SOL Quiz 24

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SOL Quiz 24

• Russia

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1. The great grassland of Russia that stretches
eastward into Asia is called the a. steppes b.
taiga c. tundra d. Caspian
The tundra is the area in the arctic whose
permanently frozen soil contains little plant
life. The taiga is the area of forests south of
the tundra. The Caspian is a large inland sea in
central Russia. The grassland of Russia is called
the steppes.
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2. The center of Russian civilization in the 9th
and 10th centuries was a. St. Petersburg b.
Novgorod c. Kiev d. Moscow
The city of Kiev was founded on the Dnieper River
in what is now the southern Ukraine by Vikings
from Scandinavia. Kiev extended its holdings to
become the leading Russian state, controlling the
region from the Baltic Sea almost to the Black
Sea.
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3. To which religion were the Russians converted
in the 10th century? a. Roman Christianity b.
Judaism c. Islam d. Orthodox Christianity
The Russians were converted to Orthodox
Christianity in the 10th century during the reign
of Vladimir the Great. He ruled Kiev from 972 to
1015. The Russians eventually formed their own
national church called the Russian Orthodox
Church.
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4. What name did the princes of Moscow take for
themselves? a. khan b. czar c. patriarch d.
pharaoh
Khan is the title taken by Mongol and Turkish
rulers. Patriarch is the name given to the
leader of the Orthodox Church. Pharaoh was the
name of kings in ancient Egypt. The princes of
Moscow took the name of czar. The first prince
to do so was Ivan III "the Great" who created the
state of Muscovy and ruled it from 1462 to 1505.
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5. Ivan III is known as "the father of Russian
absolutism" because he a. freed the peasants
from serfdom b. created a government with few
checks on his power c. shared power with the
boyars or nobles d. freed the Orthodox Church
from government control
Ivan III is known as "the father of Russian
absolutism" because he created a government with
few checks on his power. Ivan took the lands of
those princes and boyars who opposed his power.
He gave the loyal princes and nobles increased
authority over their peasants. Peasants were
forbidden from leaving their land and they became
serfs of their landlords.