TCI-Lesson 4

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

• in mountain foothills

• near a region of many conflicts

• at the site of the earliest cities.

• between two rivers

Why were Sumerian communities called city-states?

• Each of them kept written records.

• They were all part of one great empire.

• They all depended on each other for water.

• Each of them had its own ruler and farmland.

Which fact allowed Neolithic people to farm in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains?

• Goats can live on dry grass.

• The region had plenty of rain.

• Shallow canals watered the fields.

• Harsh climates are good for grain

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

• overuse of the soil

• fighting between villages

• change in the climate

• increase in population

What solution did people in the Zagros foothills find to fix the problem of food shortages?

• building terraces

• constructing reservoirs

• joining villages together

• moving to the south

Why did the rivers flood in the spring?

• Heavy rain fell throughout the area.

• Ice that had formed on the rivers broke into bits.

• Snow melted in the mountains where the rivers began.

• Strong winds blew from the Persian Gulf.

What was the chief purpose of dams and reservoirs?

• to allow travel by boat

• to make it easier to fish

• to store water for later use

• to protect villages from attack

Why did the villages of Sumer depend on each other?

• They cooperated to keep the water systems working.

• They formed caravans to safely visit the mountains

• They exchanged different kinds of natural resources

• They had to fight off attacks from empires to the east.

Which is the best solution for Mesopotamians facing food shortages

• Increase the number of times each year that farmers plant their crops.

• Move down to the river plains and try to grow crops there.

• Attack neighboring villages and steal their food.

• Abandon farming and return to hunting and gathering.

Which of the following describes the water supply for Sumerian farmers?

• Farmers rarely had enough clean water.

• Farmers had too much water all the time.

• Farmers either had too much or too little water.

• Farmers never had enough water.