THINK

1. What kind of view do recent world history textbooks emphasize about the Mongols?

               a. their brutality and bloodthirstiness

              b. the amazing speed and success of their conquests

              c. their stereotypically barbarianism

 

2. What are three key things to remember about nomads (herders)?

              a. they migrate according to climate conditions, they almost always live near settled people, and they are tough

              b. they are Jack Kerouac, they produce manufactured goods, and they never come into contact with settled people

              c. none of the above

 

3. According to the video, how did the Mongols coming to dominate the "world" start?

              a. with Borte

              b. with Genghis Khan (Temujin)

              c. with Kublai Khan

 

4.  What were Genghis Khan's (Temujin's) two building block policies in uniting the Mongol confederations?

              a. shooting first and asking questions later

              b. promoting people based on family position and making the rich love him

              c. promoting people based on merit and bringing lower classes of conquered people into his own tribe

 

5. Who expanded the Mongol Empire by conquering the Song Dynasty in China in 1279?

              a. Ogedei Khan

              b. Kublai Khan

              c. Mongke Khan

 

6. According to the video, what did Genghis Khan FAIL to create out of his conquests?

              a. an empire territory stretching from Mongolia to the Caspian Sea         

              b. both a and c

              c. a single political unit

 

7. Which of the following is NOT one of the four important empires (khanates) which the Mongols were left with after Genghis Khan's death?

              a. Silver Dynasty

              b. Ilkhanate

              c. Golden Horde

 

8. Which specific cross-Eurasian trade route did the Mongol's revive?

              a. the Underground Railroad

              b. the Silk Road

              c. the King's Highway

 

9. According to the video, what specific argument for "Mongol awesomeness" has led historians to reevaluate the Mongols?

              a. their military skill

              b. their terrifying reputation

              c. their unprecedented religious tolerance

 

10. What assumption is made about the nature of the relationship between the Mongols and the black plague?

              a. the Mongols were responsible for spreading the black plague

              b. the Mongols invented a cure for the black plague

              c. the Mongols were driven to extinction by the black plague

 

 

DIG DEEPER

1.  On what grounds does John Green of Crash Course compare Genghis Khan's empire immediately following his death in 1227 A.D. to Alexander the Great's empire immediately following his death in 323 B.C.?  Please describe the comparison and state why or why not you think that this is a reasonable (logical and makes sense) comparison. (Hint- 05:37)         

 

2.  (a) What is the Yam System? (Hint - 07:22)

 

     (b) For extra credit, check out this video from Bio and this article from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, then be prepared  

         to discuss the connection between the "passports" of the Mongol's Yam System and Marco Polo.

 

3. What do you find to be the most interesting thing about the Mongols that is presented in the video? Why is it interesting?

 

 

...AND FINALLY

Please respond to the following: Do you think that it is more important for the "five arguments for Mongol awesomeness" or the "five reasons the Mongols might not be so great" to be emphasized?