1. How might Islam be properly considered an
empire?
A. For unifying government and religion into a single system
B. By maintaining a strict political control over all its conquests to the present day
C. By preserving the Muslim faith free of all sects and internal disagreements
D. By the consistent rule of a single dynasty descended from the Prophet
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. The territories conquered by Islam splintered into independent countries
C. There were differences, and a major split, almost from the beginning
2. How was the defeat of Chinese forces by
Muslims instrumental in spreading Islam?
A. The Chinese converted to Islam
B. Muslim missionaries were encouraged to enter China C. The Chinese learned papermaking and copied
the Quran
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. & B. did not occur
3. How may the umma be defined/
A. The lands under Muslim rule B. The pilgrimage to Mecca
C. The “sixth pillar”
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. This was dar al-Islam B. This was the hajj
4. What is considered the central moment in Islamic
history?
A. Muhammad’s conversion of many Jews B. Muhammad’s writing down of the Quran C. Muhammad’s flight to Medina
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. Muhammad tried, but failed to convert many Jews B. It was only written down later, during the time of
5. What best describes Muhammad’s place in the
Muslim religion:
A. The first Muslim
B. The founder of Islam
C. The originator of a new doctrine D. A messenger of God
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. It is claimed that Abraham actually was
B. Adam is said to have been the first Islamic prophet C. Islamic is asserted to have existed from
6. Over what issue did the Shi’a – Sunni split within
Islam arise:
A. The succession to the office of caliph B. How to administer conquered territory
C. Segregation of Arabs from conquered peoples
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. There seems to have been little disagreement here C. This proved to be impossible in any case
7. What major change was initiated by Mu’awiya,
and continued as a hallmark by succeeding
Umayyads?
A. Identifying strongly with the Arabian Muslim elite B. Peace with the Shi’ites
C. Cosmopolitanism
D. Establishing the early principles of Muslim political administration
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. He deliberately distanced himself from them B. He was never able to achieve this
8. How did the Abbasids copy the Umayyads?
A. Employing Arabic as the official, unifying language B. By firing non-Arabs from government positions
C. By keeping the capital centered at Baghdad
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. They employed a variety of peoples from all regions of the Empire
C. The Umayyad capital had been at Damascus
9. What occurred after the reign of Harun al-Rashid?
A. The empire grew stronger and more centralized B. The empire began to disintegrate into
quasi-independent states
C. There was a vast influx of men volunteering to serve in the army
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. It weakened and began coming apart
C. It became more difficult to recruit soldiers D. Use of slave troops expanded sharply
10. What effect did the influx of Turkish peoples
have on the Islamic world?
A. Enabling the Caliphs to put more pressure on China B. Bringing the Shi’ites to power in Baghdad
C. Completely destroying the Abbasid Caliphate D. Creating a Turkish Sultanate that dominated
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. It was actually pressure from China that caused Turks to migrate westward
B. The Shi’ite Fatimids took power of Egypt C. The Mongols did this much later (1258)
11. How did most of India’s Muslim rulers handle the
unique religious situation there?
A. Coming to a respectful religious accommodation with the Hindu majority
B. Openly favoring only monotheists in Sind
C. Launching a determined campaign to coerce the Hindus into accepting Islam
D. Watering down the Islamic faith to venerate certain Hindu gods
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. They gave Hindus there the same privileges as monotheists
C. They realized that against such a large majority, this was impossible
12. How did Islam arrive in Sib-Saharan Africa and
Southeast Asia?
A. Through Arabian fleets that attacked the coastal cities B. Through traders and Sufis
C. Through Sh’ite refugees
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. Such mass attacks did not occur
C. There was no such notable refugee migrations
D. Sundiata was king of Mali and had nothing to do with Southeast Asia
13. What best describes the West African adaptation
of Islam?
A. Many officially accepted Islam, but continued to participate in indigenous religious practices
B. The kings allowed their people to become Muslims, but were ashamed to do so themselves
C. The kings were personally all very strict Muslims, but allowed their people leeway
D. Friendship with the Berbers resulted in enthusiastic acceptance by West Africans
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. It was a source of prestige for kings to associate with Islamic institutions
C. Many kings, like Sundiata, continued the old religious practices as well
14. What was accomplished by the reconquista?
A. The recovery of Jerusalem by European Christians B. The re-establishment of Christian rule in Spain
C. The reunification of Catholic and Orthodox Christianity
D. The expulsion of the Jewish and Muslim population from Spain
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. This actually happened with the First Crusade in 1099 C. This did not happen and the split became worse
15. What can most accurately be said about historic
relations between the three great monotheistic
faiths?
A. Reciprocally beneficial coexistence has been the exception rather than the rule
B. Their very closeness in proselytizing has tended to bring them closer
C. They have rarely sought to exercise political control D. Unlike the other two, Islam has experienced no
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. It has rather tended to make them competitive C. They have consistently tried to so
