AP World History : Political History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Political And Governmental Structures 600 Bce To 600 Ce

Which ancient society featured a government structured as a republic?

Possible Answers:

Persia

Mughal India 

Olmec

Greece

Rome 

Correct answer:

Rome 

Explanation:

The Roman Republic was governed by a senate that elected government officials and created laws that dictated day to day living in the state. All power was concentrated in the elite "patrician" class and all government officials were also elected from within this elite group. This elitism led to an uprising of the lower class "plebeians," which earned them an assembly that could veto the Senate, much like the bicameral system used by the United States.

Example Question #1 : Political And Governmental Structures

Which Emperor allegedly played his violin as Rome burned? 

Possible Answers:

Claudius

Caligula

Nero

Octavius 

Tiberius

Correct answer:

Nero

Explanation:

The Great Fire of Rome of 64 AD destroyed a majority of the city, and many accused Nero himself of starting the fire in order to clear land for the new buildings and renovations he had planned for the city (including an elaborate palace for himself). While these accusations were largely unproven, the image of Nero joyfully celebrating has remained iconic in popular culture to this day.

Example Question #1 : Political And Governmental Structures

Although many different ethno-linguistic groups inhabited the Iranian plateau, some of them living in large tribal confederacies, __________________.

Possible Answers:

all non-Persian ethnic groups were expelled at the beginning of Cyrus the Great's reign

Alexander the Great was the first ruler to build an empire in the area

the Ottoman Turks introduced the concept of empire in the region by installing Cyrus the Great as Emperor

the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great, were the first tribal group to found an imperial political structure, the Achaemenid Empire

by the time of the Persian empire, the Iranian Plateau was largely homogenous

Correct answer:

the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great, were the first tribal group to found an imperial political structure, the Achaemenid Empire

Explanation:

The Iranian plateau is a geographic area that has always been ethnically and linguistically heterogeneous but Cyrus the Great, a Persian, was the first local to found an imperial dynasty.

The Iranian plateau has never been homogenous.

Alexander the Great did enter the area but he conquered the pre-exiting Achaemenid empire.

The Persian empire was always heterogeneous; although over time some tribal groups were suppressed, homogeneity was never an ideological goal of the empire which sought to rule the whole world.

The Ottomans existed thousands of years after the Achaemenid empire had already fallen, and Cyrus the Great was not installed by any foreign power.

Example Question #1 : Political And Governmental Structures

Cyrus the Great is remembered for __________.

Possible Answers:

extending the Babylonian Empire’s borders all the way to Europe

subjugating the Ancient Egyptians

conquering Ancient Greece

founding the Persian Empire

founding the Assyrian Empire

Correct answer:

founding the Persian Empire

Explanation:

Cyrus the Great is remembered as the founder of the Persian Empire. Cyrus ruled from 559 BCE until 530 BCE and laid the foundations for the subsequent growth of the Persian Empire.

Example Question #2 : Political And Governmental Structures

In the Persian Empire of Darius I what were satraps?

Possible Answers:

Military commanders

Peasant farmers

Roads and highways

Provincial governors

Chariots

Correct answer:

Provincial governors

Explanation:

Darius I is often remembered as the great administrator of the Persian Empire. It was during his rule that satraps emerged. Satraps were provincial governors, given control over satrapies (districts/provinces). This allowed Darius I to control a large empire without having to directly oversee each individual province.

Example Question #6 : Political And Governmental Structures

The ancient Athenian Solon is primarily remembered for __________.

Possible Answers:

philosophical writings that laid the foundation for western philosophy

defending Athens from a Persian invasion

legal reforms that encouraged the development of democracy

defending Athens from a Spartan invasion

mathematical innovations that led to a wealth of inventions and technological growth

Correct answer:

legal reforms that encouraged the development of democracy

Explanation:

Solon was a notable Athenian statesman and reformer who lived in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E. He is primarily remembered for the legal reforms that he encouraged which are often credited with laying the foundation for the development of Athenian democracy. Solon restructured Athenian law in an attempt to correct the moral and political decline of Athens and to prevent tyrannical rule.

Example Question #2 : Political History

The Persian ruler Darius I is most often remembered __________.

Possible Answers:

for his innovations in military tactics and his success on the battlefield

for his legal code and his effective reforms of Persian social hierarchy

for his persecution of native people and his oppressive means of conscription

for the conquest of Anatolia and Ancient Greece

for his efficient administrative reforms and improvements in internal infrastructure

Correct answer:

for his efficient administrative reforms and improvements in internal infrastructure

Explanation:

Darius I is one of the most famous rulers of the classical Persian Empire. He ruled over a vast territory and is most often remembered for his efficient administration, his bureaucratic reforms, and his improvements in internal infrastructure - including the construction of the Persian Royal Road and the establishment of a postal service.

Example Question #1 : Political And Governmental Structures

Which of these best describes the government of the Persian Empire, particularly after the rule of Darius I?

Possible Answers:

A series of districts managed by a governor, each of whom has near autonomous control

A republican government in which citizens directly elected representatives to a body of legislatures

None of these adequately describes the government of the Persian Empire

A heavily centralized empire in which most of the territory was used to support the population of the metropole

A series of districts managed by a governor, under the command of a central authority

Correct answer:

A series of districts managed by a governor, under the command of a central authority

Explanation:

Darius I is generally remembered for his impressive administrative reforms within the Persian Empire. During, and immediately after, his rule the Persian Empire was divided into a series of districts (called satrapies), which were managed by a governor (satraps).

Example Question #1 : Political And Governmental Structures

Which Greek city is usually referred as the first democracy?

Possible Answers:

Milos

Corinth 

Sparta

Athens

Knossos

Correct answer:

Athens

Explanation:

While not a democracy in the modern sense, Athens allowed citizens to cast votes that determined who held public office; however, as in most early or proto-democracies the definition of citizen was very stringent; a citizen had to be a free, male landowner. Democracy was also not a perpetual state of affairs in the city; it slipped in and out of dictatorship and oligarchy.

Example Question #1 : Political And Governmental Structures

Formed after the Battle of Plataea, which organization was founded to continue fighting the Persians? 

Possible Answers:

The Peloponnesian League

The Corinthian Confederacy

The Greek Confederacy

The Lacremonian League

The Delian League

Correct answer:

The Delian League

Explanation:

The Delian League was founded by Athens to continue fighting the Persians. Eventually, Athenian handling of the league led to the Peloponnesian War. After the war, the Delian League was disbanded and most of its members joined the Peloponnesian League.

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