6th SS TCAP Review: Fertile Crescent (including Mesopotamia)

Desi is a farmer who lives in a rural mountain town far from cities with no trees. One way he might adapt to this particular environment is by ________.

• making houses and furniture out of tree bark.
• moving to a big city when he graduates from college.
• terrace farming to grow crops in a mountain region.
• never learning to ski, ice skate or hike.

The fertile crescent got its name because

• it's in an arid valley in the Middle East.
• the people who lived there had lots of children.
• it was one of the earliest civilizations.
• it's a land of rich soil that's ideal for agriculture.

Hammurabi's Code is a famous system of laws because it

• led directly to the development of democracy.
• had such lenient punishments, which allowed for personal freedom.
• is thought to be one of the earliest written sets of laws.
• was considered unfair, causing people to rebel in the world's first insurrection.

Bartering, an early form of trade, occurred because

• trade made people feel more secure.
• people had surpluses that they could exchange for other things.
• people didn't want to part with their extra items.
• Sumerian society was class-based and had different economic levels.

Gilgamesh may be the world's most famous Sumerian leader because he

• inherited Sargon's empire and made it even larger.
• conquered vast territories in the Middle East.
• ruled for hundreds of years.
• had his adventures written in long poems.

The Hittites were able to conquer the Sumerians because they

• employed guerrilla tactics, attacking from the mountains and retreating.
• had thousands more soldiers.
• were a tougher people.
• used iron weapons and chariots.

The Hebrews were unlike other cultures at the time because they

• were unwilling to trade with other cultures.
• lived in the most fertile area and therefore had the most food.
• believed in a single god.
• could travel farther and faster than other people.

Sumerian farmers built canals to

• make it easier to travel and trade with other peoples.
• relieve pressure on the levees that were holding back the sea.
• prevent rivers from flooding and move water where they needed it.
• encourage the formation of government and cooperation among peoples.

What was a city-state?

• a city that had its own ruler and government much like states today
• a city that was part of a huge empire ruled by a single king or queen
• a city that was part of a much larger state or nation
• an urban area within a large kingdom or empire

The Sumerians mainly used cuneiform to

• write decrees and challenges to other kingdoms.
• keep track of taxes and government issues.
• create complex drawings and love poems.
• write the world's first dramas and comedies.