Chapter 3 Test: Early Empires in Ancient Near East

The Assyrian communication system was so efficient that a governor could send a message anywhere within the empire and receive a response within

• a week.
• three days
• a month.
• two weeks

At its height, the Assyrian empire was ruled by kings

• who spent most of their resources building magnificent temples and monuments to themselves.
• who claimed absolute power over their subjects.
• who only wanted to make comfortable lives for themselves.
• who sent and received lots of messages.

When an Assyrian army approached an enemy city, it would most likely

• try to use guerrilla warfare against the citizens.
• charge the city gates using horse-drawn chariots and iron spears.
• send a delegation of men into the city to try to negotiate a peaceful surrender.
• use battering rams and siege towers to destroy the walls surrounding the city.

What was the most famous feature of the city of Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar II made it the center of his empire?

• the library.
• the 70-foot-tall statue of the emperor.
• the Hanging Gardens.
• Nebuchadnezzar's palace.

In 539 B.C., Babylon fell to the

• Chaldeans
• Hittites
• Persians
• Kushites

How was the Persian emperor Cyrus different from the Assyrian emperors?

• He was even more ruthless than the Assyrians.
• He did not care whether his empire ran efficiently.
• He was known to be cruel when he got angry.
• He had a reputation for being merciful and respectful to other civilizations.

In the Persian empire, a system of well-maintained roads connected the various provinces, also known as

• satrapies
• weigh stations
• staging posts
• city states

When the emperor Darius conquered Thrace,

• the Greeks immediately surrendered and became part of the empire too.
• the Persian empire became the largest the world had yet known.
• he put all the members of the ruling family of Thrace to death.
• he built a luxurious palace and lived there in splendor.

The word Zoroastrianism comes from

• the name of the prophet whose teachings are recorded in the sacred book of the religion.
• the name of the Persians' supreme god and creator.
• the name of the city where the religion first arose.
• the name of the emperor who was in power when the religion arose.

The Zoroastrians believe that

• Ahuramazda is an embodiment of the god of the sun disk, Aten.
• it is possible to achieve paradise before the last judgment, if a person performs exceptionally good deeds.
• the supreme god, Ahuramazda, is a good spirit who is opposed by an evil spirit, Ahriman.
• the world was created by Ahriman, but now Ahuramazda controls it.