Assessment: The Rise of Sumerian City-States

The environment of Sumer was

• A. low and flat, with little rain.

• B. hilly and dry, with many stones.

• C. thickly forested, with heavy storms.

• D. high and cold, with sharp mountain peaks.

The name of Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was

• A. between two rivers.

• B. in mountain foothills.

• C. near a region of many conflicts.

• D. at the site of the earliest cities.

Why were Sumerian communities called city-states?

• A. Each of them kept written records.

• B. They were all part of one great empire.

• C. They all depended on each other for water.

• D. Each of them had its own ruler and farmland.

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

• A. Goats can live on dry grass.

• B. The region had plenty of rain.

• C. Shallow canals watered the fields.

• D. Harsh climates are good for grains.

What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

• A. overuse of the soil

• B. change in the climate

• C. increase in population

• D. fighting between villages

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

• A. building terraces

• B. moving to the south

• C. constructing reservoirs

• D. joining villages together

One factor that made farming difficult in the area of Sumer was

• A. rocky soil.

• B. steep hillsides.

• C. lack of rainfall.

• D. growth of weeds.

Why did the rivers flood in the spring?

• A. Heavy rain fell throughout the area.

• B. Strong winds blew from the Persian Gulf.

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

• D. Snow melted in the mountains where the rivers began.

What was the chief purpose of dams and reservoirs?

• A. to allow travel by boat

• B. to make it easier to fish

• C. to store water for later use

• D. to protect villages from attack

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

• A. to load barges

• B. to irrigate crops

• C. to prevent floods

• D. to control workers