3.2 Mesopotamia Religion and Society

Which statement best applies to polytheism?

• There is a heaven.

• There are many gods.

• The spirits control your life.

Which statement describes a reason why Mesopotamia was often a target of invasions from other civilizations?

• The Mesopotamian city-states did not defend each other because they had no common connections.

• The Mesopotamian city-states were weakened by constant warfare between one another.

• The Mesopotamian region contained fertile farmland and was close to rivers for access to trade routes.

Which statement best explains why it was uncommon for an ancient Mesopotamian woman to work as a scribe?

• Women could not own property.

• Very few women were taught how to read and write.

• Scribes were forbidden by law to have children.

A Mesopotamian city-state has built a mighty ziggurat honoring the god that its citizens believe looks over the city. They are grateful to have him visit and happy to give him somewhere to stay. However, a conquering army has stormed the city-state and destroyed the ziggurat.

Based the Mesopotamian religious beliefs, which of the statements below would best express the feelings of a person living in this city-state?

• "The enemy has killed our protector."

• "We should have done more to build up our defense."

• "We must have done something wrong to make our god leave us unprotected ."

Which of these groups of people had the least amount of political power in Mesopotamia?

• artisans

• farmers

• priests

• soldiers

Besides wealth, what did people's social rank depend on in Mesopotamian society?

• Occupation
• Appearance
• Religion
• Location

Which statement is true of a society that develops specialization?

• Most members of the community are hunter-gatherers
• The community migrates often to find raw materials and resources
• Housing is developed from animal bones and hides
• People working have different jobs, such as potters, weavers, scribes, etc.

Skilled workers who made metal, cloth, or pottery products were called

• Priests
• Artisans 
• Scribes
• Heros

Artisans, merchants, and fishers made up this group

• Lower Class
• Upper Class
• Middle Class
• Pass Class

When the Akkadians under Sargon conquered the city-states of Sumer, they created the first

• empire
• huge city-state
• nation
• democracy