Download World History - Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville

World History
2009-2010
Gilligan
Essential Questions/Content Benchmarks
You should be able to answer these questions based on the themes covered in class and
the chapters indicated. Many of these questions come directly from your textbook and
the answers can be found there. These questions will constitute benchmarks of content
knowledge in World History.
Unit 1 Ancient Civilizations
Foundations of Civilization
 What was life like in early times and how did it change as civilizations began to
develop?
 How do we know this information?
 Who provides insight into this era?
 What evidence can you provide to support your answer?
 What single event can help explain change in the prehistoric world?
 Can you describe the five basic elements of civilization?
Geography and History
 How does geography affect the development of humankind and its subsequent
civilizations? Is geography a determinant in human history?
 What is the usefulness of map reading skills? What kinds of maps are important
to the study of human history?
 What is the usefulness of diagrams and charts to the understanding of human
history?
 How does the knowledge of technical geographic information (land forms,
climate, vegetation and the 5 themes of Geography) make you a better student of
history?
Ancient Middle East and Egypt
 What distinct characteristics did the early civilizations and empires of the Middle
East and Egypt develop?
 How do we know this information?
 What technological change developed in these civilizations that made them
unique?
 What political/social change occurred during this era?
 What role did religion play in ancient Egyptian society?
Ancient Belief Systems
 What role did ancient belief systems play in civilization and do they still play a
similar role today?
 What belief systems emerged in Egypt, Judea, India, and China? How are they
the same and how are they different?
 Can the development of ancient belief systems explain human behavior (is it a
determinant?)
Ancient India, China, and Mesoamerica
 In what ways did the ancient civilizations and empires of India, China, and
Mesoamerica lay long-lasting social and political foundations?
 What elements of civilizations did each of these cultures possess? How did they
differ?
 What technological advances did each of these civilizations create and how did
these make them unique?
 How do we know this information and are there differing interpretations?
 What ethnic groups played dominant roles in each of these civilizations?
Ancient Greece
 What lasting traditions and institutions did Greek culture extend to most of the
Western world? Why are these traditions and institutions so enduring?
 How does geography and ethnicity affect the development of ancient Greece? Do
these factors persist into the classical age of Greek civilization?
 What political legacy does Greece pass on to West? How was this political model
attained and were the Greeks world leaders of their era?
 What makes Greek culture so admirable? Why does Alexander want to spread
the Greek cultural ideal throughout Asia Minor and the Middle East?
Ancient Rome
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How did Rome grow from a single city to a large empire?
What elements of civilization did Rome possess?
What role did geography play in the development of Roman civilization?
What unique political and social developments did Rome contribute to human
history?
 What technological achievements did the Romans develop and how did they use
them to their advantange to maintain their empire?
 What were the causes of the decline of the Roman Empire and what stood poised
to replace it?
 Who were the important figures in Roman society and what contributions did they
make?
Unit 2 Regional Civilizations
The Rise of Europe 500-1300
 How did feudalism, the manor economy, and the Church shape life in Western
Europe as the region slowly developed a new medieval culture?
 What political changes occurred during the rise of Europe and why are they
important?
 What economic systems developed in Europe during the period 500-1300 and
how are these economies different from the ancient economic systems?
 Why is the Catholic Church so important to the rise of Europe? What problems
emerged among the Church’s institutions?
 What does the emergence of cities in Europe indicate?
The High and Late Middle Ages 1050-1450
 How did changing economic and social conditions, wars, and the growing power
of monarchs foreshadow the development of the modern nation-state?
 What was the relationship between monarchs and the Church? Why was
maintaining this relationship important? What obligations did the monarch have
to the Church and his constituents? Was this changing?
 Where and when do the Crusades occur? What makes them important to Europe?
How did the Crusades expand AND diminish European power?
 What is the relationship between the growth of culture and learning and the state?
 How did the Black Death affect Europe? What institutions were most profoundly
affected? Did any good result from this catastrophe?
The Byzantium Empire 330-1613
 How did the Byzantine empire preserve the heritage of Greece and Rome and
help to shape the cultures of Russia and Eastern Europe?
 Can you explain the geographic importance of the Byzantine empire to Europe?
 What importance does geography play in the rise of Russia and the development
of Eastern Europe?
 What political systems developed in the three regions?
 What religious practices dominate the region and what happens to those who are
not in the majority?
Muslim Civilizations 622-1629
 Who was Muhammed and how did his teachings lead to the rise and spread of
Islam?
 What is Islam and how is it similar to Judaism? How does it differ from other
religious practices in the same era?
 What role did ethnicity and geography play in the spread of Islam?
 How did Islam find political expression? Who were its leaders and how did they
govern their people?
 Why did Muslim cultures preserve and expand the scientific advances of the
ancient civilizations?
 As Muslim empires expanded, why did the differences between Muslim sects
grow in importance?
Medieval Africa
 How did trade influence the development of the kingdoms and the trading states
of Africa?
 What geographic elements influenced the early civilizations of Africa for good
and for bad?
 Describe the goods exchanged among the West African trading states and
kingdoms and their trading partners. What political and social consequences
developed?
 How are the East African kingdoms and trading states different from those in the
west? What influences were important in East Africa?
 What social customs developed in medieval African society? How do they
compare to some of their trading partners?
Medieval Japan
 What influenced the development of feudalism in Japan?
 How was China preeminent in the cultural development of Japan in the medieval
period?
 What were the cultural expressions shared among China, Korea, and Japan?
What were the main differences?