Can someone help me for preparing the finals for World History...

Can someone help me for preparing the finals for World History class? Information is based on the study guide. Please follow the study guide. Thank you!

Final Study Guide
Identification: Who/what is the term, what is its historical context, and what is the
significance, or why is it important. Short paragraph, full sentences (Arnold's
students: use bullet points to separate your complete sentences)
6 of the following 10 terms will appear on the exam. You will identify only 4.
Octavian
Sogdians
Mani
Parthian Empire
Council of Nicaea
Caliphate
Stoicism
Ardashir I
Nomadic invasions in Late Antiquity
Olmecs
Essay: Write an essay answering the prompt. Use complete sentences and
paragraphs to formulate your argument. Use primary source references to
support your case. You will be given two of the following three prompts on the
final. You will only answer one.
How did the silk road shape world history? Describe and explain how the silk road
produced a global connectivity that transmitted ideas and goods and how these shaped
the historical landscape. You may focus on the religious and imperial landscapes of
Central Asia, the Sassanian Empire, and the emergence of Christianity and Islam.
All successful empires share certain characteristics. What are these characteristics and
how do they relate to the rise of the Muslim empires? Put Islam in its historical context
and explain how the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates integrated the empires that
came before them?
What was the Hellenistic age and how did it come to be? What are some special
characteristics of Hellenistic cities, art, culture, thought, and achievements? What were
some of the major contributions of the Hellenistic age that outlasted the Hellenistic
period? How did the Hellenistic age bring large parts of Asia and the Eastern
Mediterranean into closer interaction?