All AP World History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Environmental Interactions
The state-building efforts of Yu the Great were primarily organized around __________.
preventing invasion from neighboring empires
Confucian religious tradition
universal public education and the establishment of social welfare
preventing invasion from neighboring barbarian tribes
preventing the flooding of the Yellow River
preventing the flooding of the Yellow River
Yu the Great founded the Xia Dynasty approximately four thousand years ago. He is a partially mythological figure, it is not known exactly when he lived. His organization of Chinese rural communities, to prevent the flooding of the Yellow River, are primarily responsible for the foundation of the Chinese state. Yu was an innovator and organizer - he implemented a system of irrigation and a system to prevent flooding, and then tirelessly worked to ensure the system was uniformly carried out by local Chinese communities. In so doing he created a communal purpose and identity.
Example Question #2 : Environmental Interactions
At the end of the most recent Ice Age these two continents were cut off from one another, dramatically affecting the course of human history?
Africa and Europe
North America and South America
Asia and North America
Europe and Asia
South America and Africa
Asia and North America
During the most recent ice age Asia and North America were connected via a land bridge in the Bering Strait. This allowed humans to migrate from Asia to North America and led to human settlement throughout the Americas. The native people of the Americas are all descended from this group of people who crossed the Bering Strait approximately fifteen thousand years ago. When the ice age ended, Asia and North America were no longer connected, thus isolating the Americas from the rest of the world until European colonization in the 1500s.
Example Question #1 : Environmental Interactions
The land between which two rivers is known as Mesopotamia?
Ganges and Indus
Tigris and Euphrates
Euphrates and Danube
Nile and Ganges
Nile and Congo
Tigris and Euphrates
Mesopotamia is translated as “The land between two rivers.” It is also the cradle of civilization, for it is here that the Neolithic Revolution first took place. The two rivers in question are the Tigris and Euphrates.
Example Question #4 : Environmental Interactions
Which of these best describes the difference between the impact of geography on civilization in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia?
Mesopotamia was well-suited to the development of agriculture, whereas Egypt lacked access to rivers and had a very arid climate
Mesopotamia was geographically isolated giving it protection from invaders, whereas Egypt lacked natural barriers and was under constant threat of invasion
Egypt was geographically isolated giving it protection from invaders, whereas Mesopotamia lacked natural barriers and was under constant threat of invasion
Egypt was well-suited to the development of agriculture, whereas Mesopotamia lacked access to rivers and had a very arid climate
None of these answers are correct; geography affected Egypt and Mesopotamia in very similar ways
Egypt was geographically isolated giving it protection from invaders, whereas Mesopotamia lacked natural barriers and was under constant threat of invasion
Ancient Egypt was geographically isolated from other civilizations. It was protected on all sides by either desert, sea, or mountains. Ancient Mesopotamia on the other hand lacked natural barriers of any kind. It lies in a fertile valley that was under constant threat of invasion. Many historians speculate that this intensity of competition in Mesopotamia contributed a great deal to the innovations made by Mesopotamian societies.
Example Question #1 : Environmental Interactions
After the Neolithic Revolution pastoralism was most common in which of these environments?
Hills and tundra
Hills and mountains
Deserts and floodplains
Valleys and floodplains
Plains and grasslands
Plains and grasslands
Pastoralism refers to the practice of keeping domesticated animals. During the later Neolithic Revolution many societies were organized around the domestication of animals such as cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, buffaloes, and oxen. Pastoral societies most commonly emerged in wide open plains with plenty of flat grassland. This is compared to agricultural societies which would most likely have emerged in valleys and in the fertile floodplains.
Example Question #123 : Demographic And Environmental History
The Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt was able to survive for so long because __________.
it had peaceful relations with neighboring tribes who feared Egypt’s great might
it had a fluid social structure that encouraged meritocracy and innovation
it focused heavily on defensive structures like walls and rudimentary castles
it was isolated by geographic features from other human civilizations
it was a highly militarized society that suppressed the surrounding civilizations
it was isolated by geographic features from other human civilizations
The Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt was geographically isolated from other human civilizations. Protected by inhospitable deserts, the Mediterranean Sea, and several mountain ranges the ancient Egyptians never developed much of a military culture and were fairly easily conquered by the first militaristic civilization they encountered - the Hyksos.
Example Question #121 : Demographic And Environmental History
Which two species of animal are native to South America and impacted the development of Native American societies?
mules and water buffalo
llamas and alpacas
oxen and bison
pigs and cows
donkeys and longhorns
llamas and alpacas
Llamas and alpacas are two species of camel that are native to South America. Unlike their cousins in Arabia and Central Asia, llamas and alpacas are not renowned for their strength or resilience. The lack of a true “workhorse” type animal in South America (an animal like an ox, camel, horse, or buffalo) decelerated the growth of civilization in the continent for several millennia.
Example Question #6 : Environmental Interactions
Which of these statements is most accurate?
Asian traders in the Pacific preserved the interaction between the Americas and Eurasia until the arrival of European settlers in the 1400s.
Until the 1400s, the Americas developed in cultural isolation from the rest of the world.
Viking traders in the Atlantic preserved the interaction between the Americas and Eurasia until the arrival of European settlers in the 1400s.
Interaction between the Americas and Eurasia was common throughout the classical era.
Until the 1700s, the Americas developed in cultural isolation from the rest of the world.
Until the 1400s, the Americas developed in cultural isolation from the rest of the world.
During and after the most recent ice age the Bering Strait (which had connected North America to Asia via a land bridge from Alaska) was flooded and the Americas were isolated from the rest of the world. This geographic separation enforced an environmental and cultural isolation which had a profound impact on the development of American society.
Example Question #1 : Environmental Interactions
In 541, a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague exploded in the Byzantine Empire killing over 25 million inhabitants. Which ruling Byzantine emperor was this outbreak named after?
Constantine
Justin
Theodosius
Justinian
Julian
Justinian
The Plague of Justinian was the first ever outbreak of bubonic plague and would continue to spread exploration westward into Europe. 1340 saw an explosion of bubonic plague that would persist for sixty years, killing a third of the population of Europe. This outbreak would become known as the Black Death.
Example Question #8 : Environmental Interactions
During the latter years of Justinian’s reign the population of the Byzantine Empire _____________.
increased dramatically due to agricultural innovation and a flourishing merchant society
declined dramatically due to a severe outbreak of the plague
declined slightly due to the destructive raids of the Ottoman Empire
declined slightly due to widespread famine and climate change
declined dramatically due to the destructive raids carried out by Germanic tribes
declined dramatically due to a severe outbreak of the plague
The Plague of Justinian occurred from 541 - 542 CE Like the later Black Death - which devastated the population of Europe in the fourteenth century - the Plague of Justinian was a widespread epidemic caused by the transmission of the Bubonic Plague. Modern historical estimates range from twenty million to fifty million deaths globally. The population of the Byzantine Empire declined dramatically as a result of the plague. It is called the Plague of Justinian because it occurred during his reign (he was himself afflicted, but he survived).
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