1. What statement most accurately characterizes
capitalism?
A. It is antithetical to restrictions by church and government
B. It makes an exception to free market rules by allowing the restriction of the outflow of gold & silver
C. It totally opposes state taxation
D. It had been the system practiced by major west European governments before 1500
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. & D. These statements are applicable to mercantilism C. Capitalists were not opposed to taxation; they would
2. What effect did the Ottoman conquest of
Constantinople generate?
A. It opened to Europeans new possibilities in Middle Eastern trade
B. It resulted in the mass mobilization of Europe for another Crusade
C. It encouraged Atlantic countries to seek new routes to Asia
D. It put an end to European exploration for two centuries
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. On the contrary, it restricted them
B. This did not happen, most Europeans were tired of Crusades
3. What major factor most enabled the Spaniards to
conquer the Aztecs and Incas?
A. Their greater strength in numbers
B. The Native Americans’ own divisions and weaknesses
C. They passed themselves off as gods
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. In fact, the Spaniards were far outnumbered
C. That was limited to Cortes against the Aztecs and did not really work
4. How did the encomienda system end?
A. Because of humane appeals by the Church B. It was found to be illegal
C. Some considered it to be too humane
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. It continued in spite of this
B. It was authorized by the Spanish crown and so could not be illegal
5. How did the gold and silver mines of the
Americas fail to greatly benefit the Spaniards?
A. Because they brought enslavement and poverty to Native Americans
B. Because there proved to be a disappointingly small amount of gold there
C. Native American uprisings prevented the expansion of mining
D. They lacked the commercial infrastructure to invest successfully
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. This had no little effect on profits for the Spaniards B. There were rich veins of these metals
C. Such uprisings were few and ineffectual in preventing mining expansion
6. What best characterized the Portuguese
overseas empire?
A. It remained mainly coastal in nature, settlers staying in seaside enclaves
B. Its officials were noted for their honesty and competence
C. The Portuguese gained a reputation as diplomats and peace makers
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. Corruption was rampant, the army undisciplined C. They were feared for their violent acts
7. How, in the end, did Portugal fail to retain its
hegemony?
A. It proved no match for larger European powers
B. The kings and governors decided that an empire was too great a burden
C. Humanitarian appeals to end slavery led to a scaling back
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. The kings and governors were profiting and generally remained enthusiastic
8. What major lesson might be derived from the
example of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires?
A. Hierarchical societies are usually more successful at building empires
B. To build and sustain wealth, countries must be able to use wealth effectively
C. Cultural success is the key to successful empire-building
D. Widespread explorations assures a country of economic success
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. In Spain & Portugal, where this was the case, the nobility invested in land, rather than trade and business
C. The Spanish and Portuguese were, culturally speaking, quite successful, but failed as
economic/political powers
9. What was Luther’s main charge against the
Catholic Church?
A. Repressing peasant uprisings
B. Not sufficiently stressing the importance of the sacraments
C. Not allowing priests to mediate between humans and God
D. Claiming too much authority over individual conscience
CORRECT ANSWER = D
A. Luther himself urged repression of these uprisings B. Luther did not consider the sacraments to be
important
C. Luther did not believe priests needed to mediate in this manner
10. What statement best describes the state of the
great European powers by the mid-17
thcentury?
A. The Dutch simply had no rivals for overseas trade and sea power
B. Spain was on the decline and England, France & the Netherlands were on the rise
C. England had successfully pushed France out of Superpower competition
D. The Dutch Revolt against Spain had failed and the Netherlands was a shadow of its former self
CORRECT ANSWER = B
A. The Dutch were challenged by France & England C. Competition between the two was still keen
11. What would best characterize the
economic/religious policy of Louis XIV?
A. Permitting free trade and religious toleration B. Raising local taxes on trade and only extending
religious freedom to Christians
C. Pursuing a policy of mercantilism and, in 1685, outlawing Huguenot worship
D. Pursuing mercantilism but granting equal rights to all faiths
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. Mercantilism was the official policy & Huguenots were persecuted
B. Colbert abolished local taxes on trade
12. How might a nation-state best be defined?
A. A geographic territory with its independent government
B. A group having shared ethnicity, language, religion and/or history
C. A combination of a political state with a collective social identity
D. A country that stays to itself without engaging in colonization
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. This only defines a state B. This only defines a nation
D. England, France, and Spain were among the nation-states that engaged in colonization
13. In a final analysis, what was achieved by Peter the
Great’s reforms?
A. Nothing
B. Establishing a totally free-market economy
C. Strengthening the ruling classes at the peasantry’s expense
D. Preserving traditional Russian culture from western influences
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. An exceptionally energetic ruler, Peter’s reforms impacted in many areas
B. He kept the largest business enterprises in the hands of the state
14. What was the general attitude of the Chinese
emperors to Europeans?
A. They restricted the activity of European traders to small areas
B. They welcomed Christian missionaries in an effort to revitalize the peasantry
C. They acknowledged the significant impact Europeans had on China
D. They were interested in colonizing Europe and so tried to get what information they could from
CORRECT ANSWER = A
B. Missionary activity concentrated on the elite
C. Because of restrictions and China’s size, such an impact was negligible
D. They focused on their homeland and evinced little interest in foreigners
15. What can most accurately be stated about Japan’s
trade cutoff in the 17
thcentury?
A. It set back the process of political consolidation B. The Japanese economy was in a shambles
C. Japan prospered, despite its isolation
CORRECT ANSWER = C
A. Political consolidation was largely achieved by 1651 B. This did not happen
