AP World History Unit 1 revolves around “The Global Tapestry.” This introduction to the course covers the years 1200–1450 in the following locations: Africa, Afro-Eurasia, Europe, the Americas, and East, South, and Southeast Asia. The content also covers religions and belief systems. Test your Unit 1 knowledge with the following questions.
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Question 1 |
Questions 1–4 refer to the passage below.
“At the time, there happened great disturbances among the lower ranks of people, by which England was nearly ruined. Never was a country in such jeopardy, and all because some commoners sought to claim liberties to which they were not entitled. It is customary in England, as in other countries, for the nobility to have great privileges over the commoners, who are bound by law and custom to plow the lands of nobles, to harvest the grain, to carry it home to the barn, and to perform various other services for their lords.
The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying they were too severely oppressed; that at the beginning of the world there were no slaves, and that no one ought to be treated as such… This they would not longer bear, but had determined to be free, and if they labored for their lords, they wanted to be paid for it. A crazy priest in the country of Kent, called John Ball, who for his absurd preaching, had been thrice confined in prison, inflamed those ideas. He would say: ‘Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? And what can the lords show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves?’”
Jean Froissart, French chronicler, late 1300s
The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying they were too severely oppressed; that at the beginning of the world there were no slaves, and that no one ought to be treated as such… This they would not longer bear, but had determined to be free, and if they labored for their lords, they wanted to be paid for it. A crazy priest in the country of Kent, called John Ball, who for his absurd preaching, had been thrice confined in prison, inflamed those ideas. He would say: ‘Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? And what can the lords show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves?’”
Jean Froissart, French chronicler, late 1300s
The author’s point of view is explained as
Critical of the peasant class | |
Indifferent to the peasant class | |
Sympathetic to the peasant class | |
Sympathetic to the nobility |
Question 1 Explanation:
While the passage never specifies the subject, the reader can infer that the “lower ranks” refers to the peasant class. Context clues indicate that the author has a negative or critical view towards the peasant class. Even though we may infer that the author is sympathetic to the nobility, this passage is more focused on the peasant class than defending the nobility.
Question 2 |
“At the time, there happened great disturbances among the lower ranks of people, by which England was nearly ruined. Never was a country in such jeopardy, and all because some commoners sought to claim liberties to which they were not entitled. It is customary in England, as in other countries, for the nobility to have great privileges over the commoners, who are bound by law and custom to plow the lands of nobles, to harvest the grain, to carry it home to the barn, and to perform various other services for their lords.
The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying they were too severely oppressed; that at the beginning of the world there were no slaves, and that no one ought to be treated as such… This they would not longer bear, but had determined to be free, and if they labored for their lords, they wanted to be paid for it. A crazy priest in the country of Kent, called John Ball, who for his absurd preaching, had been thrice confined in prison, inflamed those ideas. He would say: ‘Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? And what can the lords show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves?’”
Jean Froissart, French chronicler, late 1300s
The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying they were too severely oppressed; that at the beginning of the world there were no slaves, and that no one ought to be treated as such… This they would not longer bear, but had determined to be free, and if they labored for their lords, they wanted to be paid for it. A crazy priest in the country of Kent, called John Ball, who for his absurd preaching, had been thrice confined in prison, inflamed those ideas. He would say: ‘Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? And what can the lords show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves?’”
Jean Froissart, French chronicler, late 1300s
After reading the excerpt, one could conclude
Peasants used religious beliefs to justify their actions | |
The clergy supported the actions of peasants | |
Peasant uprisings happened more frequently in England than in other areas of the world | |
Peasants disagreed with wage labor |
Question 2 Explanation:
While the author of this passage was based in France, there is no indication that peasant uprisings happened more frequently in England than the rest of the world. Even though the text mentions one clergy person, it does not state that the entire institution supported peasants. Thus, the most plausible answer is that peasants used religious beliefs when stating that everyone was born from Adam and Eve to justify their actions.
Question 3 |
“At the time, there happened great disturbances among the lower ranks of people, by which England was nearly ruined. Never was a country in such jeopardy, and all because some commoners sought to claim liberties to which they were not entitled. It is customary in England, as in other countries, for the nobility to have great privileges over the commoners, who are bound by law and custom to plow the lands of nobles, to harvest the grain, to carry it home to the barn, and to perform various other services for their lords.
The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying they were too severely oppressed; that at the beginning of the world there were no slaves, and that no one ought to be treated as such… This they would not longer bear, but had determined to be free, and if they labored for their lords, they wanted to be paid for it. A crazy priest in the country of Kent, called John Ball, who for his absurd preaching, had been thrice confined in prison, inflamed those ideas. He would say: ‘Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? And what can the lords show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves?’”
Jean Froissart, French chronicler, late 1300s
The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying they were too severely oppressed; that at the beginning of the world there were no slaves, and that no one ought to be treated as such… This they would not longer bear, but had determined to be free, and if they labored for their lords, they wanted to be paid for it. A crazy priest in the country of Kent, called John Ball, who for his absurd preaching, had been thrice confined in prison, inflamed those ideas. He would say: ‘Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? And what can the lords show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves?’”
Jean Froissart, French chronicler, late 1300s
Labor had become scarce because of which development in the 14th century?
Famine | |
Disease | |
Capitalism | |
Migration |
Question 3 Explanation:
The Black Plague was the greatest cause of death that Europe had ever seen by the 14th century. Even though famines and migration took place, disease explains why labor shortages existed. Capitalism was not a development in Europe until the Industrial Revolution.
Question 4 |
“At the time, there happened great disturbances among the lower ranks of people, by which England was nearly ruined. Never was a country in such jeopardy, and all because some commoners sought to claim liberties to which they were not entitled. It is customary in England, as in other countries, for the nobility to have great privileges over the commoners, who are bound by law and custom to plow the lands of nobles, to harvest the grain, to carry it home to the barn, and to perform various other services for their lords.
The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying they were too severely oppressed; that at the beginning of the world there were no slaves, and that no one ought to be treated as such… This they would not longer bear, but had determined to be free, and if they labored for their lords, they wanted to be paid for it. A crazy priest in the country of Kent, called John Ball, who for his absurd preaching, had been thrice confined in prison, inflamed those ideas. He would say: ‘Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? And what can the lords show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves?’”
Jean Froissart, French chronicler, late 1300s
The evil-disposed in these districts began to rise, saying they were too severely oppressed; that at the beginning of the world there were no slaves, and that no one ought to be treated as such… This they would not longer bear, but had determined to be free, and if they labored for their lords, they wanted to be paid for it. A crazy priest in the country of Kent, called John Ball, who for his absurd preaching, had been thrice confined in prison, inflamed those ideas. He would say: ‘Are we not all descended from the same parents, Adam and Eve? And what can the lords show, or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters than ourselves?’”
Jean Froissart, French chronicler, late 1300s
What type of forced labor is described in the excerpt?
Indentured servitude | |
Military conscription | |
Serfdom | |
Slavery |
Question 4 Explanation:
Operating under a feudal system, serfdom describes the status of most peasants in pre-industrial Europe. Serfs were tied to the land. Unlike slavery, peasants could not be sold and traded individually. Military conscription implies a draft to service. Serfdom was most similar to indentured servitude, with the exception of manorialism and the feudal system.
Question 5 |
“Scholars have been mesmerized by the huge extent of the present distribution of Bantu languages and could think of only a single process, an equally huge human migration, ‘the Bantu expansion,’ to explain it… [This] scenario is fatally flawed, however, for two reasons. First it fell prey to the illusion that only a migration could fit the evidence… [But] a language can spread without involving the migration of any communities. The second fatal error was to collapse a history that encompassed the developments of one to several millennia into a single migration event. The evidence shows that many different dispersals of single languages succeeded each other at different times, not continuously.”
Jan Vansina, historian, “New Linguistic Evidence and ‘the Bantu Expansion,” scholarly article, 1995
Jan Vansina, historian, “New Linguistic Evidence and ‘the Bantu Expansion,” scholarly article, 1995
The Bantu people helped to spread which of the following in sub-Saharan Africa?
Writing systems | |
Architecture | |
Agricultural techniques | |
Religious views |
Question 5 Explanation:
Large groups of Bantu people were able to use technologies to clear forests and rocky terrain. Clearing the ground and burning stumps further made the land arable.
Question 6 |
Fortunes created by the spice trade | |
Hindu influence in Southeast Asia | |
Japanese architecture | |
The spread of Islam |
Question 6 Explanation:
Hindu temples are unique from other religions' architecture in that they are generally square in shape. The most important part is the “womb chamber,” where the god resides. Unlike Christianity and Islam, it is not a place of corporate worship. Instead, Hindus visit the temple to give thanks to the god, and the temple acts as a major part of the community.
Question 7 |
Questions 7–8 refer to the passage below.
“Emperor Zhengzong, being deeply concerned with agriculture, came to know that the Champa rice was drought resistant and that the green lentils of India were famous for their heavy yield and large seeds. Special envoys, bringing precious things, were dispatched with a view to securing these varieties… When the first harvests were reaped in the autumn, the emperor called his closest ministers to taste them and compose poems for Champa rice and Indian green lentils.”
Shu Wenying, Buddhist monk, China, eleventh century C.E.
Shu Wenying, Buddhist monk, China, eleventh century C.E.
Cultivation of crops mentioned in the excerpt was made possible by
The spread of Buddhism | |
Trade communities along the Silk Road | |
Regional trade routes in East and South Asia | |
New laws created during the Song dynasty |
Question 7 Explanation:
While each answer selection can explain cultural diffusion, the mention of envoys in the text indicates that the regional trade routes led to the cultivation of Indian green lentils in China.
Question 8 |
“Emperor Zhengzong, being deeply concerned with agriculture, came to know that the Champa rice was drought resistant and that the green lentils of India were famous for their heavy yield and large seeds. Special envoys, bringing precious things, were dispatched with a view to securing these varieties… When the first harvests were reaped in the autumn, the emperor called his closest ministers to taste them and compose poems for Champa rice and Indian green lentils.”
Shu Wenying, Buddhist monk, China, eleventh century C.E.
Shu Wenying, Buddhist monk, China, eleventh century C.E.
The techniques mentioned in the excerpt align with which practice of the Song dynasty?
The teachings of Neoconfucianism | |
Sea voyages funded by the state | |
Improvements to the Grand Canal | |
Tribute exchanges with the Mongols |
Question 8 Explanation:
All answers discuss policies in the Song Dynasty, the improvements to the Grand Canal most align with regional trade routes.
Question 9 |
Cathedral | |
Temple | |
Mosque | |
Stupa |
Question 9 Explanation:
Mosques are a unique form of religious architecture. One of the most identifiable features of a mosque are the minarets, which serve to call Muslims to prayer throughout the day. Mosques often feature geometric designs like the one on the minaret pictured above.
Question 10 |
Which of the following statements is correct?
Muslims must bathe in the Red Sea | |
Muslims worship one god, Allah | |
Muslims read Jewish and Christian scriptures in addition to the Qur’an | |
Muslims pilgrimage to Jerusalem |
Question 10 Explanation:
Islam is a monotheistic religion, which means that Muslims worship one god named Allah.
Question 11 |
I am imperishable time;
The Creator whose face is everywhere;
Death that devours all things;
The source of all things to come
The god Krishna, Bhagavad Gita, Vedic sacred text, circa fifth century to second century B.C.E.
The Creator whose face is everywhere;
Death that devours all things;
The source of all things to come
The god Krishna, Bhagavad Gita, Vedic sacred text, circa fifth century to second century B.C.E.
The excerpt describes which belief of Hinduism?
Birth and rebirth | |
Karma | |
The caste system | |
Belief in one god |
Question 11 Explanation:
Context clues in the last phrase of the text indicate that this excerpt describes reincarnation.
Question 12 |
Questions 12–13 refer to the image below.

Maria, Countess of Bearn, accompanied by her male courtiers, swears homage to her overlord, King Alfonso II of Aragon, illustration in a manuscript produced for the Royal Court of Aragon, circa 1175 C.E.
The image represents what political system?
Serfdom | |
Manorialism | |
Monasticism | |
Feudalism |
Question 12 Explanation:
The image represents the legal, economic and political system of feudalism by showing Maira paying homage to her overlord. Serfdom was the status of peasants under feudalism, whereas manorialism was a method of land ownership. While both relate to the image, they are not the concept portrayed by this action.
Question 13 |

Maria, Countess of Bearn, accompanied by her male courtiers, swears homage to her overlord, King Alfonso II of Aragon, illustration in a manuscript produced for the Royal Court of Aragon, circa 1175 C.E.
The image best represents which aspect of medieval Europe?
Decentralization | |
Bureaucratization | |
Diversity | |
Religious devotion |
Question 13 Explanation:
Feudalism is an example of decentralization because power was divided amongst Lords, who each ruled over their peasants.
Question 14 |
“What they [the Franks] learned from the Arabs was indispensable in their subsequent expansion. The heritage of Greek civilization was transmitted through Arab intermediaries. In medicine, astronomy, chemistry, geography, mathematics, and architecture, the [Franks] drew their knowledge from Arabic books, which they assimilated, imitated, and then surpassed… In the realm of industry, the Europeans first learned and then improved upon the processes used by the Arabs in papermaking, leather-working, textiles, and the distillation of alcohol and sugar.”
Amin Maalouf, The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, 1984
Amin Maalouf, The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, 1984
The main idea of the excerpt is
The effect of contact between Arabs and Europeans | |
The decline of Arab society after the Crusades | |
The reliance of Arab society on European goods | |
The decline of European society after the Crusades |
Question 14 Explanation:
This passage describes one historian’s interpretation of the Crusades, in which he maintains that the Franks gained knowledge and culture from the Arabs. Given these context clues, the only plausible answer was the cause and effect of the interaction.
Question 15 |
“Women leave their families to marry, and the husband is the master of the household they marry into… The husband is to be firm, the wife soft; conjugal affections follow from this. While at home, the two of you should treat each other with the formality and reserve of a guest. Listen carefully to and obey whatever your husband tells you. If he does something wrong, gently correct him. Don’t be like those women who not only do not correct their husbands but actually lead them into indecent ways.”
Wife of a Tang dynasty official
Wife of a Tang dynasty official
The main idea of the excerpt follows which teaching of Confucianism?
The role of members of the family | |
The power of wives over their husbands | |
The equality of all family members | |
The sale of daughters to honorable families |
Question 15 Explanation:
In this passage, the wife of a Tang Dynasty official details the roles and responsibilities of family members. She does not describe each role as equal nor the power wives exert over their husbands.
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