Test your basic knowledge |

Global History Basics

Subjects : literacy, history
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The legislative body of France. Composed of representatives from the three estates which are Clergy in the First Estate - Nobles in the Second Estate - and peasants in the Third Estate. Each Estate is entitled to one vote on legislative matters. The






2. The spiritual leader of the Tibetan sect of Buddhism - and is considered to be the reincarnation of the bodhisattva - or 'buddha-to-be.'






3. The cutting out of flat areas (terraces) into near vertical slopes to allow farming. Terrace farms appears as steps cut into a mountainside. This adaptation allowed both the early Chinese - and the Inca of Mesoamerica to grow enough food for their la






4. The killing of a political leader or other public figure.






5. The biological study of animals.






6. Letters of forgiveness for one's sins provided by the medieval Church - and one of the causes of the Reformation.






7. Concept of John Locke's that states all people have the right to life - liberty - and property.






8. (1894?-1978) Independence leader who help lead Kenya out of European imperialism after World War II.






9. Feelings of loyalty to individual tribes - and the cause of much war and strife in modern Africa.






10. The rebirth of a soul into another body.






11. The complete control of a weaker nation's social - economic - and political life by a stronger nation.






12. A system of government in which a single - totalitarian - party holds power. It is characterized by state control of the economy - and restriction on personal freedoms. It was first proposed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The Communist Manifest






13. (1869-1940) Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1937 to 1940. He is responsible for the policy of appeasement with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany.






14. Islamic physician - wrote a book called Canon on Medicine - which was an encyclopedia of Greek - Arabic - and his own knowledge of medicine. This book became the standard medical text in Europe for over five hundred years.






15. (1852-1912) Emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912. He was responsible for the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the rapid modernization and industrialization of Japan.






16. A place where something lives.






17. In ancient China - they were pieces of bone or turtle shell used by Shang priests to tell the future. They would write a question addressed to either one of the gods - or an ancestor on the bone - then heat it until it cracked. They believed that by






18. Leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Chosen by the College of Cardinals.






19. Soviet satellite put into orbit around Earth in 1957. It was the first man made satellite put into orbit.






20. A system of government where the legislative - judicial - and executive powers are held by directly or indirectly elected officials.






21. The process in which land slowly dries out until little or no vegetation exists becoming a desert.






22. A 3 line poem that has 17 syllables in the Japanese language - and expresses a single thought - feeling or idea.






23. A belief in the superiority of a certain ethnic group or race.






24. Jewish nationalist movement to establish a homeland in Palestine. This movement began in the late 1800s - as anti-Semitic feelings intensified in Europe. The main leader of this movement was a journalist by the name of Theodor Herzl. Herzl's dream of






25. March the Mao Zedong and his Communist Party underwent to avoid being captured and killed by China's Nationalist Party.






26. (346? CE - 395 CE) Emperor of the Roman Empire Who is responsible for making the Christian religion the official religion of the empire.






27. A member of the lower class of ancient Roman society.






28. A branch of mathematics pioneered by Islamic mathematician al-Khwarizimi in which letters are used to represent unknown numbers to generalize arithmetic.






29. Throughout the 20th century - scientists worked on improving agriculture - especially in areas with high populations. Some of the technologies developed included better irrigation systems so farmers could get water to their crops. New machinery was b






30. A comedic book written by Miguel de Cervantes during the Renaissance. The title character is now used to refer to idealists that champion hopeless or fanciful causes.






31. A person who spreads the teachings of a religion.






32. A book circulated throughout China during the reign of Mao Zedong - which contained his political philosophy for China. It was required reading in all schools.






33. To exclude a Christian from receiving the Sacraments.






34. (1842) An unequal treaty between Great Britain and China resulting from the Opium War. The treaty stated that China was to reimburse Britain for costs incurred fighting the war. The Chinese were forced to open several ports to British trade - provide






35. Important symbol of Buddhism. It represents the endless cycle of life through reincarnation.






36. The economic program designed to increase farm and industrial output though the creation of communes. Communes are similar to Soviet collectives in that groups of people live and work together on government owned farms and in government owned industr






37. A branch of Christianity developed in the Byzantine Empire - after its split from the Roman Empire. It spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Russia.






38. A reusable space vehicle built by the United States.






39. Feudal Japanese theater where men wore decorative mask and performed on stage - while a chorus sang the lines. N






40. A hemispherical roof.






41. The Chinese philosophy of Taoism (or Daoism) developed in the latter part of the Chou Dynasty - during a period of turmoil in which it was not clear that Chinese civilization would survive. It represents a naturalistic ideal of how one should live th






42. An economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods. Also promotes a free market regulated by supply and demand.






43. The respect or devotion that others show someone or something






44. (1914 - 1918) European war in which an alliance including Great Britain - France - Russia - Italy - and the United States defeated the alliance of Germany - Austria-Hungary - Turkey - and Bulgaria.






45. (1491-1556) Founded the Society of Jesus - the Order of the Jesuits. He worked to combat the Protestant Reformation by providing strong Catholic leadership to monarchs across Europe.






46. Muslims who believe the Quran to be a literal guide to political - social - and religious life.






47. Islamic holy book.






48. Affecting the underlying principles or structure of something.






49. A rebirth of cultural and intellectual pursuits after the stagnation of the Middle Ages. This period in European history - from about the 14th through 16th centuries - features major cultural and artistic change.






50. Handheld weapon that uses small balls of lead as projectiles and gunpowder as the blasting agent.