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Unit 1: Beginnings of History Practice Test

Total questions: 55

Worksheet time: 56mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
What is the written language of the Sumerians?
a)
Hieroglyphics
b)
Cuneiform
c)
Pictographs
d)
Hiretic
2.
What is the major river of Egypt?
a)
Euphrates
b)
Yangtze
c)
Nile
d)
Indus
3.
What set of laws did the Babylonians create?
a)
Hammurabi's Code
b)
Book of the Dead
c)
Twelve Tables
d)
Code of Ur
4.
Created fire. Hunted. Gathered. 
a)
Paleolithic
b)
Neolithic
5.
Farmed. Domesticated animals. 
a)
Paleolithic
b)
Neolithic
6.
What is the belief in multiple gods?
a)
Monotheism
b)
Polytheism
7.
Early humans who lived by hunting animals and gathering small plants 
a)
Hunter Gatherers
b)
Clans
c)
Neanderthals
d)
Homo Habilis
8.
A person who moves from place to place is called a 
a)
Wanderer
b)
Migrator
c)
Nomad
d)
Settler
9.

How did the first villages start to develop?

a)

hunting & gathering

b)

water

c)

farming

d)

fire

10.

Because the shift from hunting to farming was so important, historians call it the:

a)

New Stone Age

b)

Neolithic Agricultural Revolution

c)

Old Stone Age

d)

Paleolithic Revolution

11.

The New Stone Age is also known as the:

a)

Neolithic Era

b)

Paleolithic Era

c)

Mesolithic Era

d)

Ice Age

12.

A complex society with cities, government, & specialized jobs is known as a(n):

a)

social class

b)

civilization

c)

religion

d)

resource

13.
Why did most early civilizations develop in river valleys?
a)
Rivers supplied the people with green grass and a pretty setting.
b)
Rivers provided fertile soil, food, fresh water, and transportation.
c)
The valleys were cooler in the summer than living on the deserts.
d)
Rivers were home to fish
14.
How did the domestication of animals contribute to the development of permanent settlements?
a)
People could stay in one place because they knew how to build stronger houses.
b)
People could stay in one place because they used their domesticated animals as a source of food and as work.
c)
People could stay in one place because they had specialized jobs.
d)
People could stay in one place because they had families
15.
Which is another name for the Old Stone Age?
a)
Neolithic
b)
Paleolithic
c)
Polytheistic
d)
Animism
16.

Which description below best describes a “civilization”?

a)

Large group of people living together in one place in more complex societies with social hierarchies and specialization of labor.

b)

The process by which people change plants and animals over time at a genetic level to increase their productivity or other desired traits.

c)

A group of people considered to be the best in a particular society or category because of their power, talent, wealth, or other characteristic.

d)

A way of life where a group of people survives from the secondary products of herds. People follow patterns of grazing to keep their herds alive.

17.

River valleys offer societies access to water and fertile soil for highly productive agriculture as well as large mammal and plants suitable for domestication.

a)

True

b)

False

18.

Because of intense farming, civilizations required more people to live in an area, which of the following developed:

a)

Culture

b)

Law

c)

Written Language

d)

All of these

19.

Civilizations in Afro-Eurasia developed around rivers. Which of the following is NOT one of those rivers?

a)

Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia

b)

The Nile in Egypt

c)

The Indus River in modern India/Pakistan

d)

The Amazon in Brazil

20.

What is social hierarchy?

a)

A rule of conduct or action that is binding and enforced by a controlling authority.

b)

A type of civilization that developed near or around a major river and considered the earliest known large human civilizations.

c)

An order of social classes where people are ranked based on factors like: their jobs, their wealth, how much land they have

d)

A way of organizing people so that certain people live in certain areas of a city

21.

Writing systems and laws developed over time in the exact same way for each society.

a)

True

b)

False

22.

People developed better technology because they needed to solve new problems such as how to farm more efficiently, or how to better fight to defend a city.

a)

True

b)

False

23.

What is cultural diffusion?

a)

The process of different cultures adopted ideas and technology from other cultures over time.

b)

A way of life where a group of people survives from the secondary products of herds. People follow patterns of grazing to keep their herds alive.

c)

Livestock, migrate in an established territory to find pasture for their animals.

d)

Worshipping or believing in more than one god.

24.
___________ is considered to be the founder of Judaism.
a)
Abraham
b)
Jesus
c)
David
d)
Muhammad
25.

The ______ is the Jewish holy book.

a)

Torah

b)

Synagogue

c)

Monotheism

26.

What are the 10 Commandments?

a)

Laws and guidelines on how to be a good person

b)

The Jewish Holy Book

c)

A letter God wrote to Abraham

27.
Abraham started the Jewish religion in Canaan. Where is that located today?
a)
Mesopotamia
b)
Israel
c)
Egypt
28.

Cultural diffusion is best described as...

a)

sharing music from one culture to another

b)

Cultural margarine

c)

the spreading of religion

d)

the spreading of ideas, languages, and traditions from one culture to another

29.

What statement is an example of cultural diffusion?

a)

Venezuela has large reserves of oil

b)

Texas has large amounts of oil

c)

students in China learn Chinese in school

d)

young people dance to rock music in Japan

30.
__________ is the belief in one god.
a)
Polytheism
b)
Monotheism
31.
The scattering of Jews outside of Israel and Judah
a)
Judah
b)
Solomon
c)
Diapsora
d)
Canaan
32.

The exile of the Jewish people from their homeland is called:

a)

The Desperation

b)

The Jewish Exile

c)

The Dispersion

d)

The diaspora

33.

Which characteristic describes the way a civilization expresses themselves?

a)

Organized Religion

b)

System of Tribute

c)

Art

d)

Economy & Job Specialization

34.
Government, writing, and religion are characteristics of a civilization. 
a)
True
b)
False
35.
Which characteristic of Civilization is a belief system? 
a)
Tribute
b)
Trade
c)
Government
d)
Religion
36.

Ancient civilizations had complex labor systems with each person performing a specific task or job.

a)

Writing System

b)

Central Government

c)

Job Specialization

d)

Religion

37.

Virtually all ancient cities built large walls to defend their cities from aggressive neighbors.

a)

Central Government

b)

Religion

c)

Public Works

d)

Writing System

38.

Which of the following shows evidence of a Stable Food Supply?

a)

Hanging Gardens

b)

Many gods with human personalities

c)

Taxes

d)

An irrigation system with canals and levees

39.

Which of the following shows evidence of a government in Sumer?

a)

Clay tablets with cuneiform

b)

Technology such as the plow

c)

Images of a king collecting taxes

d)

Ziggurats

40.

Which of the following is NOT a necessary characteristic of a civilization?

a)

Religion

b)

Writing

c)

Education

d)

Government

41.

The priests were near the top of the social structure. What does this show about the people of ancient Sumer?

a)

They cared about the priests, but not the king.

b)

The people had no interest in religion.

c)

Religion was an important part of their lives.

d)

The people believed in only one god.

42.

Establish rules and laws to protect the people of the civilization.

a)

Government

b)

Trade

c)

Infrastructure

d)

Arts

43.

In the Shang Dynasty, inscriptions were carved into oracle bones for diviners to read. Which characteristic does this demonstrate?

a)

social structure

b)

stable food supply

c)

written language

d)

technology

44.

In ancient Greece, temples were built as homes for gods and goddesses. Which characteristic does this demonstrate?

a)

government

b)

religion

c)

stable food supply

d)

arts and entertainment

45.

In 450 BCE, 12 bronze tablets were used to record Roman laws. Which characteristic does this demonstrate?

a)

government

b)

religion

c)

stable food supply

d)

arts and entertainment

46.

Establish rules and laws to protect the people of the civilization.

a)

Government

b)

Trade

c)

Infrastructure

d)

Arts

47.

Having more food than you need

a)

trade

b)

written language and learning

c)

art

d)

surplus of food

48.

The Neolithic Revolution is...

a)

When humans began migrating around the world

b)

When humans discovered fire

c)

When domestication of plants & animals began

49.

Domestication is...

a)

Breeding animals/plants for qualities you like

b)

Migration from Africa to Asia

c)

Cats & dogs

50.

SOCIAL life changed in the Neolithic Revolution because...

a)

Surplus of food led to social classes, but before everyone was the same

b)

Food scarcity forced humans to be in small groups of hunter-gatherers

c)

Everyone was egalitarian

51.

POLITICAL life changed in the Neolithic Revolution because...

a)

Kings were at the top of the Social Hierarchy afterward

b)

Everyone remained equal

c)

Farming made people sick and die

52.

PATRIARCHY is

a)

Men have all the power

b)

Egalitarian/equal

c)

Who run the world? Girls!

53.

PASTORALISM is

a)

Hunter-gatherers- they follow animals to hunt & gather food

b)

Farmers- they stay in one place to harvest agriculture

c)

Herders- they move their cattle or sheeps from place to place to graze

54.
What is Hammurabi's Code?
a)
story of Babylonian empire's creation by the gods
b)
written language of Babylonian Empire
c)
 collection of written laws from the Babylonian Empire
d)
book describing warfare from the Babylonian Empire
55.
Hammurabi's code is a famous system of laws because it ...
a)
is thought to be one of the earliest written set of laws
b)
led directly to the development of democracy
c)
had such lenient punishments
d)
was considered unfair, causing people to rebel in the world's first insurrection