The Meiji Restoration and the Transformation of Japan

Auto audio on: the next questions will be read aloud when you click Continue.

1. 1

   Which American naval officer led the expedition whose arrival in 1853 pressured Japan to open its ports?

   

   A Commodore Matthew Perry B Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan C Commodore George Dewey
2. 2

   Which government was overthrown during the political upheaval that restored imperial rule in 1868?

   A The Kamakura shogunate B The Tokugawa shogunate C The Ashikaga shogunate
3. 3

   The two southwestern domains highlighted on the map formed the alliance that led the campaign against the Tokugawa shogunate. Which were they?

   

   A Aizu and Echizen B Mito and Sendai C Satsuma and Choshu
4. 4

   What principle was proclaimed in the Charter Oath of 1868?

   A Knowledge would be sought throughout the world B Japan would permanently prohibit foreign technology C Political power would return to independent feudal lords
5. 5

   Which Meiji reform is represented by a diagram changing many feudal territories into centrally administered units?

   

   A The restoration of alternate attendance B The replacement of domains with prefectures C The creation of autonomous samurai republics
6. 6

   The image contrasts hereditary samurai forces with a modern uniformed army. Which 1873 reform made this transformation possible?

   

   A A ban on recruiting commoners B The restoration of private domain armies C Universal military conscription
7. 7

   What was the primary purpose of the Iwakura Mission of 1871–1873?

   

   A To study foreign institutions and seek treaty revision B To establish Japanese colonies in North America C To recruit European samurai for the imperial court
8. 8

   How did the Meiji land tax reform change the government's revenue system?

   A Taxes were paid only through compulsory labor B Taxes were assessed by land value and generally paid in money C All agricultural taxation was permanently abolished
9. 9

   Which change most directly weakened the samurai as a legally privileged class?

   A The expansion of castle construction B The creation of hereditary military offices C The commutation of stipends and loss of exclusive military status
10. 10

    The battle scene shows former samurai fighting the imperial conscript army in 1877. Which conflict is represented?

    

    A The Satsuma Rebellion B The Boshin War C The Boxer Rebellion
11. 11

    What major political document did Emperor Meiji promulgate in 1889?

    A The Treaty of Shimonoseki B The Constitution of the Empire of Japan C The Twenty-One Demands
12. 12

    Which institution is represented by this Meiji-era chamber containing two separate legislative houses?

    

    A The Tokugawa Council of Elders B The Imperial General Headquarters C The Imperial Diet
13. 13

    Which European constitutional model most strongly influenced the Meiji Constitution?

    A The Prussian-German model B The Swiss federal model C The French revolutionary constitution of 1793
14. 14

    Which value was especially emphasized by the 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education?

    A Rejection of all family obligations B Loyalty to the emperor and filial piety C Complete separation of education from the state
15. 15

    What economic development is illustrated by a government-sponsored factory later transferred to private business owners?

    

    A The permanent nationalization of all commerce B The abandonment of mechanized manufacturing C State-led industrialization followed by private consolidation
16. 16

    What did Japan's victories over China in 1894–1895 and Russia in 1904–1905 demonstrate?

    A Japan had become a modern military and imperial power B Japan had withdrawn from international affairs C The Meiji government had dismantled its navy