The Empire of Genghis Khan

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Son of a tribal chieftain, Genghis Khan nonetheless had to struggle from childhood - not only for political power, but also for survival. Why was his father's prestige useless to him? His father had been assassinated by a rival tribe. His father had disowned him. His father had never been more than a figurehead. His father was hated and resented by his people.

2. Genghis's first task was to unite the various tribes of the Mongolian steppe under Mongol rule, which he accomplished by means of a shifting web of alliances and conquests. In what year was he acclaimed as ruler of all Mongolia? 1200 1206 1213 1194

3. As Genghis looked to expand his power beyond the steppes of Mongolia, neighboring powers either bolstered their defenses or tried to join his supporters. One people in particular were quick to ally themselves with him, and they were rewarded with high positions in the Mongol government. Even their alphabet was adapted to write Mongolian. Who were these people of western China? the Uighurs the Hsi-Hsia the Keraits the Song

4. At this time, China was divided into three kingdoms: the Jin in the northeast, the Hsi-Hsia in the northwest, and the Song Empire in the south. Genghis Khan, tempted by Chinese wealth, began his invasions soon after he had secured his power in Mongolia. Which of the three kingdoms was the first to fall, in 1209? Jin None of these - the first didn't fall until 1213 Hsi-Hsia Song Empire

5. In 1214, the Mongols forced another Chinese kingdom to abandon one of their capital cities. Which kingdom had this unfortunate city been a part of? None of these - Genghis Khan never took another capital city. Jin Hsi-Hsia Song Empire

6. As Genghis Khan's reputation grew, his remaining neighbors grew anxious. One neighbor, the Shah of Khwarazm in central Asia (around modern-day Afghanistan), made a fatal mistake in 1218 as a result of this fear. What was it? He sent a long letter to Genghis Khan which asserted that he had no reason to fear bullies. He first executed a band of Mongol traders on suspicion of spying, and then killed the Mongol ambassadors sent to seek justice. In his haste to give tribute to the Mongols, he utterly lost their respect. He had a Mongol ambassador slain as a spy, and then ordered all Mongols within his domain to be slaughtered.

7. What happened because of the Khwarazm Shah's mistake? Khwarazm was brutally conquered, and more than twenty cities were utterly wiped out. An elite Mongol force assassinated the Khwarazm Shah and replaced him with a pro-Mongol. Khwarazm suffered under trade sanctions imposed by the Mongols. Though more than twenty of its cities were utterly destroyed, Khwarazm itself remained free.

8. The Mongol army was organized into units called tumens, which traveled separately but could converge into armies. How large an army was Genghis Khan able to assemble when all his tumens joined? 50,000 horsemen 1,000,000 horsemen 25,000 horsemen 100,000 horsemen

9. As Genghis aged, he had to tackle the problem of succession and find some way of keeping his sons from killing each other after his death. Among how many sons did he divide his lands? Two Three Five Four

10. Which of his sons did Genghis pick as heir to his empire? Jochi, the eldest Ogodei, the third son Chaghatai, the second son Tolui, the fourth son