Unit 1: The Global Tapestry, 1200-1450 BC

Question 1

1.1.1a
Describe ONE way in which Xu’s argument was influenced by long-standing Asian cultural traditions.

Answer 1

Confucianism (filial piety).

Question 2

1.1.1b
Explain ONE example of Xu’s recommendations to Chinese women that cross boundaries of gender in the period between c. 1200 and c. 1450.

Answer 2

“Rooted in our very selves” ≠ deferring to men, as society’s standards under Confucianism states.

Question 3

1.1.1c
Explain ONE historical situation from c. 1200-c. 1450 in which states in Asia attempted to limit Chinese political power or cultural influence.

Answer 3

Vietnam, Korea, Japan:

Vietnam preferred a nuclear family, rejected foot binding, rejected polygyny, and even engaged in military rebellion against China’s occupying army after the Tang began to crumble.

Korea developed its own writing system and the Korean aristocracy refused to allow peasants to take the Korean civil service exam.

Although China’s emperor oversaw a large civilian bureaucracy, Japan’s emperor was more of a figurehead than a true leader. The shogun, or military leader, was the true ruler.

Question 4

1.1.2a
Describe ONE way the spread of Buddhism led Chinese culture to change during the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 4

Zen-Buddhism: syncretic faith that combined Buddhist doctrines and Daoist traditions, emphasizing direct experience and meditation over scripture learning.

Question 5

1.1.2b
Describe ONE example of Chinese cultural tradition that withstood the spread of Buddhism during the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 5

Filial piety: the duty of family members to subordinate their desires to those of the male head of the family, elderly people, and the ruler.

Question 6

1.1.2c
Explain ONE example of how the spread of Buddhism influenced Confucianism during the period c. 1200-c.1450.

Answer 6

Neo-Confucianism: combined rational thought and the abstract ideas of Daoism & Buddhism, emphasizing ethics over the mysteries of God & nature.

Question 7

1.2.1a
Describe ONE way that religious syncretism appeared in Dar al-Islam in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 7

Tolerance of other faiths, specifically toward Peoples of the Book like Christians and Jews, as well as others who believed in a single god and did good works.

Question 8

1.2.1b
Explain ONE way in which the behavior of the Sufis demonstrates a difference within the practice of Islam in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 8

Sufis preferred introspection over intellectual pursuits.

Question 9

1.2.1c
Explain ONE outcome of Christians and Muslims living in close proximity in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 9

War: Battle of Tours, when Muslims lost to Christian Frankish forces under Charles Martel.

Question 10

1.2.2a
Describe ONE way the status of women under Islam differed from the status of women in China during the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 10

Islamic women had more rights. They could inherit property, while European women could not under primogeniture. Muhammad’s wife was a business owner, so Muslim women could run their own businesses.

Question 11

1.2.2b
Explain ONE way in which the Umayyad rulers in Cordoba were successful during the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 11

Trade (Chinese & Southeast Asian products docked in Cordoba and were dispersed throughout Western Europe).

Question 12

1.2.2c
Explain ONE way Islamic culture blended with other cultures in al-Andalus during the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 12

Cultures shared knowledge between each other. The Muslim Averroes wrote about Aristotle, the Jew Maimonides was influenced by Averroes to write on Aristotle’s reasoning, and the Christian Thomas Aquinas was influenced by Maimonides to promote scholasticism in Europe.

Question 13

1.3.1a
Describe ONE way in which the status of women in South Asia was similar to the status of men in the same region in the 12th or 13th century.

Answer 13

Caste system did not discriminate based on sex. Men were not automatically granted higher positions in the caste system on the basis of sex.

Question 14

1.3.1b
Describe ONE way in which the status of women in South Asia changed between 1200 and 1450.

Answer 14

Bhakti Movement (love for a personal god over studying texts/performing rituals) didn’t discriminate against women.

Question 15

1.3.1c
Explain ONE way in which Islam in India between 1200 and 1450 was like Christianity in the Roman Empire.

Answer 15

Attracted lower classes. Islam (women & low class) and Christianity (low class through Jesus loving all).

Question 16

1.3.2a
Describe ONE way in which political structures were similar between Southern India and Northern India in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 16

Based on Hinduism.

Question 17

1.3.2b
Describe ONE way in which two kingdoms in Southeast Asia differed in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 17

Religious forms: Srivijaya was Hindu but Majapahit was Buddhist.

Question 18

1.3.2c
Explain ONE example of Islamic influence in South and Southeast Asia during the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 18

Architecture in Qutub Minar is Islamic (mosque on top of a Hindu temple).

Question 19

1.4.1a
Describe Spence’s claim in the passage above.

Answer 19

Mayan mythology is questionable in its foundation.

Question 20

1.4.1b
Describe ONE piece of evidence from an outside source that supports Spence’s claim.

Answer 20

Historians have debated the influences of Mesoamerican cultures on one another. Some argue that most are based on the Olmec, since many latre cultures adopted some of their feature, like the snake-god being prevalent in both Mayan and Aztec religion. However, others argue that different cultures developed complex civilizations independently.

Question 21

1.4.1c
Explain how Spence’s argument affects understanding Mayan history.

Answer 21

Shows that Mayan history as we know it may not be accurate.

Question 22

1.4.2a
Describe ONE way in which culture from the Incan civilization is similar to the culture of the Aztec civilization.

Answer 22

Human sacrifice, though the Inca practiced this less frequently.

Question 23

1.4.2b
Explain ONE difference in how the Incas and the Aztecs maintained their empires.

Answer 23

Incan conquered people didn’t pay tribute like under the Aztecs. Rather, they were subject to the mit’a system of forced labor.

Question 24

1.4.2c
Explain ONE reason why the people living under Aztec rule wanted a change in rulers at the time the Europeans arrived.

Answer 24

Conquered peoples despised having to pay tributes and having to sacrifice victims.

Question 25

1.5.1a
Describe ONE way in which the painting shows a continuity in the sources of wealth of the kingdoms of Ghana and Mali.

Answer 25

Both relied on gold-salt trade routes.

Question 26

1.5.1b
Describe ONE way in which the painting shows a connection between the Middle East and West Africa.

Answer 26

Middle Eastern architecture.

Question 27

1.5.1c
Describe ONE way in which the painting shows the importance of Mansa Musa.

Answer 27

Crown, scepter, & gold coin.

Question 28

1.5.2a
Describe ONE way in which the political structures in inland Africa differed from those in East Africa in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 28

Inland Africa had kin-based networks where families governed themselves. East Africa had kingdoms that relied on money from trade.

Question 29

1.5.2b
Describe ONE way in which the political structures in West Africa were similar to those in East Africa in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 29

Trade (Ghana’s gold/ivory to Muslim traders and Zimbabwe’s gold transportation tax).

Question 30

1.5.2c
Explain ONE way in which slavery affected relations among African states in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 30

Caused poverty and wars.

Question 31

1.6.1a
Explain how the passage by Marco Polo illustrates the limitations of intercultural knowledge and understanding.

Answer 31

He is shocked by Chinese people’s frequent bathing. Most Europeans did not bathe frequently.

Question 32

1.6.1b
Explain ONE way in which Marco Polo’s point of view fits into the context of intercultural interactions in the period c. 1000-c. 1450.

Answer 32

Eurocentric.

Question 33

1.6.1c
Explain ONE way in which the writings of Marco Polo affected European relationships with other regions.

Answer 33

European fascination ended the Middle Ages and began the Renaissance.

Question 34

1.6.2a
Describe ONE way in which technological developments affected European manorial systems in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 34

Improved agricultural efficiency led to population growth.

Question 35

1.6.2b
Explain ONE historical situation in the period c. 1200-c. 1450 that influenced the development of the Christian crusades.

Answer 35

Seljuk Turks refused to allow Christians into the Holy Land.

Question 36

1.6.2c
Explain ONE way in which Russia was linked to Europe in the period c. 1200-c. 1450.

Answer 36

Fur trade, slave trade.

Question 37

1.LEQ.1
By the 14th century, Islam, Hinduism, and Confucianism each included movements within them that placed greater emphasis on either emotion or reason. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which two religious or ethical systems of thought were similar or different up through the 15th century.

Question 38

1.LEQ.2
Because of its size, wealth, and cultural innovations, China had a significant influence on its East Asian neighbors in the years 1200 to 1450—whether those neighbors were friendly or hostile. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which Chinese cultural traditions led to political or social change in other East Asian societies in that time period.

Answer 38

Although Confucianism was popular in other East Asian societies, sinification ultimately caused minimal change within the political and societal environments of Vietnam and Korea.

Body 1: Vietnam and Korea politically rebelled against certain Chinese political encroachments, in their respective physical and educational ways.
– Vietnam fought back against the Chinese occupying army during the decline of the Tang dynasty, and won.
– The Korean aristocracy held more power in Korea than Chinese occupants, so Korean nobles stopped the civil service exam from being accessed by peasants. Korea would not have a merit-based bureaucracy like China.

Body 2: Vietnam and Korea also socially rebelled against Chinese family structure and language, respectively.
– While Chinese society emphasized the larger extended family, Vietnamese people preferred the nuclear family. The nuclear family consisted solely of a husband, wife, and their children.
– Although Korean people adopted Confucian ideals of filial piety and subservience to the authority of the head male of the family, elders, and ruler, Koreans refused to use the complicated Chinese writing system. Instead, King Sejong created Hangul, a separate writing system that would allow Koreans to express their words untethered to Chinese characters.

Question 39

1.LEQ.3
Abundant natural resources and the rise of powerful central governments affected African states between the 12th and 15th centuries. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which change or continuity over time occurred in the economics and politics during that time period in one African state.

Question 40

1.LEQ.4
Abundant natural resources and the rise of powerful central governments affected American states between the 12th and the 15th centuries. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which change or continuity over time occurred in the economics and politics during that time period in one American state.

Question 41

1.DBQ
Develop an argument evaluating the extent to which the kingdoms and empires of the Sub-Saharan region succeeded in making achievements between c. 1200 and c. 1450.