AP Modern World History Practice Quiz: Challenges to State Power
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 10 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 10
All Questions (10)
A) The global spread of new religious ideas
B) Local resistance to the expansion and centralization of state power
C) The decline of land-based empires in favor of maritime empires
D) Competition between states over control of maritime trade routes
Correct Answer: B
The provided content explicitly states that 'State expansion and centralization led to resistance from an array of social, political, and economic groups on a local level,' and lists these events as examples of that resistance.
A) The authority of the Mughal Empire
B) The centralization of power by the French monarchy
C) The institutions of slavery and state power in the Americas
D) The expansion of the Russian Empire into Cossack territories
Correct Answer: C
The content specifies that 'Enslaved persons challenged existing authorities in the Americas through organized resistance, including the establishment of Maroon societies.' These societies were formed by escaped enslaved people, directly challenging the system of slavery and the colonial states that enforced it.
A) Mughal Empire
B) Spanish Empire
C) English colonists
D) Portuguese traders and colonizers
Correct Answer: D
While the text does not specify the European power Ana Nzinga fought, historical context places her resistance directly against Portuguese expansion and slave-trading efforts in 17th-century Angola. The question requires students to connect the example to the broader context of state expansion mentioned in the text.
A) The Fronde and the Cossack revolts
B) The Pueblo Revolts and Metacom’s War
C) The Maratha conflict and Ana Nzinga’s resistance
D) Maroon societies and the Fronde
Correct Answer: B
The content lists both the Pueblo Revolts (against the Spanish) and Metacom’s War (against the English) as examples of local resistance. Both were led by indigenous groups in the Americas fighting against the expansion of European colonial states.
A) They relied exclusively on enslaved labor for their economic prosperity.
B) Their efforts to centralize power often faced significant challenges from local and peripheral groups.
C) They were largely immune to the political and social changes happening in maritime empires.
D) They successfully eliminated all forms of local resistance through military superiority.
Correct Answer: B
Both the Cossack revolts (against the Russian state) and the Maratha conflict (against the Mughal Empire) were instances where powerful local groups resisted the centralizing authority of a large, land-based empire, as described in the source material.
A) development and centralization of state power.
B) introduction of new diseases from the Columbian Exchange.
C) spread of Enlightenment ideals.
D) decline in global trade.
Correct Answer: A
The text directly links the resistance movements to the effects of state development, stating, 'State expansion and centralization led to resistance from an array of social, political, and economic groups on a local level.'
A) a system of chattel slavery and colonial authority rather than monarchical centralization.
B) a land-based empire rather than a maritime empire.
C) religious persecution rather than political control.
D) economic taxation rather than territorial expansion.
Correct Answer: A
The text specifies that enslaved persons' resistance, such as forming Maroon societies, challenged 'existing authorities in the Americas.' This was a fight against the institution of slavery itself, whereas the Fronde was an internal conflict where French political groups resisted the king's centralizing power.
A) The Fronde
B) The Cossack revolts
C) The establishment of Maroon societies
D) The Maratha conflict with Mughals
Correct Answer: C
The content explicitly states that 'Enslaved persons challenged existing authorities in the Americas through organized resistance, including the establishment of Maroon societies in the Caribbean and Brazil.' This was a unique form of resistance directly tied to the institution of slavery.
A) Resistance to state power was a global phenomenon, occurring in various regions and contexts.
B) All resistance movements in this period were ultimately unsuccessful.
C) European states were the only ones facing internal and external resistance.
D) Resistance was primarily organized by elite political groups.
Correct Answer: A
The list of examples spans the Americas (Pueblo, Metacom, Maroon societies), Europe (Fronde, Cossacks), Asia (Marathas), and Africa (Ana Nzinga), demonstrating that resistance to state centralization and expansion was a widespread, global trend, not confined to one region.
A) a conflict between two European colonial powers.
B) a revolt by enslaved persons in North America.
C) local resistance against state expansion and centralization.
D) a noble-led uprising against a European monarch.
Correct Answer: C
The text explicitly lists 'Metacom’s War (King Philip’s War)' as an example of 'local resistance' that resulted from 'State expansion and centralization.' It was a conflict between indigenous inhabitants and English colonists in New England.