AP World History - Chapter 11 <Study
Guide> Latest 2022 Already Passed
1. Why was the location of Arabia important? ✔✔Scattered oases, the highlands of Yemen, and
interior mountains supported sedentary village-based agriculture, and in the northern and southern
regions of Arabia, small kingdoms had flourished in earlier times. Arabia also sat astride
increasingly important trade routes, which connected the Indian Ocean world with that of the
Mediterranean Sea and gave rise to cosmopolitan commercial cities, whose values and practices
were often in conflict with those of traditional Arab tribes. (Original: p. 303; With Sources: pp.
474-475)
2. Why was Mecca an important city? Why was Mecca's dominant tribe important? ✔✔Though
somewhat off the major long-distance trade routes, Mecca was the site of the Kaaba, the most
prominent religious shrine in Arabia, which housed representations of some 360 deities and was
the destination for many pilgrims. Mecca's dominant tribe, the Quraysh, had come to control access
to the Kaaba and grew wealthy by taxing the local trade that accompanied the annual pilgrimage
season. By the sixth century, Mecca was home to people from various tribes and clans as well as
an assortment of individual outlaws, exiles, refugees, and foreign merchants, but much of its
growing wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few ruling Quraysh families. (Original: p. 303;
With Sources: p. 475)
3. How does the core message of Islam compare with that of Judaism and Christianity? ✔✔Islam
is monotheistic, as is Judaism and Christianity. Allah is the only God, the all-powerful Creator. As
the "messenger of God," Muhammad presented himself in the tradition of earlier prophets like
Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Like the Jewish prophets and Jesus, Muhammad demanded social
justice and laid out a prescription for its implementation. (Original: p. 304-305; With Sources: pp.
476-477)
4. Why did the message of the Quran challenge the tribal and clan structure of Arab society? ✔✔It
not only challenged the ancient polytheism of Arab religion and the social injustices of Mecca but
, also the entire tribal and clan structure of Arab society, which was so prone to war, feuding, and
violence. (Original: p. 305; With Sources: p. 477)
5. Explain the concept of the umma. ✔✔The just and moral society of Islam was the umma, the
community of all believers, replacing tribal, ethnic, or racial identities. Such a society would be a
witness over the nations, for according to the Quran, "You are the best community evolved for
mankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong." In this community, women, too,
had an honored and spiritually equal place. The umma was to be a new and just community, bound
by a common belief, rather than by territory, language, or tribe. (Original: p. 305; With Sources:
p. 477)
6. Explain the five Pillars of Islam. ✔✔A. There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the
messenger of God. (absolute monotheism and a final revelation) B. prayer five times a day at
prescribed times and performed while facing toward Mecca C. Believers are required to generously
give their wealth to maintain the community and to help the needy. D. Ramadan is a month of
fasting—no food, drink, or sexual relations—from the first light of dawn to sundown. E.
pilgrimage to Mecca—the Hajj (Original: p. 305-306; With Sources: p. 478) The Transformation
of Arabia
7. How was the umma different from the traditional tribes of Arab society? ✔✔The umma was
kind of a supertribe. Membership was a matter of belief rather than birth, allowing it to expand
rapidly. This was very different from the traditional tribes of Arab society. Furthermore, all
authority, both political and religious, was concentrated in the hands of Muhammad, who
proceeded to introduce the radial changes. Usury was outlawed, tax-free marketplaces were
established, and a mandatory payment to support the poor was imposed. (Original: p. 306; With
Sources: p. 478)
8. In what ways was the young Islamic community seen as revolutionary and distinct from
Christianity? ✔✔The birth of Islam differed sharply from that of Christianity. Jesus' teaching about
"giving to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" reflected the minority and subordinate
status of the Jews within the Roman Empire. The answer lay in the development of a separate
Guide> Latest 2022 Already Passed
1. Why was the location of Arabia important? ✔✔Scattered oases, the highlands of Yemen, and
interior mountains supported sedentary village-based agriculture, and in the northern and southern
regions of Arabia, small kingdoms had flourished in earlier times. Arabia also sat astride
increasingly important trade routes, which connected the Indian Ocean world with that of the
Mediterranean Sea and gave rise to cosmopolitan commercial cities, whose values and practices
were often in conflict with those of traditional Arab tribes. (Original: p. 303; With Sources: pp.
474-475)
2. Why was Mecca an important city? Why was Mecca's dominant tribe important? ✔✔Though
somewhat off the major long-distance trade routes, Mecca was the site of the Kaaba, the most
prominent religious shrine in Arabia, which housed representations of some 360 deities and was
the destination for many pilgrims. Mecca's dominant tribe, the Quraysh, had come to control access
to the Kaaba and grew wealthy by taxing the local trade that accompanied the annual pilgrimage
season. By the sixth century, Mecca was home to people from various tribes and clans as well as
an assortment of individual outlaws, exiles, refugees, and foreign merchants, but much of its
growing wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few ruling Quraysh families. (Original: p. 303;
With Sources: p. 475)
3. How does the core message of Islam compare with that of Judaism and Christianity? ✔✔Islam
is monotheistic, as is Judaism and Christianity. Allah is the only God, the all-powerful Creator. As
the "messenger of God," Muhammad presented himself in the tradition of earlier prophets like
Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Like the Jewish prophets and Jesus, Muhammad demanded social
justice and laid out a prescription for its implementation. (Original: p. 304-305; With Sources: pp.
476-477)
4. Why did the message of the Quran challenge the tribal and clan structure of Arab society? ✔✔It
not only challenged the ancient polytheism of Arab religion and the social injustices of Mecca but
, also the entire tribal and clan structure of Arab society, which was so prone to war, feuding, and
violence. (Original: p. 305; With Sources: p. 477)
5. Explain the concept of the umma. ✔✔The just and moral society of Islam was the umma, the
community of all believers, replacing tribal, ethnic, or racial identities. Such a society would be a
witness over the nations, for according to the Quran, "You are the best community evolved for
mankind, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong." In this community, women, too,
had an honored and spiritually equal place. The umma was to be a new and just community, bound
by a common belief, rather than by territory, language, or tribe. (Original: p. 305; With Sources:
p. 477)
6. Explain the five Pillars of Islam. ✔✔A. There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the
messenger of God. (absolute monotheism and a final revelation) B. prayer five times a day at
prescribed times and performed while facing toward Mecca C. Believers are required to generously
give their wealth to maintain the community and to help the needy. D. Ramadan is a month of
fasting—no food, drink, or sexual relations—from the first light of dawn to sundown. E.
pilgrimage to Mecca—the Hajj (Original: p. 305-306; With Sources: p. 478) The Transformation
of Arabia
7. How was the umma different from the traditional tribes of Arab society? ✔✔The umma was
kind of a supertribe. Membership was a matter of belief rather than birth, allowing it to expand
rapidly. This was very different from the traditional tribes of Arab society. Furthermore, all
authority, both political and religious, was concentrated in the hands of Muhammad, who
proceeded to introduce the radial changes. Usury was outlawed, tax-free marketplaces were
established, and a mandatory payment to support the poor was imposed. (Original: p. 306; With
Sources: p. 478)
8. In what ways was the young Islamic community seen as revolutionary and distinct from
Christianity? ✔✔The birth of Islam differed sharply from that of Christianity. Jesus' teaching about
"giving to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" reflected the minority and subordinate
status of the Jews within the Roman Empire. The answer lay in the development of a separate
