Deck 1: From the Origins of Agriculture to the First River-Valley Civilizations, 8000-1500 Bce

Question 1

The earliest transition to agriculture was characterized by

A) the advent of specialized tools.
B) an increase in tribal warfare between foraging clans.
C) a decrease in desertification in the Sahara in Africa .
D) increased seed hybridization in the Americas.
E) increased trade routes in the Mediterranean.

Answer 1

the advent of specialized tools.

Question 2

Mesopotamian gods were anthropomorphic; that is, they

A) took form as the elements of nature.
B) were imagined to be humanlike in form and conduct.
C) appeared in the bodies of kings while on earth.
D) were divine and perfect beings.
E) were omniscient.

Answer 2

were imagined to be humanlike in form and conduct.

Question 3

Preliterate societies transmitted their culture by all of the following except

A) stone art.
B) cave paintings.
C) oral tradition.
D) detailed genealogies.
E) creation myths.

Answer 3

detailed genealogies.

Question 4

One of the difficulties historians have for understanding the role of women in Mesopotamian society is

A) the requirement that they never leave the house.
B) their role as primary agricultural producers was not considered noteworthy.
C) their role in the military.
D) the only existing records were written by elite male scribes.

Question 5

The term city-state refers to all of the following except

A) a small independent state.
B) an urban center surrounded by agricultural hinterlands .
C) an association of mutually dependent cities.
D) self-governing urban centers.

Question 6

The abundance of amulets in Mesopotamia suggests

A) that the society was extremely materialistic.
B) the large quantity of semiprecious stones available.
C) that Mesopotamian artisans were very skilled.
D) widespread belief in the value of magic.
E) the egalitarian nature of Mesopotamian religion.

Question 7

The earliest historically documented people of Mesopotamia were the

A) Sumerians.
B) Timpanos.
C) Hyksos.
D) Hittites.
E) Medes.

Question 8

Mesopotamian priests

A) inherited their positions from their fathers.
B) bought their positions from the temples.
C) were chosen by the kings.
D) were chosen by the gods through oracles.
E) were chosen by ritual combat.

Question 9

The Agricultural Revolution first occurred in which region?

A) East Asia
B) North America
C) Middle East
D) South Africa
E) Western Europe

Question 10

The first dynastic king, Sargon of Akkad, and his four successors, did all of the following except

A) organize a system of standardized weights and measures.
B) use cuneiform writing.
C) issue a comprehensive law code.
D) attack Egypt.
E) facilitate trade between all the city-states under his control.

Question 11

What motivated Mesopotamian conquests of far-reaching territories?

A) The desire to spread the religion of Baal
B) The search for new trade goods
C) The need for vital resources
D) The search for living space for the burgeoning population
E) The desire to capture slaves

Question 12

Most early agricultural communities had a staple crop based on

A) grain or rice.
B) sheep and goats.
C) pumpkins, squash, or gourds.
D) oranges and mushrooms.
E) berries and nuts.

Question 13

One of the most important breakthroughs which ushered in agriculture in Mesopotamia was

A) construction of canals to bring water to distant fields
B) the region's high annual rainfall.
C) the introduction of wheat crops.
D) large numbers of animals for fertilizer.
E) a highly motivated work force.

Question 14

The religions of farming communities tended to focus on

A) a sky-god or male deity.
B) an earth mother or female deity.
C) a variety of important gods.
D) nature spirits.
E) moon worship.

Question 15

The Neolithic era is associated with which of the following?

A) making tools out of materials including metal.
B) making large rock formations like Stonehenge for religious purposes.
C) an architectural hallmark when people lived in buildings instead of caves.
D) the rise of agriculture.
E) the start of a bilateral trade system.

Question 16

Most early human activity centered on

A) gathering food.
B) acquiring wealth.
C) construction projects.
D) entertainment.
E) warfare with encroaching clans.

Question 17

Scholars feel that earliest domesticated animals were

A) goats.
B) sheep.
C) cats.
D) cattle.
E) dogs.

Question 18

Recent discoveries of large stones and burial chambers may indicate

A) an interest in astronomy.
B) an interest in measuring time.
C) increased warfare.
D) ceremonial and religious purposes.
E) a change in religious focus.

Question 19

What is not meant by culture?

A) shared religious beliefs.
B) learned patterns of expression and action
C) material objects such as dwellings, clothing and tools.
D) shared biological characteristics.
E) similar values.

Question 20

A means of distinguishing slaves in Mesopotamian society was by

A) they were in chains.
B) they were not permitted to wear clothing.
C) a particular hairstyle.
D) they were foreign.
E) they were branded.

Question 21

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Neolithic

Question 22

Advances in mathematics and careful observations of nature made the Mesopotamians sophisticated practitioners of:

A) biology.
B) geology.
C) astronomy.
D) meteorology.
E) none of these.

Question 23

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Hammurabi

Question 24

Cuneiform writing was accomplished by

A) incising written symbols in clay.
B) alphabetical arrangements of phonemes.
C) mathematical calculations on the outside of a clay envelope.
D) learning the cuneiform language.
E) implanting reed tips and tokens in clay tablets to make patterns.

Question 25

In order to discovery more specific information about the social structure of Indus Valley civilizations, what needs to be done?

A) shared knowledge with other archeologists and historians.
B) The writing of the civilization must be deciphered.
C) Carbon dating of artifacts.
D) Analysis of exhumed bodies
E) All of these.

Question 26

The pyramids were crucial to Egyptian kings because they ensured their place in the afterlife. The first great pyramid was constructed for the Third Dynasty King Djoser, however, the largest pyramid ever built was for Pharaoh

A) Djoser II.
B) Khufu.
C) Tutenkamen.
D) Nefertiti.
E) Menes.

Question 27

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Epic of Gilgamesh

Question 28

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
anthropomorphic

Question 29

Which of the following was probably not one of the components of the "systems failure" that brought down the Indus Valley cities?

A) That the Hakra River system dried up
B) That invaders from the north and east drove out the inhabitants
C) Massive flooding
D) Salinization of farmland
E) Increased erosion

Question 30

Egyptian kingship and religion were closely intertwined because it was believed:

A) the pharaoh could determine if one would go to the afterlife.
B) the weather was dependent on whether the pharaoh was pleased with his people.
C) the pharaoh was the living Horus and son of Re.
D) the stability of Egyptian society depended on the quality of the king's treasures.
E) the pharaoh was ordained by god to rule over the kingdom.

Question 31

The Mesopotamian writing system is called

A) Linear A.
B) Arabic
C) Persian.
D) hieroglyphics.
E) cuneiform.

Question 32

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
city-state

Question 33

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Agricultural Revolution

Question 34

Fundamental concepts of Egyptian religion were based on

A) the desires of the pharaohs.
B) extending Egyptian control over competing cultures.
C) the vision of a cosmic order that the physical environment of the Nile Valley evoked.
D) ideas brought to Egypt from Mesopotamia.
E) each person's individual reflection on what god is like.

Question 35

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Paleolithic

Question 36

The two main cities of early Indian civilization are

A) Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
B) Akkad and Thebes.
C) Syracuse and Illyria.
D) Troy and Delhi.
E) Riazan and Antioch.

Question 37

The region of modern Pakistan which gave birth to the earliest known civilization in the Indian subcontinent is centered on which river?

A) Oxus.
B) Ganges.
C) Indus.
D) Nile.

Question 38

The culture that developed in Egypt was unique largely because of

A) Egypt's interaction with other civilizations
B) Egypt's natural isolation and essential self-sufficiency
C) Egyptian dominance in metalworking
D) Egypt's surplus agricultural production and trade
E) Egypt's large population

Question 39

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley civilizations were all

A) based on fertile floodplains and river valleys.
B) made possible by large agricultural surpluses.
C) derived from an earlier, as yet undiscovered, "watershed" civilization.
D) based on beer brewing and female labor.
E) wiped out by a huge drought.

Question 40

Crucial to Egypt's agriculture was

A) a complex system of aqueducts.
B) regular rainfall south of the delta.
C) proximity to the Nile River.
D) favor of the gods.
E) there was almost no agriculture in Egypt because it's a desert.

Question 41

Examine Map 1.1 and indicate the locations of the river-valley civilizations known to exist between 3500 and 1500 B.C.E. Discuss the common geographical elements and the differences of these civilizations. What geographical elements are important to the development of civilization?

Question 42

Looking at Map 1.1, show the extent of the trading networks developed by ancient civilizations, and list the most important goods imported and exported. Examining geography and goods traded, can you draw any conclusions about how a civilization emerges? Is it influenced by other regions, or does it emerge independently?

Question 43

Hammurabi is famous for what stabilizing factor of civilization?

Question 44

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Harappa

Question 45

Describe the conditions leading to the transition from food gathering to food cultivation. Also, briefly describe the differences and similarities in agriculture around the world.

Question 46

Examine Map 1.1 and discuss the formation of cities as central to the building of a civilization. Why were these areas ideal for the formation of cities and city-states? Explain why certain areas were not conducive to the formation of cities.

Question 47

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
papyrus

Question 48

Describe the development of city-states in early Mesopotamia.

Question 49

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
pharoah

Question 50

Why did Neolithic peoples form permanent settled communities? What were the advantages and disadvantages of those communities?

Question 51

Examine Map 1.3 and show the major geographical features that influenced Mesopotamian civilization, including rivers, oceans and seas, deserts, and mountains. In particular, label the major urban centers and the alluvial plain on which Mesopotamian agriculture depended.

Question 52

Compare the civilization in the Indus Valley with the civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Question 53

Compare the Egyptian hieroglyphic and Mesopotamian cuneiform writing systems.

Question 54

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
ziggurat

Question 55

Mesopotamia means _______________?

Question 56

Using Map 1.2, relate the areas of farming (cereals and roots) to warmth of climate; contrast such farming with foraging in the more extreme geoclimatic zones.

Question 57

Explain how the first Egyptian civilization was shaped by its natural environment.

Question 58

What was the purpose of the Egyptian pyramids?

Question 59

Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
Mohenjo-daro

Question 60

How did the status and experience of women change as Mesopotamian society developed into a civilization?

Question 61

Examine Map 1.4 and discuss the extent of Egyptian civilization during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdom periods. Is there a connection between the topography and resources of an area and the location and extent of these kingdoms? Are there recognizable patterns?

Question 62

Examine Map 1.4 and explain why Egypt remained relatively isolated until the end of the New Kingdom expansion.