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WorksheetsRiver Valley Civilizations
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 31mins
Which generalization best describes where the first four civilizations developed?
They all emerged on separate continents
They all grew up along seacoasts
They developed in the same climate zone
They all formed in river valleys
Mesopotamia means the land between two rivers. Name the two rivers.
Nile and Indus
Tigris and Euphrates
Ganges & Nile
Huang He & Yangtze
What is a subcontinent?
a large and distinctive landmass that is a distinct part of a continent
a strong wind that brings heavy rain to southern Asia in the summer
a system of departments within the government
a priest-king
Shang China established a series of rulers from the same family. What is each family rule called?
Monarchy
Dynasty
bureaucracy
theocracy
Which civilization used pictograms and participated in ancestor worship?
China
Egypt
Mesopotamia
Indus Valley
Who would have been responsible for recording the image above?
pharaoh
artisans
scribe
farmers
A government in which the leader has both political and religious authority is known as a
theocracy
bureaucracy
traditional economy
monarchy
The earliest known permanent agricultural community was established in:
Pakistan near the Indus River
Egypt near the Nile River
Mesopotamia near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
China near the Huang He River
The Sumerian writing system was called
Cuneiform
Hieroglyphs
Chinese
Historians aren't sure since they cannot decipher it.
Which of the following is NOT true of Hammurabi's code?
It covered many aspects of Babylonian life, not just crimes.
It was used by many later civilizations as a model
It treated all people the same under the law.
It was carved in stone & posted for everyone to see.
A Sumerian temple to honor their sun god was called a
oracle bone
pyramid
obelisk
ziggurat
What two advantages did Hittite soldiers have over their opponents?
roads & the alphabet to write
steel weapons & boats
guns & canons
iron weapons & chariots
The Code of Hammurabi was a major contribution to the development of civilization because it -
treated citizens and slaves equally
ended all physical punishment
established written laws
rejected the principle of the power of kings
How did people from the Fertile Crescent adapt to their environment?
By using irrigation methods to help against the dry climate.
Hunting and gathering when the rivers dried up.
Trading heavily with the Yellow River Valley during times of drought.
By using the papyrus plant to create an early form of paper.
What geographic features isolated the Huang He River Valley from other early civilizations?
The Himalaya Mountains and Gobi Desert
The Sahara Desert to its east and west.
The Mediterranean Sea and Hindu Kush Mountains
The Indian Ocean and Deccan Plateau.
"If a seignior [noble] has knocked out the tooth of a seignior of his own rank, they shall knock out his tooth. But if he has knocked out a commoner's tooth, he shall pay one-third mina of silver" - Code of Hammurabi
What idea does this law reflect?
All men were equal under the law
Fines were preferable to corporal punishment
Divisions existed between social classes
Violence was always punished with violence
Discovery of streets arranged in a grid-like pattern and a system of pipes for moving water in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro suggest that these ancient river valley cities in South Asia had
organized governments
subsistence-based economies
Animistic beliefs
rigid social classes
Which civilizations were located in Mesopotamia? Check all that apply.
Sumer Civilization
Persian Empire
Babylonian Empire
Assyrian Empire
The Europeans referred to China as the Far East. The
Chinese referred to China as the Middle Kingdom. What do these terms illustrate?
The names of places refer to significant physical features.
Most people do not understand geography.
The point of view of people influences geographic labels.
Place names sometimes commemorate important events.
Which statement best describes the benefit of studying past events from multiple points of view?
Using primary sources allows historians access to official records.
Viewing history chronologically shows how eras overlap from one time period to the next.
Examining different perspectives gives a more complete picture of historical circumstances.
Evaluating the roles of specific individuals in history helps determine personal contributions.
Base your answer to question 20 on the passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.
Some several thousand years ago there once thrived a civilization in the Indus Valley. Located in what’s now Pakistan and western India, it was the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent. The Indus Valley Civilization, as it is called, covered an area the size of western Europe. It was the largest of the four ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. However, of all these civilizations the least is known about the Indus Valley people. This is because the Indus script has not yet been deciphered. There are many remnants of the script on pottery vessels, seals, and amulets, but without a “Rosetta Stone” linguists and archaeologists have been unable to decipher it. . . .
— Tarini J. Carr, “The Harappan Civilization” (adapted)
20. Based on this passage, what is a valid conclusion about civilization in the Indus Valley?
The absence of pottery vessels and seals from the Indus Valley indicates limited urban development.
The Indus Valley civilization controlled a territory that extended from western Europe to China.
Artifacts suggest the Indus Valley civilization is older than the civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Lack of a Rosetta stone has hindered linguists from deciphering Indus Valley script.
Base your answer to question 26 on the passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.
Monsoons are relied upon throughout the country to provide water for growing crops. Heavy monsoons, however, can bring floods that often have a high death toll. These floods have been exacerbated [made worse] by deforestation of the hills for industrial and agricultural purposes. It is a fine balance between having plenty of water to flood the rice fields and having too much so that crops, homes, and even lives are lost. The alternative to the floods may be famines. However, India’s infrastructure can now deal successfully with these: When the monsoon fails in one area, the army is able to move supplies to the drought-stricken area. As a result of this organization, few lives were lost in the Maharashtra famines of 1965–66 and 1974–75, while more than two million people died in the Bengal famine of 1943.
—Louise Nicholson, National Geographic Traveler: India, 2007
26. Based on this passage, how have the negative effects of the monsoons been reduced in recent years?
The army is building dams to hold back the floods.
Farmers have begun to grow crops that require less water.
Home construction in flood areas has been controlled by government regulations.
An improved infrastructure makes it possible to bring supplies in areas in need of help.
I am the Persian ruler who conquered a great empire and
extended religious tolerance to my subjects.
(a)
I am the most important god in Egyptian Animism.
(a)
I was the British archaeologist that found Tutankhamen’s tomb undisturbed in the Valley of the Kings.
(a)
I am a ruler of Egypt that ruled for my stepson, traded, and built many temples & obelisks.
(a)
I am the first pharaoh of Egypt that united upper & lower Egypt in 3200 B.C.
(a)
Which people developed the world’s first true alphabet?
Hittites
Sumerians
Babylonians
Phoenicians
One of the main innovative ideas in Hammurabi’s law code was that
the ruler’s will is to be followed at all costs.
the upper classes are to have the most rights.
the lower classes were to have special privileges.
a consistent set of regulations should govern society.
anyone who spoke against the king would be executed.
The Persians developed the following
chariots, libraries & bronze weapons
chariots, grid patterned cities & bathhouses
wheel, ziggurats & cuneiform
roads, coins & religious toleration
I was known as the "Rebel King." I changed the religion of Egypt from Animism to a monotheistic faith worshipping only, Aton. I also moved the capital to Amarna to centralize power of my people. My subjects punished me after my death by destroying my capital and many statues. Who am I?
Tutankhamen
Akhenaton
Rameses II/Great
Menes
35.Name that body of water.
(a)
36.Name that body of water.
(a)
37.Name that plateau.
(a)
38.Name that desert.
(a)
Name that body of water.
(a)
40.Name that body of water.
(a)
