The bulk of the tribes that invaded the Roman Empire after 400 A.D. were 
A. Turkish 
B. Slavic 
C. Mongolian 
D. German 
ANSWER: D
The Roman historian Tacitus 
A. Wrote his book on Germany to urge Romans to adopt more virtuous customs 
B. Wrote a history of his captivity by the Germans 
C. Denounced German men for oppressing German women 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: A
The society of early Germans 
A. Was led by strong kings with virtually dictatorial powers 
B. Was very nomadic with wars occurring only when tribes were wandering 
C. Was often very warlike and occasionally nomadic 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: C
Of the societies studied in the first five chapters, Germanic society had the most parallels with 
A. The urban society of Sumer 
B. The heroic society described in Homer's epics 
C. The monumental society of Egypt 
D. The republican society of Rome 
ANSWER: B
The tribe whose movement seems to have triggered the invasion of the Roman Empire was the 
A. Ostrogoths 
B. Huns 
C. Franks 
D. Vandals 
ANSWER: B
All of the following were true of the Roman Empire in the era of invasion except 
A. Germanic tribes were often permitted to settle in Roman lands as federates 
B. Many of the invaders were Christian, though of the Arian variety 
C. Britain was able to hold out against the Germanic invaders 
D. The empire lost the rich and productive North African lands to the Vandals, who once lived in Eastern Europe 
ANSWER: C
Historians have often criticized the concept of the "Fall" of Rome because 
A. The eastern half of the Empire did not collapse but remained strong for several centuries 
B. The concept of "Transformation" fits the evidence better 
C. The Germans themselves were transformed, both in their languages and in their religious beliefs 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: D
The popes began to claim spiritual authority over the Christian church because 
A. Some New Testament texts could be cited in support of this idea 
B. The Germanic invasions were so destructive that for a time the bishop of Rome was the only bishop remaining in the west 
C. Constantine, when he moved to Constantinople, left the government of Rome in the hands of its bishop 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: A
Pope Gregory the Great enhanced the position of the papacy by doing all of the following except 
A. Formally ending the Arian heresy through his theological arguments 
B. Taking over the day to day administration of the city of Rome 
C. Sending missionaries to begin the conversion of Anglo-Saxon England 
D. Negotiating a truce with the Lombards to prevent a sack of Rome 
ANSWER: A
The founder of Western Christian monasticism that had great influence on the Middle Ages was 
A. Patrick of Ireland 
B. Benedict of Nursia 
C. Augustine 
D. Gregory the Great 
ANSWER: B
The monastic movement founded by Benedict of Nursia 
A. Encouraged fasting and asceticism among the monks 
B. Permitted abbots to exercise authority over bishops 
C. Established through its rule a balanced daily regime of work and prayer 
D. Rejected education as unnecessary for salvation 
ANSWER: C
The most famous of the Merovingian kings of France was 
A. Clovis 
B. Theodoric 
C. Odovacar 
D. Pepin 
ANSWER: A
The Merovingian kings of France 
A. Were converted to Roman rather than to Arian Christianity 
B. Were brutal, murdering warriors in spite of their Christianity 
C. Lost their real power to "Mayors of the Palace" 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: D
Theodoric was king of the 
A. Visigoths 
B. Ostrogoths 
C. Franks 
D. Vandals 
ANSWER: B
Which of the following is not true about the Ostrogothic kingdom? 
A. It had the most vigorous intellectual life of the Germanic successor states, with philosophers, historians, and the development of the BC/AD system of counting years 
B. It was short lived, falling into disarray after the death of its great ruler, Theoderic 
C. It rulers briefly united the entire Roman Empire 
D. It shared a weakness with several other Germanic states because its people were Arian rather than Roman Christians 
ANSWER: C
After numerous wanderings, the Germanic Visigoths, who had started in Eastern Europe, settled in 
A. North Africa 
B. Italy 
C. France 
D. Spain 
ANSWER: D
The Visigothic kingdom in Spain 
A. Was destroyed by the expansion of Islam 
B. Was noted for its political instability 
C. Was noted for its anti-Semitism 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: D
The Byzantine Empire 
A. Was founded by Justinian 
B. Ended when its capital, Constantinople, was sacked by the Visigoths 
C. Was an eastern continuation of the Roman Empire 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: C
The Byzantine emperor Justinian 
A. Undertook a major codification of laws that has influenced law to the present 
B. Was overthrown in the Nika revolt 
C. Tore down the Hagia Sophia because it was a center of heresy 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: A
Justinian's efforts to reconquer the western Mediterranean 
A. Led to the complete restoration of the Roman Empire throughout the Mediterranean 
B. Led to the reconquest of North Africa and a temporary reconquest of Italy 
C. Failed because he was defeated by the Ostrogothic queen, Theodora 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: B
The capital of the Byzantine Empire was 
A. Mecca 
B. Rome 
C. Alexandria 
D. Constantinople 
ANSWER: D
To defend the empire, Byzantine rulers did all of the following except 
A. Divide the empire into themes, or military districts, raising local troops to defend each province 
B. Develop a new weapon, Greek fire, for naval combat 
C. Prefer to use force rather than diplomacy to solve international relations 
D. Maintain a strong armored cavalry as the backbone of its army 
ANSWER: C
Unlike the imperial government in Rome, the imperial government in Constantinople 
A. Banned chariot races 
B. Used eunuchs in both civil and church administration 
C. Forbade luxurious display 
D. Continued Diocletian's persecution of Christians 
ANSWER: B
Cyril and Methodius 
A. Converted many of the Slavic tribes to Christianity 
B. Were the first great rulers of Kievan Russia 
C. Were the originators of the iconoclast controversy in Byzantium 
D. Were responsible for the schism of 1054 between the Latin and the Greek churches 
ANSWER: A
In what important way did the Byzantine world and the West separate themselves from each other? 
A. The language of Byzantium was Latin, but the language of the west was Greek 
B. The Byzantine world adopted Arian Christianity.
C. The west rejected the iconoclastic religious ideas of the Emperor Leo III, leading to long-lasting religious disputes 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: C
The Kievan Rus 
A. Converted to Eastern Christianity under its ruler Vladimir 
B. Converted to Latin Christianity as a deliberate snub to Byzantium 
C. Was also known as the kingdom of the Bulgars 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: A
Before Muhammad 
A. Camels were unknown in Arabia 
B. Mecca was already an important trading city with connections to Egypt 
C. Most of the Arabian peninsula was controlled by Persia 
D. The Bedouin tribes had accepted Christianity 
ANSWER: B
Muhammad declared that he was 
A. The proper prophet of God, rescuing the divine message from Christian and Jewish distortions 
B. The founder of an entirely new religion 
C. An angel sent from God 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: A
During his lifetime, Muhammad 
A. Destroyed Mecca because it would not accept him as the prophet of God 
B. Spread his religious beliefs to the Bedouin tribes from his headquarters in Medina 
C. Rejected the Julian Calendar in favor of the Gregorian calendar 
D. Made Jerusalem the center of the Islamic faith 
ANSWER: B
Which of the following is not one of the Pillars of Islam? 
A. The pilgrimage to Mecca 
B. Prayer five times a day 
C. A long guided study of Islamic theology before one could become a Moslem 
D. Fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan and almsgiving 
ANSWER: C
The Islamic conquests succeeded in part because 
A. The unification of the Arabian peninsula created an effective fighting force 
B. Of the willingness of dissident Christians to prefer Moslem rule in place of Byzantine rule 
C. Of the Moslem belief that the faith can be spread through military conquest 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: D
The Islamic world created a unified culture in the areas of conquest for all of the following reasons except 
A. The elimination of all non-Islamic religions 
B. The spread of Arabic as the language of rule and commerce as well as religion 
C. The uniform enforcement of laws based on the Qur'an and the traditions attributed to the Prophet 
D. A vigorous trade network that stretched from the Mediterranean to India 
ANSWER: A
Choose the correct statement about daily life in the Islamic world 
A. The Syrian Christian practice of women wearing veils was discarded 
B. A great part of its commerce was the export of fine wines to both Europe and China 
C. Moslem men were limited to four wives 
D. Slavery was nonexistent in the Islamic world 
ANSWER: C
Avicenna (Ibn Sina) was 
A. The first caliph, or successor to Muhammad 
B. The author of a medical text that became standard both in the Islamic and Western worlds for six centuries 
C. The leader of the Shi'ites after the assassination of Ali 
D. The greatest of all Arab mathematicians 
ANSWER: B
A major political question that divided Moslems after the death of the Prophet was 
A. Whether toleration should be extended to Christians and Jews 
B. Whether the political capital should be in Mecca, which had ceased to be the political center of the Islamic world 
C. Whether commercial trade with non-Moslems should be permitted 
D. Whether the caliphate should belong to the descendants of the Prophet and Ali, his son in law 
ANSWER: D
The Shi'ites 
A. Are the majority sect among Moslems 
B. Believe that the right to govern the Islamic world belongs to the descendants of Ali, the son in law of the Prophet 
C. Overthrew the Abassids 
D. Erected their capital in Damascus 
ANSWER: B
The Abbasid caliphate 
A. Overthrew the Umayyads, claiming that it would restore spiritual authority to the Caliphate 
B. Moved the capital to Baghdad, which gave Islam a more Persian cultural flavor 
C. Never controlled the entire Islamic world, and gradually lost its political dominance 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: D
According to the text, the two greatest scientific advances in the Islamic world were in 
A. Mathematics and medicine 
B. Medicine and physics 
C. Chemistry and mathematics 
D. Biology and chemistry 
ANSWER: A
 
Tacitus, the Roman historian, wrote a book denouncing the customs and morals of the Germans.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The early Germanic tribes glorified warfare, raiding, and plundering.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The movement of the Huns, an Asian rather than a Germanic people, seems to have been the trigger for the Germanic invasions of the Roman Empire.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The "fall" of Rome occurred in such a manner that many contemporaries did not believe that Rome had "fallen." 
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The early pope who, according to the text, dramatically forwarded the case for papal supremacy was Leo I.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The monastic system of Benedict of Nursia emphasized fasting and other ascetic activities.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The Merovingian dynasty in France was overthrown by Pepin the Short, with the approval of the pope.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
Theodoric, the king of the Ostrogoths in Italy, persecuted Roman Christians because of his Arian beliefs.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The Visigothic kingdom in Spain was disfigured by antisemitism.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The capital of the Byzantine Empire was Athens.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
Justinian's greatest achievement may have been his Corpus Juris Civilis, which has influenced western legal codes down to the present.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
Justinian was unable to drive the Vandals out of North Africa.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The popes supported the Byzantine emperor in the iconoclast controversy.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The Russians converted to Latin rather than Greek Christianity.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
Muhammad was born into a wandering Arab Bedouin tribe.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The 114 revelations which according to Islamic tradition were given by God to Muhammad are known as the Qur'an.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The successors of Muhammad were styled caliphs.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
Dissident Christians in the Byzantine Empire often preferred Moslem to Byzantine rule.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The Islamic world was noted for its cultural diversity.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
Those who believe that the caliph should be chosen from among the family of the Prophet are called Sunnites.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
Avicenna (Ibn Sina) had a reputation both in the Islamic and the western worlds as the author of a standard text on history.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The famous "Arabic" numbers were borrowed by Islamic mathematicians from India.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
