All AP World History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #51 : Socioeconomic Classes
Initially, the breakup of the Soviet Union ___________.
created a class of oligarchs who were able to purchase the majority of the wealth in society for a fraction of the price
had no effect on socioeconomic class
created huge gains in quality of life for most citizens
ended class stratification that had been the norm under socialism
cemented a strong middle class
created a class of oligarchs who were able to purchase the majority of the wealth in society for a fraction of the price
When the Soviet Union collapsed, a small number of powerful people with Western connections both understood the concept of private property better than their compatriots and had the resources to act upon their knowledge, purchasing large companies for pennies on the dollar.
For the rest of society, the fall of the Soviet Union did not have an economically positive effect; quality of life diminished for the vast majority, including the middle class.
The collapse of the Soviet Union had an enormous effect on socioeconomic class in the region; essentially the gulf between the rich and the poor became larger.
Example Question #1 : Socioeconomic Classes 1900 To Present
From which support base did Mao Zedong draw his greatest power?
Peasants
Bankers
Army
Workers
Merchants
Peasants
Mao Zedong was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party and the founder of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Mao drew much of his support from the peasantry, something of a curiosity amongst Communist movements, as usually the greatest Communist support base is the industrial working class.
Example Question #2 : Socioeconomic Classes 1900 To Present
Who were the kulaks?
Supporters of Leon Trotsky who followed him into exile after Stalin's seizure of power
Officers of the Czarist Russian military who were purged by Stalin
Independent trade union leaders who were exiled to gulags by Stalin
High-ranking clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church who were executed in large numbers by the Bolsheviks
Prosperous independent farmers in Russia who were heavily repressed during Stalin's collectivization program
Prosperous independent farmers in Russia who were heavily repressed during Stalin's collectivization program
The kulaks were independent farmers who gained some measurement of prosperity after the abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861. As such, they were considered to be class enemies of the poor peasants by Lenin, Stalin, and other Bolsheviks.
Example Question #571 : Ap World History
According to the Indian Constitution caste-based discrimination is ________________.
illegal in urban areas, but legal in rural areas
prohibited and illegal
an unfortunate, but protected, part of Indian society
illegal in government affairs, but legal in personal affairs
an enshrined and necessary part of Indian society
prohibited and illegal
The caste system has existed in India for thousands of years, as a means of dividing the population and establishing who has power over whom. It was once quite fluid, but a series of invading people (including the British) found it incumbent to reinforce the caste system to keep the population in line. Following Indian independence, and the framing of the constitution, discrimination on the basis of caste was made illegal. However, in India caste discrimination remains extremely common, particularly in rural areas.
Example Question #4 : Socioeconomic Classes 1900 To Present
What impact did World War I have on the Russian Revolution?
It greatly exacerbated tensions in Russian society as the workers and soldiers suffered terribly during the conflict
It made no difference; as the Russian Revolution took place before World War I
It made no difference; as the Russian Revolution took place after World War I
It increased tensions in Russian society due to German territorial conquests
It reduced tensions in Russian society as the people united to defeat their common enemy
It greatly exacerbated tensions in Russian society as the workers and soldiers suffered terribly during the conflict
Russia suffered immensely during the First World War. Casualties on the frontline were catastrophic and Russian soldiers and workers suffered terribly. This contributed heavily to the exacerbation of class tensions in Russian society and led directly to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in 1917.
Example Question #4 : Socioeconomic Classes 1900 To Present
The Three Principles of the People, as outlined by Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen, focused on __________.
imperialism, capitalism, and land reforms
nationalism, self-determination, and social welfare
nationalism, imperialism, and communism
capitalism, nationalism, and modernization
national defense, modernization, and militarization
nationalism, self-determination, and social welfare
The Three Principles of the People were developed by Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Yat-Sen. Sun Yat-Sen was the leader of the Chinese revolutionaries who overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China. The three principles can be loosely translated to “nationalism, self-determination, and social welfare.”
Example Question #3 : Socioeconomic Classes 1900 To Present
Which of these groups was targeted most persistently during China’s Cultural Revolution?
Celebrities and entertainers
Intellectuals and academics
Peasants and urban workers
Travelers and the urban poor
Religious and spiritual figures
Intellectuals and academics
China’s Cultural Revolution was aimed primarily at purging China of all forces associated with capitalism or with traditional Chinese culture. This involved a concentrated and prolonged assault on Chinese intellectuals and academics - many of whom were imprisoned, tortured, or executed.
Example Question #6 : Socioeconomic Classes 1900 To Present
Which of these social groups was most angered by Stalin’s forced collectivization of farms during the first Five Year Plan?
The Kulaks
The peasants
The Oligarchs
The workers
The soldiers
The Kulaks
The Kulaks had been Russia’s landowning peasants and the collectivization of farms essentially took away all their economic, political, and social power.
Example Question #8 : Socioeconomic Classes 1900 To Present
Which social sector of the Chinese population was crucial to Mao Zedong’s “mass line” policy?
Foreign-educated intellectuals
Young scholars
Rural peasants
Factory laborers
Married women
Rural peasants
Mao Zedong, as the Chairman (aka top leader) of the Communist Party of China, dictatorially governed the nation from 1949 until 1976. A fervent believer in Chinese Communism, which he described as a mix of Marx-Lenin style communism and his own take on socialism, Mao created the operating principle for the CPC known as “mass line.” According to Mao, the CPC’s leaders and top-tier officials could only truly achieve their Party’s authentic communist goals so long as they avoided becoming tainted by the powers of their government positions. Therefore, in order to avoid such isolation, these leaders should engage in “mass line” communication with China’s most socially-inferior but most numerous social group: the rural peasantry. Only by regularly visiting, talking, and engaging in activities with these peasants, or so Mao believed, could CPC officials truly understand Chinese communism’s most important edicts and aims. Often, Mao enforced the “mass line” principle as a sort of disciplinary punishment, in which insubordinate, under-performing, or otherwise objectionable CPC leaders were forced into lengthy sojourns in the remote countryside, far away from the Party seat of power.
Example Question #7 : Socioeconomic Classes 1900 To Present
Which of the following statements about caste-based discrimination in India is most accurate?
Caste-based discrimination is no longer common anywhere in India.
Caste-based discrimination is mostly used to prejudice the country’s minority Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist populations.
Caste-based discrimination is much more common in rural areas than in urban areas.
Caste-based discrimination is common everywhere in India.
Caste-based discrimination is much more common in urban areas than in rural areas.
Caste-based discrimination is much more common in rural areas than in urban areas.
Caste-based discrimination is illegal according to the Indian Constitution, but still prevails in many aspects of Indian society. In modern India a person is much more likely to experience caste-based discrimination in rural villages, as compared to cities which are extremely diverse.
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