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WorksheetsLesson 4: The Rise of Sumerians City-States
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 20mins
Mesopotamia is located in the modern country of
Iran
Iraq
Turkey
Jordan
Where was the ancient land known as Mesopotamia?
in northern Africa near the Nile River
in Eastern Europe along the Danube River
in central Asia between the Syr Darya and Amu Darya
in southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
The earliest settlements in Mesopotamia were like small, independent countries. They are called
fiefdoms
city-states
vassal states
nations
What made Mesopotamia a difficult environment to live in?
The daily rain showers made the soil soggy and unworkable.
The short growing seasons made it hard to grow enough food.
The sun was hot, and there was little rain.
Farmland was scarce because of the dense forests.
In Neolithic times, the first people to begin farming in Mesopotamia lived
in the Pyrenees Mountains
in the Rocky Mountains
in the Zagros Mountains
in the Pontic Mountains
What was the major disadvantage to the rapid population growth in the foothills?
crowded living conditions
food shortages
lack of job opportunities
competition for land
What drove people to move out of the foothills to the plains of Sumer?
the desire for a new beginning
the search for gold
the need for food
the need to escape enemies
The foothills provided conditions that were good for farming and building shelters. What conclusion can you draw from this statement?
People had to remain nomads in order to survive.
People came to the foothills to learn farming before returning to their homes elsewhere.
The foothills did not have what was necessary to sustain life.
People settled in one place, and the population grew.
In Sumer, the water supply was
inadequate. Farmers never had enough water.
unreliable. Farmers had either too much water or too little.
extreme. Farmers had too much water all the time.
contaminated. Farmers rarely had enough clean water.
What was the key to successful farming in Sumer?
planting crops before the floods came
growing crops in the foothills and not on the plains
controlling the water supply
hiring workers from nearby communities
How did Sumerian farmers control the water supply?
They built levees to prevent flooding.
They dug canals to shape the paths the water took
They built reservoirs to store water for later use
all of the above
Water is to reservoir as money is to
a spending spree
bank
credit card
purchase
Why did farmers clean canals regularly?
A dirty canal was bad for the tourist industry.
A clogged canal could spoil the entire system.
An unsanitary canal would make villagers ill.
all of the above
When farmers cleaned the canals, they were working for
the king
their own benefit
a regular paycheck
the common good
What caused Sumerians to build larger communities?
the need to maintain irrigation systems
the desire for a more diverse community
the hunger for power and authority
the need to protect themselves from their enemies v
Suppose you are a Sumerian farmer, and you don’t like having to clean out canals. What might happen if you refused to help?
Your crops would be fine as long as you kept the canal on your land clear.
Nothing; the canals are not that important to farmers.
The system could clog up and ruin everyone’s crops.
all of the above
Which statement is true?
Sumerians had a peaceful civilization in which they shared water equally.
Sumerians fought when one city kept water away from another city.
Sumerians had massive mountain ranges to protect them from their enemies.
Sumerians bribed their enemies with water to keep them from attacking.
Why did Sumerians build walls around their cities?
to grow vine crops, such as pumpkins and beans
to insulate themselves from the bitter winter winds
to protect themselves against attacking neighbors
to honor their gods with memorials
How did the Sumerian city walls relate to the environment?
The walls were made of wood cut from trees in the foothills.
The walls were made of bricks using local mud.
The walls were made of stones from a quarry in the Zagros Mountains.
The walls were made of steel obtained through trade with Egypt.
What is the major flaw in the Sumerian system of canals that flowed through many different cities?
Cities located upriver could block the water flow for cities downriver.
Water was only available to the lucky few who lived next to the canals.
No one could make money from the water because it was freely available to everyone.
People who lived downriver could use all the water before it reached the cities upriver.
