Mesopotamia Review

The name of Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was...

• Between two rivers

• In mountain foothills

• Near a region of many conflicts

• At the site of the earlier cities

If you were in ancient Sumer, you might see a levee beside a river. Why was the levee built?

• To load barges

• To irrigate crops

• To prevent floods

• To control workers

The people of Sumer constructed moats to...

• Get crops to grow better

• Protect cities from attack

• Make villagers work together

• Bring drinking water into towns

Which one of these inventions most affected the food supply in Sumer?

• The arch

• The plow

• The wheel

• The chariot

Which Sumerian belief about the king helped strengthen the social order?

• He was supported by the gods

• He cared most about the poor

• He consulted with wise advisers

• He wanted everyone to be happy

The ziggurat was most closely related to which of these features of Sumerian civilization?

• Food

• Writing

• Religion

• Government

What was a problem caused by Sumerian city-states' independence from one another?

• They were unable to trade crops with one another

• They did not cooperate to build irrigation systems

• They had very few different natural resources available

• They could not defend themselves against stronger groups

The Sumerians were a civilization, but not an empire. What feature did the Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires have that the Sumerians lacked?

• One government ruled several groups

• Rulers claimed to get power from the gods

• Many beautiful works of art were produced

• Public works such as irrigation were organized

How was the legal system of Babylon more advanced than that of other societies at that time?

• It put an end to slavery

• It used mild punishments

• It gave women some rights

• It treated all classes the same

What problem caused the Sumerians to leave the foothills of the mountains and go to the river?

• Overpopulation

• Irrigation was getting clogged

• Unpredictable flooding

• Attacks by invaders