Summer Reading Assignment Reminder Rising Sophomores - Honors Only

Newton South High School

Modern Global Communities

World History

The Post-American World 2.0 Study Guide

This is a general study guide but does not cover everything on the exam.  You should have a thorough understanding of the book as well.  Make sure to define all terms

* Chapters 1 – 3 will be the material covered on the multiple choice section of the test.  This material may also be helpful for the essay portion of the test.

Chapter 1: The Rise of the Rest

Terms and People

recession                                                                     emerging markets

GDP                                                                            WTO

Bollywood                                                                  NGO

Cold War                                                                    

Questions to Consider

1.  What are the 3 great shifts Zakaria discusses at the beginning of this chapter?

2.  What are the statistics and examples listed by Zakaria that show growth in the non-Western world?

3.  What has changed since the “bi-polar” world of the Cold War?

Chapter 2: The Cup Runneth Over

Terms and People

IEDs                                                                            hyperinflation

Al Qaeda                                                                     G-8

Wahhabism                                                                 G-20

fatwa                                                                           OPEC

per capita GD                                                             entrepôt

International Monetary Fund                                     nationalism

The World Bank                                                         Kyoto Accord

U.S. Treasury Bond                                                    national debt

geo-politics                                                                 S & P 500

Questions to Consider

1.  What are some examples given of how Islamic extremist attacks are on the decline?  What are some of roadblocks the radical fringe movements have been encountering?

2.  What are some of the issues Zakaria presents in lumping all Muslim nations and people together as a single entity?

3.  What are some of the counter-arguments Zakaria gives to those that say the Muslim world is backward and does not seek modernity?

4.  What are some factors that has led to the large economic growth of the world economy during the 20^th century up to the year 2010?  By how much has the world economy grown from 1990 – 2010?

5.  Why did Alan Greenspan call the collapse of the Soviet Union as “the seminal economic event of our time”?  What results did this have on the world economy?

6.  Why is the free flow of money and central banking policies so important to the growth of the global economy?

7.  How did the expansion in communication systems help grow the world economy?

8.  What are some commodities that are seeing large price increases?  What are some of the factors causing this?

9.  What are resource rich countries and what are some positives and negatives discussed about these countries.

10.  What are the environmental problems the world is facing today and will face in the future?

11.  What are some of the factors that have led to a rise in nationalism, especially in the “developing” world?

12.  How is the United Nations’ system outdated according to Zakaria?

13.  What were the factors that led to financial crisis of 2008?

14.  Does Zakaria feel the U.S. is in decline?  Give some facts and quotations to support your answer.

15.  How has the U.S. foreign policy of the last 60 years contributed to the “rise of the rest”?

Chapter 3: A Non-Western World?

Terms and People

Christopher Columbus                                               indemnity

Admiral Zheng                                                            Peter the Great

Thomas Malthus                                                        sari                                                     

Magna Carta                                                               mass culture

topography                                                                 Al Jazeera

Questions to Consider

1.  What are similar and different about the voyages of Christopher Columbus and Admiral Zheng?

2.  What factors led to the end of Chinese dominance in naval affairs?

3.  How was the non-Western world achieving greater success’ then the Western world before the 15^th century?

4.  What was significant about the invention of the clock?

5.  How does the idea of “labor productivity” show how Europe’s innovations were more efficient than places like India and China?

6.  In what ways did culture maybe play a part in the destiny of certain countries?

7.  How did the topography of the land in Europe favor its growth over the topography of Asia and Africa?

8.  During the growth of European imperialism, how did their incursion into these areas affect the political, economic, religious and social aspect of the people’s lives?

9.  How did non-Western leaders try to mimic and/or adopt ideas from the West?

10.  What does historian, Samuel P. Huntington, feel makes a society “Western”?

11.  What important points is Zakaria making when he is discussing the spread of the English language?

12.  How does Zakaria’s discussion on religion show the complexity of the history of emerging nations along with the change the world is seeing today?

Essay:  The following two chapters (Chapter 4 & 5) are the focus of your essay question.  You will have a choice of an essay on India or China.  Review one of those two chapters in preparation for your essay.  Also, the two chapters on the United States will be helpful in your essay as well. 

Remember, Zakaria has picked these 2 countries for a reason.  Why did he select them? How are they changing and emerging?  How do they relate to the United States and the Western world?