36 exam-style questions on Societies in transition (1400-1700) — topic WHT.4 of World History Topics (Paper 2, choose 2 of 12) in the IB History syllabus — with answers and explanations. Samples below; the full set is free with an account.
Determine which intellectual and cultural movement, emphasising classical learning and humanism, began in the Italian city-states in the 14th-15th centuries.
Answer: The Renaissance
The Renaissance ('rebirth') originated in Italian city-states such as Florence, reviving classical Greco-Roman learning and promoting humanism.
Identify the technological innovation of the mid-15th century, associated with Johannes Gutenberg, that transformed the spread of ideas in Europe.
Answer: The printing press with movable type
Gutenberg's printing press with movable type (c. 1440s) enabled mass production of books, accelerating the spread of Renaissance and Reformation ideas.
Determine which reformer established a theocratic government in Geneva and developed the doctrine of predestination.
Answer: John Calvin
John Calvin led the Reformation in Geneva and articulated predestination, the belief that God had already chosen who would be saved.
Determine which explorer, sailing for Spain, reached the Caribbean in 1492, opening sustained European contact with the Americas.
Answer: Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean in 1492 under Spanish sponsorship, initiating lasting European colonisation of the Americas.
Identify the Spanish conquistador who overthrew the Aztec Empire in the early 1520s.
Answer: Hernan Cortes
Hernan Cortes led the conquest of the Aztec Empire, capturing Tenochtitlan in 1521; Pizarro conquered the Inca.
Determine which economic labour system the Spanish used in their American colonies, granting colonists the right to demand labour and tribute from indigenous people.
Answer: The encomienda system
The encomienda system granted Spanish colonists the right to extract labour and tribute from indigenous communities in exchange for nominal protection and instruction.
That was 6 of 36 Societies in transition (1400-1700) questions.
Practise all 36 freeIdentifyAO1 · 1–3 marks
Name or pick out the thing asked for from the information given. A label, not a paragraph.
OutlineAO1 · 1–3 marks
A brief account or summary: the main points in two or three sentences, no evaluation.
DefineAO1 · 1–3 marks
Give the precise meaning — one sentence, the key terms in it, no example needed unless asked.
36 Societies in transition (1400-1700) questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.
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