Deck 2: The Forming of Greek Civilizations

Question 1

Athens was ultimately defeated in the Peloponnesian War because

A)a plague killed thousands of her people.
B)a major expedition to Syracuse ended in failure.
C)her navy was defeated and she was unable to import food.
D)all her allies in the Delian League turned against her.
E)of Melian resistance.

Answer 1

her navy was defeated and she was unable to import food.

Question 2

The basic means of livelihood for citizens of the Greek city-state was

A)the trades and crafts of the middle class.
B)industry and technology.
C)public works and warfare.
D)agriculture.
E)warfare.

Answer 2

agriculture.

Question 3

The Spartan state

A)emphasized the role of women in political affairs.
B)was designed to favor the commercial class.
C)gave unprecedented personal freedom to male warriors.
D)subordinated the family to the state.
E)permitted helots to participate in politics.

Answer 3

subordinated the family to the state.

Question 4

In the Athenian demokratia, most public offices were filled by

A)election.
B)the drawing of lots.
C)appointment by the archons.
D)rotation among the ten tribes.
E)appointment by the boulé.

Question 5

The gods of the Greeks were

A)transcendent and remote.
B)anthropomorphic and potentially benevolent.
C)mortal.
D)ethical.
E)vindictive.

Question 6

The Peloponnesian War was fought from

A)431 to 404 B.C.
B)451 to 444 B.C.
C)499 to 479 B.C.
D)404 to 390 B.C.
E)450 to 429 B.C.

Question 7

Sparta's "mixed constitution" included

A)kings, an oligarchic council, and a public assembly.
B)shared rule between elite citizens and the king.
C)elected kings responsible to a powerful citizen assembly.
D)a council of elders who chose citizens to serve as advisers for a year.
E)the elimination of the monarchy.

Question 8

To modern eyes, Athens is clearly a more appealing polis than Sparta.Yet many observers of the ancient world felt otherwise.Why might writers living in the last quarter of the fifth century have admired Sparta in comparison to Athens?

Question 9

The Iliad

A)provides a historically accurate account of an actual Greek war against Troy.
B)is probably the work of a single author named Homer.
C)glorifies a warrior aristocracy.
D)emphasizes the role of the gods in human affairs.
E)dates from the time of the Trojan War.

Question 10

Our best information about Mycenaean civilization comes from

A)archaeological evidence.
B)the works of Homer.
C)the writings of later Greek historians.
D)tablets discovered in Troy.
E)the work of Michael Ventris.

Question 11

Which was NOT among the important reforms carried out by Solon in the 570s B.C.?

A)measures encouraging the cultivation and export of olive oil
B)canceling the enormous debts of poor farmers
C)allowing all male citizens to hold government office
D)reducing the political power of the wealthiest families
E)redistributing land to formerly enslaved farmers

Question 12

What were the social roles of women in the Greek polis? What rights and privileges did they enjoy? How were their roles in the life of the city-state limited?

Question 13

The Persian king Darius decided to invade Greece in 490 B.C.because

A)Athens had aided Greek cities in Asia Minor in an attempted revolt against Persian rule.
B)Persia wished to aid Sparta.
C)Persia wished to acquire the vast wealth of Athens.
D)Persia wished to destroy Athenian trade.
E)Sparta had aided Greek cities in an attempted revolt against Persian rule.

Question 14

The Greek Dark Age was followed by

A)a sudden flowering of artistic and literary genius.
B)the defeat in battle of Athens' great rival Sparta.
C)the Athenians' decision to limit trade and create a self-sufficient economy.
D)the Athenians' tendency to neglect the arts and concentrate on developing military skills.
E)a loosening of their control over members of the Delian League.

Question 15

The period of Greek colonization from 750 to 550 B.C.

A)made Greece the dominant power in the ancient Near East.
B)resulted from firm alliances among the Greek city-states.
C)resulted in a tight-knit empire in which mother cities controlled the colonies.
D)helped to spread Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.
E)All these answers are correct.

Question 16

Around 650 B.C., Greek poets

A)began to treat themes centered on personal experiences.
B)incorporated aspects of Indian mythology into their work.
C)rejected themes of love and beauty.
D)chronicled the Trojan War.
E)concentrated on military themes and the heroism of individual soldiers.

Question 17

Minoan civilization reached its height

A)between 2600 and 2200 B.C.
B)around 1900 B.C.
C)between 1550 and 1400 B.C.
D)between 1300 and 1100 B.C.
E)between 1600 and 1100 B.C.

Question 18

Compare Greek religion and one of the ancient Near Eastern religions discussed in the previous chapter, with respect to ethical standards, priesthood, the nature of the gods, and personal morality.

Question 19

In comparison with Egyptian or Near Eastern civilizations, the Greek polis was distinctive in which of the following ways?

A)Women participated in politics.
B)Slaves participated in politics.
C)Free male citizens participated in politics.
D)All residents participated in politics.
E)All tyrants participated in politics.

Question 20

Between 1300 and 1200 B.C., Mycenaean Greece was gradually destroyed by

A)the Egyptians.
B)the Minoans.
C)the Trojans.
D)invasions by sea and land.
E)epidemics.

Question 21

Much of what we know about "Dark Age" Greek culture (1100-800
B.C.) comes from Homer.But Homer wrote during the Greek Renaissance (800-600
B.C.).Can historians therefore rely on Homer as a guide to Greek history for the centuries surrounding the Trojan War? What is the relation between literature and history?
Answers will vary

Question 22

What aspects of the "Lion Gate" seen in this chapter indicate its defensive purposes?

Question 23

What kinds of problems did reformers have to overcome in order to establish democracy in Athens? What economic, social, and political factors allowed Athenian male citizens the leisure to participate in public affairs?

Question 24

Using the vases that depict scenes from Homer's Odyssey, speculate on the method of dissemination and reason for the popularity of the story throughout the ancient Mediterranean region.

Question 25

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Mycenae.

Question 26

Review the "Sappho's Love Poetry" feature in this chapter.What is Sappho trying to convey to the young woman to whom this poem is addressed? What is the role of the man in the poem?

Question 27

Review the "A Master Called Law" feature in this chapter.How accurately do you think Herodotus, a Greek author, portrays Greek law and society in this passage?

Question 28

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Knossos.

Question 29

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: King Minos.

Question 30

Explain how the seeds of the Peloponnesian War (431-404
B.C.), which led to disaster for Athens, were sown during the "Golden Age of Athens" (490?-429
B.C.).Should historians reassess the "Golden Age"?
Answers will vary

Question 31

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Hellas/Hellene.

Question 32

How does the Attic kouros portrayed in this chapter embody Greek ideals of humanity?

Question 33

From the text and from the "They Have a Master Called Law" feature, Sparta rather than Athens appears to be the primary defender of Greece and embodiment of Greek ideals.Yet in the modern period Athens represents classical Greece.Explain this apparent paradox.

Question 34

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Linear
B.Answers will vary

Question 35

Consider maps 2.1 and 2.3.How did the geography of Greece contribute to the development of the poleis?

Question 36

The Persian Wars are often considered to have been crucial to the course of Western history.Why? They were also crucial for the development of Athens.How did the Persian Wars affect Athens in the decades that followed?

Question 37

Why would artifacts like the marble statuette of a goddess shown in this chapter convince some historians that Cretan society was a matriarchy?

Question 38

Review the "Sappho's Love Poetry" feature in this chapter.Why do the mood and feelings expressed in this ancient poetry continue to evoke surprise from readers today?

Question 39

Study map 2.5, which portrays Classical Athens.How do the public spaces within the city reflect the democratic and participatory nature of Athenian political life?

Question 40

Review the "A Master Called Law" feature in this chapter.What, according to Herodotus, distinguishes Greek law from Persian law?

Question 41

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Dorian Greeks.

Question 42

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Cleisthenes.

Question 43

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Draco.

Question 44

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Troy.

Question 45

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Solon.

Question 46

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: the Odyssey.

Question 47

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: demos.

Question 48

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Sparta.

Question 49

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: tyrant.

Question 50

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Archilochus.

Question 51

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Marathon.

Question 52

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Parthenon.

Question 53

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Messenians.

Question 54

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Ionian Revolt.

Question 55

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Lycurgus.

Question 56

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Pisistratus.

Question 57

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: agora.

Question 58

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: polis/poleis.

Question 59

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: acropolis.

Question 60

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: ostracism.

Question 61

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Thermopylae.

Question 62

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Sappho of Lesbos.

Question 63

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Plataea.

Question 64

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Nemesis.

Question 65

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Athens.

Question 66

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: archons.

Question 67

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: the Iliad.

Question 68

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Themistocles.

Question 69

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Darius.

Question 70

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: hoplite.

Question 71

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Peloponnesian War.

Question 72

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Mount Olympus.

Question 73

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Xerxes.