The Rise of Islam and Its First Empires · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

From a desert town to Spain and India

History · World History · ages 11-13
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Within a hundred years, which lands did Muslim rule reach?

    • Only Arabia
    • Spain in the west and the Indus valley in the east
    • Rome and China

  2. Where and when did Islam begin?

    • Arabia in the early 600s
    • Spain in the 1100s
    • Persia in the 300s

  3. The early conquests moved fast partly because Byzantium and Persia were worn out.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Under the Umayyads most subjects stayed non-Muslim. Why did rulers accept that?

    • Non-Muslims paid a special tax that filled state chests
    • Rulers had forgotten their faith
    • Deserts blocked all preachers

  5. A city opens its gates and is told to keep its homes and faith while paying a tax. What tactic is this?

    • A forced conversion at once
    • A trade ban on food
    • Kind surrender terms that sped conquest

  6. Most conquests fell under Caliph Umar, who ruled 634 to 644. What does that show?

    • Nothing happened for a century
    • Expansion peaked in a short burst
    • Umar ruled alone for 90 years

  7. Who truly spread the faith after the armies stopped marching?

    • Merchants, missionaries and pilgrims over centuries
    • Only tax collectors
    • No one at all

  8. A poster says: 650 CE, all of Spain to India prays as Muslims. What is wrong?

    • Spain is too close to Arabia
    • Posters did not exist
    • The dates are too early and conquest did not mean conversion
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_kgkvNTMNCD-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

From a desert town to Spain and India W1-mt_kgkvNTMNCD-s1

  1. Spain in the west and the Indus valley in the east · That Spain-to-Indus span marks one of history's fastest expansions.
  2. Arabia in the early 600s · Muhammad preached in Mecca, then built a community in Medina.
  3. True · The two rivals had just fought each other to exhaustion.
  4. Non-Muslims paid a special tax that filled state chests · The tax on non-Muslims paid for the state, so conversion was not pushed.
  5. Kind surrender terms that sped conquest · Easy terms made surrender the smart pick for city after city.
  6. Expansion peaked in a short burst · A huge empire rose within roughly twenty years.
  7. Merchants, missionaries and pilgrims over centuries · Slow carriers of belief did what swift armies never tried.
  8. The dates are too early and conquest did not mean conversion · Muslims became the majority only near the 1100s, not at conquest.
Worksheet · LightMySky