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Chapter 11 The Origins and Expansion of Islam, 100−750
Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Arabia in the 500s was
A) divided into Byzantine and Sasanian spheres.
B) unified under Egyptian rule.
C) unified under Roman rule.
D) politically fragmented.
2) Nomadic Arabs who moved from place to place on the backs of camels were known as
A) ships of the desert.
B) Bedouins.
C) Umayyads.
D) Abbasids.
3) Which of the following conditions led to the demise of Southern Arabia in the 200s?
A) the new commercial route of the Ptolemaic Empire
B) interference with trade routes by Northern Arabians
C) prosperity of the Ethiopian kingdom of Axum on the Arabian peninsula
D) all of the above
4) What are the "ships of the desert"?
A) camels
B) rivers
C) horses
D) caravans
5) Why did city-states first emerge in the southern region of Arabia?
A) The region was closer to Mediterranean trade routes.
B) That area had more water.
C) The southern region had better rivers to link cities.
D) Its mountains provided good defense.
6) How many rivers are in the Arabian Peninsula?
A) zero
B) one
C) two
D) four
7) Which of these was NOT a major power contending for control of Arabia in the second and
third centuries?
A) Sasanian Persia
B) Roman Constantinople
C) Christian Ethiopia
D) Muslim states
8) Which of these created a Christian protectorate in Arabia?
A) Ethiopia
B) India
C) Rome
D) Persia
9) Which of the following best describes pre-Islamic Mecca?
A) It was an agricultural city known for its allegiance to Zoroaster.
B) It was a religious and commercial center.
C) It was a center for trade dominated by Christians.
D) It was the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity.
10) Which tribe dominated the city of Mecca by 500 C.E., and assumed the roles of custodians of
the Ka'ba and protectors of the pilgrims?
A) Quraysh
B) Khazar
C) Muawiya
D) Abbasid
11) The shrine in Mecca is called the
A) Hejira.
B) jihad.
C) Ka'ba.
D) Quraysh.
12) Which of the following statements about Muhammad is NOT true?
A) He worked as a merchant on the coastline of the Red Sea.
B) His father died before he was born, so he was raised by relatives.
C) He had revelations of Gabriel bringing messages from Allah.
D) He was raised as a Zoroastrian.
13) Which of the following does NOT accurately portray Muhammad's views concerning the
Bible?
A) It does not reflect the word of God.
B) It has been revised and translated so much that it no longer contains the fullness of
divine revelation.
C) It lacks something because it was not based on divine inspiration.
D) It contains the totality of God's teaching, but Christians refuse to live according to its
mandates.
14) What is the Qur’an composed of?
A) the revelations of Allah to Muhammad
B) the teachings of Muhammad
C) the teachings and sayings of Muhammad
D) the revelations and teachings of Muhammad
15) According to Muhammad, whom does Allah regard as "People of the Book"?
A) all monotheists
B) all polytheists
C) Jews and Christians
D) Muslims
16) Why were Meccan businessmen concerned about the influence of Islam over their city?
A) because Islam encourages jihad and they were men who embraced peace
B) because Islam allows polygamy and they were concerned that this would cause men to
spend less time in business pursuits and more time with their numerous wives
C) because Islam mandates strict monotheism and they were concerned that Mecca would
lose its appeal to travelers
D) because Islam forbids the selling of graven images and this was a major business in
Mecca
17) Which of the following statements about the Qur'an is NOT true?
A) It ends with the shortest passage in the book.
B) It is organized chronologically, beginning with creation.
C) It was written by secretaries who recorded his words.
D) It was written in Arabic.
18) Why was Muhammad invited to Yathrib (Medina)?
A) to build a mosque
B) to mediate in a local dispute
C) to negotiate with Jews in the city
D) to establish trade with Mecca
19) The Islamic calendar is based on
A) the Hijra, or journey to Medina
B) the year of Muhammad’s death
C) the year of Muhammad’s revelations
D) the year of Muhammad’s birth
20) According to Muhammad, who is the father of the Arab peoples?
A) Moses
B) Abraham
C) Jesus
D) Muhammad
21) Which of the following accurately depicts Jewish views toward Islam in Medina?
A) They embraced it as an alternative to paganism.
B) They rejected it because it was not truly monotheistic.
C) They embraced it because it was monotheistic.
D) They rejected it because they didn't believe Muhammad was a prophet.
22) Which of the following accurately depicts Islamic beliefs concerning Muhammad, Jesus, and
Moses?
A) They believe that Jesus and Moses were false prophets and that Muhammad is the
only true prophet.
B) They believe that Muhammad and Jesus were brothers and prophets, but Moses was a
false prophet.
C) They do not believe that Jesus lived at all, but Muhammad and Moses were prophets.
D) They believe that all three men were prophets, but that Muhammad was the final
prophet.
23) The pivotal event in Islamic history that symbolized the flight from paganism to monotheism
was
A) the Hajj.
B) Muhammad’s journey to Medina.
C) the marriage of Muhammad and Khadija.
D) the establishment of the first caliphate.
24) According to Muhammad, who built the Ka'ba?
A) Gabriel
B) Abraham
C) Moses
D) Muhammad
25) What was the umma created by Muhammad?
A) a group of preachers
B) the community of Islam
C) a group of disciples
D) Muslim priests
26) What are the Five Pillars of Islam?
A) The law code of Islam.
B) Requirements for right living.
C) A synopsis of the Qur’an.
D) The earliest form of the Shari`ah.
27) After Muhammad established an umma in Medina, he tried to reconcile with Meccans by
A) offering to make them citizens in the umma.
B) taking his followers on a pilgrimage to the Ka'ba.
C) sending a message asking for peace.
D) marrying the daughter of Mecca's chieftain.
28) What was the principle goal of Muslim converts in the 620s?
A) conversion of Mecca
B) spreading Islam outside of Arabia
C) conversion of Jews in Medina
D) building mosques throughout Arabia
29) Which of the following statements concerning Mecca is NOT true?
A) It was the city of Muhammad's birth.
B) Muhammad lived in Mecca at the end of his life.
C) Muhammad left Mecca due to hostility toward his new religion, eventually returning.
D) Mecca was the first city to embrace Islam.
30) Which of these is indicated by the term “caliph”?
A) religious righteousness
B) succession to Muhammad
C) legal duty
D) military leadership
31) What was the status of Islam at the time of Muhammad’s death in 632?
A) Most of Arabia was united under Islam.
B) Only Medina was Muslim.
C) Islam had spread across North Africa.
D) Islam was confined to one group in Medina.
32) Who was chosen as Muhammad's successor?
A) his daughter, Fatima
B) his father-in-law, Abu Bakr
C) his uncle, Abbas
D) the leader of the Quraysh, Umar
33) Which of these is the basis for a caliph’s rule?
A) an agreement binding both ruler and ruled
B) political legitimacy
C) election by the umma
D) direct descent from Muhammad
34) Which word meaning "struggle" or "striving" is often translated to mean "holy war"?
A) Hejira
B) jihad
C) caliph
D) umma
35) Which of these is an alternative to the most common interpretation of jihad?
A) Jihad means military conflict.
B)Jihad really refers to one's own personal struggles with sin. .
C) Jihad was never used in the Qur'an.
D) Jihad was actually a Christian practice before the coming of Islam.
36) Who was responsible for the spread of the Muslim realms to Egypt and Persia?
A) Abu Bakr
B) Umar
C) Uthman
D) Muhammad
37) The caliph delegated authority to his representatives known as
A) emirs.
B) ummas.
C) clerics.
D) imams.
38) What arose from the choice of Uthman over Ali in 644?
A) the Abbasid dynasty
B) the Sunni-Shi’ite split
C) the spread of Islam in Arabia
D) the conquest of Persia
39) Why was the murder of Uthman important in the history of Islam?
A) It led to the foundation of the Abbasid dynasty.
B) It led to civil war and an enduring split among Muslims.
C) It meant the loss of extensive Muslim territory.
D) It allowed the Byzantine emperor to regain Anatolia.
40) Shi'ites consider themselves to be followers of
A) the Umayyads.
B) Ali.
C) Muawiya.
D) Uthman.
41) What did Ali and Uthman have in common?
A) They were both Jews who converted to Islam.
B) They were both members of the Quraysh family.
C) They were both Sunni Muslims.
D) They were both married to daughters of Muhammad.
42) Who were the immediate successors to the Umayyads?
A) Abbasids
B) Buyids
C) Fatimids
D) Safavids
43) Which of the following accurately depicts the Battle of Tours?
A) The Muslims defeated the Byzantine Empire at this battle.
B) The Byzantine Empire fought unsuccessfully against the Germanic tribes at this battle.
C) The army of Charles Martel defeated the Muslims at this battle.
D) The Syrian military withstood the onslaught of Arabs on horseback at this battle.
44) What was established by the Battle of Tours?
A) The end of Muslim expansion to the West.
B) Muslim rule in Spain.
C) Muslim rule in the Frankish kingdom.
D) The end of Muslim rule in Europe.
45) What did the Umayyads and Abbasids have in common?
A) support for Sunni and Shi’ite Islam
B) membership in the Quraysh clan
C) descent from daughters of Muhammad
D) personal selection by Muhammad as his successors
46) Which of the following might be found in a mosque?
A) statues
B) pulpits
C) chairs
D) stained glass windows
47) To which of these are mosques oriented?
A) the Dome of the Rock
B) the East
C) the West
D) the Ka’ba
48) Which of the following would NEVER be found in a mosque?
A) rugs
B) benches
C) verses from the Qur'an
D) geometric designs
49) The site on which the Dome of the Rock was built was significant to Muslims because they
believed it was the site
A) of the resurrection.
B) of King David's altar.
C) on which Abraham offered to sacrifice Isaac.
D) on which Solomon built his temple.
50) The Islamic legal code is known as the
A) jihad.
B) minaret.
C) mosque.
D) Shari`ah.
51) Which of the following is NOT mandated by the Islamic legal code?
A) A man must treat all of his wives equally.
B) A woman must be veiled in public.
C) Women must spend most of their lives sequestered in their homes.
D) A woman must show just cause in order to obtain a divorce.
52) Which of these is true of Muhammad’s influence on the Shari`ah?
A) Muhammad wrote the Shari`ah.
B) The Shari`ah is part of the Qur’an.
C) The Shari`ah was heavily influenced by Muhammad.
D) The Shari`ah was composed about a century after the death of Muhammad.
53) Which of the following is NOT prohibited by the Shari`ah?
A) gambling
B) intoxication
C) charging interest on loans
D) birth control
54) Which of these is denied to women under the Shari`ah?
A) divorce
B) multiple husbands
C) remarriage after divorce
D) property ownership
55) Which of these best explains the flexibility of the Shari`ah?
A) It developed over centuries, but is now considered unchangeable.
B) Although it was prescribed by Muhammad it has a degree of flexibility.
C) It provides principles only, whose interpretation is flexible.
D) As part of the Qur’an, the Shari`ah is considered scripture.
True/False Questions
1) Polytheistic Arabs had never heard of Allah before Muhammad began his ministry.
2) Nearly all Meccan merchants initially rejected Muhammad's message.
3) In Medina Muhammad announced that Abraham was a greater prophet than Moses.
4) Muhammad was born in Medina.
5) Muslims believe that the world is divided between the House of Faith and the House of
Disbelief.
6) Abu Bakr was the first caliph.
7) Umar believed that Islam was to be practiced by all people; therefore he spread the religion
using force and mandatory conversions.
8) Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims initially split over the question of who should be the caliph.
9) Mosques do not contain portraits.
10) The Shari`ah is now considered unchangeable by most Muslims.