Ancient Mesopotamia Quiz

Which region is known as the "Cradle of Civilization" and was home to some of the earliest human civilizations?

• The Nile Valley

• The Fertile Crescent

• The Indus Valley

• The Yellow River Valley

The first form of writing invented by the Sumerians around 2500 B.C.E. was called (a)   .

• Hieroglyphics
• Sanskrit
• Cuneiform
• Latin

Polytheism as practiced in Mesopotamia is best described as (a)   .

• The belief in one god
• The belief in no gods
• The belief in and/or worship of mor
• The belief in nature spirits only

Explain the significance of Hammurabi’s Code in the context of ancient Mesopotamian society.

• It was the first religious text in Mesopotamia.

• It was a famous written law code that allowed everyone in public to see the laws.

• It was a collection of poems about the gods.

• It was a guide for building ziggurats.

Based on the timeline of ancient Mesopotamia, (a)   contributed to the growth of civilizations in the region by allowing for record-keeping, communication, and providing organized government and economic centers.

• Writing and city-states had no impa
• Writing allowed for record-keeping
• City-states only focused on religio
• The development of writing led to t

What was the primary purpose of ziggurats in Mesopotamian city-states?

• To house the gods (step like pyramid)

• To store grain and food supplies

• To serve as marketplaces

• To act as military fortresses

Match the following descriptions to the correct political structure of Mesopotamian city-states.

• System where all cities were controlled by one supreme ruler

• Each city formed its own independent city-state ruled by kings

• System where individual cities had their own monarchs and operated independently

• All cities were united under a single emperor

• System where leaders were chosen through voting

• Each city was ruled by a council of merchants

• System where business leaders made decisions for the city

• City-states were governed by elected officials

Learning to write in cuneiform was considered a long and rigorous process in Mesopotamia because (a)  

• Because it required mastering a com
• Because it was only taught to child
• Because it was written on paper, wh
• Because it was only used for writin

Explain how the control of irrigation contributed to the success of Mesopotamian agriculture.

• It allowed farmers to grow plenty of food and support a large population

• It made the soil less fertile

• It reduced the need for animal labor

• It prevented all floods from occurring

Mesopotamia engaged in trade with neighboring regions. What was the main reason for this trade?

• They were very short of useful materials such as stone for building, precious metals, and timber

• They wanted to spread their religion

• They needed more land for farming

• They wanted to conquer other regions