Beginning of Civilization

Why did most early civilizations develop in river valleys?

• Rivers supplied the people with green grass and a pretty setting.
• Rivers provided fertile soil, food, fresh water, and transportation.
• The valleys were cooler in the summer than living on the deserts.
• Rivers were home to fish

How did the domestication of animals contribute to the development of permanent settlements?

• People could stay in one place because they knew how to build stronger houses.
• People could stay in one place because they used their domesticated animals as a source of food and as work.
• People could stay in one place because they had specialized jobs.
• People could stay in one place because they had families

Early civilizations had an established ____, which was a set of shared beliefs about supernatural powers or beings that created and ruled the world.

• meetings
• religion
• cults
• churches

A complex society that has cities, organized government, and skilled workers is called a ____.

• city state
• village
• civilization
• town

When early farmers grew more food than they needed to feed themselves, they had a 

• market
• party
• surplus
• famine

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

The economy of early villages and cities was based mainly on

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

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

• domesticating
• economizing
• specializing
• cultivating

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

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