Mesopotamia

Crops grew well in Mesopotamia because

• the land was in mountainous areas.

• farmland was fertile and water was nearby.

• the area was near the ocean water supply.

• the area received adequate rainfall.

Which two land features gave Mesopotamia its name?

• the Fertile Crescent and the Mediterranean Sea

• the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea

• the northern plateau and the southern plateau

• the Tigris River and the Euphrates River

Which sequence of events shows how Mesopotamia developed?

• People formed divisions of labor. The population grew. Agriculture was the basis of the society

• People built cities. People grew crops. People built canals.

• People made laws. People moved to villages and cities. People lived where crops could grow.

• People settled where crops could grow. The population grew. Villages and cities formed.

Which of the following is not a basic feature of civilization?

• government

• division of labor

• public works

• agriculture

What is the difference between canals and rivers?

• Canals are used as trade routes. Rivers are used for irrigation.

• Canals mark borders of a civilization. Rivers divide regions of a civilization.

• People settle along rivers. People do not settle near canals.

• Canals are made by people. Rivers are natural.

Which is an inference (educated guess) about why city-states fought each other for farmland?

• Each city-state owned crops that had been destroyed by natural causes.

• Each city-state had only one skill, which was farming.

• Each city-state wanted to build walls around its farms.

• Each city-state wanted to have enough farmland to grow food.

What did Sargon’s empire have in common with other Mesopotamian city-states?

• It extended over a greater territory than anyone had ever conquered before.

• It fought with surrounding city-states.

• It covered an area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

• It had a professional army.

What purpose did the wall around a city serve?

• to protect inhabitants of the city-state from attack

• to collect water that could be used to irrigate farmland

• to protect inhabitants of the city-state from floods

• to keep people from moving to another city-state

Who was just under kings in Sumerian social hierarchy?

• farmers

• priests

• war chiefs

• political leaders

Scribes had power in Sumerian society. What can you conclude from this?

• People who could read and write were important.

• All scribes came from the upper classes.

• Scribes could rise through the social classes.

• Scribes invented pictographs and cuneiform.