AP World History Practice Test

1.

Nationalist leaders in Africa and Asia, such as
Ho Chi Minh (1890–1969), Jomo Kenyatta
(1894–1978), and Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972),
had which of the following in common?

Defense of capitalism

Rejection of violent revolution

Support for free-trade systems

Opposition to colonial rule

2.

Which of the following was a significant
environmental effect of the globalization of
the world’s economy in the period 1980 to the
present?

Emissions of greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming generally decreased.

There was a significant improvement in air and water quality worldwide.

While air and water quality generally improved in the developed world, they deteriorated in many parts of the developing world.

While biodiversity decreased in the developing world, it generally increased in the developed world.

3.

Which of the following best explains why myths
are useful to historians?

Myths clarify how ancient technology worked.

Myths give detailed plans showing how ancient leaders achieved power.

Myths provide insights into the values and traditions of their societies.

Myths analyze how great heroes created the first societies.

4.

Which of the following contributed significantly
to the fall of both the western Roman and the Han
empires?

Irregularities in the flow of the silver trade

The destruction of overland trade routes

Invasions by borderland peoples

New military technologies

5.

Which of the following consequences of the
Columbian Exchange most affected Amerindians
in the sixteenth century?

Diseases caused pandemics.

European livestock disrupted Amerindian agriculture.

Newly introduced crops replaced indigenous American crops.

The influx of African slaves displaced Amerindians.

6.

The founding North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) is best understood in the context of
which of the following?

The post-Second World War population boom

The Cold War

The growth of a globalized economy

The establishment of the Nonaligned Movement

7.

The North and South American independence
movements of the late eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries shared which of the
following?

Industrial economies that permitted both areas to break free of European control

Political instability caused by constant warfare among the new states

Revolutionary demands based on Enlightenment political ideas

Reliance on Christian teachings to define revolutionary demands

8.

Which of the following statements is true about
the world at the end of the twentieth century?

The world balance of power was reversed as the West no longer had a military advantage over non-Western countries.

World religions were in decline as the spread of science and secularism intensified.

The standard of living in the least economically developed countries of the world rapidly approached that of the most developed countries.

The pace and intensity of international contacts accelerated as a result of transportation and communication breakthroughs.

9.

“The Declaration of the French Revolution made
in 1791 on the Rights of Man and the Citizen
also states: ‘All men are born free and with equal
rights, and must always remain free and have
equal rights.’

“Nevertheless for more than eighty years, the
French imperialists, abusing the standard of
Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, have violated
our Fatherland and oppressed our fellow-citizens.
They have acted contrary to the ideals of
humanity and justice.”

Declaration of Independence of the
Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, 1945

The excerpt above was written in response to
which of the following?

The failure of French colonizers to apply their ideals in Indochina

The end of the struggle for Vietnameseindependence known as the Indochina wars

The use of Vietnamese laborers and soldiers by the French in the First World War

The rapid conquest of French Indochina by the Japanese during the Second World War

10.

Which of the following would be the most useful
source of evidence for research about the profits
of Portuguese and British slave traders in the
period 1600–1800 ?

Journals of African slave traders

Narratives of slaves transported to the Americas

Portuguese and British tax records

European slave traders’ account books

11.

Which of the following best describes how
nineteenth-century European industrialization
affected European women’s lives?

By the end of the century, women gained the right to vote in most European countries.

By the end of the century, new social welfare legislation made it possible for most women to earn university degrees.

Women came to dominate the agricultural workforce as men moved to cities to take industrial jobs.

Married women found it increasingly difficult to balance wage work and family responsibilities.

12.

Which of the following is a major difference
between the social structures of China and
India between 600 B.C.E. and 600 C.E.?

Merchants had the highest social status in India.

Confucianism emphasized spiritual advancement for people who faithfully performed their social duties.

Confucian social hierarchy privileged government officials.

Slaves did most of the agricultural work on large Indian estates.

13.

The development and spread of Christianity and
Buddhism before 600 C.E. had all of the following
in common EXCEPT

both developed monastic orders open to women

both were outgrowths of other religions

the founders of both presented themselves as divine

both were aided in their spread by existing trade networks

14.

What was the leading cause of the unprecedented
increase in global population in the twentieth
century?

Global warming and other types of climate change

The end of international epidemics

The impact of medical innovations and public health measures

The reduction of world hunger

15.

“The yellow and white races which are to be
found on the globe have been endowed by nature
with intelligence and fighting capacity. They are
fundamentally incapable of giving way to each
other. Hence, glowering and poised for a fight,
they have engaged in battle in the world of
evolution, the great arena where strength and
intelligence have clashed since earliest times,
the great theater where for so long natural
selection and progress have been played out.”

The quotation above by an early-twentiethcentury
Chinese revolutionary illustrates the
influence of

Social Darwinism

National Socialism

communism

anarchism

16.

In the period 1450–1750, which of the following,
produced on large plantations by slave labor, were
significant commodities in the growing world
market?

Animal products such as wool and beef

Cash crops such as sugar and tobacco

Grains such as wheat and barley

Tropical fruits such as bananas and oranges

17.

In contrast to initial industrialization, the second Industrial Revolution in the
last half of the nineteenth century was particularly associated with the mass production of which of the following?

Textiles, automobiles, and plastics

Airplanes, ships, and radios

Electricity, steel, and chemicals

Textiles, iron, and coal

18.

Which of the following was a major similarity
among European colonial empires in the
Americas in the period 1450–1750 ?

Enslavement of African peoples and subjugation of Amerindians

Encouragement of the development of industrial manufacturing in their territories

Settlement of millions of Europeans in each of their colonial territories

Widespread religious tolerance and diversity

19.

“What is recorded in the Buddhist scriptures
is analogous to the teachings contained in the
scripture of Laozi [the founder of Daoism] in
China, and it is actually believed that Laozi, after
having gone to India, instructed the barbarians
and became the Buddha.”
Yu Huan, Chinese historian,
circa 250 C.E.

In the fictionalized account of the origins of
Buddhism outlined in the passage above,
Yu Huan’s purpose was most likely to

demonstrate the extent of missionary and trade links between China and India

make it easier for his Buddhist readers to convert to Daoism

hint at the existence of an alternate set of Buddhist scriptures that were different from the officially accepted ones

assert the superiority of Chinese culture over non-Chinese cultures

20.

Which of the following factors represents the
most significant cause of the growth of cities
in Afro-Eurasia in the period 1000–1450 ?

Climate change

Increased interregional trade

Decreased agricultural productivity

Increased invasions

21.

The Mughal Empire and the Ottoman Empire
before 1700 C.E. shared which of the following
characteristics?

Both empires formally restricted foreign trade.

Both empires were able to expand without meeting strong resistance.

Both empires were ruled by a single religious official.

Both empires were religiously and culturally diverse.

22.

Most world historians would agree that the key to European predominance in
the world economy during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was

Spanish control of New World silver

the Industrial Revolution

the Enlightenment

European medical technology

23.

The United States Declaration of Independence
and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen reflect a shared concern for

protection of private property

physical elimination of the ruling class

confiscation of church property

preservation of the monarchy

24.

In recent decades, many world historians
have challenged the commonly held view that
Europeans controlled the largest share of world
trade in the seventeenth through the eighteenth
centuries.

Which of the following evidence from the period
would best support this historical reinterpretation?

European merchants transported only a fraction of the goods shipped globally.

Prices for Chinese goods were much higher in Europe than in China.

Asian trading companies dominated trade in the Indian Ocean region.

European trading companies often backed their long-distance trading ventures with the threat of military force.

25.

Inca and Aztec societies were similar in that both

acquired empires by means of military conquest

independently developed iron technology

developed from Maya civilization

depended entirely on oral record keeping

26.

“We shall not repeat the past. We shall eradicate
it by restoring our rights in the Suez Canal. This
money is ours. The canal is the property of
Egypt.”

The quotation above by Egyptian leader Gamal
Abdel Nasser (in power 1952–1970) best
expresses support for

communism

nationalism

imperialism

liberalism

27.

Which of the following describes a major effect
of the Bantu migrations?

The spread of Islam across sub-Saharan Africa

The success of hunter-foraging in sub- Saharan Africa

The introduction of banana cultivation in East Africa

The diffusion of iron metallurgy in sub- Saharan Africa

28.

Which of the following statements best represents
a nationalistic interpretation of the collapse of the
Ottoman and Russian empires during and
immediately after the First World War?

Military weakness and political instability were the primary reasons for the collapse of these empires.

The growing demands of various ethnic groups within these multiethnic empires were the primary reasons for the collapse.

Religious differences between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire led to their final collapse.

The slow pace of industrialization in these empires left them unable to compete militarily and politically with more developed countries.

29.

Which of the following was a widespread social
consequence of industrialization in the 1800s?

The general leveling of social hierarchies based on wealth

A decline in the social status of women

The creation of a wage-earning working class concentrated in urban areas

An increase in the power and prestige of the landowning aristocracy

30.

Most early civilizations before 600 B.C.E. shared
which of the following characteristics?

Animal herds and portable houses

Caravan trade, underground cities, and large ships

Urban centers, growing populations, and writing systems

Large standing armies and elected governments

31.

Before 1450 C.E. which of the following is true of
sub-Saharan Africa’s commercial economy?

Phoenician merchants controlled most of the long-distance trade of sub-Saharan Africa.

The Mali–Great Zimbabwe trade route dominated the economy of sub-Saharan Africa.

The Sahara Desert prevented sub-Saharan traders from participating in long-distance trade.

Sub-Saharan Africa exported gold to the Middle East and Europe.

32.

“I am a griot … we are vessels of speech; we are
the repositories which harbor secrets many
centuries old. Without us the names of kings
would vanish into oblivion. We are the memory
of mankind; by the spoken word we bring to life
the deeds and exploits of kings for younger
generations. … I teach kings the history of their
ancestors so that the lives of the ancients might
serve them as an example, for the world is old, but
the future springs from the past.”

An African griot (storyteller), circa 1950,
introducing the oral epic of King Sundiata of
Mali, composed circa 1400 C.E.

The introduction by the griot is intended to serve
which of the following purposes?

To establish the griot’s authority by connecting him to the past

To highlight the griot’s unique abilities as compared to other griots

To portray Mali as a progressive society that is improving on the past

To exalt the Malian kings above previous dynasties

33.

After the Second World War, countries around the
world did which of the following to restore the
global economy?

Allowed the United Nations to take over failing national economies.

Established new financial institutions, such as the World Bank.

Created the European Union to coordinate European economic aid to former colonies.

Developed a common economic aid package for African and Asian states

34.

Before 500 C.E. Judaism and Hinduism were
similar in that both

promoted teachings about reincarnation

had written scriptures and an ethical code to live by

advocated a monastic life and a rejection of the world

spread widely around the Mediterranean

35.

The African proverb, “Until the lions have their
historians, tales of hunting will always glorify
the hunter,” conveys which of the following?

Common people need to learn how to write so they can tell their story.

The concept of history is much different in Africa than in Europe or the United States.

Hunting is a sport that brings glory only to the hunter.

History usually reflects the viewpoint of the victors.

36.

Which of the following changes best justifies the
claim that the late 1400s mark the beginning of a
new period in world history?

The incorporation of the Americas into a broader global network of exchange

The economic recovery in Afro-Eurasia after the Black Death

The rise of the Aztec and Inca empires

The emergence of new religious movements in various parts of the world

37.

Some historians consider the late nineteenth
century and early twentieth century to have been
crucial decades in the development of Western
thought. Which of the following best supports that
contention?

Discoveries in physics introduced the concepts of uncertainty and relativity, which challenged mechanistic models of the universe.

Efficiency experts employed scientific methods to regulate the workplace and thereby encouraged faith in economic progress.

Christian missionaries introduced strains of relativism into Western thought after encountering cultures with radically different world views.

Visual artists inspired by photography made realism the dominant aim of painter and sculptors.

38.

An important reason for China’s rapid population
increase in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries was

the introduction of new crops from the Americas

the widespread adoption of the European three-field system

unprecedented immigration from the Mughal and Ottoman empires

the end of the bubonic plague in Asia

39.

Which of the following statements is true about
both the Mughal and Ottoman empires in the
sixteenth century?

Both empires gave little monetary support to artistic and cultural endeavors.

In both empires the majority of the people were Muslims.

Both empires had powerful navies that engaged European navies.

Both empires expanded through the use of gunpowder weapons and extensive bureaucracies.

40.

Historians argue that the twentieth century marks
a significant break in world history for all of the
following reasons EXCEPT:

Communists established powerful new states in Russia and China.

Low-wage laborers migrated from continent to continent.

The population of the world increased from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion people.

Petroleum use fundamentally changed the relationship of humans to the environment.

41.

Which of the following European developments
is most closely associated with the revolution in
Haiti?

The Russian Revolution

The French Revolution

The Protestant Reformation

The Industrial Revolution

42.

Which of the following was a major similarity
between the goals of leaders of the Chinese
Communist Revolution, such as Mao Zedong, and
the goals of leaders of the Mexican Revolution,
such as Emiliano Zapata, in the early twentieth
century?

Advocacy of a global workers’ revolution

Concern primarily with improving conditions for urban factory workers

Support for redistribution of land to poor peasants

Active encouragement for integration into the global economy

43.

The development of Indian Ocean trade routes
in the period 600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. and the
development of transatlantic trade routes in the
period 1450 C.E. to 1600 C.E. were similar in that
both depended on

understanding of currents and wind patterns

innovations in ship design that originated in Europe

the political consolidation of newly conquered regions into empires

the impetus of missionizing religions

44.

From the founding of each religion, Christians
and Muslims shared a belief in

the principle of separation of church and state

equality of opportunity

the legal equality of men and women

a single omnipotent deity

45.

Between 200 B.C.E. and 200 C.E., the Silk Roads
facilitated commodity trade between which of the
following pairs of empires?

The Han and Spanish

The Roman and Incan

The Mali and Byzantine

The Roman and Han

46.

The expansion of communication and trade
networks in Afro-Eurasia from 600 C.E. to
1450 C.E. resulted in the spread of which of
the following from South Asia?

Textile manufacturing processes, such as the spinning jenny

Irrigation technologies, such as ceramic pipes

Technological and scientific concepts, such as the decimal and zero

Military weaponry, such as iron-tipped spears and chariots

47.

“The Crusader states were able to cling to survival
only through frequent delivery of supplies and
manpower from Europe. [They] were defended
primarily by three semi-monastic military orders: the
Templars, the Hospitallers, and the Teutonic
Knights. Combining monasticism and militarism,
these orders served to protect pilgrims and to wage
perpetual war against the Muslims.”

Palmira Brummett, world historian, 2007

“Whenever I visited Jerusalem, I always entered the
al-Aqsa Mosque, beside which stood a small mosque
which the Franks had converted into a church …
[T]he Templars, … who were my friends, would
evacuate the little adjoining mosque so that I could
pray in it.”

Usamah ibn Munqidh, Muslim historian,
Jerusalem, circa 1138

The second passage does not support the first
passage because the second passage

minimizes the importance of Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights in the administration of the Crusader states

shows that Muslims vastly outnumbered Europeans in the Crusader states

presents an incident in which a military order supported a Muslim traveler

shows that an influx of manpower from Europe was not critical for the survival of the Crusader states

48.

Before 600 C.E., large centralized empires, such as
the Han, Persian, and Roman empires, extended
their military power by

developing supply lines and building infrastructure, including defensive walls and roads

creating open societies inclusive of different religious and cultural practices, thus decreasing the chance of revolts

giving more political power to the common people in conquered territories, thus eliminating the need for large armies of occupation

recruiting their armies entirely from inhabitants of their core territories and excluding members of newly conquered lands

49.

“If a [noble] man puts out the eye of another
[noble] man, his eye shall be put out.
If he breaks another [noble] man’s bone, his
bone shall be broken.
If he puts out the eye of a [commoner] or breaks
the bone of a [commoner], he shall pay one
[silver] mina.
If he puts out the eye of a man’s slave or breaks
the bone of a man’s slave, he shall pay one-half
of its value.”

The excerpt above from the Code of Hammurabi
illustrates which of the following about
Babylonian society?

The king was regarded as blessed by divine forces.

It was marked by social inequalities.

It made provision for the economic well-being of all classes.

It moved away from reliance on corporal punishment.

50.

A historian researching the effects of Christian
missionaries’ activities on local social structures
in late-nineteenth-century Africa would probably
find which of the following sources most useful?

Data on the number of missionaries going to Africa

Recruitment advertisements for missionaries in church newsletters in Europe

African accounts of converting to Christianity

Fundraising speeches given in Europe by supporters of missionary efforts