Chapter 13: The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia Chapter 14: The Expansive Realm of Islam 1. How is the rise of neo-confucianism related to the increasing popularity of Buddhism? Can you think of other examples from the course where one philosophy developed in opposition to another? 2. Examine the spread of Buddhism into China. How did Buddhist thought influence China? How did China influence Buddhism? 3. Examine the evolution of early Japanese society. How were the Japanese influenced by China? In what ways was Japan unique? 4. Compare the spread of Buddhism into China to the spread of Christianity and Islam discussed in earlier chapters. What are the common themes? 1
5. Despite the political brilliance of the Tang and Song dynasties, they eventually collapsed. What factors explain this collapse? Are there any similarities to the decline and fall of other powerful states covered so far? 6. Examine Map 13.1, The Sui and Tang dynasties, 589-907 C.E. Follow the path of economic, religious, and cultural transmission. Does the map suggest why Japan never fell under Chinese military control? 7. The following words are in the Quran: "No believing men and women have any choice in a matter after God and His Apostle have decided it." What does this line tell us about the relationship between God and humans in Islam? What kind of God is Allah? 8. Compare and contrast Islam to other religions discussed in the class, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. Do these religions have anything in common? 2
9. What are the social implications of Islamic thought? Examine the social structure of Arabia before the rise of Islam. In what ways was Muhammad a social reformer? 10. Examine the picture of Sufis on page 305. What are they doing? How do the many activities in the picture relate to the Sufis' belief in Islam? Are their beliefs similar to any other religious groups studied so far? 11. Examine the role of women in the Arab and Islamic worlds. How did the position of women change as Islam expanded? 12. Read the passage from the Quran (see Textbook: Sources from the Past: The Quran on Allah and His Expectations of Humankind). How is the Islamic view of Allah similar to the Jewish or Christian view of God? Compare it to other religions studied in the course. 3
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1. In 595, Muhammad married a wealthy widow named a. Ibn Rushd. b. Khadija. c. Sufi. d. Sharia. e. Hadith. 2. The turning point in the rise of Islam was a. Muhammad's pilgrimage to Istanbul. b. the rise of the Umayyad dynasty. c. the conquest of Egypt. d. the hijra. e. Muhammad's conversion to Christianity. 3. The Shia believe that a. the Umayyad dynasty were the only legitimate rulers. b. the caliphate should follow the line of Ali. c. that Allah was the main, but not necessarily the only, god. d. leadership in the Islamic world could fall to any true believer. e. a different and more pure version of the Quran exists. 4. The victorious Arabic armies of the Umayyad dynasty a. allowed the conquered peoples to practice their own religions. b. opened up positions of authority to non-muslims. c. restricted the jizya to practicing Muslims. d. forced everyone to convert from Sunni to Shia. e. forced the conquered peoples to convert to Islam. 5. The Abbasid dynasty differed from the Umayyad dynasty in that a. it was not a conquering dynasty. b. it was much less cosmopolitan than its predecessor had been. c. it conquered a much larger territory than its predecessor did. d. it stressed the Shia sect of Islam. e. it stressed the Shia sect of Islam and was much less cosmopolitan than its predecessor had been. 6. How did the conquest of Mesopotamia and Persia influence the role of women in the Islamic world? a. Female infanticide was declared illegal. b. Islamic society became much less patriarchal. c. Polygamy was outlawed. d. Islamic society became more patriarchal. e. A fertility goddess rose to challenge Allah. 7. The Sufis believed a. in reconciling the spiritual and rational worlds. b. that they, and not the Umayyads, were the legitimate rulers of the Islamic world. c. in an emotional and mystical union with Allah. d. that the leadership of the Islamic world had to pass through the line of Ali. e. in a strictly logical and rational definition of the divine. 13
8. The Abbasid dynasty finally came to an end in 1258, when it was overrun by the a. Mongols. b. Ottoman Turks. c. Saljuq Turks. d. Byzantines. e. French. 9. During the Tang dynasty, the imperial civil service examinations a. declined dramatically in importance. b. were expanded, allowing posts to be filled with officials of genuine intellectual ability. c. were halted and not restarted until the Ming dynasty. d. were restricted to the wealthier families. e. were monopolized by the foreign Manchus and used for their advantage. 10. Foot binding is probably the best example of the a. technological brilliance of the Song dynasty. b. influence of Buddhist customs as the religion became popular in China. c. increasingly patriarchal nature of Chinese society. d. influence of Japanese traditions on the Chinese. e. increasing freedom of Chinese women during the Song dynasty. 11. In 1024, a. the Song emperors outlawed the printing of paper money, by anyone. b. the Song emperors transferred the printing of paper money from government to private control. c. the Chinese economy collapsed because of inflation caused by the printing of paper money. d. the Tang emperors established the first modern banking industry. e. the first paper money, printed under government auspices, appeared. 12. The Silla dynasty in Korea copied China in many ways, but never a. adopted Confucian thought. b. converted to Buddhism. c. formed a tributary relationship with China. d. established a Confucian examination system. e. established a bureaucracy based on merit. 13. The native religion of Japan is a. Hinduism. b. Buddhism. c. Shintoism. d. Daoism. e. Manichaeism. 14. In regard to their relationship with China, the Viet people a. revolted against the Tang and won their independence. b. were not influenced by Chinese thought. c. gladly accepted the tributary status in order to gain access to Chinese markets. d. copied Confucianism but never converted to Buddhism. e. ruled China for over two centuries. 14