Ancient Mesopotamia and Early Civilizations Worksheet

Where did the first permanent human settlements form?

• India

• China

• Egypt

• Mesopotamia

Why did early humans find crops growing in the camps they returned to?

• Grains were found in the wild everywhere.

• They had dropped seeds of grains the previous year.

• They had developed a system of agriculture to grow grains.

• Grains had naturally grown there without human involvement.

What was one effect of settling in one place?

• Humans did not need tools for agriculture anymore.

• Humans lived in smaller communities.

• Humans built permanent homes.

• Humans had fewer children.

According to the chapter, “The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, lasted from 10,000 BCE to 3000 BCE. This was a period of significant change for the people who lived during these times, as their entire way of life shifted.” How can the changes that happened during the Neolithic period be characterized?

• People transitioned from agricultural societies to nomadic life.

• People transitioned from nomadic life to agricultural societies.

• People transitioned from not having language to having language.

• People transitioned from many civilizations to one global civilization.

What developed during the Neolithic period? Select the two correct answers.

• large settlements

• migration across continents

• bartering and trade

• hunting with tools

• agriculture

Which physical characteristic is most closely related to the region known as the Fertile Crescent?

• rich soil near rivers

• many herds of wild animals

• high mountain ranges

• seas surrounding the area

Because much of Mesopotamia didn't get enough rain, which geographic features were wild grains most likely to grow?

• mountains

• deserts

• oceans

• rivers

Which happened first?

• specialization of society

• domestication of animals

• development of large civilizations

• domestication of plants and grains

What was one effect of the domestication of animals?

• It led to the extinction of many species.

• It had no significant effect on human societies.

• It provided humans with reliable milk, food, and labor.

• It led to a decrease in human population due to the spread of disease from the animals.

What happened when farmers grew more crops than they could use in a season?

• They burned the surplus.

• They built ways to store the surplus.

• They planted less the following year.

• They gave the surplus to their neighbors.