Multiple-Choice Exercise From the New York State Education Department. Regents High School Examination Internet. Available from http://www.nysedregents.nysed.gov/; accessed January 11, 2012.; All rights reserved. No commercial, for-profit use of this material is allowed. E-mail comments and questions to Tami Maloney.
Choose the correct answer for each question.
Which geographic factor had the greatest influence on the early history of South Asia and China?
river valleys
island locations
vast coastlines
tropical rain forests
One effect of rugged, mountainous geography on the civilization of ancient Greece was the development of
absolute monarchies
separate, independent city-states
extensive trade with the Persians
belief in one God
spread of Christianity
shift in European population
expansion of apartheid
pattern of the Bantu migrations
Which fact relating to early Japan was a result of the other three?
Japan experienced earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The Japanese developed a nature-based belief called Shinto.
Tsunamis and typhoons sometimes destroyed coastal Japanese villages.
Mountains are found throughout the islands of Japan.
Ghana
Congo
Benin
Ashanti
Christianity and Islam played a minor role in the development of African civilizations.
Most African civilizations existed for only a few years.
Very little interaction occurred between these civilizations.
African civilizations were located in a variety of physical environments.
Eastern Chinese cities had extensive contact with the Persian Empire in 1405.
Rivers and mountains prevented the expansion of overland Chinese trade.
The Chinese came into contact with peoples of other cultures between 1405 and 1422.
China was isolated from outside contact under the rulers of the Ming Empire.
Little trade in enslaved Africans took place before the 1500s.
Slavery was most widely practiced in Sweden, Denmark, and Holland.
Conditions of slavery in Brazil were less harsh than those in the United States.
Most enslaved Africans were sent to the Caribbean and Spanish America.
When Koreans call their land “a shrimp among whales,” they are referring to
the mountains that cover much of the Korean peninsula
the environmental damage caused by overfishing in the Pacific
their traditional respect for the sea
their location between powerful neighbors: Russia, China, and Japan
The main reason Japan invaded Southeast Asia during World War II was to
recruit more men for its army
acquire supplies of oil and rubber
satisfy the Japanese people’s need for spices
prevent the United States from entering the war
In India, urbanization affected society by
reinforcing Hindu beliefs
encouraging native arts and crafts
weakening the traditional caste system
increasing the number of farmers
rapid migration of animals to the Northern Hemisphere
further exploration of the Arctic Ocean
industrialization and the burning of fossil fuels
slow economic growth in developing nations
The Panama Canal and Suez Canal are similar in that both
shortened shipping routes between major bodies of water
were built by the British to expand their empire
replaced the Silk Road as the world’s main trade route
directly connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
