Topic 2 AP Exam Practice
Multiple-Choice Questions
Questions 1 to 3 refer to the passage below.
“In the name of God the Merciful and the Compassionate: This is the safe- conduct accorded by the servant of God Umar, the Commander of the Faithful, to the people of [Jerusalem]. He accords them safe-conduct for their persons, their property, their churches, their crosses, their sound and their sick, and the rest of their worship. . . . No constraint shall be exercised against them in religion nor shall any harm be done to any among them. . . .
The people of [Jerusalem] must pay the jizya [required tax on non-Muslims] in the same way as the people of other cities. They must expel the Romans [Byzantine soldiers and officials] and the brigands from the city. Those who leave shall have safe-conduct for their persons and property until they reach safety.
Those of the people of [Jerusalem] who wish to remove their persons and effects and depart with the Romans [Byzantines] and abandon their churches and their crosses shall have safe-conduct for their persons, their churches, and their crosses, until they reach safety.”
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, History of the Prophets and
Kings, “Peace Terms with Jerusalem, 636 C.E.,” 10th century
1. Which trait of Islamic rule described in this passage was also evident in Islamic rule in al-Andalus?
- (A) The persecution of other religions by Islamic leaders
- (B) The toleration of other religions by Muslims in conquered territory
- (C) The conflict between Romans and Byzantines over territory
- (D) The desire to improve relations with the Romans in Jerusalem
2. What viewpoint led Umar to this trait of Islamic rule?
- (A) He did not actively seek converts to his faith.
- (B) He believed Christians and Jews were only a small a threat to his faith.
- (C) He was more concerned with political than religious issues.
- (D) He considered Christians and Jews to be “People of the Book.”
3. Which development resulted from a change in Umar’s policy toward Jerusalem by the Seljuks?
- (A) The beginning of the Crusades by European Christians
- (B) A shift in trade patterns
- (C) An increase in the power of the Byzantine Empire
- (D) A decrease in taxes paid by Jerusalem residents
Short-Answer Questions
1. Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows.
“I paid a visit to the tomb of John the son of Zechariah [a figure in the Christian Bible]—God’s blessing on both of them!—in the village of Sebastea in the province of Nablus [a region in the Middle East near the Jordan River]. After saying my prayers, I came out into the square that was bounded on one side by the Holy Precinct [a place of worship]. I found a half-closed gate, opened it and entered a church. Inside were about ten old men, their bare heads as white as combed cotton. They were facing east, and wore on their chests [wooden sticks] ending in crossbars turned up like the rear of a saddle. They took their oath on this sign and gave hospitality to those who needed it. The sight of their piety touched my heart, but at the same time it displeased and saddened me, for I had never seen such zeal and devotion among the Muslims.
For some time I brooded on this experience, until one day, as Mu’in ad-Din and I were passing . . . he said to me: ‘I want to dismount here and visit the Old Men [people who practice severe self-discipline].’
‘Certainly,’ I replied, and we dismounted and went into a long building set at an angle to the road. For the moment I thought there was no one there. Then I saw about a hundred prayer mats, and on each a sufi, his face expressing peaceful serenity, and his body humble devotion. This was a reassuring sight, and I gave thanks to Almighty God that there were among the Muslims men of even more zealous devotion than those Christian priests. Before this I had never seen sufis in their monastery, and was ignorant of the way they lived.”
A Muslim describing Christians in the 12th century, quoted in Francesco Gabrieli, Arab Historians of the Crusades, 1969
2. Answer all parts of the question that follows.