Midterm Review 9R / 9AR : To review for your midterm exam answer each question or define each term

 

geography: man's adaption to all sorts of conditions both natural and manmade

 

history: the study of man's written past

 

economics: The study of all the factors the go into making money

 

political science: the study of how man sets up and runs government

 

climatology: study of the conditions of the air in a given place over a long period of time

 

meteorology: The study of the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time (weather)

 

astronomy: the study of the stars and other celestial bodies

 

cartography: the art of making maps

 

outward mobility: When one culture comes in contact with other cultures through war, trade, missionary activity, etc.

 

types of maps available: political ( shows boundaries), economic ( shows what is produced), social ( population, religions, languages etc.)

 

tribe: a group of people with a common ancestor, customs and traditions

 

extended family: more than one generation living under the same roof

 

nuclear family: mom, dad and the kids

 

social, economic and political institutions: a group of people working for a common, agreed upon goal, bank=economic, school = social, political party = political

 

globe; the most accurate representation of the earth

 

 

geographic isolation: when a culture is cut off from other cultures by natural barriers, little or no cultural diffusion takes place and the culture within develops slowly and uniquely

 

weather: conditions of the air or atmosphere in a given place over a short period of time

 

climate: conditions of the air or atmosphere in a given place over a long period of time

 

climates and their sub-types: TROPICAL = rain forest, savanna, steppe, desert

MIDDLE (temperate) = Med., Humid subtropical, desert, steppe, continental, marine Polar (high latitude) tundra, taiga

 

definitions of the 4 major land forms: A landform is a distinctive feature of the earth's surface in a given place, Mountains - high relief, plains - level relief ( most economical type of land), hills - rolling relief, Plateau - steep relief at least on one side ( escarpment)

 

What was the earliest form of writing?: picture representations of objects

 

Neolithic Revolution and its impact on man: When man changed from a nomadic, hunter-gatherer to a settled lifestyle = result steady food supply and an increase in population

 

Why people settled along the Nile, Indus and other rivers: the climatic and geographic features made a settled lifestyle possible ( water & fertile land)

 

Archaeologists and what they study: they study the material remains ( things you can touch) of past cultures

 

specialization of labor: as a society becomes larger people become experts at one thing and then use this skill to support themselves

 

domestication: taming of plants and animals for human use

 

Paleolithic Period: the Old Stone Age, marked by the use of stone tools

 

 

Cultural diffusion: the spreading outward of ideas from one culture to another through trade, war, missionary activity.  One of the first things to diffuse is religion

 

Land bridges, what they were ,when they occurred: They were pieces of land that connected the continents during the Ice Age.  They are believed to be ways humans migrated from one continent to another. ex. across the Bering Straits, Indonesia to mainland Asia, Korea to Japan

 

culture: the shared beliefs, customs and traditions of a given people

 

prehistory: the time before written history

 

Results of a steady food supply: stable culture and increased populations

 

anthropologists, what they study: they study man, usually primitive man in groups.  They would be interested in such things as religion, family structure, etc..

 

Who made up the ruling classes in ancient cities: kings, priests, government officials, warriors

 

hieroglyphics: a form of picture writing used by the ancient Egyptians

 

cuneiform: a wedged-shaped writing used in ancient Mesopotamia

 

hierarchy: the ranking of people into social classes, each one more powerful than the one below it

 

vizier: advisor to the sultan in ancient Baghdad

 

What impacts did the Nile have on early Egyptian society? It provided them with predictable flooding, a source of water for irrigation and a geographic push for a unified country

 

role of the pyramids in Egyptian society: there were burial sites for their god-kings

 

Role of the pharaoh: he was both a god ( religious leader) and the political leader in ancient Egypt

 

 

How were ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia different? Egypt developed a unified country along the Nile; the Tigris - Euphrates civilization developed into a series of separate city-states

 

Why did city states emerge along the Tigris - Euphrates Rivers? :These early forms of government developed so that people would work together to accomplish things no one could do alone, like irrigation projects

 

Where is the Fertile Crescent located? around modern day : Israel,  Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq

 

Why are cities like UR important? :They were the first cities

 

Hammurabi's code: "an eye for an eye" , punishment was to fit the specific crime.

 

Rivers of the subcontinent: Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra

 

What are some of the outstanding characteristics of the cities of the Indus Valley? All these cities were well planned, they had streets that ran at right angles and even sewer systems

 

Major land forms of the Indian subcontinent: Himalayas to the north separate India from Asia, the Deccan Plateau makes up the interior of India, most of the population lives in the Indus - Ganges Valley ( breadbasket area)

 

Was there any trade outside of the Harappan civilization? Harappan seals have been found in Mesopotamia, this indicated trade between the 2 cultures.

 

location of Harappa: was found in the Indus Valley, in what is modern day Pakistan

 

Role of the monsoon in Indian civilization: Monsoon is a seasonal wind in India that is the basis for their agriculture

 

Feudalism under the Shangs characteristics: Feudalism is a social, political, and economic system based on land and protection from the upper classes and service from the lower classes

 

 

 

Silk Road importance and what was it: Carried goods and ideas between China and the Middle East, it was a main trade link and a cause of cultural diffusion

 

Legendary founder of the Xia dynasty: Yu the engineer, by legend founded this dynasty, China's first and tamed the Yellow River ( Huang He)

 

Rivers of China their locations and names: North = Huang He ( China's Sorrow, Yellow), Center = Yangze,  South = Xi; Most of China's population lives along these rivers

 

Where is the best agricultural area of China?: the best agricultural land in China is in the east along the main rivers and the long coastline; site of China's earliest civilization

 

Mandate of Heaven: Chinese political belief that a ruler receives his right to rule from heaven; When he no longer treats his people fairly then the Mandate is removed and so is the ruler

 

What the Phoenicians created: an improved alphabet, we get the term phonetic  from this.  They are also known for their extensive trade on the Med. Sea = "Carriers of culture"

 

Barter system: the exchange of goods for goods, when it is replaced by coins it is called a monetary system

 

Passover: Jewish festival celebrating the escape of the Jews from Egypt, called an exodus

 

Diaspora: the scattering of the Jews outside their homeland

 

Nineveh: an ancient city that was the capital of the Assyrians, located on the northern part of the Tigris River

 

monotheism: belief in one god, found in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam

 

polytheism: belief in more than one god found in animism, Shintoism, Buddhism, Hinduism

 

 

5 Pillars of Islam: 1. statement of faith ( there is one god and his name is Allah; Muhammad is his prophet 2. Zakat ( giving alms to the poor),3. a pilgrimage to Makkah once in their lifetime 4. the Fast of Ramadan 5. praying 5 time a day facing Makkah

 

migration to Yathrib: When Muhammad fled from Medina to Makkah in 630AD, he changed the name of the city from Yathrib to Makkah

 

570AD: Muhammad was born

 

732AD: the Battle of Tours in France. The French led by Charles Martel stopped the spread of Islam into Europe by stopping the Islamic armies

 

birthplace of Muhammad: He was born in Makkah (Mecca)

 

bedouins: are the nomadic tribes that developed in the Saudi Arabian Peninsula desert areas

 

Quran: the holy scripture of the Muslims, the word of God as revealed to Muhammad, the word means to recite

 

Matrilineal; When a family's heritage is traced only on the mother's side ex. tribes in Africa, Native American tribes

 

patrilineal: When a family's heritage is traced only on the male side

 

oral traditions: are tales, legends, songs etc. that tell the history of a people or culture ( things that are said only)

 

Bantu migrations: When arable land became scarce and the people lacked food they spread over the continent of Africa. They left Nok ( 700 to 200BC) They became the dominant group of Africa South of the Sahara; they share a common language

 

Height of the Songhai Empire, when ,ruler: was under Askia Muhammad ( AD 1493 - 1538) He set up provinces to rule the area, based laws on the Quran and had an army & navy

 

 

 

savanna: grassland in Africa it is the climate type of 40% of the continent; an area of grass, few trees or bushes and 2 seasons : one wet and one dry

 

Reason that Ghana was a trade based Empire: because of its location between the Saharan salt mines and tropical gold mines

 

Timbuktu: The capital of Mansa Musa's Ghanaian empire, center for Muslim art & culture, center for learning ( AD 1312 - 1332)

 

Great Zimbabwe: Means "Stone House", civilization that developed near the Zambezi River in southeastern Africa (AD 1000 to 1500)

 

Aryans: the fair-skinned invaders that entered the subcontinent from central Asia, began the caste system, and Sanskrit

 

Vedas: The earliest written records of the Aryan civilization in the subcontinent

 

Varna: the term for the classes within the caste system

 

Ranking in the caste system: Brahman ( teacher) , Kashatriya ( warrior),Sudra ( servant)

 

Buddha: founder of Buddhism, real name Siddhartha Guatama

 

Rock Edicts: edicts or laws written by Asoka and placed around his kingdom in India for all to follow

 

Religions in India today: Most people are Hindu but there are also Christians, Muslims live in Pakistan and Bangladesh

 

4 Noble Truths: Buddha's teachings and the main ideas of Buddhism. 1. Life is full of sorrow, 2.greed causes pain & suffering, 3. there is a way to end this sorrow, 4. the way to end sorrow is the Eightfold Path

 

Sanskrit: Ancient language of the subcontinent, the Vedas were written in Sanskrit

 

Golden Age of India: was during the Gupta Dynasty when the arts & sciences flourished

 

Daoism beliefs: belief in following nature's way only natural things are important

Balancing their yin and their yang, behavior in this world important

 

Confucian beliefs: based on the 5 Relationships, and living in harmony , social structure an obedience to superiors was very important. behavior in this world important

 

Confucian 5 relationships: 1. man to Feudal Lord, 2. husband to wife. 3. son to father, 4. younger brother to older brother, 5. friend to friend

 

Impact of the Seljuk Turks: when they took the Holy Land or Palestine it caused the Crusades (AD1090)

 

Impact of Genghis Khan on Mongol society: He brought law, built a strong military & united the Mongol clans

 

nomadic lifestyle cause: usually a harsh environment that will not support settled agriculture

 

Laozi: founder of Daoism

 

animism: a tribal belief that everything has a spirit

 

Shintoism: an animistic religion found in Japan

 

How religion culturally diffused to China: early through the traders along the Silk Road.  They brought Buddhism, Islam & Christianity

 

Yuan Dynasty: the Chinese Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan the Mongol,  grandson of Genghis Khan

 

mandarins: The educated class in China that were the government officials. They were experts on Confucianism and the 5 Classics

 

meritocracy in China: China developed a civil service exam based on Confucianism.  This was so that the most qualified people would hold government offices

 

 

 

Silla kingdom: Found in Korea, this dynasty united Korea after the Three Kingdoms period ended in 668AD

 

the sea and Japanese culture: The sea gave Japan fish, a transportation route and created geographic isolation for the islands

 

How early people reached North America: first it was thought they crossed the land bridge between Asia and Alaska, new evidence suggests that they came by boat by bumping their way along the coasts of Asia and then Alaska

 

diet of early Native Americans: was varied because their environment and natural resources were varied from location to location

 

Chinampas: were floating farmlands created by placing mud from the bottom of the lake on barges and then growing crops on it.  This was a way to make up for the lack of available farmland

 

organization of the Aztec society: this society was organized as a hierarchy

 

Inca Empire - location, structure: was located in what is now Peru, parts of Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina.  The society was based on obedience and the common people could not think for themselves, hence the Spanish conquered them easily

 

mound builders: were located in the Mississippi Valley, they were a Native American group known for their large earthen mounds, some are still visible in Illinois today

 

Mesoamerican: the term applied to the area between North & South America

 

Mayan pyramids: were step pyramids with a flat top with an alter, they were religious centers used for ceremonies

 

potlatch: a Native American festival at which goods were traded and gifts given

 

weir: a Native American fish trap

 

Iroquois League: a confederation of Native American tribes in the Northeast

 

 

Imperialism its cause and its decline: Nationalism pushes the development of Imperialism, but when the colonies conquered develop their own nationalism then imperialism declines because of revolution

 

What increases feelings of nationalism? The identification of common enemies

 

Why are there many reasons behind human behavior?: Cultures develop their distinct styles based on geographic differences and heredity

 

What would help speed up the economic development in an area?: the fastest way to speed up economic development is to educate the people of an area.

 

IMR: the number of babies that will die before their first birthday, indicates the level of medical services available in an area

 

PCI: the average income of an individual in a given country in one year

 

GNP: All of the goods and services produced in an country in one year

 

geographic grid: line of latitude and longitude that allow you to locate anywhere on earth

 

ethnocentric: the belief your culture is superior and all others and inferior

 

Role of the Nile in the development of civilization in ancient Egypt: Its seasonal flooding allowed the Egyptian civilization to develop a stable food supply and an unified nation very early

 

Role of the civil service in ancient China: It was based on Confucian teachings and allow China to have an educated group of government officials at a very early point in time

 

Influence of Islam on the Mali Empire in Africa: Islam spread to the Mali Empire through Muslim traders, it became the dominant religion and even their laws became based on the Quran

 

Updated 17 November 2002

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