korea
The image depicts a Chinese Confucian scholar and two female attendants.
Which of the following historical continuities is best reflected in the image?
Chinese art continued to emphasize traditional subjects and styles.
TWO SCENES FROM SOWING AND REAPING, A YUAN-DYNASTY (CIRCA 1350) COPY OF A SONG-DYNASTY (CIRCA 1150) ILLUSTRATED SCROLL ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF RICE CULTIVATION IN CHINA.
Image 1:
The figure presents an image of an illustrated Song-Dynasty scroll, copied during the Yuan-Dynasty. The illustration depicts four men operating a mechanical water wheel with their feet, bringing water up to an elevated rice paddy.
Purchase, W. M. Keck Foundation Gift and other gifts, in memory of Douglas Dillon, 2005
Workers irrigating a rice field by powering a mechanical water wheel with their feet
Image 2:
The figure presents an image of an illustrated Song-Dynasty scroll, copied during the Yuan-Dynasty. The figure presents an image of an illustrated scroll. The image shows men, women, and children working in teams to cut and bundle stalks of rice.
Purchase, W. M. Keck Foundation Gift and other gifts, in memory of Douglas Dillon, 2005
Men, women, and children harvesting rice
Image 1 best illustrates which of the following features of the Chinese economy in the period 1200 to 1450 ?
Technological innovations increased agricultural yields.
TWO SCENES FROM SOWING AND REAPING, A YUAN-DYNASTY (CIRCA 1350) COPY OF A SONG-DYNASTY (CIRCA 1150) ILLUSTRATED SCROLL ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF RICE CULTIVATION IN CHINA.
Image 1:
The figure presents an image of an illustrated Song-Dynasty scroll, copied during the Yuan-Dynasty. The illustration depicts four men operating a mechanical water wheel with their feet, bringing water up to an elevated rice paddy.
Purchase, W. M. Keck Foundation Gift and other gifts, in memory of Douglas Dillon, 2005
Workers irrigating a rice field by powering a mechanical water wheel with their feet
Image 2:
The figure presents an image of an illustrated Song-Dynasty scroll, copied during the Yuan-Dynasty. The figure presents an image of an illustrated scroll. The image shows men, women, and children working in teams to cut and bundle stalks of rice.
Purchase, W. M. Keck Foundation Gift and other gifts, in memory of Douglas Dillon, 2005
Men, women, and children harvesting rice
The activity depicted in Image 2 best illustrates which of the following characteristics of China’s economy before 1450 ?
The reliance on systems of peasant labor
In the period 600 C.E. to 1450 C.E., states in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam had which of the following in common?
All were culturally influenced by China.
“Seeing that it is a girl’s destiny, on reaching womanhood, to go to a new home, and live in submission to her father-in-law and mother-in-law, it is even more incumbent upon her than it is on a boy to receive with all reverence her parents’ instructions. Should her parents, through excess of tenderness, allow her to grow up self-willed, she will infallibly show herself capricious and thus alienate his affection.”
Kaibara Ekken, Japanese author, Greater Learning for Women, 1716
The excerpt above exemplifies the continued influence on eighteenth-century Japan of which of the following?
The Confucian emphasis on filial submission
“It is not surprising that your nation [Japan] considers it its mission to unite and lead Asia. The European nations, for all their differences, are united like a single country in their attitude towards the non-Europeans. If, for instance, the Mongolians threatened to take a piece of European territory, all the European countries would make common cause to resist them.
But Japan cannot stand alone. She would be bankrupt in competition with a united Europe, and she could not expect support in Europe. It is natural that she should seek it in Asia, in association with a free China, Thailand, and, perhaps, in the ultimate course of things, a free India. An associated Asia would be a powerful force. Of course, that is to look a long way ahead, and there are many obstacles in the way, notably the absence of a common language and the difficulty of communication. But—from India through Thailand to Japan—we are, I believe, kindred peoples, having in common possession so much religion, art, philosophy.”
Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet and Nobel Prize in Literature recipient, excerpt from a speech given while on a tour of Japan, 1916
The author’s claim in the second paragraph that Asian countries such as India, Japan, and Thailand, have certain cultural characteristics “in common possession” is most likely a reference to which of the following?
Shared Buddhist religious influences
The increased food production accompanying the introduction of Champa rice into China from Vietnam during the eleventh century best illustrates which of the following?
The stimulation of agriculture by technological innovation
Which of the following best supports the conclusion that Japan borrowed extensively from Tang and Song China?
Societal relations in Japan were based on Confucian principles of hierarchy.
“[Under the Song dynasty], the number of men who were granted degrees [by passing the imperial examinations] suddenly rose, indicating a similar rise in the number of candidates. This was made possible by an increase in China’s productive power and the consequent accumulation of wealth. . . . A new class appeared in China [under the Song], comparable to the middle class in early modern Europe. In China this newly risen class concentrated hard on scholarship. . . .
In principle [the examination system] was open to all qualified applicants regardless of social background, which made it unusually democratic. . . . But for a candidate to continue his studies without interruption for such a long period required a measure of economic support that was simply not available to poor people. . . . [Thus] the contention that the doors of the examination system were open to all applicants was an exaggeration, of course. . . . [Yet] we must not lose sight of the historical context: the very idea that everyone should be eligible for the examinations, regardless of family background or lineage, was incomparably forward-looking in its day. . . . It is true that the examinations not only produced officials loyal to the state but also, at times, resentful rejected applicants who opposed the system. Yet, when an old dynasty was replaced by a new, the latter usually undertook an early revival of the examination system practically unchanged.”
Ichisada Miyazaki, historian, China’s Examination Hell, book published in 1963
Which of the following best describes the author’s claim about the Chinese examination system in the second paragraph?
The system provided limited but important opportunities for social advancement in Chinese society.
“[Under the Song dynasty], the number of men who were granted degrees [by passing the imperial examinations] suddenly rose, indicating a similar rise in the number of candidates. This was made possible by an increase in China’s productive power and the consequent accumulation of wealth. . . . A new class appeared in China [under the Song], comparable to the middle class in early modern Europe. In China this newly risen class concentrated hard on scholarship. . . .
In principle [the examination system] was open to all qualified applicants regardless of social background, which made it unusually democratic. . . . But for a candidate to continue his studies without interruption for such a long period required a measure of economic support that was simply not available to poor people. . . . [Thus] the contention that the doors of the examination system were open to all applicants was an exaggeration, of course. . . . [Yet] we must not lose sight of the historical context: the very idea that everyone should be eligible for the examinations, regardless of family background or lineage, was incomparably forward-looking in its day. . . . It is true that the examinations not only produced officials loyal to the state but also, at times, resentful rejected applicants who opposed the system. Yet, when an old dynasty was replaced by a new, the latter usually undertook an early revival of the examination system practically unchanged.”
Ichisada Miyazaki, historian, China’s Examination Hell, book published in 1963
Which of the following statements from the second paragraph most directly supports the claim that the examination system strengthened the Chinese states?
The statement that “when an old dynasty was replaced by a new, the latter usually undertook an early revival of the examination system practically unchanged”
“[Under the Song dynasty], the number of men who were granted degrees [by passing the imperial examinations] suddenly rose, indicating a similar rise in the number of candidates. This was made possible by an increase in China’s productive power and the consequent accumulation of wealth. . . . A new class appeared in China [under the Song], comparable to the middle class in early modern Europe. In China this newly risen class concentrated hard on scholarship. . . .
In principle [the examination system] was open to all qualified applicants regardless of social background, which made it unusually democratic. . . . But for a candidate to continue his studies without interruption for such a long period required a measure of economic support that was simply not available to poor people. . . . [Thus] the contention that the doors of the examination system were open to all applicants was an exaggeration, of course. . . . [Yet] we must not lose sight of the historical context: the very idea that everyone should be eligible for the examinations, regardless of family background or lineage, was incomparably forward-looking in its day. . . . It is true that the examinations not only produced officials loyal to the state but also, at times, resentful rejected applicants who opposed the system. Yet, when an old dynasty was replaced by a new, the latter usually undertook an early revival of the examination system practically unchanged.”
Ichisada Miyazaki, historian, China’s Examination Hell, book published in 1963
All of the following developments in Song dynasty China were important factors in the accumulation of wealth outlined in the first paragraph EXCEPT
increased Chinese involvement in the Indian Ocean trade