Question

base your answers to questions 1 and 2 on the passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.
...for seven centuries, from the late - 12th century until 1868, japan was ruled by a warrior elite. for over two centuries, beginning in the 1630s, the feudal government based in edo (present - day tokyo) had enforced a strict \closed country\ (sakoku) policy that prohibited japanese from leaving and foreigners from entering.
while europe and the united states experienced scientific and industrial as well as political revolutions, and adopted expansionist policies, japan turned inward—embracing seclusion and, at least at official levels, venerating respecting tradition.
cities grew, commerce flourished, and literacy became widespread during this long period of isolation. peace and relative prosperity spawned the vibrant popular culture we can still visualize vividly today through traditional woodblock prints (which first appeared in the 17th century). still, in the mid - 1800s japan was a small, introverted, resource - poor, and fundamentally agrarian society. even within the context of asia alone, it seemed dwarfed in chinas shadow in every way—historically, culturally, physically, and on any imaginable scale of human and natural resources....

1. which claim is best supported by this passage?

(1) japan challenged china for supremacy in asia.
(2) japan relied on natural resources for industrial growth.
(3) japan made great industrial and territorial gains that rivaled world powers.
(4) japan experienced a period of cultural development despite its isolation.

1. this passage best describes which development in japanese history?

(1) the rule of the tokugawa shogunate
(2) the arrival of commodore matthew perry
(3) the meiji restoration
(4) the annexation of korea
base your answers to questions 3 and 4 on the passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.
...he loved splendour, magnificence, and profusion excess in all things, and encouraged similar tastes in his court; to spend money freely on carriages and buildings, on feasting and at cards, was a sure way to gain his favour, perhaps to obtain the honour of a word from him. motives of policy had something to do with this: by making expensive habits the fashion, and, for people in a certain position, a necessity, he compelled his courtiers to live beyond their income, and gradually reduced them to depend on his bounty for the means of subsistence. this was a plague which, once introduced, became a problem to the whole country, for it did not take long to spread to paris, and therefore to the armies and the provinces; so that a man of any position is now estimated entirely according to his expenditure and spending on luxuries. this folly, sustained by pride and extravagance, threatens to end in nothing short of ruin and a general overthrow....

1. a historian would find this passage most useful for explaining king louis xivs attempt to

(1) control the elite class and nobles
(2) establish trust within the court
(3) provide necessities to be self - sufficient
(4) eliminate taxation on the poorer classes

1. which claim is best supported by the evidence in this passage?

(1) court visits led to the spread of disease in paris.
(2) louis xiv supported religious toleration.
(3) louis xivs excessive spending had negative consequences.
(4) absolutism in france promoted equality among the classes.

Explanation:

• Question 1: The passage mentions that during isolation, cities grew, commerce flourished, literacy became widespread, and a vibrant popular culture (like woodblock prints) developed. This supports the claim that Japan experienced a period of cultural development despite isolation.
• Question 2: The passage talks about Japan being ruled by a warrior elite (shogunate) from the late - 12th century until 1868 and the Edo (Tokugawa) shogunate's closed - country policy. So, it best describes the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
• Question 3: The text states that the king compelled his courtiers to live beyond their income and depend on his bounty. This was a way to control them as they became reliant on him.
• Question 4: The passage says that the king's spending habits (splendour, magnificence, and profusion) led to a plague (problem) that spread and threatened ruin and overthrow. So, Louis XIV's excessive spending had negative consequences.

Answer:

1. (4) Japan experienced a period of cultural development despite its isolation.
2. (1) the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate
3. (1) control the elite class and nobles
4. (3) Louis XIV's excessive spending had negative consequences.