The founders of the Song dynasty staffed their centralized bureaucracy withLibrary of Congress Country Studies, China, "Restoration of Empire" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.1
From the Song dynasty onward, what was the main way China chose its scholar-officials?Wikipedia, "Imperial examination"; course topic 1.1
In Heian Japan the kana scripts were added to Chinese characters. One result wasLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Japan, "The Fujiwara Regency" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.1
Japan's Heian capital, today's Kyoto, was laid out on the pattern ofLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Japan, "The Fujiwara Regency" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.1
Jiaozi, notes that appeared in the city of Chengdu around the 11th century under the Song, are regarded as the firstWikipedia, "Jiaozi (currency)"; course topic 1.1
Marco Polo on Kinsay (Hangzhou), which had been the Southern Song capital: "there were in this city twelve guilds of the different crafts, and that each guild had 12,000 houses in the occupation of its workmen." The passage is best evidence ofMarco Polo, "The Glories of Kinsay" (c. 1300), Internet Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University; course topic 1.1
Show all 71 questions (64 more)
Topic 1.1: East Asia, continued
Once it was built into the examination system, Neo-Confucian teaching stressedLibrary of Congress Country Studies, China, "Restoration of Empire" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.1
One of the greatest benefits of the Grand Canal to the Tang and later dynasties was that itWikipedia, "Grand Canal (China)"; course topic 1.1
Which statement about Koryo (Goryeo) Korea does the Library of Congress country study support?Library of Congress Country Studies, South Korea, "The Evolution of Korean Society" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.1
Why did Champa rice raise harvests in Song China?Wikipedia, "Champa rice"; course topic 1.1
Zhu Xi (1130-1200) matters in Chinese history because hisLibrary of Congress Country Studies, China, "Restoration of Empire" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.1
Topic 1.2: Dar al-Islam 12
'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah of Damascus, who died in 1517, wasWikipedia, "'A'isha al-Ba'uniyya"; course topic 1.2
After the Seljuks took power in Baghdad in 1055, the Abbasid caliphsLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Iraq, "The Abbasid Caliphate, 750-1258" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.2
The battle of Ayn Jalut in 1260 matters because thereLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Egypt, "The Mamluks, 1250-1517" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.2
By the fourteenth century, which city had become the preeminent religious center of the Muslim world?Library of Congress Country Studies, Egypt, "The Mamluks, 1250-1517" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.2
The House of Wisdom in Abbasid Baghdad is remembered asWikipedia, "House of Wisdom"; course topic 1.2
How did the Delhi Sultanate begin?Library of Congress Country Studies, India, "The Coming of Islam" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.2
In 1071 the Seljuk leader Alp Arslan routed a Byzantine army at Manzikert. What did the victory open?Library of Congress Country Studies, Turkey, "Turkish Origins" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.2
Islam spread beyond the reach of Muslim armies partly through Sufis. What part did they play?Wikipedia, "Sufism" and Library of Congress Country Studies, Indonesia, "The Coming of Islam" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.2
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi is often credited withWikipedia, "Nasir al-Din al-Tusi"; course topic 1.2
What happened to the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258?Library of Congress Country Studies, Iraq, "The Mongol Invasion" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.2
Who were the Mamluks who took control of Egypt in 1250?Library of Congress Country Studies, Egypt, "The Mamluks, 1250-1517" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.2
Why was Ibn Rushd (Averroes) known in western Europe as "The Commentator"?Wikipedia, "Averroes"; course topic 1.2
Topic 1.3: South and Southeast Asia 13
Angkor Wat shows religious change in the Khmer Empire because itWikipedia, "Angkor Wat"; course topic 1.3
The bhakti movement in medieval Hinduism taught that salvation was reached throughWikipedia, "Bhakti movement"; course topic 1.3
How did Majapahit hold many of the Indonesian islands in the fourteenth century?Library of Congress Country Studies, Indonesia, "The Spread of Indian Civilization" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
How did the rulers of Vijayanagar treat Hindu temples?Library of Congress Country Studies, India, "Southern Dynasties" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
How did the Sukhothai kingdom under Ramkhamhaeng, in the late thirteenth century, deal with China?Library of Congress Country Studies, Thailand, "Sukhothai" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
The power of Srivijaya, centered at Palembang on Sumatra, rested onLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Indonesia, "The Spread of Indian Civilization" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
Theravada Buddhism reached the Khmer lands from Sri Lanka. Why did it challenge the royal cults there?Library of Congress Country Studies, Cambodia, "The Angkorian Period" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
The Vijayanagar Empire, founded in 1336, wasLibrary of Congress Country Studies, India, "Southern Dynasties" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
Vijayanagar's ability to win wars depended on a constant supply ofLibrary of Congress Country Studies, India, "Southern Dynasties" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
What gave the main push to the spread of Islam in the Indonesian islands in the fifteenth century?Library of Congress Country Studies, Indonesia, "The Coming of Islam" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
What was the key to the prosperity of the Khmer kingdom at Angkor?Library of Congress Country Studies, Cambodia, "The Angkorian Period" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
Which Indian opponents did Turkic cavalry armies defeat in north India before the Delhi Sultanate was founded?Library of Congress Country Studies, India, "The Coming of Islam" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
Why did the Sinhalese of Sri Lanka's dry northern zone build canals, water-storage tanks and reservoirs?Library of Congress Country Studies: Sri Lanka, "The Classical Age"; Sri Lanka, "Decline of the Sinhalese Kingdom" (copies at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.3
Topic 1.4: State building in the Americas 12
According to the Library of Congress country study of Mexico, the main objective of Aztec expansion was toLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Mexico, "The Aztec" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.4
By 1050 Chaco Canyon had becomeNational Park Service, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, "History & Culture"; course topic 1.4
Cahokia, across the Mississippi from what is now St. Louis, wasWikipedia, "Cahokia"; course topic 1.4
Chinampas, which the Aztecs developed on a large scale, wereWikipedia, "Chinampa"; course topic 1.4
How was the Aztec empire held together politically?Library of Congress Country Studies, Mexico, "The Aztec" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.4
In the Inca empire, mita wasLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Peru, "The Incas" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.4
The quipu (khipu) that the Inca used for record keeping were made ofWikipedia, "Quipu"; course topic 1.4
Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Mexica (Aztec), stoodLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Mexico, "The Aztec" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.4
When were most of the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde built, and by whom?National Park Service, Mesa Verde National Park, "Cliff Dwellings"; course topic 1.4
Which city served the Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula as political and cultural capital from the 1220s to the 1440s?Wikipedia, "Mayapan"; course topic 1.4
Which statement about the Inca road system is accurate?Wikipedia, "Inca road system"; course topic 1.4
With no market economy, how did goods chiefly move through the Inca empire?Library of Congress Country Studies, Peru, "The Incas" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.4
Topic 1.5: State building in Africa 8
After the Arab conquest of Egypt in the seventh century, the Ethiopian highlanders' only contact with outside Christianity was withLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Ethiopia, "The Zagwe Dynasty" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.5
Around 1300 Great Zimbabwe became the most important trading center of the interior byWikipedia, "Kingdom of Zimbabwe"; course topic 1.5
By the eleventh century, Hausa states such as Kano and Katsina had developed intoLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Nigeria, "Early States Before 1500" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.5
The Great Enclosure at Great Zimbabwe, built in the 13th and 14th centuries, is known for itsWikipedia, "Great Zimbabwe"; course topic 1.5
How was Islam introduced to Hausaland?Library of Congress Country Studies, Nigeria, "Early States Before 1500" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.5
Which statement describes the political order among the Hausa states?Library of Congress Country Studies, Nigeria, "Early States Before 1500" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.5
Why is the dynasty that Yekuno Amlak founded in Ethiopia about 1270 called "Solomonic"?Library of Congress Country Studies, Ethiopia, "The Restoration of the Solomonic Line" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.5
The Zagwe kings of Ethiopia are best known forLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Ethiopia, "The Zagwe Dynasty" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.5
Topic 1.6: Europe 9
A serf had to work for the manor's lord. What was the serf entitled to in return?Wikipedia, "Serfdom"; course topic 1.6
After Ferdinand III took Seville in 1248, what remained of Muslim rule in Spain?Library of Congress Country Studies, Spain, "Castile and Aragon" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.6
How did the three-field system raise farm output in medieval Europe?Wikipedia, "Three-field system"; course topic 1.6
In Al Andalus (Muslim Spain), the Christians known as MozarabsLibrary of Congress Country Studies, Spain, "Al Andalus" (copy at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.6
In its narrow sense, feudalism in medieval Europe was a set of mutual legal and military duties among the warrior nobility built onWikipedia, "Feudalism"; course topic 1.6
Magna Carta (1215), clause 12: "No 'scutage' or 'aid' may be levied in our kingdom without its general consent." The clause is best evidence thatThe Text of Magna Carta (1215), clauses 12 and 14, Internet Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University; course topic 1.6
Under the manorial system, who worked the land around the manor house?Wikipedia, "Manorialism"; course topic 1.6
Western Europe's decline of serfdom is sometimes blamed onWikipedia, "Serfdom"; course topic 1.6
What did the Golden Bull of 1356 settle in the Holy Roman Empire?Wikipedia, "Golden Bull of 1356"; course topic 1.6
Topic 1.7: Comparison across regions 5
The Aztec empire and Majapahit were alike in how they held distant peoples. BothLibrary of Congress Country Studies: Mexico, "The Aztec"; Indonesia, "The Spread of Indian Civilization" (copies at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.7
How did the economies of Song China and the Inca empire differ?Library of Congress Country Studies: China, "Restoration of Empire"; Peru, "The Incas" (copies at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.7
How did the Solomonic kings of Ethiopia and the emperors of Song China differ in justifying their rule?Library of Congress Country Studies: Ethiopia, "The Restoration of the Solomonic Line"; China, "Restoration of Empire" (copies at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.7
The Khmer kingdom at Angkor and the Sinhalese kingdoms of Sri Lanka were alike in that bothLibrary of Congress Country Studies: Cambodia, "The Angkorian Period"; Sri Lanka, "The Classical Age" (copies at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.7
What did the Seljuk Empire, the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and the Delhi Sultanate have in common?Library of Congress Country Studies: Iraq, "The Abbasid Caliphate, 750-1258"; Egypt, "The Mamluks, 1250-1517"; India, "The Coming of Islam" (copies at countrystudies.us); course topic 1.7
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Unit 1 (The Global Tapestry, c. 1200 to c. 1450) of the College Board's AP World History: Modern Course and Exam Description, effective fall 2026, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-world-history-modern-course-and-exam-description.pdf, read 2026-10-09. Each fact was read on 2026-10-09 in the public page named under its question: the Library of Congress Country Studies (in the copy at countrystudies.us), the Internet Medieval Sourcebook at Fordham University, the National Park Service and Wikipedia. The 2019-20 change of the course to history from c. 1200 on, given in the questions and answers below the test: Wikipedia, "AP World History: Modern", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_World_History:_Modern, read 2026-10-09. Licence: Own work. Short quotations from the public documents named under two questions.
How it works
This AP World History Period 1 practice test has 71 questions of our own on Unit 1, The Global Tapestry, about 1200 to 1450. It is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board.
Read the full guide
What Unit 1 covers
Unit 1 has seven topics in the College Board's course description, read October 9, 2026. The first six each have a set here: East Asia (12 questions), Dar al-Islam (12), South and Southeast Asia (13), the Americas (12), Africa (8) and Europe (9). Five more questions compare regions, the skill of the closing topic. The description weights no topic, so the counts are ours.
Where the answers come from
Under each answer is the public page its fact was read on: a Library of Congress country study, a period document, the National Park Service or Wikipedia.
For each state, ask two things: how its rulers justified their power and how they paid for it.
Pair the regions as you go. The closing topic of the unit asks how state building was alike and different from place to place.
Questions and answers
What is Period 1 in AP World History?
The first of four chronological periods in the course description, about 1200 to 1450. It holds Unit 1, The Global Tapestry (this page), and Unit 2, Networks of Exchange. Since the 2019-20 school year the exam has covered only history from about 1200 on.
What is Unit 1 of AP World History?
The Global Tapestry, about 1200 to 1450: how states formed and how beliefs shaped societies in East Asia, Dar al-Islam, South and Southeast Asia, the Americas, Africa and Europe.
How much of the AP World History exam is Unit 1?
From 8 to 10% of the exam, by the College Board's course page. Units 2, 7, 8 and 9 carry the same weighting, and Units 3 to 6 carry 12 to 15% each.
Is this the real AP World History Unit 1 test?
No. The College Board's Progress Check for the unit is assigned by teachers in AP Classroom. Our questions follow the published outline of Unit 1 and name a public source for every answer. None is copied or reworded from a real exam.
How many multiple-choice questions are on the AP World History exam?
55 questions in 55 minutes, worth 40% of the score and usually set in groups of three or four on a source, by the College Board's exam page. Three short answers, a document-based question and a long essay make up the rest.