Deck 1: The Emergence of Human Societies, to 3000 Bce

Question 1

Which of the following statements does NOT accurately describe the Ice Age?

A) During glacial periods, huge ice masses covered much of the globe.
B) There were shorter intervals of relative warmth between the glacial periods.
C) Even tropical regions had glaciers.
D) Many mammals migrated to new habitats.

Answer 1

Even tropical regions had glaciers.

Question 2

By 10,000 B.C.E., humans inhabited all of the continents EXCEPT

A) North America.
B) Australia.
C) Europe.
D) Antarctica.

Answer 2

Antarctica.

Question 3

How does the maturation process of humans differ from that of other mammals?

A) It is shorter.
B) It is longer.
C) It occurs with relatively little nurturing.
D) The need for supervision is surprisingly low.

Answer 3

It is longer.

Question 4

Paleolithic peoples formed foraging bands, traveling from place to place in search of food such as wild plants and animals. How many people usually traveled together as one group?

A) 30 to 60
B) 150 to 200
C) 75 to 100
D) 10 to 15

Question 5

What is the main cause of diversity among human populations?

A) responses to different environments
B) physical differences of the first Homo sapiens
C) genetic differences in the first hominids
D) the different species of Homo sapiens

Question 6

Which of the following is another term for the Great Ice Age?

A) Neolithic period
B) Pleistocene epoch
C) New Stone Age
D) Old Stone Age

Question 7

Which of the following statements accurately describes early humans living in northern regions of the world?

A) They had dark pigmentation.
B) They had a smaller stature, on average, than people living in warm climates.
C) They had lighter coloration and hairier bodies.
D) Their African origins ensured that they were adapted to northern climates.

Question 8

The concept of race is best described as

A) based on genetic mapping.
B) proven by substantial genetic variations.
C) without scientific foundation.
D) of no historical importance.

Question 9

The assertion can be made that we all have African ancestry because

A) the Neanderthals lived in Africa.
B) humans are descended from hominids who lived in Africa millions of years ago.
C) all of the Homo sapiens lived in Africa, never migrating.
D) of the written records left by the earliest peoples from around the globe.

Question 10

Which of the following statements does NOT accurately describe hominids?

A) They first emerged in Africa around 5 million years ago.
B) Scientists use this term to describe humans and their two-legged pre-human predecessors.
C) Most early hominid species survived, evolving over millions of years into modern humans.
D) Hominids initially survived by foraging among wild plants for food.

Question 11

In which of the following regions do foraging cultures NOT exist today?

A) Siberia
B) South Africa
C) Australia
D) Western Europe

Question 12

Which of these was NOT an innovation of the Paleolithic period?

A) farming
B) hunting in groups
C) communication
D) social groups

Question 13

Which of these is a matter of debate concerning the Neanderthals?

A) where they originated
B) whether or not they were hominids
C) whether they developed tools
D) their relationship to Homo sapiens

Question 14

Which of the following statements does NOT accurately characterize the Neanderthals?

A) They were first discovered in Germany.
B) They are ancestors to Homo sapiens.
C) They had larger brains than other hominids.
D) They are believed to have lived 200,000 to 30,000 years ago.

Question 15

Where did hominids first emerge?

A) Asia
B) South America
C) Africa
D) Australia

Question 16

Which of these did NOT occur during the Paleolithic period?

A) development of foraging
B) the Great Ice Age
C) the development of agriculture
D) migration throughout the world

Question 17

The first remains of Neanderthals were discovered in present-day

A) Palestine.
B) Germany.
C) France.
D) Chad.

Question 18

What was the earliest and longest stage of cultural development?

A) Neolithic
B) Paleolithic
C) Ice Age
D) Pleistocene epoch

Question 19

What was the impact of the Great Ice Age on human development?

A) Humans spread throughout the globe and developed new skills.
B) The period saw the near-extinction of human life.
C) Human populations concentrated in the warm areas of the tropics.
D) Humans spread throughout the globe, but development stagnated.

Question 20

Which of is True of foragers?

A) They farm.
B) They herd animals.
C) They eat both animals and plants.
D) They are vegetarians.

Question 21

Which of these was NOT a staple of the West Asian economy in the early Neolithic?

A) wheat
B) barley
C) sheep
D) cattle

Question 22

Which of these areas relied least on livestock herding?

A) West Asia
B) the Americas
C) Africa
D) Europe

Question 23

Which of these is True of pastoral nomads?

A) They farm, but do not herd.
B) They remain isolated from farming communities.
C) They depend primarily on agriculture.
D) They herd, but do not farm.

Question 24

Which of these was NOT an accomplishment of Paleolithic culture?

A) use of symbols
B) drawing and sculpture
C) burials including tools
D) writing

Question 25

Which of these was an innovation that accompanied the advent of farming?

A) herding
B) nomadism
C) hunting
D) the use of metals

Question 26

In which of these areas was farming not usually accompanied by herding?

A) Egypt
B) North America
C) Europe
D) China

Question 27

Which of these is True of the impact of farming on gender roles?

A) Farming had little impact on gender roles.
B) Women ceased to play an economic role.
C) Matriarchal societies disappeared.
D) Gender distinctions generally increased.

Question 28

Which of these was NOT a product of slash and burn agriculture?

A) greater immediate soil fertility
B) permanent settlements
C) improved crop outputs
D) eventual soil exhaustion

Question 29

In a pastoral economy, people rely mainly on

A) farming
B) hunting
C) foraging
D) herding

Question 30

Which of the following did NOT occur during the New Stone Age?

A) increased practice of foraging
B) establishment of permanent settlements
C) domestication of plants and animals
D) herding of livestock

Question 31

Which of these was a characteristic of both pastoral nomads and farming communities?

A) villages
B) societies based on the family
C) small, isolated communities
D) large families

Question 32

Which of the following statements accurately describes the Neolithic revolution in different world areas?

A) Farming originated independently in several areas.
B) The earliest farming cultures developed in China.
C) Farming developed in the Indus Valley later than in other areas.
D) Only Mesopotamia was an innovator in agriculture.

Question 33

The influence of West Asia on farming over a large area of Asia, Europe, and Africa is seen in the cultivation of which of these?

A) wheat and barley
B) flax and rice
C) corn and beans
D) oats and corn

Question 34

Which of these were common to all of the first agricultural systems?

A) tree fruits
B) sheep
C) cattle
D) grains

Question 35

What was the defining characteristic of Neolithic culture?

A) farming
B) writing
C) hunting
D) urbanization

Question 36

Which of these was NOT a staple of agriculture in the Americas prior to 1400?

A) corn
B) squash
C) beans
D) barley

Question 37

Which of the following contemporary nations was NOT encompassed by the "Fertile Crescent"?

A) Israel
B) Syria
C) Egypt
D) Iraq

Question 38

Which of these best describe connections among Paleolithic cultures?

A) There is no evidence of intercultural connections.
B) Intercultural connections were uncommon.
C) Some connections covered as much as thousands of miles.
D) Most of the evidence of cultural connections is contained in written records.

Question 39

Why did farming lead to larger populations?

A) Farming provides a more varied diet than hunting and gathering.
B) A sedentary lifestyle was healthier.
C) Farming produces more food per acre than hunting and gathering.
D) Farming led to the abandonment of hunting, which was inherently dangerous.

Question 40

Which of these was NOT instrumental in spurring the Neolithic revolution?

A) more grasslands
B) spreading glaciers
C) warming temperatures
D) less rain

Question 41

Where did towns and cities first develop?

A) China
B) Africa
C) Europe
D) West Asia

Question 42

Which of these was a prerequisite to the development of large complex societies?

A) writing systems
B) gender divisions
C) agricultural surplus
D) herding

Question 43

All of the earliest states arose near

A) rivers.
B) mountains.
C) grasslands.
D) oceans.

Question 44

Which of these was a common woman's role in pastoral societies?

A) tending livestock
B) farming
C) building dwellings
D) hunting

Question 45

Which of these did NOT give rise to one of the early river valley civilizations?

A) West Asia
B) North Africa
C) China
D) North America

Question 46

What permitted the development of specialized occupations in towns?

A) smaller family groups
B) the development of writing
C) increased food supplies from farming
D) cultural borrowing

Question 47

Cultural groups had no contact with each other during the Paleolithic.

Question 48

The great diversity among humans is largely cultural, not physical.

Question 49

Which of these defines patriarchal societies?

A) farming
B) male authority
C) no economic role for women
D) female authority

Question 50

By the end of the Paleolithic period, there were human societies in almost every region of the world that was fit for human habitation.

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT identified in the text as an archaeological site containing remnants of artisan activity such as tool making, basket weaving, pottery, and carpentry?

A) Çatal Hüyük
B) Ur
C) Uruk
D) Naqada

Question 52

The Pleistocene epoch is also known as the Great Ice Age.

Question 53

The first farmers were likely female.

Question 54

Which of these is NOT a necessary component of a state?

A) a government
B) a population
C) a leader
D) a territory

Question 55

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of several of the earliest cities. We can conclude about the governments of these early cities that

A) they were democratic in nature.
B) the rulers had no authority over the military.
C) the rulers were powerful figures with considerable authority.
D) most early cities were ruled by queens rather than kings.

Question 56

Which of these was NOT part of a single complex of river valley civilizations?

A) North America
B) Egypt
C) Mesopotamia
D) Indus Valley

Question 57

Homo sapiens are today extinct.

Question 58

Which of these was NOT an early town in West Asia?

A) Çatal Hüyük
B) Ur
C) Naqada
D) Jericho

Question 59

What was the trigger that necessitated governments in early towns?

A) larger communities
B) greater conflict among members of society
C) larger family size
D) crop failures

Question 60

Which of these is not part of the definition of a civilization, in the sense used by the authors?

A) large, complex societies
B) a shared culture
C) common institutions
D) cultural superiority

Question 61

Hunting and gathering food required more work than raising crops and herds.

Question 62

Why do pastoral nomads tend to have smaller families?

Question 63

What were the costs and benefits of the "slash and burn" practice?

Question 64

What kinds of grain were first farmed?

Question 65

Homo sapiens eventually developed sophisticated tools, and this eventually led to increased migration. Why was migration related to the development of tools?

Question 66

Which came first, foragers or pastoral nomads?

Question 67

What was required for the emergence of the first towns?

Question 68

The Neolithic period saw the disappearance of matriarchal societies.

Question 69

Agriculture is an innovation that originated in one location and then spread throughout the world.

Question 70

Çatal Hüyük was an ancient community that developed into a large town. In which present-day country was this town located?

Question 71

Discuss the division of labor according to gender, including the changes that occurred during the transition from nomadic to agricultural societies.

Question 72

The earliest states all had their origins along coastlines.

Question 73

In what period did humans inhabit most of the globe?

Question 74

Where did agriculture first begin?

Question 75

What are the essential elements of a state?

Question 76

Why is cultural variation more significant than physical diversity?

Question 77

Historians and scientists often have differing views regarding the development of Homo sapiens. Provide two opposing viewpoints relating to the fact that Homo sapiens lived in virtually every region of the world thousands of years ago.

Question 78

How were hominids different from other animals with regard to evolution and adaptation? Provide specific examples.

Question 79

What is another name for the Paleolithic period?

Question 80

What defines a civilization?