PrepGo

AP Modern World History Practice Quiz: Shifting Power After 1900

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

According to the provided text, what was the dominant characteristic of the global political order at the start of the 20th century?

All Questions (10)

According to the provided text, what was the dominant characteristic of the global political order at the start of the 20th century?

A) A system of numerous, equally powerful new states.

B) The political dominance of the West.

C) The supremacy of the land-based Ottoman and Qing empires.

D) A global order led by communist revolutionaries.

Correct Answer: B

The text explicitly states, 'The West dominated the global political order at the beginning of the 20th century...'

The collapse of the Ottoman, Russian, and Qing empires is attributed to which of the following?

A) Exclusively external pressures from Western powers.

B) A series of peaceful, negotiated transitions of power.

C) The singular impact of communist revolutions in all three empires.

D) A combination of internal and external factors.

Correct Answer: D

The text states that these older, land-based empires 'collapsed due to a combination of internal and external factors.'

The political transformation in Russia after the collapse of its empire was unique among the examples provided because it specifically resulted in a...

A) communist revolution.

B) maritime empire.

C) stable Western-style democracy.

D) political crisis similar to Mexico's.

Correct Answer: A

The source material specifies that the changes in Russia 'eventually led to communist revolution.'

The Mexican Revolution is presented in the text as an example of a state challenging the existing order due to a...

A) foreign military invasion.

B) political crisis.

C) desire to become a maritime empire.

D) communist-led uprising.

Correct Answer: B

The text directly links the Mexican Revolution to a specific cause: it 'arose as a result of political crisis.'

Which statement best describes the broad shift in global power structures throughout the 20th century as detailed in the text?

A) Land-based empires successfully adapted and expanded their control.

B) The global political order remained unchanged, with the West maintaining its initial dominance.

C) Both land-based and maritime empires declined and were replaced by new states.

D) New states primarily emerged from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Correct Answer: C

The text summarizes the century's change by stating that 'both land-based and maritime empires gave way to new states by the century’s end.'

The text categorizes the Ottoman, Russian, and Qing as which type of political entities?

A) New states challenging the global order.

B) Western-dominated maritime powers.

C) Older, land-based empires.

D) States formed by communist revolution.

Correct Answer: C

The source material explicitly identifies them as 'The older, land-based Ottoman, Russian, and Qing empires.'

A historian arguing that 20th-century state-building was a multifaceted process could use this text to support the claim that...

A) all new states were formed through identical, peaceful processes.

B) only Western nations experienced significant political change.

C) the decline of old empires was a key precondition for the emergence of new states.

D) communist revolution was the only path to challenging the existing political order.

Correct Answer: C

The text's central theme is that the giving way of 'land-based and maritime empires' led to the creation of 'new states,' supporting the idea that the decline of the old was necessary for the rise of the new.

The text implies that the collapse of the Russian Empire and the Mexican Revolution, while different in outcome, were both instances of...

A) successful Western interventions.

B) the expansion of older, land-based empires.

C) challenges to the established political and social systems.

D) the peaceful transfer of power to new states.

Correct Answer: C

The text groups the Mexican Revolution under the idea that 'States around the world challenged the existing political and social order,' and the collapse of an empire like Russia is a primary example of such a challenge.

The main idea presented in the first sentence of the content is that change in states after 1900 was caused by...

A) internal factors alone.

B) external factors alone.

C) both internal and external factors.

D) the Mexican Revolution.

Correct Answer: C

The first point states, 'Explain how internal and external factors contributed to change in various states after 1900.' This establishes the core analytical framework used throughout the text.

Which of the following statements represents the most comprehensive conclusion a student could draw from the provided text?

A) The 20th century was defined by the stability of large, land-based empires like the Ottoman and Qing.

B) The Russian and Mexican Revolutions were the sole drivers of global political change after 1900.

C) The Western-dominated imperial order of 1900 was dismantled over the century by various internal and external pressures, leading to the rise of new political entities.

D) All challenges to the existing political order after 1900 resulted in the establishment of communist governments.

Correct Answer: C

This option synthesizes all the key points: the initial Western dominance, the role of internal and external factors, the collapse of both land-based and maritime empires, and the resulting emergence of new states.