Prompt:  Each culture or religion had its ups and downs in history. How do you  view their rise and fall, especially in relation to the state or  government? 

A clue: You should use  specific historical cases we have covered in this course to illustrate  your point. These cases include Athens under Pericles, the Greek Empire  under Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, China, and India. Do not  dwell on generalities! You should write an analytical summary, not a  descriptive one. That is, you organize relevant facts logically around a  contested claim. 

A reminder:

Things are often complex and cannot  be understood in simple black-and-white terms. You should try to give a  historically informed, ideologically unbiased, and logically coherent  answer. The historical context cannot be overemphasized. It is easy to  dwell on generalities out of context. It is also easy to see things from  one’s own ideological perspective and rush to condemn alternative ones  without trying to understand them. You can always disagree but should  show respect. It is more important to help contribute to a greater  understanding of the question at issue. Finally, it is easier to speak  coherently, but a lot more difficult to write coherently. Make sure that  you move logically from sentence to sentence and consistently from  paragraph to paragraph. Do not deviate from your focus. Whatever you  write should be directly relevant to the prompt. There is no need for long background introduction.