Traditions and Encounters, 4th Edition (Bentley)

Chapter 7: THE EMPIRES OF PERSIA

Multiple Choice Quiz

1
The Medes and the Persians were
A)Sumerians who migrated from Mesopotamia to Persia.
B)Babylonians who migrated from Mesopotamia to Persia.
C)Indo-Europeans who migrated from Anatolia to Iran.
D)Indo-Europeans who migrated from central Asia to Persia.
E)None of the answers are correct.
2
All but one of the following sets of characteristics were true with regard to the Medes and Persians from the tenth to the sixth century B.C.E. :
A)expert agriculturalists, good at irrigation and rice cultivation.
B)expert archers, frequently raided the wealthy lands of Mesopotamia.
C)descendants of nomadic peoples, pastoralists culturally close to the Aryans.
D)rulers of the largest empire the world had ever seen.
E)descendants of the Greeks, related to Alexander of Macedon.
3
Which of the following is true of Cyrus?
A)His contemporaries called him "the Shepherd" because of the region he came from.
B)His conquests laid the foundation of the first Persian empire.
C)He conquered Babylon in a swift campaign.
D)He ruled from his palace in Pasargadae.
E)All of the answers are correct.
4
Egypt was conquered by
A)Cyrus.
B)Cambyses.
C)Darius.
D)Xerxes.
E)Zarathustra.
5
To govern a far-flung empire consisting of more than seventy distinct ethnic groups, the Achaemenid rulers
A)established lines of communication and centralized administration.
B)forced the peoples to speak only Persian and believe only in the Persian religion.
C)used imperial spies to control the conquered masses.
D)decentralized their administration.
E)All of the answers are correct.
6
The Persian Royal Road stretched some 2,575 kilometers (1,600 miles) from Sardis in Lydia to Susa in Iran. To travel from one end to the other, it would take
A)six months for caravans.
B)ninety days for caravans.
C)two weeks for Marathon runners.
D)one week for imperial couriers.
E)one year for merchants.
7
The Persian Wars (500–479 B.C.E.) referred to
A)the rebellions of Mesopotamia and Egypt against the Achaemenid overlord.
B)the rebellions of the Greek city-states, fighting for their independence.
C)the wars between Alexander of Macedon and the Achaemenid empire.
D)the series of civil wars that occurred within the Achaemenid empire.
E)None of the answers are correct.
8
Alexander's invasion of the Achaemenid empire met with great success because
A)his army outnumbered the Persian army.
B)he proclaimed himself the heir to the Achaemenid rulers.
C)his army was well disciplined, was well armed, and used sophisticated tactics.
D)he was popular with the people of the empire.
E)All of the answers are correct.
9
The rulers of the Seleucid empire could not control the empire effectively primarily because
A)they abandoned the Achaemenid systems of administration and communication.
B)as foreigners, they were opposed by native Persians.
C)they were challenged by the Greeks.
D)they were not able to resist the military pressure of the Islamic empire.
E)None of the answers are correct.
10
All of the following were true about the Parthians except that
A)they had a centralized government.
B)they were semi nomadic people.
C)they had well-trained forces of heavily armed cavalry.
D)they portrayed themselves as restorers of Persian traditions.
E)they were pressured by the Roman empire.
11
The Parthian empire was toppled by
A)the Roman army.
B)the Islamic army.
C)the Sasanid army.
D)a revolt from within the empire.
E)None of the answers are correct.
12
The administration of the Persian empires called for a new class of bureaucrats who
A)undermined the position of the old warrior elite.
B)came to share power and influence with warriors and clan leaders.
C)were well educated.
D)included a corps of translators.
E)All of the answers are correct.
13
The construction of numerous underground canals (known as qanat) was undertaken because
A)a scarcity of land meant that there was no room for normal irrigation techniques.
B)there was an overabundance of slave labor that needed to be utilized.
C)water was scarce and underground canals could keep water from evaporating.
D)it was the least labor-intensive way to irrigate.
E)there was no agriculture surplus in the empire.
14
In classical Persia, slaves
A)often came from the ranks of the free who went into debt.
B)could not marry another slave at will.
C)were often prisoners of war or people who had rebelled against imperial authorities.
D)provided much of the manual labor on construction projects.
E)All of the answers are correct.
15
The economic foundation of classical Persian society was
A)long-distance trade.
B)herding domestic animals.
C)manufactured goods.
D)slavery.
E)agriculture.
16
The growth of trade was promoted by
A)linking the lands from India to Egypt into a vast commercial zone.
B)standardizing coinage.
C)cities establishing banks to facilitate commercial activities.
D)relative political stability.
E)All of the answers are correct.
17
Zarathustra was
A)an emperor.
B)a prophet.
C)a magi.
D)a monotheist.
E)None of the answers are correct.
18
Which of the following was not a Zoroastrian teaching?
A)the cosmic conflict between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu.
B)individual souls would undergo future judgment.
C)ascetic renunciation of the world in favor of a future heavenly existence.
D)the forces of good would ultimately prevail.
E)a belief in six lesser deities.
19
From the mid-seventh century, Zoroastrianism lost its popularity because
A)Zoroastrians were converting to Islam.
B)it was outlawed by the Persian government.
C)it was outlawed by the Islamic conquerors.
D)more and more people turned to belief in Christianity.
E)None of the answers are correct.
20
Which of the following religions did not attract large numbers of converts in the Persian empires?
A)Buddhism
B)Christianity
C)Manicheism
D)Hinduism
E)Zoroastrianism
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