Thinking globally

In one of my social studies ed classes our first assignment of the semester was to take the August 2004 Global Studies Regents exam. My performance on that test was, shall we say, embarrassing to me and frightening to you whose children I'm going to teach someday.

Questions that stumped me:

7) Some historians suggest that as a result of the Mongol invasions of Russia, the Russian people were
(1) united with the Ottomans
(2) converted to Christianity
(3) freed from serfdom
(4) cut off from most of western Europe

22) One result of the Opium War was that China
(1) adopted democratic reforms
(2) gained control of Hong Kong
(3) regained control of Manchuria
(4) was divided into spheres of influence


Questions that I thought were really good questions:

39) The caste system in India and the feudal system in Europe were similar in that both
(1) provided structure for society
(2) developed concepts of natural rights
(3) established totalitarian governments
(4) promoted peace and prosperity

44) Which statement best describes an impact of the computer on the global economy?
(1) Countries can increase tariffs on imports.
(2) Companies now market more products worldwide.
(3) Wages have risen dramatically for most people in developing nations.
(4) Prices of oil and other resources have declined worldwide.


Softball question:

38 Which statement related to the recent history of Pakistan is an opinion?
(1) Pakistan gained its independence from Britain in 1947.
(2) The majority of the people who live in Pakistan are Muslims.
(3) Pakistan would be better off if it was still part of India.
(4) Mohammed Ali Jinnah was a major leader in Pakistan’s independence movement.

If you want to try the test yourself, you can get the answers here. Feel free to post your score in the comments section. I am sure it will be better than mine.