Social Studies Exam Review

• Who were the most successful Roman Emperors?

  Augustus Ceaser: led transformation of Roman Republic to an Empire Pax Romanathe Julius Ceaser: Ended the Republic the
• What have the Romans ever done for us? (What advances did the Romans make in the field of engineering, religion, and law?)

  Field of engineering: created aqueducts, roads, concrete buildings/architectures

  Religion: Spread Christianity (powerful religion)

  Law: set democratic (right to vote, standing up) example for governments today
• How democratic, or equal, was Roman society? (consider women, slaves, and plebians (common people of Rome), for example)

  Not equal (Rome was a patriarchal society)

  Men: head of household (paterfamilias), unlimited power over everyone in the family

  Women: Had freedom, had rights for the most part

  Slaves: Had no rights, brutal treatment

  Plebians: Working class, had little individual power
• What is Islam? Why was Muhammad important?

  Islam is a monotheistic religion and Muhammad is Islam's prophet (messenger of God)
• How and why did Islam spread?

  trade routes, travel, military conquests, pilgrimage, missionaries
• Was Suleyman really "magnificent"? How?

  Yes, he was. He was a powerful successful leader who led the Ottoman Empire to its peak of wealth, culture, and military strength
• How did Islamic learning, science, and mathematics contribute to world knowledge?

  Made important advances in those fields

  Math: created the decimal system (including the concept of zero), introduced Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4...) easier numbers to work with, made advances in Algebra

  Astronomy: built observatories to study the position of stars and planets, created the precise calendars
• What are the reasons for Islamic geometric art?

  believed that it reflected the perfection of Gods creations
• What is manorialism?

  • What happens inside the land (manor)
  • Making of clothes, food, etc. in exchange for protection
• How did the Catholic Church contribute to life in the Middle Ages?

  • offered help to the poor (monks and nuns)
  • distributed food to people
  • provided education
  • provided health care
  • Had a lot of power in the Middle Ages
• How did feudalism work? (pyramid)

  1. King
  2. Lords & Vassals
  3. Knights
  4. Peasants & Serfs (working, stuck in the land)
• What were the causes of the Crusades? Why did people join?

  Causes: to free the Holy Land, defend Byzantine, and liberate Jerusalem (Holy Land) from the Turks

  People joined for religious reasons, to gain wealth, land, or status.
• What were some consequences of the Crusade?

  Effect: seeing a wider world, trade with the East increases, and cultural exchange growth

  Consequence: Leaders argued, unsuccessful (all but 1st)
• What were the important inventions and innovations of the Middle Ages?

  Windmills, clocks, eyeglasses, printing press, gothic cathedrals (gothic styled architectures)
• Why was Italy the perfect place for the birth of the Renaissance? How did Italy become the center of economic activity, trade, and culture?

  • feudalism did not affect much of Italy so it was easier for change to happen
  • located near the Mediterranean Sea
  • merchants traveling on land and sea made the Italian peninsula a trading center
• What are the four important philosophies or big ideas of the Renaissance?

  I: Individualism - focus on YOU and YOUR ability

  S: Secularism - more focus on life today and not the afterlife

  S: Skepticism - Questioning and understanding for yourself

  H: Humanism - be a better person by studying the ancient Greek and Roman writers
• What did humanists believe about the individual?

  Humanists believed in the worth and potential of the individual
• How did Renaissance artists create realism and beauty in their works?

  Characteristics of Italian Renaissance painting and sculptures:

  Most important:

  Chiaroscuro - using light and shade to give a 3D object volume in a 2D space

  Sfumato - using hazy outlines for figures

  Anatomic realism - depicting humans realistically

  Foreshortening - depicting long objects so that they appear more distant from the picture

  Classical composition: using pyramids, triangles, s curves and golden mean to organize the picture spaces
• Who was Martin Luther?

  leader of Protestant Reformation (protests against the lies of the Catholic Churches (for example, indulgences)
• What were the main criticisms of the Catholic Church? Or, how was the Catholic Church corrupt (SNAP ii)

  S: Simony - selling Church offices

  N: Nepotism - give jobs to family and friends (sometimes not qualified enough)

  A: Absenteeism - don't go to work

  P: Pluralism - many Church offices

  I: Indulgences - selling lies

  I: Illiteracy - priests can't read the Bible
• What did European scientists contribute to the knowledge of astronomy, medicine, chemistry, or physics for example?

  Benjamin Franklin:

  • made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of electricity
  • determined positive and negative charges
  • figured out conductors and insulators
  • Lightning rod
  • prevention of house burning down
  • Franklin stove
  • more heat, less smoke (heat up food)
  • wanted to benefit the society not just for himself
• What did Machiavelli and Erasmus of Rotterdam say about how to be a successful leader?

  Machiavelli: Be sly like a fox and brave like a lion

  Erasmus: Be honest and kind, don't trick others
• Why did trade affect Italy more than the rest of Europe during the Middle Ages?

  Italy was in the center of major trade routes

  Mediterranean Sea

  Silk Road - connected china to the Mediterranean