Benchmark

Which statement about the caste system, created in India around 1500 B.C.E., is most likely true?

• A. It determined a person's permanent position in society.

• B. It allowed people to improve their position in society.

• C. It allowed people to question mainstream religious beliefs.

• D. It determined the religion a person had to practice.

The legacy of ancient Greek epics, like the Odyssey, continues to provide people with

• A. heroic figures and great adventures.

• B. nonfiction depictions of ancient civilizations.

• C. real stories of everyday life.

• D. detailed, accurate historical events.

Which group is most likely to control the government in an oligarchy?

• A. a few wealthy landowners

• B. a few elected legislators

• C. a single hereditary monarch

• D. a single religious leader

Evidence suggests that ancient Egyptian culture influenced ancient Nubian culture because _______ can be found in the region once known as Nubia.

• ebony

• ivory

• pyramids

• gold

The Code of Hammurabi influenced the shaping of modern civilization by establishing

• A. the concept of different social classes.

• B. the concept of the rule of law.

• C. the concept of rule by religious leaders.

• D. the concept of democracy.

In ancient times, India's people were divided into castes.

How did being in a low caste affect people's lives?

• A. It provided a better education.

• B. It helped them start businesses.

• C. It gave them more free time.

• D. It limited job opportunities.

Early Chinese civilization emerged along which river?

• Indus River

• MeKong River

• Yellow River

• Euphrates River

How did the agricultural revolution impact the development of civilizations?

• A. Farming communities restricted the size of families.

• B. Surplus food led to rapid population growth.

• C. Surplus food encouraged more hunting and gathering.

• D. Farming communities invented better medicines.

What was the most likely reason that King Xerxes of Persia invaded Greece in 480 BCE?

• A. He wanted to install his sons as permanent Persian rulers.

• B. He wanted to avenge Persia's defeat in a previous war.

• C. He wanted to spread Persia's religion into southern Europe.

• D. He wanted to control the Persian spice trade with Europe.

Which of the following is true of Judaism?

• A. Jesus Christ is recognized as the savior and the son of God.

• B. It was spread across many continents during the Reformation.

• C. Since its days of origin, it has been practiced more than any other religion.

• D. It was the first religion to practice monotheism, the belief in just one god.