Deck 1: The Earliest Human Societies

Question 1

By the late Paleolithic, hominids had

A) developed brains and had developed a larynx for speaking.
B) begun to record their history in pictographs.
C) disappeared due to a changing climate.
D) developed well-structured communities with a strict division of labor.
E) experienced a mini-Agricultural Revolution.

Answer 1

developed brains and had developed a larynx for speaking.

Question 2

What role did metals play in Prehistoric times? Why has iron been called one of history's "key metals"?

Answer 2

Answer not provided.

Question 3

Which of the following beset describes Homo sapiens ?

A) Because of an increased brain size, Homo sapiens learned to navigate by the stars and so migrated from continent to continent.
B) In contrast to what anthropologists once believed, the hominids preceding Homo sapiens began walking on two legs only about two million years ago.
C) Homo sapiens is used as a term for humans because it is descriptive of the human ability to reason.
D) We now have evidence to suggest that Homo sapiens originated in the equatorial jungles of central Africa, where rainfall was abundant.
E) It is believed that Homo sapiens moved from Africa in several directions at once, finally making it to North America by about 30,000 years ago.

Answer 3

Homo sapiens is used as a term for humans because it is descriptive of the human ability to reason.

Question 4

A rural lifestyle, a strong dependence on the family or the clan, and a religion centered around the natural environment were characteristics of

A) an irrigation civilization.
B) the Agricultural Revolution.
C) a civilization that refused to participate in the development of new urban areas.
D) the fear of new technology.
E) an agrarian civilization.

Question 5

In the strictest sense, history may be defined as

A) a systematic written record of the human past.
B) a constant repetition of past events and patterns.
C) everything that has happened in the past.
D) a boring repetition of dates and facts.
E) everything that has taken place since the last Ice Age.

Question 6

An anthropologist would most accurately engage in the study of

A) urban development.
B) complex developed cultures.
C) particular metals and tools.
D) man-as-a-species.
E) the development of agriculture.

Question 7

A logical assumption to make about Paleolithic hunting groups is that when the group became too large, its members

A) made war on neighboring clans to gain territory.
B) divided into smaller, more sustainable groups.
C) turned to a central authority figure to help them determine what to do.
D) retreated into smaller sub-groups that consisted mainly of nuclear families.
E) adopted a go-it-alone attitude toward foraging for food.

Question 8

Which of these statements would most anthropologists deem most descriptive of Neanderthal Man?

A) One problem faced by Neanderthal Man was the extinction of most game animals upon which he had depended.
B) Neanderthal Man flourished in Europe from about 30,000 years ago up to the pre-Ice Age period about 15,000 years ago.
C) Both warfare between groups and assimilation of one group into another apparently occurred.
D) Climate change, scarcity of plants, and a decrease in the number of game animals contributed to the disappearance of Neanderthal Man.
E) Though Neanderthal Man flourished in Europe up until about 12,000 years ago, the species is still considered a "failed species."

Question 9

Describe the methods used by researchers to expand our knowledge of human origins and evolution. To what extent can we be sure of the accuracy of information about the past?

Question 10

Paleolithic hunting and gathering groups usually numbered no more than forty, because

A) hominids in larger groups usually ended up in fights over territory.
B) they instinctively wanted to mate so as to bring in new blood from other groups.
C) above that number, it was difficult to be sure of an adequate food and water supply.
D) that was the traditional way of doing things.
E) they could not provide tools and weapons for more than about forty.

Question 11

Which of these would be most interested in studying the entire species of humankind?

A) Historian
B) Anthropologist
C) Paleontologist
D) Archaeologist
E) Historiographer

Question 12

Describe the moves toward civilization that took place during the Neolithic Age. What institutions may have emerged, and why would these developments have taken place?

Question 13

Explain how the great river valleys provided both an environment conducive to the development of early civilizations, and assess the potential for variation among the early cultures.

Question 14

Describe the eight features that were usually found, to some degree, in early agrarian civilizations.

Question 15

Homo sapiens and the great apes are the only remaining members of the line that began with

A) Homo sapiens sapiens.
B) The hominids.
C) Cro-Magnon man.
D) Australopithecus .
E) Neanderthal Man.

Question 16

The steadily expanding population of the Agricultural Revolution

A) was made possible by the introduction of breeding stock for food.
B) meant that division of labor became important, with men responsible for making farming decisions.
C) contributed to the growth of permanent settlements where residents held specialized occupations.
D) led to the need for the protection of private property.
E) meant that famine became more frequent, since there were so many mouths to feed.

Question 17

Looking at available evidence, describe the progress of mankind through the Paleolithic Age.

Question 18

Which of the following changes took place among humans during the Paleolithic era?

A) Eyesight became weaker.
B) The sense of smell became keener.
C) The size of the brain increased.
D) Forearms became longer.
E) Bodies grew less hairy.

Question 19

The Paleolithic era is noted for having

A) great success with agriculture.
B) less warfare than later historic periods.
C) many developments in the use of iron tools.
D) major conflicts over agricultural lands.
E) almost no hierarchy in societal development.

Question 20

Which of these would be most interested in studying bone tools and iron axes?

A) Historian
B) Anthropologist
C) Paleontologist
D) Archaeologist
E) Historiographer

Question 21

Among the major changes that occur as a result of the adoption of agriculture by any group is

A) the abandonment of traditional village life.
B) a decrease in trading.
C) an increase in population.
D) a reduction in animal raising.
E) an increase in the percentage of people living in rural areas.

Question 22

The river that has often been called a "sorrow" for its people is the

A) Nile River.
B) Yellow River.
C) Tigris River.
D) Indus River.
E) Euphrates River.

Question 23

The first urban civilization is believed to have arisen in

A) Mesopotamia.
B) India.
C) Egypt.
D) Arabia.
E) China.

Question 24

The use of bronze as the primary metal for tools and weapons

A) came after iron.
B) was dictated by its ease in making.
C) started about 7000 B.C.E. in western Asia.
D) came after urban civilizations were established in the Near East.
E) predated the use of copper.

Question 25

Which of these is an example of people living their lives in harmony with the natural environment?

A) Reliance on religious specialists to intercede with the gods
B) Using observation and experimentation to work with what their surroundings provided
C) The development of laws, customs and tradition designed to mollify malevolent gods
D) A refusal to visit the new cities for any reason whatsoever
E) The use of dams and irrigation projects to improve crop yields

Question 26

Which of the following was true of the Agricultural Revolution?

A) The development of agriculture usually occurred over a 50-100 year period.
B) Agriculture first emerged in the Near East and then gradually spread into Asia and Africa.
C) Agriculture developed in at least seven separate areas at about the same time.
D) People began to use agricultural practices in northern China much earlier than in West Africa.
E) Every society of people in the world has now experienced a true agricultural revolution.

Question 27

Prior to the beginning of the historical period, humans had

A) populated every continent.
B) invented a very primitive form of writing.
C) exterminated most of the hominids.
D) not been able to master agriculture.
E) already become the most advanced species on Earth.

Question 28

Temperate climates and yearlong crop harvests were features of which two civilizations?

A) Egypt and the Indus Valley
B) China and Central America
C) Mesopotamia and China
D) West Africa and China
E) China and Egypt

Question 29

Which of these statements would be true of the Iron Age?

A) Though iron brought advancements in many areas, steel truly became the "key metal of history."
B) Iron contributed to both agriculture and warfare.
C) The Iron Age apparently originated in modern-day India.
D) Iron was somewhat less prone to shattering than copper, but one still had to exercise care in its use.
E) While people quickly learned to fashion iron cooking utensils that proved their mettle in the kitchen, it soon became apparent that developing farm implements would be much more difficult.

Question 30

The earliest artwork from human hands comes in the Paleolithic age and may be found in ____________________.

Question 31

The basic social unit during the Paleolithic Age was the ____________________.

Question 32

"Lucy" is the earliest accepted example of a\an ____________________.

Question 33

The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers drained which ancient civilization?

A) Egypt
B) India
C) China
D) Mali
E) Mesopotamia

Question 34

Rivers of the early civilizations provided an easy form of transportation and communication, which allowed

A) China's emperor to stay in touch with his entire empire.
B) for the development of trade and commerce.
C) people in China to travel to and trade with the people of India without going inland.
D) authorities in urban areas to extend their control over a much greater area than ever before.
E) people to leave their clans and migrate to other regions, knowing that they would be able to return for visits from time to time.

Question 35

The gradual adoption of agriculture required more settled, or ____________________ ways of life.

Question 36

For the purposes of this text, "primary sources" would include all of the following except

A) human genetic history.
B) the study of past languages.
C) original documents from the time being studied.
D) modern artistic renderings of past events.
E) the spoken word from the past.

Question 37

Iron ore was probably first smelted by the

A) Egyptians.
B) Chinese.
C) Hittites.
D) Mesopotamians.
E) Amorites.

Question 38

In the earliest agrarian and irrigation societies, how did the people attempt to control their deities?

A) ritual
B) prayers
C) sacrifices
D) both a and b
E) both a and c

Question 39

Which of these early agricultural areas was not an irrigation civilization?

A) Egypt
B) Central America
C) Tigris-Euphrates
D) Mesopotamia
E) China

Question 40

The key metal of history has been

A) copper.
B) bronze.
C) gold.
D) silver
E) iron.

Question 41

In early agrarian and irrigation societies, religion used ____________________ and ____________________ as ways to control the deities.

Question 42

In West Africa, the ____________________ ____________________ nurtured the development of agriculture.

Question 43

The idea that knowledge of new techniques spreads through human contact is termed the ____________________ ____________________.

Question 44

The first people to smelt and temper iron were most likely the ____________________ of modern-day ____________________.

Question 45

The key metal of history has been ____________________.

Question 46

A steadily expanding population and a specialization of labor are results of the ____________________ ____________________.