Chapter 2 Beginning of Civilization

People were first able to live in settled communities when they

• perfected a system of writing
• began to trade with nearby villages
• grew tired of hunting and gathering
• domesticated plants and animals

Why did the earliest civilizations appear in areas like Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley?

• Because these areas were near rivers and fertile soil
• because these areas were far away from oceans
• because these areas were isolated from other regions
• because these areas had the largest number of domesticated animals

With the development of farming, people could spend most of their time doing one job, or ___________.

• domesticating
• economizing
• specializing
• cultivating

In order to produce surplus food, people needed natural resources as well as 

• trading partners
• good governments
• skilled craftsmen
• tools and labor

The economy of early villages and cities was based mainly on

• farming
• production of tools
• hunting and gathering
• trade

Information about goods and services, and their production and use, define a society's 

• social structure
• economy
• government
• history

When early people began to farm, what materials did they use to build their dwellings?

• sticks and animal hides
• logs cut from trees
• mud and straw
• rocks from caves

Which of the following is the best explanation for how plants became domesticated?

• climate change brought about better growing conditions
• domesticated animals led the people to areas suited for farming
• people harvested fruits and berries from plants that grew in their environment
• certain seeds were selected for replanting

Which of the following was true of hunters and gatherers?

• They owned only what they could carry
• They settled in one place for long periods of time
• they domesticated animals for use as a source of food
• they traded with other tribes that they encountered

With the development of farming, people were able to _______________, or spend most of their time doing one job.

• domesticate
• specialize
• economy
• farm