AP World History practice test
Practice questions for all nine units of AP World History: Modern, from the Song dynasty to globalization. Answer in your browser and read why each answer is right. Pick a unit to focus on, or take them all.
Question 1 of 25
During the Song dynasty, the introduction of fast-ripening Champa rice from Vietnam led to
Question 2 of 25
The wealth of the Mali Empire in the 1300s came largely from
Question 3 of 25
The Mexica (Aztec) Empire got much of its wealth by
Question 4 of 25
Indian Ocean trade grew in part because merchants understood
Question 5 of 25
Under the Mongol Empire in the 1200s and 1300s, trade along the Silk Roads
Question 6 of 25
The Black Death reached Europe in the 1340s mainly by
Question 7 of 25
The Ottoman devshirme system
Question 8 of 25
The Safavid Empire in Persia made which branch of Islam its official religion?
Question 9 of 25
Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses (1517) criticized
Question 10 of 25
Which was a result of the Columbian Exchange for Afro-Eurasia?
Question 11 of 25
Much of the silver mined at Potosí in the Spanish Andes eventually ended up in
Question 12 of 25
Joint-stock companies such as the Dutch East India Company
Question 13 of 25
Enlightenment ideas such as John Locke's natural rights most directly influenced
Question 14 of 25
The Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) is significant because it
Question 15 of 25
Britain was the first country to industrialize partly because it had
Question 16 of 25
The Berlin Conference of 1884–85
Question 17 of 25
Japan responded to Western pressure in the late 1800s by
Question 18 of 25
After the First Opium War, the Treaty of Nanjing (1842)
Question 19 of 25
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 led to a wider war mainly because of
Question 20 of 25
The Treaty of Versailles (1919)
Question 21 of 25
In World War I and World War II, 'total war' meant that
Question 22 of 25
Mohandas Gandhi's main strategy in India's independence movement was
Question 23 of 25
The Non-Aligned Movement was made up of countries that
Question 24 of 25
The Green Revolution of the mid-1900s
Question 25 of 25
The European Union is an example of
AP World History key terms
Flip through these flashcards to review the terms that come up most often. Use the arrow keys or click a card to flip it.
| Neo-Confucianism | Song-era revival of Confucianism that blended in Buddhist and Daoist ideas. |
| Dar al-Islam | The lands under Muslim rule or where Islam was widely practiced. |
| Mit'a system | Inca (later Spanish) system of mandatory public labor. |
| Gunpowder empires | Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires, which used firearms to expand and hold power. |
| Encomienda | Spanish grant of Native American labor and tribute to colonists. |
| Middle Passage | Forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic. |
| Mercantilism | Policy of building state wealth through trade surpluses and colonies. |
| Nationalism | Loyalty to a nation based on shared language, culture or history; a driver of 19th-century revolutions and unifications. |
| Social Darwinism | Misuse of evolutionary ideas to justify imperialism and racial hierarchy. |
| Self-Strengthening Movement | Qing China's late-1800s effort to adopt Western technology while keeping Confucian traditions. |
| Total war | Mobilizing all of a society's resources, economy and population for war. |
| Containment | U.S. Cold War policy of preventing the spread of communism. |
| Decolonization | The process by which colonies gained independence after World War II. |
| Globalization | Growing economic, cultural and political interconnection worldwide. |
| Green Revolution | Mid-1900s rise in crop yields from new seeds, fertilizers and irrigation. |
See all 15 cards
Neo-ConfucianismSong-era revival of Confucianism that blended in Buddhist and Daoist ideas.
Dar al-IslamThe lands under Muslim rule or where Islam was widely practiced.
Mit'a systemInca (later Spanish) system of mandatory public labor.
Gunpowder empiresOttoman, Safavid and Mughal empires, which used firearms to expand and hold power.
EncomiendaSpanish grant of Native American labor and tribute to colonists.
Middle PassageForced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic.
MercantilismPolicy of building state wealth through trade surpluses and colonies.
NationalismLoyalty to a nation based on shared language, culture or history; a driver of 19th-century revolutions and unifications.
Social DarwinismMisuse of evolutionary ideas to justify imperialism and racial hierarchy.
Self-Strengthening MovementQing China's late-1800s effort to adopt Western technology while keeping Confucian traditions.
Total warMobilizing all of a society's resources, economy and population for war.
ContainmentU.S. Cold War policy of preventing the spread of communism.
DecolonizationThe process by which colonies gained independence after World War II.
GlobalizationGrowing economic, cultural and political interconnection worldwide.
Green RevolutionMid-1900s rise in crop yields from new seeds, fertilizers and irrigation.
About the AP World History exam
- Multiple choice: 55 questions in 55 minutes, 40% of the score.
- Short answer: 3 questions in 40 minutes, 20%. Document-based question: 60 minutes including reading time, 25%. Long essay: 40 minutes, 15%.
- Units 3–6 (c. 1450–1900) carry the most weight, about 12–15% each; the other five units are about 8–10% each.
- From the May 2027 exam, the short-answer and long-essay questions change format; course content and the multiple-choice section stay the same.
Questions
Are these real AP World History exam questions?
No. They are original practice questions written to match the topics and style of the AP World History course. For released exam questions, see AP Central from the College Board.
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