Empires: Administrations/AP Exam Practice

Topic 2 AP Exam Practice

Multiple-Choice Questions

Questions 1 to 3 refer to the passage below.

“Demonized as an enemy of the faith by the Muslim narrative sources, yet lionized as a warrior hero in the oral tradition, Sunni Ali, who reigned from 1464 to 1492, is one of the most controversial figures of the African Middle Ages. . . . Relying on a swift and mobile cavalry force as well as on naval control of the Niger River, Sunni Ali had conquered the agriculturally rich central Niger or ‘inland delta,’ including the wealthy and scholarly cities of Timbuktu and Jenne, by the 1470s. . . . He was well aware that a vast empire could not be held together by military conquests alone, but need[ed] an effective and efficient administrative structure as well. Indeed, the organization of Songhay [Songhai] government which was developed to a great degree under Sunni Ali differed substantially from previous Sudanic patterns of empire. These had been based more on alliances and relationships with tributary states than on the high degree of centralization characteristic of Songhay [Songhai].”

J. Rotondo-McCord, “Kingdoms of the Medieval Sudan,” Xavier University,

http://webusers.xula.edu/jrotondo/Kingdoms/Songhay/SunniAli01.html

1. The Songhai Empire was like Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate because the Songhai

(A) created a strong central government
(B) expanded its territory by creating distant colonies
(C) was ruled by a Muslim
(D) was the first empire in its region to trade gold extensively

2. The Songhai Empire under Sunni Ali was different from the empire under Askia the Great because

(A) Sunni Ali made a pilgrimage to Mecca
(B) Askia used religion to legitimize his control
(C) Sunni Ali made Songhai the largest kingdom in West Africa
(D) Askia used zamindars to collect taxes

3. How did Askia the Great challenge Sunni Ali’s legitimacy?

(A) He claimed Sunni Ali was a weak military commander.
(B) He questioned Sunni Ali’s faithfulness to the principles of Islam.
(C) He established strong tributary ties that had more allegiances to him than to Sunni Ali.
(D) He reformed taxation policies throughout the kingdom.

Short-Answer Questions

1. Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows.

“Farmers of all provinces are strictly forbidden to have in their possession any swords, short swords, bows, spears, firearms, or other types of weapons. If unnecessary implements of war are kept, the collection of annual rent (nengu) may become more difficult, and without provocation uprisings can [occur]. . . . The heads of the provinces, samurai who receive a grant of land, and deputies must collect all the weapons described above and submit them to Hideyoshi’s government. . . . If farmers possess only agricultural implements and devote themselves exclusively to cultivating the fields, they and their descendants will prosper. This compassionate concern for the well-being of the farms is the reason for the issuance of this edict, and such concern is the foundation for the peace and security of the country and the joy and happiness of all the people.”

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Imperial Regent of Japan, edicts issued in 1588

(A)(A) Describe ONE technological advance that allowed Hideyoshi and other shoguns to enforce such edicts over farmers.

(B)(B) Describe ONE way in which Hideyoshi’s goals were similar to those of Louis XIV.

(C)(C) Explain ONE interpretation historians could develop of Hideyoshi’s ideas about the Japanese economy from this piece of evidence.

2. Answer all parts of the question that follows.

(A)(A) Describe ONE way in which political structures of Europeans differed from those of the Ottomans in the period 1450–1750.

(B)(B) Describe ONE way in which political structures of the Aztecs were similar to those in China in the period 1450–1750.

(C)(C) Explain ONE reason that the Mughal leaders constructed impressive buildings for worship and as memorials during the period of 1450–1750.

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