wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Mesopotamia & the First Civilization

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 36mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The two rivers that run through Mesopotamia are the... (Choose two)

a)

Euphrates River

b)

Nile River

c)

Tigris River

d)

Ganges River

2.

What problem did the people who settled in Mesopotamia have to solve?

a)

The heat in the summer reaches 108 degrees Fahrenheit making living there impossible.

b)

The rivers often flooded and overflowed their banks.

c)

The extreme cold made year-round survival challenging.

3.

The Mesopotamians used the following to irrigate their farming fields (Choose THREE answers!).

a)

Canals

b)

Ditches

c)

Gates

d)

Fences

4.

Having more than you need of something is called a ________,

a)

Deficit

b)

Surplus

5.

Mesopotamia is called 'the Fertile Crescent' because the area is shaped like a. . .

a)

Oval

b)

Star

c)

Diamond

d)

Moon

6.

Silt is. . .

a)

a dangerous substance that people had to avoid.

b)

a good foundation for a brick house.

c)

rich soil and tiny rocks deposited on the land by an overflowing river.

7.

Irrigation allowed farmers to produce a surplus of food - or more food than was needed. What did having a surplus of food allow the people to do?

a)

Some people kept farming, while the others were able to take a break.

b)

Some people kept farming, while the others were able to specialize in new jobs.

c)

The entire group of people moved away from farming - it wasn't needed any more.

8.

The world's first civilization was called _____ and the people who lived there were called _____ .

a)

Sumer, Sumerians

b)

Iraq, Iraqis

c)

America, Americans

d)

Egypt, Egyptians

9.

A type of arrangement in which each worker specializes in a particular task or job is called a . . .

a)

social services.

b)

division of labor.

c)

job options.

d)

department of motor vehicles.

10.

Most people in Sumeria worked as. . .

a)

government workers, living on the grounds of the palace.

b)

farmers, living in the rural countryside.

c)

religious leaders, living near the ziggurats.

d)

scribes, living near the schools.

11.

By 2,000 BCE, historians think that Sumer's largest cities had a population of more than... (Hint: What is the population of Kaiserslautern?)

a)

100,000 residents.

b)

1,000,000 residents.

c)

10,000 residents.

12.

Which accurately describe the role of the city-state in Sumerian society. (Choose ALL that are correct!)

a)

Combined rural farmland with urban cities.

b)

City-states fought for more farmland.

c)

City-states built thick walls around their cities for protection.

d)

City-states built strong armies.

13.

The following are true of Emperor Sargon... (Choose all that are correct!)

a)

Legend says he was found as a baby floating in a basked on a river.

b)

He was from the city-state of Akkad.

c)

He was the first emperor in history.

d)

He gained loyalty from his soldiers by eating with them every day.

14.

Which is a city from ANCIENT Mesopotamia?

a)

Baghdad

b)

Babylon

15.

The Akkadians and the Sumerians spoke the same language, since both groups of people lived in the Mesopotamian region.

a)

True

b)

False

16.

The Sumerian god of wisdom was . . .

a)

Enki

b)

Enlil

c)

Inanna

d)

Utu

17.

The gods Utu and Nanna represented . . .

a)

the sun and moon.

b)

Venus and Mars.

c)

the Earth and Sun.

18.

The worship of many gods is called . . .

a)

polytheism

b)

monotheism

c)

multitheism

d)

confusion

19.

Sumerians created this when they needed a way to keep track of what they were buying and selling.

a)

Cuneiform

b)

Hieroglyphics

c)

Alphabet

d)

Number Line

20.

The tools needed to create cuneiform are . . .

a)

stylus, clay tablet

b)

pencil, paper

c)

iPad, stylus

d)

stick, dirt

21.

Someone who is hired to write, who writes professionally for a living is called a . . .

a)

scribe

b)

priest

c)

peasant

d)

potter

22.

The first use of the wheel was as a . . .

a)

Part of a vehicle, for transportation.

b)

To spin clay around in a circle, to make pottery.

23.

The Sumerians invented a clock that used ______ to measure time.

a)

The movement of the Sun.

b)

Springs and gears.

c)

Falling water.

24.

The Sumerians system of math was based on the number 60. What do we have today that is based on the number 60?

a)

An hour.

b)

The degrees in a circle.

c)

The number of seconds in a minute.

25.

Pyramid-shaped temples that rose high above each of the cities are called . . .

a)

Ziggurats

b)

Marketplaces

c)

The Great Pyramids