In the nineteenth century, an era of intensifying european imperialism signaled a momentous shift in the course of world history (for this final exam, imperialism is defined as the militarized/administrative control of territory by a distant mother-country --such as england/great britain in india). in your contextually detailed and chronologically precise essay, you are required to identify at least two key historical processes that led to this era of intensifying european imperialism in asia and/or africa. see the paragraph below for hints. the key historical processes that you analyze should reveal that you know key dates (a clear chronological context is required in this essay! ) as well as the major themes and key content of the lectures/discussions/readings in hist 125. the second half of the course (from the trans-atlantic slave trade to the rise of 19th-century european imperialism and the british empire in asia and africa) is particularly relevant.

It is widely assumed that people need to engage in intellectual activities such as solving crossword puzzles or mathematics problems in order to maintain mental sharpness as they age. in fact, however, simply talking to other people—that is, participating in social interaction, which engages many mental and perceptual skills—suffices. evidence to this effect comes from a study showing that the more social contact people report, the better their mental skills. which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the force of the evidence cited? (a) as people grow older, they are often advised to keep exercising their physical and mental capacities in order to maintain or improve them. (b) many medical conditions and treatments that adversely affect a person's mental sharpness also tend to increase that person's social isolation. (c) many people are proficient both in social interactions and in solving mathematical problems. (d) the study did not itself collect data but analyzed data bearing on the issue from prior studies. (e) the tasks evaluating mental sharpness for which data were compiled by the study were more akin to mathematics problems than to conversation.