History 201World Civilization to 1500

Looking Ahead

Listed below are review questions that draw from information in one or more of the lessons that you have completed to this point. Since you may not have written essays covering some aspects of these review questions, you will need to review the prep sheets we encouraged you to make for each lesson.

Now the task is to organize your notes in such a way that they relate to these rather broad review questions.

Format

On the exam, the instructor will pick two questions drawn from the list below. You will choose one of those two questions and write for approximately one and a half hours. You may not use any course materials to help you in your exam, and you have a three-hour time limit to complete it. You should use a blue book to write your essays.

If you have prepared properly, you should be able to write a detailed essay in the allotted time. The instructor will be looking for evidence that you understand the larger generalization that underlies the question, and that you can support your own generalizations with more concrete material that you have gleaned from the lesson materials, the textbook, and, where appropriate, from the selected historical readings at the end of each lesson.

What to Review

1. Focus on at least three regions to compare and contrast the role of religion in ancient civilizations. What need(s) did religion fill? Also, discuss the development of monotheism by focusing (in some detail) on the three cases mentioned in the text and/or in the discussion material (Akhenaten, Hebrew/Israelites, and Zoroastrianism). Why might monotheism have been considered an unusual religious view in the ancient world?
2. Select any three of the five ancient cradles of civilization mentioned in the textbook (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Crete, Yellow River) and compare and contrast them in terms of distinguishing characteristics, major accomplishments, significance for subsequent classical civilizations, and so forth.
3. We have noted the rise of several major world religions during the time period covered to this point in the course. Select any two that were not part of the same tradition to begin with (for example, Hinduism and Buddhism are part of the same tradition; Judaism and Christianity are part of another tradition), and compare and contrast their developments to approximately A.D. 400. How well did they respond to outside influences? How did the religion of A.D. 400 differ from its original form?
4. One of the concepts we have stressed to this point is that of cultural roots-from what sources did a particular civilization draw? Select any two distinct civilizations of the classical period and discuss their pedigree: where did the ideas come from on which they built their civilization? Can you demonstrate how these same classical civilizations took ideas from earlier peoples and transformed them into something that reflected their unique mentality?
5. Alexander the Great bears comparison with the great Indian ruler Ashoka (ca. 250 B.C.). What similarities do you find in their careers, and in the impact they each had upon the world of their day? Which would you say had the greater impact? Justify your answer.
6. Define what is meant by the term civilization, and then demonstrate, on the basis of several examples, how we can distinguish between human societies that qualified as "civilized" during the timeframe of 3500 B.C. to A.D. 400, and those that did not. If civilization was indeed lost by certain peoples, what evidence can you offer of that fact? Finally, two world historians, Jerry Bentley and Herbert Ziegler, have pointed out that along with bringing positive results, civilizations also have "exacted costs from their inhabitants." Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.

Note: Be sure to bring a pen or pencil, and blue book or other writing material to the exam!