The Fall of the Ming Dynasty — China (1644) — Questions and answers
Read the full story
What happened to Beijing, the capital of China, on April 25, 1644?
Choices
- A) General Wu Sangui became the new emperor.
- B) Rebel forces broke through the city walls and it fell. ✓
- C) Prince Dorgon started a new dynasty.
- D) The Great Wall was finished being built.
Answer: B) Rebel forces broke through the city walls and it fell.
From page 1
What problems did the Ming Dynasty face decades before Beijing fell?
Choices
- A) They had too much food and a strong economy.
- B) There was a lot of corruption and natural disasters like floods and famine. ✓
- C) Everyone in the court agreed on what to do.
- D) Emperor Zhu Youjian was a strong and powerful leader who fixed everything.
Answer: B) There was a lot of corruption and natural disasters like floods and famine.
From page 2
What was Li Zicheng's strategy to weaken the Ming Dynasty?
Choices
- A) To become friends with the Emperor and join the court.
- B) To build more granaries along the Yellow River.
- C) To cut off the Grand Canal, which was a critical supply route. ✓
- D) To send messages to all the distant garrisons.
Answer: C) To cut off the Grand Canal, which was a critical supply route.
From page 3
Who was leading the Manchu power to challenge the Ming Dynasty?
Choices
- A) Emperor Zhu Youjian
- B) Grand Secretary Chen Yan
- C) Prince Dorgon ✓
- D) Li Zicheng
Answer: C) Prince Dorgon
From page 4
Why were Emperor Zhu Youjian's efforts to find solutions often unsuccessful?
Choices
- A) He didn't work hard enough.
- B) His ideas were too complicated for anyone to understand.
- C) Court eunuchs and corrupt officials worked against him. ✓
- D) He preferred to sleep rather than work.
Answer: C) Court eunuchs and corrupt officials worked against him.
From page 5
What was the terrible consequence of the Ming defenders breaching the Yellow River dikes?
Choices
- A) The rebels immediately surrendered.
- B) The flood helped the Ming win the war completely.
- C) Hundreds of thousands of civilians drowned and lands were ruined. ✓
- D) It made the Yellow River dikes even stronger.
Answer: C) Hundreds of thousands of civilians drowned and lands were ruined.
From page 6
What difficult choice did General Wu Sangui face in early 1644?
Choices
- A) Whether to join Li Zicheng or the Manchu.
- B) Whether to abandon Shanhai Pass to save Beijing or keep defending the Pass. ✓
- C) Whether to build a new section of the Great Wall or repair an old one.
- D) Whether to become Emperor himself or retire.
Answer: B) Whether to abandon Shanhai Pass to save Beijing or keep defending the Pass.
From page 7
How did Emperor Zhu Youjian feel when Li Zicheng's army took Beijing?
Choices
- A) Happy and relieved.
- B) Hopeful and determined.
- C) Filled with despair and feeling abandoned. ✓
- D) Proud and victorious.
Answer: C) Filled with despair and feeling abandoned.
From page 8
What did General Wu Sangui decide to do after Beijing fell and the Emperor died?
Choices
- A) He surrendered to Li Zicheng's army.
- B) He went home to retire from fighting.
- C) He invited Prince Dorgon and the Manchu forces through Shanhai Pass to fight Li Zicheng. ✓
- D) He tried to become the new Emperor himself.
Answer: C) He invited Prince Dorgon and the Manchu forces through Shanhai Pass to fight Li Zicheng.
From page 9
What was the final result of the alliance between Wu Sangui and Prince Dorgon?
Choices
- A) Li Zicheng became the new emperor of China.
- B) The Ming Dynasty was restored and became stronger.
- C) Prince Dorgon established the Qing Dynasty and began Manchu rule. ✓
- D) China was divided into many small kingdoms.
Answer: C) Prince Dorgon established the Qing Dynasty and began Manchu rule.
From page 10