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Early River Valley Civilizations Review

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 13mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The main purpose of this map is to illustrate the location of

a)

overseas trade routes

b)

early belief systems

c)

river valley civilizations

d)

burial sites of ancient rulers

2.

What is the best title for the outline above?

a)

China’s Sorrow- Huang He River

b)

Mesopotamia- Land between the rivers

c)

Egypt- Gift of the Nile

d)

Mesopotamia- Land between the rivers

3.

Why did ancient civilizations develop in valleys of rivers such as the Nile, Indus, Tigris and Euphrates?

a)

the rivers provided power for industries

b)

the river valleys provided a source of fresh water and good farmland

c)

the rivers aided in the exploration of new territories

d)

the river valleys provided areas for recreation

4.

Which heading best completes the partial outline below?

a)

Causes for the neolithic revolution

b)

Results of cultural diversity

c)

Examples of early technology

d)

Characteristics of civilization

5.

How did the Neolithic Revolution lead to political change?

a)

Rulers with control of food surpluses increased their power over others.

b)

Women lost the political power they had exercised in nomadic societies.

c)

Arguments over methods of farming weakened the power of tribal elders over the community.

d)

Democracy was introduced because farming was a cooperative activity.

6.

Speaker 1: “Let your hand build a great tomb to me, the one who rules this great land.”

Speaker 2: “I, king of Babylon, will destroy the wicked and cause justice to prevail in the land”

Speaker 3: “There is only one God and He has said, ‘You shall have no other gods besides Me’”

From the quotes above you can infer that Speaker 1 is a:

a)

satrap

b)

pharaoh

c)

governor

d)

merchant

7.

Speaker 1: “Let your hand build a great tomb to me, the one who rules this great land.”

Speaker 2: “I, king of Babylon, will destroy the wicked and cause justice to prevail in the land”

Speaker 3: “There is only one God and He has said, ‘You shall have no other gods besides Me’”

What religious idea does Speaker 3 explain?

a)

Atheism

b)

Confucianism

c)

Polytheism

d)

Monotheism

8.

Kings in the Shang Dynasty of ancient China were also high priests who offered sacrifices to their ancestors. This proves that the dynasties were which form of government?

a)

Theocracy

b)

Absolute monarchy

c)

Monotheistic

d)

Oligarchy

9.

...If a man has knocked out the teeth of a man of the same rank, his own teeth shall be knocked out. It h has knocked out the teeth of a plebeian (commoner), he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver"...

- Code of Hammurabi


Which statement is supported by this excerpt from Hammurabi's code of laws?

a)

violence must always be punished with violence

b)

all men are equal under the law

c)

law sometimes distinguishes between social classes

d)

fines are preferable to physical punishment

10.

The Code of Hammurabi was a major contribution to the development of civilization because it:

a)

Recorded existing laws for all to see

b)

Ended all physical punishments

c)

Treated citizens and slaves equally

d)

Rejected the principle of “eye for an eye”

11.

What were women’s rights like after they settled into sedentary societies?

a)

they were treated as equal to men

b)

they were placed above men

c)

they had fewer rights than men

d)

they didn’t have any rights

12.

How did the introduction of agriculture affect early people?

a)

birthrates decreased rapidly

b)

sedentary societies developed

c)

societies became nomadic

d)

food production declined

13.

The ziggurats in Sumerian cities were used by:

a)

The military for defense

b)

Priests as symbols of power

c)

Kings as offices for tax collection

d)

Farmers to view their irrigation systems

14.

Depicted in tomb and temple drawings are scenes of everyday living, models of people and animals, glass figures and containers, and jewelry made from gold. The wall and pillar drawings show people going about the everyday business of baking, fishing, boating, and meeting in family groups. Such drawings were used to help the deceased in their eternal life. The most important book was 'The Book of the Dead',' which contained prayers an magic formulas that taught Egyptians how to reach a happy afterlife.

-Charles Gates, The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt


Which of the following occurred because of the concerns described in the excerpt?

a)

Egyptian merchants traded goods with the city-states of Mesopotamia.

b)

Egyptians grew an agricultural surplus along the banks of the Nile River

c)

The ancient Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt.

d)

Egyptian pharaohs built pyramids over their tombs

15.

One similarity between the ancient civilizations in Egypt and China is that they developed:

a)

Nomadic lifestyles

b)

Written forms of communication

c)

Monotheistic belief systems

d)

Democratic governments

16.

An accurate calendar was important to the Egyptians because:

a)

It told them when the flood season would begin and end

b)

It told them when to observe their religious days

c)

It told them when they should go and travel to other countries

d)

It told them when to survey their land for planting

17.

The movement of peoples across the Fertile Crescent resulted in the:

a)

Belief in one god

b)

Building of the pyramids

c)

Exchange of ideas

d)

Creation of colonies along the Mediterranean

18.

What is the best title for the diagram above?

a)

characteristics of classical civilizations

b)

changes during the Neolithic Revolution

c)

elements of belief systems

d)

benefits of the Counter Reformation

19.

Which factor led to the prosperity and success of the world’s earliest civilizations?

a)

Formation of democratic governments

b)

Monotheism

c)

Location in river valleys

d)

Acceptance of gender equality

20.

An archaeologist discovered a preserved mummy, hieroglyphics written on stone walls, and an embalmed mummy.

In which location on the map was this site most likely found?

a)

Site A

b)

Site B

c)

Site C

d)

Site D

21.

According to the map above, what did each of the ancient civilizations indicated by letters on the map have in

common?

a)

They first began along river valleys

b)

They farmed wheat and barley

c)

They were ruled by a pharaoh

d)

They buried their rulers in large pyramids

22.

On the map, the areas marked with A, B, and C, were centers of civilization because they:

a)

were easy to defend from invasion

b)

had rich deposits of iron ore and coal

c)

had fertile soil, fresh water and warm climates

d)

were isolated from other cultural influences

23.

Which statement best describes the impact of farming on the rise of the first river valley civilizations?

a)

People learned how to make fires, use animal hides, and make tools of stone, bone and wood.

b)

Powerful rulers enslaved their own subjects.

c)

People stopped conducting warfare on neighboring groups.

d)

High crop yields on fertile flood plains permitted more people to pursue non-farming activities.

24.

Which of the following is NOT an example of the 5 Characteristics of Civilization.

a)

Cities

b)

Advanced Technology

c)

Geography

d)

Writing and Record Keeping

25.

Based on the information in this illustration, which statement about the society of ancient Egypt is true?

a)

The women had equal status to men

b)

Social movement was unrestricted.

c)

The women had equal status to men

d)

The social structure was hierarchical.