1. How did the contributions of the Ming Dynasty–
Forbidden City
Reconstruction of the Great Wall
Sea Voyages
Isolationism
--affect Chinese history? Describe each of the contributions’ effects on Chinese history, and why these contributions are significant throughout history.

2. Discuss the legacy of the Roman Empire.
Include at least three examples of Roman legacies which influenced European history, and explain how those legacies remain influential today in Western cultures.

3. Discuss the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Include:
Reasons why Rome fell
Rise of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire)
Importance of Justinian
Significance of Constantinople as a trading city between the continents of Europe and Asia

4. Analyze the development of West African states and cities.
Include the importance of:
Family
Labor specialization
Regional Commerce (Trade)

5. Examine the Norman Invasion, Battle of Hastings, and the impact of William the Conqueror on England and Northern France.
Describe how the Norman invasion changed the history of England.
Describe the legacies created during the reign of William the Conqueror.

6. Examine the spread of Christianity north of the Alps after the fall of Rome and the roles played by the early church and monasteries.
Describe the role of missionaries in the spread of Christianity across Europe.
How did monasteries play a role in both daily European life and European Christian and intellectual culture as a whole?

7. Explain the importance of the Catholic Church as a:
Political
Intellectual
Aesthetic
institution during the Middle Ages. Include specific examples for each of the three roles the Catholic Church played during the Middle Ages.

8. Discuss the importance of Florence, Italy and the Medici Family in the early stages of the Renaissance and how the independent trading cities (Italian city-states) were important to the spread of Renaissance ideas.

9. Discuss how:
The growth of literacy (ability to read)
The spread of printed books
The explosion of knowledge
…affected the Catholic Church’s influence on Europe.