Who were the ayan?

Who were the ayan?




a. African slaves
b. A rural landholding elite
c. Free artisans
d. Abbasid bureaucrats
e. Jewish converts to Islam






Answer: B

What was the most significant of the transformations brought about by the Abbasids' rise to power?

What was the most significant of the transformations brought about by the Abbasids' rise to power?



a. The destruction of Sunni influences within Islam
b. The mawali were admitted as full members of the Islamic community
c. Victory in the Crusades and the conquest of Spain
d. The destruction of absolutism within Islamic government
e. The final defeat of the Byzantine Empire with the capture of Constantinople







Answer: B

What was the nature of the material culture of bedouin society?

What was the nature of the material culture of bedouin society?





a. The bedouins constructed numerous temple complexes featuring monumental architecture in the form of pyramids.
b. Although their nomadic lifestyle did not permit the development of monumental architectural forms, the bedouins were skilled painters and sculptors.
c. Except in the sedentary agricultural communities of the South, there was little art or architecture and the chief focus of cultural creativity was oral poetry.
d. Mecca was a major center for the development of art and architecture, but the desert bedouin produced little of cultural value.
e. The bedouins preserved the learning of classical cultures through writings that included prose-like epics.










Answer: C

Which of the following statements concerning bedouin society is NOT accurate?

Which of the following statements concerning bedouin society is NOT accurate?




a. Bedouins lived in highly mobile tent encampments.
b. Clans were commonly congregated together in larger tribal groupings.
c. Bedouins were rarely found living in urban areas.
d. Bedouin herders lived in kin-related clan groups.
e. Arabian society fostered strong dependence on loyalty and cooperation with kin.










Answer: B