Western Civilization I:
Ancient Near East to 1648
Description of the Examination
The Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 examination covers material that is usually taught in the first semester of a two-semester course in Western Civilization. Questions deal with the civilizations of Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Near East; the Middle Ages; the Renaissance and Reformation; and early modern Europe. Candidates may be asked to choose the correct definition of a historical term, select the historical figure whose political viewpoint is described, identify the correct relationship between two historical factors, or detect the inaccurate pairing of an individual with a historical event. Groups of questions may require candidates to interpret, evaluate, or relate the contents of a passage, a map, or a picture to other information, or to analyze and utilize the data contained in a graph or table.
The examination contains 120 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.
Knowledge and Skills Required
Questions on the Western Civilization I examination require candidates to demonstrate the following abilities, with some questions calling on more than one of these abilities.
- Understanding important factual knowledge of developments in Western Civilization
- Ability to identify the causes and effects of major historical events
- Ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate textual and graphic materials
- Ability to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant
- Ability to reach conclusions on the basis of facts
The subject matter of the Western Civilization I examination is drawn from the following topics. The percentages next to the main topics indicate the approximate percentages of exam questions on those topics.
Approximate Percent of Examination
| 8-10% | Ancient Near East Political evolution Religion, culture, and technical developments in and near the fertile crescent |
| 15-17% | Ancient Greece and Hellenistic Civilization Political evolution to Periclean Athens Periclean Athens to Peloponnesian Wars Culture, religion, and thought of Ancient Greece The Hellenistic political structure The culture, religion, and thought of Hellenistic Greece |
| 15-17% | Ancient Rome Political evolution of the Republic and of the Empire (economic and geographical context) Roman thought and culture Early Christianity The Germanic invasions The late empire |
| 23-27% | Medieval History Byzantium and Islam Early medieval politics and culture through Charlemagne Feudal and manorial institutions The medieval Church Medieval thought and culture Rise of the towns and changing economic forms Feudal monarchies The late medieval church |
| 13-17% | Renaissance and Reformation The Renaissance in Italy The Renaissance outside Italy The New Monarchies Protestantism and Catholicism reformed and reorganized |
| 10-15% | Early Modern Europe, 1560-1648 The opening of the Atlantic The Commercial Revolution Dynastic and religious conflicts Thought and culture |
Study resources
Most textbooks used in college-level Western Civilization courses cover the topics in the outline given earlier, but the approaches to certain topics and the emphasis given to them may differ. To prepare for the Western Civilization I exam, it is advisable to study one or more college textbooks, which can be found in most college bookstores. When selecting a textbook, check the table of contents against the "Knowledge and Skills Required" for this test.
You may find it helpful to supplement your reading with books and articles listed in the bibliographies found in most history textbooks. In addition, contemporary novels and plays, as well as works by Homer, Shakespeare, and Dickens, provide rich sources of information. Classic works of nonfiction are equally valuable—for example, Machiavelli's The Prince, Mill's On Liberty, and Paine's The Rights of Man. Books of documents are an excellent source for sampling primary materials; A Documentary History of Modern Europe, edited by T. G. Barnes and G. D. Feldman (Little, Brown), is one such collection. Actual works of art in museums can bring to life not only the reproductions found in books, but history itself. Films such as A Man for All Seasons and The Return of Martin Guerre and television series such as Civilisation, I, Claudius, Elizabeth R, and the Ascent of Man provide enjoyable reinforcement to what is learned through reading.
In addition, many college faculty members post their course materials on their school websites, and there are a number of educational websites that contain useful resources organized by subject.
