Empires and Other Political Systems Review Questions for AP World History

Answers and Explanations

1. E—Inherent in mercantile philosophy was the need for colonies, a necessity that provoked international rivalries. Answer (A) is incorrect because the Ottoman Empire suffered from the inflationary trend in the Eastern Hemisphere caused by Spain's acquisition of wealth from its colonies. Spain's wealth caused a European depression rather than long-term prosperity (B). Mercantilism encouraged exports rather than imports (C) and government participation in economic matters rather than free trade (D).
2. D—In the early 1700s, England had already established the sovereignty of Parliament, whose members were elected by the elite classes. Russia (B) and France (C) were under the authority of absolute monarchs who ruled without parliamentary authority. Japan (A) was ruled by the authoritarian Tokugawa Shogunate, and the Ottoman Empire remained under the authority of the sultan (E).
3. C—The emperors of Ming China returned to Confucian traditions and by the 1430s had entered a period of isolation as a response to Mongol threats along China's northern borders. Russia reacted to the previous Mongol occupation by establishing absolute rule and expanding its territories to include land previously held by Asian nomadic peoples. Although Ming China became increasingly more traditional, Russia eventually entered into a period of increased westernization (A). Although Russia allowed women more participation in public events, the subordinate position of women in China was continued by the strict Confucian and Neo-Confucian policies under the Ming (B). Although the Ming cooperated with Confucianists and Neo-Confucianists because of their respect of governmental authority, Russian tsars placed the Russian Orthodox Church under their authority (D). China's period of industrial expansion had occurred previously under the Song, whereas Russia would only begin to industrialize to some extent under Peter the Great (E).
4. B—Although both countries entered into a period of isolation, Japan maintained some contact with Western ways through trade with the Dutch. In the 1580s, Japan persecuted Christian missionaries while China gave them some acceptance (A). China retained two ports for foreigners, whereas Japan kept the port of Nagasaki open to trade with the Dutch and Chinese (C). Western philosophy was not embraced by either country, but there was interest in Western technology, particularly firearms in Japan and clocks in China (D). Both countries were more interested in regional than in long-distance trade (E).
5. B—Although the Spanish Empire embraced only the Philippines and the Americas, the Portuguese Empire included Brazil, outposts in Africa and India, and trading posts throughout the Indian Ocean and East Asia. Both the Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires had a stratified society (A). Both were Roman Catholic empires with active missionary efforts; both nations had submitted to the pope's authority in accepting the Treaty of Tordesillas (C). Both empires first used Indians as forced labor (D). The Spanish Empire was more strictly regulated by its Council of the Indies in Spain (E).
6. D—Mughal art and architecture reflected Christian themes and Persian and Indian architectural structures. Under Akbar, cooperation between Muslims and Hindus was encouraged (A). The Mughals controlled the northern and central portions of India (B). Their rule ended in the return of traditional regional government in India (C). Under some Mughal rulers, sati was forbidden and widows were encouraged to remarry (E).
7. A—The Ottoman decline was hastened because of Ottoman reluctance to embrace Western technology of the time period. Both the Ottomans and Mughals were gunpowder empires (B). The Ottomans gained control of Hungary and some parts of the Balkans (C), but was in decline by 1750 (D). The devshirme system enslaved the Janissaries (E).
8. B—Nation-states are organized around cultural groups, a characteristic of Europe. The Ottoman Empire included numerous cultural groups under one empire (A). Many of the European nation-states were ruled by absolute monarchs (C). By definition, a nation-state must have definite geographical boundaries (D). The different nation-states in Europe contributed to conflict (E).