Worksheets7th Grade TCI 5 and 6: Ancient Sumer
Total questions: 30
Worksheet time: 15mins
The environment of Sumer was:
low and flat, with little rain
hilly and dry, with many stones
thickly forested, with heavy storms
high and cold, with sharp mountain peaks
The name of Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was:
between two rivers
in mountain foothills
near a region of many conflicts
at the site of the earliest citie
Why were Sumerian communities called city-states?
Each of them kept written records
Each of them had their own ruler and farmland
They all depended on each other for water
Each of them kept written records
What fact allowed Neolithic people to farm in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains?
Goats can live on dry grass
The region had plenty of rain
Shallow canals watered the fields
Harsh climates are good for grains
What development caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?
overuse of soil
change in the climate
Increase in population
fighting between villages
What solution did people in the Zagros foothills find to fix the problem of food shortages?
building terraces
moving to the south
constructing reservoirs
joining villages together
What factors made farming difficult in the area of Sumer?
rocky soil
steep hillsides
lack of rainfall
growth of weeds
Why did the rivers in Sumer flood in the spring?
heavy rain fell throughout the area
strong winds blew from the Persian Gulf
ice that had formed on the rivers broke into bits
snow melted in the mountains where the rivers began
What was the chief purpose of dams and reservoirs?
to allow travel by boat
to make it easier to fish
to store water for later use
to protect villages from attack
Why were levees built in Ancient Sumer?
to load barges
to irrigate crops
to prevent floods
to control workers
Why was silt a problem for the people of Sumer?
it dried up the rivers
it crumbled the city walls
it ruined the soil for planting
it clogged the irrigation canals
Why did the villages of Sumer depend on each other?
they formed caravans to safely visit the mountains
they cooperated to keep the water systems working
they exchanged different kinds of natural resources
they had to fight off attacks from empires to the east
Sumerians built strong walls with:
bricks made of mud
logs with pointed tips
reeds cut near the rivers
rocks shaped into squares
Why did the people of Sumer construct moats?
to get crops to grow better
to protect cities from attack
to make villagers work together
to bring drinking water into towns
A society has a stable food supply if:
it gives food to the king
it has enough food for its people
it buys food from other groups
it gets food by hunting and fishing
What is a social structure?
the way a civilization is organized
how much in taxes a king collects from each class
the way scribes record social events
how the government treats the lower class
Which Sumerian most likely lived in a two-story house near the center of the city?
a skilled metalworker
a fisherman
a government official
a merchant
Who lived in small, mud brick houses at the edge of the city?
slaves
traders
potters
farmers
Which of these inventions most affected the food supply in Sumer?
the arch
the plow
the wheel
the chariot
In Sumer, who had the responsibility to lead the army, enforce the laws, and have temples built?
the king
the priests
the scribes
the council
Which Sumerian belief about the king helped strengthen the social order?
He was supported by the gods
He cared the most about poor people
He consulted with wise advisers
He wanted everyone to be happy
Why were scribes important in Sumerian government?
to entertain the rulers
to write down the laws
to collect peoples' taxes
to teach the royal children
Why was a ziggurat important to Sumerian civilization?
it stored food
they used it for writing
it was important to religion
it was a part of the government
What evidence do we have that the Sumerians lived after the Stone Age?
they had brick houses
they had wooden plows
they had copper jewelry
they had painted pottery
What did the Sumerians use drums, pipes, and lyres for?
warfare
irrigation
construction
entertainment
What invention made it possible for Sumerian armies to use chariots?
wheels
swords
sledges
horseshoes
What invention added strength and beauty to Sumerian buildings?
glass
paints
arches
concrete
What evidence found by archaeologists shows that Sumerians were not prehistoric?
ziggurats
city walls
stone statues
written records
What did the Sumerians use to produce cuneiform?
poles pulled by oxen
a wedge-shaped stylus
a net woven from reeds
feathers from large birds
Records of the goods people exchanged were made on:
metal coins
clay tablets
animal hides
flattened reeds
