Western Civilization I

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Description of the Examination
The Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to
1648 examination covers material that is usually
taught in the first semester of a two-semester course
in Western Civilization. Questions deal with the
civilizations of Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Near
East; the Middle Ages; the Renaissance and Refor-
mation; and early modern Europe. Candidates may
be asked to choose the correct definition of a histori-
cal term, select the historical figure whose political
viewpoint is described, identify the correct relation-
ship between two historical factors, or detect the
inaccurate pairing of an individual with a historical
event. Groups of questions may require candidates to
interpret, evaluate, or relate the contents of a passage,
a map, or a picture to other information, or to analyze
and utilize the data contained in a graph or table.
The examination contains 120 questions to be
answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest
questions that will not be scored. Any time candi-
dates spend on tutorials and providing personal
information is in addition to the actual testing time.
Knowledge and Skills Required
Questions on the Western Civilization I examination
require candidates to demonstrate the following
abilities, with some questions calling on more than
one of the abilities.
Understanding important factual knowledge
of developments in Western Civilization
Ability to identify the causes and effects of
major historical events
Ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate
textual and graphic materials
Ability to distinguish the relevant from
the irrelevant
Ability to reach conclusions on the basis of facts
The subject matter of the Western Civilization I
examination is drawn from the following topics.
The percentages next to the main topics indicate the
approximate percentages of exam questions on
those topics.
8 10% Ancient Near East
Political evolution
Religion, culture, and technical develop-
ments in and near the fertile crescent
15 17% Ancient Greece and Hellenistic
Civilization
Political evolution to Periclean Athens
Periclean Athens to Peloponnesian Wars
Culture, religion, and thought of
Ancient Greece
The Hellenistic political structure
The culture, religion, and thought of
Hellenistic Greece
15 17% Ancient Rome
Political evolution of the Republic and
of the Empire (economic and geo-
graphical context)
Roman thought and culture
Early Christianity
The Germanic invasions
The late empire
23 27% Medieval History
Byzantium and Islam
Early medieval politics and culture
through Charlemagne
Feudal and manorial institutions
The medieval Church
Medieval thought and culture
Rise of the towns and changing
economic forms
Feudal monarchies
The late medieval church
13 17% Renaissance and Reformation
The Renaissance in Italy
The Renaissance outside Italy
The New Monarchies
Protestantism and Catholicism reformed
and reorganized
10 15% Early Modern Europe, 1560 1648
The opening of the Atlantic
The Commercial Revolution
Dynastic and religious conflicts
Thought and culture
Western Civilization I
3
W E S T E R N C I V I L I Z A T I O N I
Copyright 2004 by College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved.
Sample Test Questions
The following questions are provided to give an
indication of the types of questions that appear on
the Western Civilization I examination. CLEP
examinations are designed so that average students
completing a course in the subject can usually
answer about half the questions correctly.
Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete
statements below is followed by five suggested
answers or completions. Select the one that is best
in each case.
1. The earliest urban settlements arose in which of
the following types of areas?
(A) Coastal plains
(B) Inland deforested plains
(C) Desert oases
(D) Fertile river valleys
(E) Narrow valleys well protected by mountains
Courtesy, The Trustees of the British Museum.
2. The panel above from ancient Ur supports
which of the following conclusions about
Mesopotamian society?
(A) It was primarily composed of
hunter-gatherers.
(B) It had distinct class divisions.
(C) Religion pervaded daily life.
(D) Soldiers were drawn primarily from
the nobility.
(E) Most commoners were slaves.
3. The great wealth of the palaces and the wide-
spread prosperity of the land were due to the
profits of trade, protected or exploited by naval
vessels equipped with rams. The palaces and
towns were unfortified, and peaceful scenes
predominated in the frescoes, which revealed a
love of dancing, boxing, and a sport in which
boys and girls somersaulted over the backs of
charging bulls.
The culture described above was that of
the ancient
(A) Minoans
(B) Hittites
(C) Macedonians
(D) Assyrians
(E) Persians
4. These people maintained their skill as seafar-
ers, traders, and artists. They planted Carthage
and other colonies in the western Mediterra-
nean. They developed a new script in which a
separate sign stood not for a syllable, but for a
consonant or vowel sound.
The people described above were the
(A) Phoenicians
(B) Hittites
(C) Assyrians
(D) Mycenaeans
(E) Philistines
5. Pharaoh Akhenaton of Egypt (c. 13751358
B.C.E.) is best known today for
(A) building the largest pyramid in the Valley
of the Kings
(B) conquering large expanses of territory
outside of the Nile Valley
(C) developing a monotheistic religion
(D) uniting upper and lower Egypt under a
single administrative system
(E) writing down the first code of Egyptian law
W E S T E R N C I V I L I Z A T I O N I
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6. Among the ancient Hebrews, a prophet was
(A) a teacher who expounded the Scriptures
(B) a king with hereditary but limited powers
(C) a judge who administered traditional law
(D) a priest with exclusive rights to perform
functions at the temple
(E) an individual who was inspired by God to
speak to the people
7. The outstanding achievement of King
Hammurabi of Mesopotamia was that he
(A) issued a more comprehensive law code than
had any known predecessor
(B) conquered and established dominion over all
of Egypt
(C) built the hanging gardens of Babylon
(D) established the first democratic government
(E) successfully defended his kingdom against
the Assyrians
8. Of the following, which helps explain why the
Roman Republic gave way to dictatorship
during the first century B.C.E.?
(A) The government that was suitable for
a small city-state failed to meet the needs
of an empire.
(B) A strong leader was needed because the
upper classes feared a rebellion on the part
of the slave population.
(C) Outside pressures on boundaries could not
be resisted by republican armies.
(D) Romes period of expansion was over.
(E) The Roman senatorial class was declining
in number.
9. All of the following were emphasized by the
early Christian church EXCEPT a
(A) ritual fellowship meal in memory of Christ
(B) toleration of other religious sects
(C) belief in the value of the souls of women
and slaves as well as those of free men
(D) belief in life after death for all believers
in Christ
(E) belief in the value of martyrdom, defined
as dying for the faith
10. The Roman emperor whose policies
rescued Rome from its crisis in the third
century C.E. was
(A) Augustus
(B) Marcus Aurelius
(C) Constantine
(D) Diocletian
(E) Theodosius
11. Which of the following established Christianity
as a legal religion in the Roman Empire?
(A) The defeat of the Huns, 451 C.E.
(B) The accession of Justinian I
(C) The Council of Nicaea
(D) The accession of Diocletian
(E) The Edict of Milan
12. All of the following invaded the Roman Empire
EXCEPT the
(A) Vikings
(B) Ostrogoths
(C) Visigoths
(D) Vandals
(E) Huns
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W E S T E R N C I V I L I Z A T I O N I
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13. The craft guilds of the Middle Ages had as their
primary purpose the
(A) promotion of trade and the protection
of merchants
(B) control of town government
(C) regulation of production and quality
(D) guardianship of the social and financial
affairs of their members
(E) accumulation of capital and the lending
of money
14. Between the ninth and the thirteenth centuries,
all of the following technological elements
contributed to improved agricultural production
in Europe EXCEPT the
(A) heavy plow
(B) horse collar
(C) horseshoe
(D) water mill
(E) seed drill
15. The orders of Franciscan and Dominican friars
founded in the thirteenth century differed
from earlier monastic orders principally in
that the friars
(A) took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience
(B) broke away from the control of the pope
(C) introduced the ideas of Plato and other early
Greek philosophers into their teaching
(D) devoted themselves mainly to copying
ancient manuscripts
(E) traveled among the people instead of living
in monasteries
16. All of the following factors played a part in
bringing about the Hundred Years War EXCEPT:
(A) The English king had lands in Gascony.
(B) A French princess was the mother of an
English king.
(C) Flemish towns were dependent on England
for raw wool.
(D) The Holy Roman Emperor wanted to bring
pressure on the Swiss cantons.
(E) The Capetian dynasty had come to an end.
17. Civil peace and personal security were enjoyed to
a greater degree in Norman England than in
continental Europe principally because the
Norman kings
(A) maintained a large standing army
(B) claimed the direct allegiance of the mass
of the peasantry
(C) avoided conflicts with the Church
(D) kept their vassals occupied with conti-
nental conflicts
(E) developed a centralized and efficient type
of feudalism
18. Which of the following could have been made
immediately available to the reading public in
large quantities as soon as it was written?
(A) On Christian Liberty, Martin Luther
(B) Travels, Marco Polo
(C) The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri
(D) Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
(E) English translation of the Bible,
John Wycliffe
19. A central feature of the Catholic Reformation
was the
(A) Roman Catholic churchs inability to
correct abuses
(B) establishment of new religious orders such
as the Jesuits
(C) transfer of authority from Rome to
the bishoprics
(D) rejection of Baroque art
(E) toleration of Protestants in Roman
Catholic countries
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20. The building in Crdoba, Spain, shown above,
illustrates the influence of
(A) Islam
(B) Buddhism
(C) Hinduism
(D) Shinto
(E) Animism
21. The major consequence of the rise of towns in
the eleventh and twelfth centuries was
(A) a lessening of the distinction among
social classes
(B) the practice of caring for the indigent
(C) the decline of royal authority
(D) the decline in the social status of the
lesser clergy
(E) a new social class enriched by manufactur-
ing and trade
22. In The Prince, Machiavelli asserted that
(A) historical examples are useless for under-
standing political behavior
(B) the intelligent prince should keep his state
neutral in the event of war
(C) people are not trustworthy and cannot be
relied on in time of need
(D) the prince should be guided by the ethical
principles of Christianity
(E) luck is of no consequence in the success or
failure of princes
23. On which of the following issues did Luther and
Calvin DISAGREE?
(A) Toleration for minority viewpoints
(B) Relationship of the church to civil authority
(C) The authority of the Scriptures
(D) The existence of the Trinity
(E) The retention of the sacrament of baptism
24. The principle that the religion of the ruler of a
state determines the established church in that
state was central to the
(A) Peace of Augsburg
(B) Peace of the Pyrenees
(C) Congress of Vienna
(D) Edict of Restitution
(E) Peace of Westphalia
25. Between 1629 and 1639, Charles I of England
tried to obtain revenues by all of the following
means EXCEPT
(A) the levying of ship money
(B) income from crown lands
(C) forced loans
(D) the sale of monopolies
(E) grants from Parliament
26. All of the following are associated with the
commercial revolution in early modern Europe
EXCEPT
(A) an increase in the number of entrepre-
neurial capitalists
(B) the appearance of state-run trading companies
(C) a large influx of precious metals into Europe
(D) an expansion of the guild system
(E) a golden age for the Netherlands
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W E S T E R N C I V I L I Z A T I O N I
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27. Castigliones Book of the Courtier (1528) was
intended as
(A) a collection of entertaining travel stories
(B) a guide to the military affairs of the Italian
peninsula
(C) a collection of meditations and spiritual
reflections
(D) a guide to refined behavior and etiquette
(E) an allegory of courtly love
28. Which of the following resulted from the defeat
of the Spanish Armada in 1588?
(A) Spanish domination of the Mediterranean
was ended.
(B) The invasion of England was prevented.
(C) Dutch sympathies for the Spanish
cause increased.
(D) War broke out between England and France.
(E) There was a series of uprisings in the
Spanish colonies of Central and South
America.
29. In the mid-seventeenth century, the area shaded
black on the map above belonged to
(A) Russia
(B) Poland
(C) Sweden
(D) Austria
(E) Brandenburg-Prussia
30. The theory concerning the solar system that was
published by Copernicus in 1543 REJECTED
the popular belief that the
(A) Earth revolves around the Sun
(B) Earth revolves around the Moon
(C) Earth is the center of the universe
(D) Sun is the center of the universe
(E) stars revolve around the Sun
31. During their next war with the Persians follow-
ing the battle of Marathon, the Athenians won
a decisive victory through their use of
(A) horse-drawn chariots
(B) new kinds of iron weapons
(C) mounted archers
(D) incendiary weapons
(E) sea power
32. Almost every kind of human activity was
accepted as worthy of offering to the gods
athletic contests, poetry reading, song, dance,
drama, prayer, giftbearing . . . There were no
elaborate priesthoods; fathers conducted rituals
in the household and elected officials served as
priests in the civic ceremonies.
The religion described above is probably that
of the ancient
(A) Egyptians
(B) Sumerians
(C) Greeks
(D) Hebrews
(E) Persians
33. All of the following peoples settled Roman
lands bordering on the Mediterranean
EXCEPT the
(A) Franks
(B) Visigoths
(C) Jutes
(D) Ostrogoths
(E) Vandals
W E S T E R N C I V I L I Z A T I O N I
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34. I found Rome a city of brick and left it a city
of marble.
The claim above was made by
(A) Pompey
(B) Julius Caesar
(C) Augustus
(D) Tiberius
(E) Hadrian
35. Which of the following did St. Francis of Assisi
and Dante Alighieri have in common?
(A) They were heretics.
(B) They were university teachers.
(C) They were religious mystics.
(D) They were products of commercial towns.
(E) They favored the supremacy of the state
over the Church.
36. Henry II (1154 1189) increased royal authority
in England chiefly by his
(A) confiscation of Church lands
(B) usurpation of the legislative authority
of Parliament
(C) proclamation of the divine right of kings
(D) formation of an alliance with the papacy
(E) enlargement of the jurisdiction and powers
of royal courts
37. Which of the following was a primary goal of
Cardinal Richelieus foreign policy?
(A) The weakening of the Hapsburgs diplomati-
cally and militarily
(B) The reestablishment of religious unity
in Europe
(C) The consolidation of French holdings in
North America
(D) The strengthening of papal influence within
the French government
(E) The founding of commercial companies on
the Anglo-Dutch model
38. Which of the following was the most effective
leader of the Protestant forces in the Thirty
Years War?
(A) Albert of Wallenstein
(B) Emperor Ferdinand II
(C) The Elector Palatine Frederick V
(D) Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
(E) Christian IV of Denmark
39. The reluctance of Elizabeth I of England to
open windows into mens souls was an indica-
tion of her
(A) atheism
(B) withdrawal from public pageantry
(C) reluctance to inquire closely into personal
religious views
(D) reluctance to prosecute political opponents
(E) insistence on personal rule
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W E S T E R N C I V I L I Z A T I O N I
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41. Which of the following was a major innovation
of the Renaissance period?
(A) The use of linear perspective in painting
(B) The use of marble as a medium for statuary
(C) The dome
(D) The portico
(E) Fresco painting
40. The wall painting shown above depicts which
of the following?
(A) The division of labor by gender in rural
Etruscan society
(B) The poor treatment of slaves in ancient
Greece
(C) Activities of children in Sumerian society
(D) Men and women working in the fields in
ancient Egypt
(E) Roman soldiers celebrating a victory
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42. The equestrian statue shown depicts a warrior
active in
(A) Rome under Augustus
(B) Asia under the Mongol Empire
(C) Italy during the Renaissance
(D) France during the Protestant Reformation
(E) Bohemia at the time of the Thirty Years War
43. Which of the following describes Luthers
reaction to the Peasants Revolt of 1525?
(A) He first sought what he considered a bal-
anced solution and then strongly supported
the lords.
(B) He abandoned his initial support of the lords
in favor of the peasants.
(C) He sought throughout to act as a mediator
between lords and peasants.
(D) He declined to act on the grounds that his
ministry did not concern itself with politics.
(E) He called on the Holy Roman Emperor
to intervene.
44. The height of the medieval papacy came with
his pontificate . . . In the year before his death
he called the greatest church council since
antiquity, attended by five hundred bishops and
even by the patriarchs of Constantinople and
Jerusalem.
The pope referred to in the passage above is
(A) Julius II
(B) Urban II
(C) Innocent III
(D) Nicholas V
(E) Pius II
45. Which of the following was true of medieval
universities?
(A) They taught only philosophy.
(B) They were open only to men of
noble birth.
(C) They were considered subversive of the
feudal system by many kings.
(D) They were corporations of teachers
and students.
(E) They emphasized instruction in
the vernacular.
46. Which of the following is a major tenet of
scholasticism?
(A) An insistence on the freedom of the
individual
(B) The use of logic as a tool of analysis and
inquiry
(C) The belief in benevolence as the greatest
human virtue
(D) A dedication to the ideals of classical art
(E) A devotion to the spirit of Roman poetry
and literature
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W E S T E R N C I V I L I Z A T I O N I
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47. Which of the following contributed to Portugals
lead in overseas expansion in the fifteenth
century?
I. The creation of accurate maps
II. The development of better navigational
instruments
III. Improvement in the design of ships
IV. Availability of large numbers of galley
slaves
(A) I only
(B) II and III only
(C) I, II, and III only
(D) I, II, and IV only
(E) II, III, and IV only
48. Which of the following explains why mercantil-
ism was adopted by most absolute monarchs?
(A) Many merchants became advisers to the
kings.
(B) Mercantilists favored railroad development,
which increased the mobility of the royal
armies.
(C) Mercantilists proposed the enrichment of
the state as their chief objective.
(D) Mercantilists were invariably opposed to
parliamentary government.
(D) Mercantilism encouraged local autonomy,
weakening the power of the aristocracy.
49. The picture shows a bronze statue created in
which of the following cultures?
(A) Mycenaean
(B) Etruscan
(C) Hellenistic
(D) Egyptian
(E) Byzantine
50. O supreme generosity of God the Father,
O highest and most marvelous felicity of man!
To him it is granted to have whatever he
chooses, to be whatever he wills.
The quotation above is taken from
(A) Petrarch, Lives of Illustrious Men
(B) Dante Alighieri, The New Life
(C) Machiavelli, The Prince
(D) Pico della Mirandola, Oration on the
Dignity of Man
(E) Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Walter C. Baker, 1971.
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Answer Key
1. D
2. B
3. A
4. A
5. C
6. E
7. A
8. A
9. B
10. D
11. E
12. A
13. C
14. E
15. E
16. D
17. E
18. A
19. B
20. A
21. E
22. C
23. B
24. A
25. E
26. D
27. D
28. B
29. E
30. C
31. E
32. C
33. C
34. C
35. D
36. E
37. A
38. D
39. C
40. D
41. A
42. C
43. A
44. C
45. D
46. B
47. C
48. C
49. C
50. D
Study Resources
Most textbooks used in college-level Western
Civilization courses cover the topics in the outline
given earlier, but the approaches to certain topics
and the emphasis given to them may differ. To
prepare for the Western Civilization I exam, it is
advisable to study one or more college textbooks,
which can be found in most college bookstores.
When selecting a textbook, check the table of
contents against the Knowledge and Skills
Required for this test.
You will find it helpful to supplement your reading
with books listed in the bibliographies found in
most history textbooks. In addition, contemporary
novels and plays, as well as works by Homer,
Shakespeare, and Dickens, provide rich sources of
information. Classic works of nonfiction are equally
valuablefor example, Machiavellis The Prince,
Mills On Liberty, and Paines The Rights of Man.
Books of documents are an excellent source for
sampling primary materials; A Documentary His-
tory of Modern Europe, edited by T. G. Barnes and
G. D. Feldman (Little, Brown), is one such collec-
tion. Actual works of art in museums can bring to
life not only the reproductions found in books but
history itself. Films such as A Man for All Seasons
and The Return of Martin Guerre and television
series such as Civilisation, I, Claudius, Eliza-
beth R, and the Ascent of Man provide enjoyable
reinforcement to what is learned through reading.
The Internet is another resource you could explore.
Additional suggestions for preparing for CLEP exams
are given in Preparing to Take CLEP Examinations.