Ms.

Coy-Bailey, AP Supervision
Mr. Friedman, Humanities
Academy

AIM: How do we answer

Regents-based multiple-choice
questions correctly?

Bottom Line, Place, and Time

Strategy

1. read the question or stem

carefully
2. find the key term (try to
figure out its meaning)
3. look for other clues such as a)
time period or b) location
4. think of the correct answer
without looking at the answer
choices
5. look at the answer choices
6. eliminate silly/wrong answer
choices
7. match the key term of the
question/stem with the best
answer choice.

Quiz * Early People and the

Neolithic Revolution

RED = KEY TERM

YELLOW = BOTTOM LINE
BLUE = PLACE
PINK = TIME
1. One reason for the
development of an early
civilization (H1) in the Tigris-
Euphrates river valleys was that
1.the location protected the
people from land invasion
2. periodic flooding left rich soil,

which was ideal for farming

3.these rivers provided a direct
trade route between Europe
and Asia
4.these rivers flowed into the
Mediterranean Sea
TIME
* H1 *
KEY TERM BOTTOM PLACE
LINE
Early River Valley
 Civ ilizations
Tigris- • Period Mesopot
Euphrates flooding amia
Rivers • Rich (=
fertile) Egypt
Nile River soil or
land
• Farming
(=
agricultur
e)
• Transporta
tion
• Communic
ation
Phoenicia • (extensive Middle
ns ) writing East
Maya systems S.
America
Code of • Social Mesopot
Hammura class amia
bi divisions
• “Eye for
an eye,
tooth for a
tooth.”
• Unequal
justice
Egyptian • Developed Egypt
Civilizatio along the
n Nile River
(periodic
flooding)
 • Hieroglyp
hics
(pictorial
writing
system)
• Pharaoh

(king 
descendan
t of the
gods)
• Mummific
ation
Mesopota • Developed Mesopot
mian along the amia
Civilizatio Tigris &
n Euphrates
Rivers
• Ziggurat
 (temple
unique to
Mesopota
mia)

TIME
* H1 *
KEY TERM BOTTOM PLAC
LINE E
Belief Systems
Cathedral • Architectur
Mosque e
Pyramid • Reflect
religious
belief
Judaism • Monotheis Origin
Christianity m (belief s:
Islam in ONE G- Middl
 d) e
• Ethical East
conduct
Caste • Hinduism; India
system traditional
part of
Hindu
belief
system
• People are
born into
different
castes (or
classes)
• One
cannot
move from
caste to
 caste: NO
SOCIAL
MOBILITY

Confucius • Philosophe China

r (great
thinker)
• Confuciani
sm (= a
philosophy
)
• Social
order
(stability/p
eace)
• Moral
conduct
• Political
 organizatio
n
• Responsibil
ity; filial
piety
(respect)
• Five
Relationshi
ps (to be
followed
by all
Chinese
people)
oRuler –
ruled
oFather –
son
oHusban
 d – wife
oElder –
younger
oFriend –
friend
Shinto(ism) • Marshal Japan
arts
• Tea
ceremony
• Flower
arranging
• Peace,
tranquility
• Ancestor
worship
• Respect

for nature;
shrines
 near lakes;
harmony
between
nature &
humans
Five Pillars • Islam, Middl
of Islam Islamic e
faith/religi East
on
• Charity,
Fasting,
Prayer,
Muhamma
d,
Monotheis
m (Allah)
• Ethical and
moral
 behavior
Eastern • Branches
Orthodoxy, of
Roman Christianit
Catholicism, y
Protestantis
m
Islam • Koran Middl
(holy e
book) East
• Jihad (holy
war)
• Hegira
Buddhism • Give up India
selfish
desire
Ten • Judaism & Middl
Commandm Christianit e
ents y East
• Ethical and
moral
behavior
• Shall not
kill, steal,
lie, commit
adultery,
false
witness,
etc.
1. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the
Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and
the Great Pyramid in Egypt are
examples of
1. architectural accomplishments that

reflect religious beliefs

 2.the influence of Buddhist
architecture on conquered nations
3.ancient architectural monuments no
longer in use
4.the influence of cultural diffusion on
contemporary architecture
2. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity share a belief in
1. the central authority of the Pope  (correct for
only Christianity [Catholicism])
2. a prohibition of the consumption (drinking of) of
port (type of wine)  (correct for only Islam)
3. reincarnation and the Four Noble Truths 
(TOTALLY INCORRECT  Buddhism)
4. monotheism and ethical conduct  CORRECT
FOR ALL 3 RELIGIONS
“When I go to the office, I put on my
shirt and I take off my caste; when I
come home, I take off my shirt and I put
on my caste.”

3. What is the main idea of this

quotation?
 1.the caste system continues to
influence Indian society
2.the caste system has been reflected
by most Indians
3.successful urban workers in India
belong the same Caste
4.the Indian government officially
supports the Caste system

5.According the teachings of Confucius,

the key to the successful organization
of society is that
1.the ruler should be chosen
democratically
2.the evil in humans must be eliminated
3.ancestor worship should be
discontinued
4.individuals should know and do what
is expected of them
6. In traditional Chinese culture, which philosophy
had the greatest influence on the development of
social order and political organization?
 1.Taoism
2.Shintoism
3.Confucianism
4.Marxism
7. The teachings of Confucius encouraged people to
1.put their own interests first
2.reject government authority
3.believe in reincarnation
4. follow a code of moral conduct

8. In Japan, the martial arts, the tea ceremony, and

flower arranging best reflect the influences of
1.imperialism and militarism
2. Buddhism and Shintoism

3.capitalism
4.mercantilism
9. A person who practices the Shinto faith would be
most likely to
1. visit a shrine placed on the shore of a lake
2. pray five times a day  (Islam)
3. bathe in the Ganges River  (Hinduism)
4. make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem  (Christianity)
10. Taoism and Shintoism are similar in that both
religions stress
1.adhering to the five Confucian relationships
2.following the Eightfold Path
3. developing harmony between humans and nature

4.believing in one God

11. One similarity between the Five Pillars of Islam
and the Ten Commandments is that both
1. support a belief in reincarnation  (Hinduism)
2.promote learning as a means to salvation
3.encourage the use of statues to symbolize God
4. provide a guide to proper ethical and moral

behavior
12. One way in which Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman
Catholicism, and Protestantism are similar is that
each
1. accepts the supreme authority of the Pope 
(Catholicism)
2.rejects the Old Testament as part of the Bible
3. is a branch of Christianity
 4.was once the official religion of the Byzantine
Empire
13. The Koran, jihad, and the hegira are most closely
associated with the practice of
1.Islam
2.Judaism
3.Shinto
4.Buddhism

14. The Buddhist religion teaches that salvation is

earned by
1. following the Ten Commandments 
(Christianity)
2. worshiping Allah as the one true god  (Islam)
3. learning to give up selfish desire
4. being baptized and confirmed  (Christianity)
I) WRONG ANSWERS, 99% of
the Time contain the
following words:
1. ALL ex/ All men were equal
under the law.
2. ALWAYS ex/ Violence was
always punished with
violence.
3. EVERY ex/ Every man is
bad.
4. NEVER ex/ It never rains
in deserts.
II) WHEN THE
QUESTION/STEM ASKS YOU
TO COMPARE TWO KEY
TERMS THE FOLLOWING IS
TRUE:
• One answer will be correct
 only for the FIRST KEY TERM.
• Another answer will be correct

only for the SECOND KEY

TERM.
• The third choice will be 100%
incorrect.
• ONLY ONE answer will be

correct for BOTH KEY

TERMS!!!

EX.
6. The ancient civilizations of
Mesopotamia and Egypt were
similar in that both cultures
1. developed along rivers 
(correct for both Mesopotamia
& Egypt)
2. used the ziggurat form for
 their temples  (correct only
for Mesopotamia)
3. established trade routes to
China  (100% incorrect)
4. used a hieroglyphic writing
system  (correct only for
Egypt)

RED = KEY TERM

YELLOW = BOTTOM LINE
BLUE = PLACE
PINK = TIME

2. Which characteristic did the

early civilizations that developed
along the Nile, the Tigris-
Euphrates and the Huang He
(Yellow River) have in common?
1.each society’s religious
beliefs were based on
monotheism
2.urban communities were built
using iron and steel tools
3.the form of government in
each community was based
on male suffrage
4. transportation and

communication were
promoted by a mild climate,
fertile soil, and natural
waterways

RED = KEY TERM

YELLOW = BOTTOM LINE
BLUE = PLACE
PINK = TIME

3. The early civilizations (H1) of

the Nile River Valley,
Mesopotamia, and the Yellow
River Valley were similar
because they were

1. industrialized societies (H3 +)

2.monotheistic
3. dependent on fertile land

4.dependent on each other for

trade
4. One way in which the
civilizations of the Sumerians,
the Phoenicians, and the Maya
were similar is that each
1.developed extensive writing
systems
2.emphasized equality in
education
3.established monotheistic
religions
4.encouraged democratic
participation in government
“If a seignior (noble) has
knocked out the tooth of a
seignior of his own rank, they
shall knock out his tooth. But if
he has knocked out a
commoner’s tooth, he shall pay
one-third mina of silver.”
 -Code of Hammurabi
5. Which idea of Babylonian
society does this portion of the
Hammurabi code of law reflect?
1.all men were equal under the
law
2.fines were preferable to
corporal punishment
3.divisions existed between
social classes
4.violence was always punished
with violence
6. The ancient civilizations of
Mesopotamia and Egypt were
similar in that both cultures
5.developed along rivers
6.used the ziggurat form for
their temples
7.established trade routes to
China
8.used a hieroglyphic writing
system