47) What religion has had the greatest impact on urban function and design in Southwest Asia
and North Africa?
A) Christianity
B) Judaism
C) Sufism
D) Islam
E) Buddhism
48) What is the Hajj?
A) the pilgrimage to the Holy Land that many Christians make during their lifetime
B) the pilgrimage to Muhammed’s birthplace (Makkah) that every Muslim is supposed to make
during his or her lifetime
C) the pilgrimage to the Western Wall in Jerusalem that many Jews make during their lifetime
D) the month-long fast that Muslims must undertake each year
E) the sacred book of Islam
49) In which city of Southwest Asia and North Africa are there important religious sites for
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?
A) Istanbul, Turkey
B) Baghdad, Iraq
C) Jerusalem, Israel
D) Makkah (Mecca), Saudi Arabia
E) Damascus, Syria
50) What is the official language of Israel?
A) Yiddish
B) English
C) Arabic
D) Hebrew
E) Persian
51) Which statement is TRUE regarding Islam?
A) Shiites advocate passing down power through established clergy.
B) Sunni Muslims are the mainstream branch of Islam.
C) Sunnis advocate passing religious authority to the descendants of the prophet Muhammad.
D) Islamic fundamentalists argue for a true democracy.
E) In the initial conflict between Sunni and Shiite, the Shiites were victorious.
52) Shiite Islam dominates what country?
A) Iran
B) Iraq
C) Saudi Arabia
D) Turkey
E) Egypt
53) Younis Mahmoud is
A) the leader of ISIL.
B) the builder of the Suez Canal.
C) the former dictator of Tunisia who was overthrown in the Arab Spring.
D) the head of the Palestine state.
E) an Iraqi soccer star.
54) The Houthis are the dominant Shiite militant group in
A) Palestine
B) Syria
C) Yemen
D) Iraq
E) Libya
55) Based on the graphic below, which of the following is NOT represented in North Africa?
A) Suffism
B) Sunni Islam
C) Christianity
D) Druze
E) Animism
56) Which city in Southwest Asia and North Africa contains the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa
Mosque, and the Western Wall?
A) Tehran
B) Jerusalem
C) Baghdad
D) Mecca
E) Istanbul
57) In what year did Islam originate in the region of North Africa and Southwest Asia?
A) 346 CE
B) 622 CE
C) 1022 CE
D) 1289 CE
E) 1492 CE
58) Which of the following is NOT one of the five essential activities of Islam?
A) accepting that Muhammed was a prophet
B) praying five times a day
C) making charitable contributions
D) making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
E) fasting during the month of Ramadan
59) The Ottoman Empire
A) was replaced by the Byzantine Empire.
B) eventually stretched into southern Europe.
C) was initially led by Christians.
D) imposed Shi’a Islam upon its subjects.
E) is a remnant of its former self in modern day Iran.
60) Which nation (or ethnic group) of people was displaced by the creation of Israel?
A) Coptic Christians
B) al–Qaeda
C) Kurds
D) Palestinians
E) Ottoman Turks
61) What is the definition of “hydropolitics”?
A) the political interaction between island nations such as Socotra and Cyprus
B) conflict between two nations over the water resources contained in a river
C) conflict between two nations who share a border along a coast such as Lebanon and Israel
D) political tension between two nations that are separated by an ocean, such as the United States
and Britain during the American Revolution
E) local tensions between two ethnic groups over an aquifer containing fossil water
62) What major event led to European colonialism in Southwest Asia?
A) declining attraction of Islam
B) development of major explosives
C) expansionist influence of conservatives in Britain
D) defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I
E) a rise of internationalist policies in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century
63) By what name was Iran historically known?
A) Anatolia
B) Persia
C) Maghreb
D) Levant
E) Middle East
64) What is the largest problem preventing Sudan from taking advantage of recently discovered
oil in the nation?
A) the depth of the petroleum reserves
B) civil war
C) the declining price of oil worldwide
D) an inadequate transportation infrastructure in the country
E) the world trade embargo against Sudan
65) Using the graphic below, which of the following countries does NOT have an area of
Kurdish settlement?
A) Turkey
B) Iran
C) Lebanon
D) Iraq
E) Syria
66) What was the last country in Southwest Asia and North Africa to regain its independence
after decolonization?
A) Algeria
B) Turkey
C) Iran
D) Egypt
E) Libya
67) You would be most likely to see a Shi’a Muslim in which country?
A) Morocco
B) Iran
C) Egypt
D) Turkey
E) Cyprus
68) What was the goal of the Balfour Declaration?
A) It ended the 10–year war between Iran and Iraq (1980-1990).
B) It established Palestine as a homeland for the Jewish people.
C) It launched “Desert Storm,” the U.S. war against Iraq in 1991.
D) It created the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
E) It ended Algeria’s War of Independence against France.
69) Which two bodies of water were connected by the construction of the Suez Canal?
A) Black Sea and the Persian Gulf
B) Black Sea and Red Sea
C) Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea
D) Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea
E) Persian Gulf and Red Sea
70) Most countries in Southwest Asia and North Africa had achieved independence by which
decade?
A) 1910s
B) 1920s
C) 1930s
D) 1940s
E) 1950s
71) Which religion holds the Dome of the Rock sacred?
A) Judaism
B) Christianity
C) Islam
D) Sufism
E) Coptic Christians
72) When did Israel win the most territory through war?
A) 1949
B) 1956
C) 1967
D) 1973
E) 1990
73) Fatah and Hamas are
A) the builders of the Suez Canal.
B) cities in the West Bank under Israeli control.
C) the leaders of Israel and Palestine.
D) the two political parties of the Palestinian government.
E) the new leaders of Egypt after the overthrow of Mubarak.
74) Which country of Southwest Asia and North Africa has the largest known oil reserves in the
world?
A) Libya
B) Iraq
C) Iran
D) Israel
E) Saudi Arabia
75) What is brain drain?
A) the common name given to an illness caused by exposure to toxic residues from petroleum
refining that results in short–term memory loss
B) This occurs when highly centralized governments actively recruit the best and the brightest
individuals for jobs in the national capital, leaving few behind in the villages.
C) This occurs when bright young people migrate to foreign lands in search of better jobs.
D) This is a rock group from the United Arab Emirates.
E) The common name given to the practice of providing scholarships to students in North Africa/
Southwest Asia, which enables them to study abroad and gain a better education than that
available in their home region. These scholars later return to share their newfound knowledge
with their own students.
76) What does the acronym OPEC stand for?
A) Oil Producing and Exporting Countries
B) Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
C) Oil and Petroleum Exporting Corporation
D) Organization of Petroleum Energy Countries
E) Organized Petrochemical and Energy Countries
77) Saudi Arabia contains approximately ________% of the world’s known oil supplies.
A) 5
B) 10
C) 50
D) 20
E) 60
78) In which of the following countries do women have the most freedom?
A) Saudi Arabia
B) Turkey
C) Kuwait
D) Iran
E) Libya
79) Which of the following statements is NOT true of women in this region?
A) Female labor participation rates in the workforce are among the lowest in the world.
B) More orthodox Islamic states impose legal restrictions on the activities of women.
C) In some countries, women are not allowed to drive.
D) Full veiling remains an optional choice for women in all countries, except Turkey.
E) Generally, Islamic women lead more private lives than men.
80) Which country in Southwest Asia and North Africa has taken steps to join the European
Union?
A) Iraq
B) Israel
C) Lebanon
D) Sudan
E) Turkey
81) What country leads the region in gender equality as demonstrated by its high percentage of
female lawyers and judges?
A) Israel
B) Saudi Arabia
C) Turkey
D) Iran
E) Algeria
82) Which of the following countries of Southwest Asia and North Africa has the most
diversified economy, and is not reliant on oil?
A) Qatar
B) Kuwait
C) United Arab Emirates
D) Saudi Arabia
E) Turkey
83) What is the name of the organization established by seventeen members of the Arab League
in 2005 to eliminate trade barriers in the region?
A) Gulf Cooperation Council
B) Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
C) Greater Arab Free–Trade Area (GAFTA)
D) Hamas
E) Palestinian Authority
84) What country in this region has become one of the major sources for generic prescription
pharmaceuticals?
A) Lebanon
B) Kuwait
C) UAE
D) Israel
E) Saudi Arabia
85) Where is Socotra located, what makes the island unique, and what threats currently exist that
could potentially destroy the island’s unique characteristics?
86) Briefly explain the following terms and describe what kind of geographic region
(environmental features) is (are) associated with each:
transhumance
pastoral nomadism
domestication
87) Define dryland agriculture and briefly discuss the challenges of this livelihood strategy. In
which areas of North Africa/Southwest Asia is dryland agriculture most likely to be practiced?
88) How significant is tourism to Southwest Asia and North Africa as a generator of revenues,
and in what ways is it a link to the global economy? Be certain to provide examples of primary
tourist destinations within the region.
89) Describe the typical features of a major city in Southwest Asia and North Africa.
90) Write an essay in which you discuss the more recent migration patterns in Southwest Asia
and North Africa. In your discussion, please consider the three major patterns of migration in the
region, as well as the major factors responsible for these migrations.
91) Discuss the shifting demographic patterns in the region. What is happening to population
growth rates? What is contributing to these changes? Use Egypt, Iran and the UAE as examples
of this change.
92) What are the five essential tenets of Islam? Please explain each one.
93) What is Islamic fundamentalism and why has it become an important force in the politics and
religion of Southwest Asia and North Africa?
94) Write an essay in which you examine the historical roots, current areas of contention, and
settlement attempts of the Arab–Israeli conflict.
95) How has the distribution of fossil fuels in Southwest Asia and North Africa affected
economic development and standards of living in the area? Use specific examples in your
answer.
96) Discuss the impact of falling oil prices on the region. What countries will prosper and what
countries will suffer? Use specific examples in your answer.