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Lesson 4 Quiz: The Rise of Sumerian City-States

Total questions: 23

Worksheet time: 12mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What was the environment of Sumer?

a)

low and flat, with little rain.

b)

hilly and dry, with many stones.

c)

thickly forested, with heavy storms.

d)

high and cold, with sharp mountain peaks.

2.

The name Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was

a)

between two rivers.

b)

in mountain foothills.

c)

near a region of many conflicts.

d)

at the site of the earliest cities.

3.

Why were Sumerian communities called city-states?

a)

They kept written records.

b)

They were part of one empire.

c)

They depended on each other for water.

d)

Each had its own ruler and farmland.

4.

What allowed Neolithic people to farm in the Zagros Mountains?

a)

Goats can live on dry grass.

b)

The region had plenty of rain.

c)

Shallow canals watered the fields.

d)

Harsh climates are good for grains.

5.

What caused food shortages in the Zagros foothills?

a)

overuse of the soil

b)

change in the climate

c)

increase in population

d)

fighting between villages

6.

How did people in the Zagros foothills solve food shortages?

a)

building terraces

b)

moving south

c)

constructing reservoirs

d)

joining villages

7.

What made farming hard in Sumer?

a)

rocky soil.

b)

steep hillsides.

c)

lack of rainfall.

d)

growth of weeds.

8.

Why did the rivers flood in spring?

a)

Heavy rain fell.

b)

Strong winds blew from the Persian Gulf.

c)

Ice on the rivers broke up.

d)

Snow melted in the mountains.

9.

What was the main purpose of dams and reservoirs?

a)

to allow travel by boat

b)

to make it easier to fish

c)

to store water for later use

d)

to protect villages from attack

10.

Why was a levee built beside a river in ancient Sumer?

a)

to load barges

b)

to irrigate crops

c)

to prevent floods

d)

to control workers

11.

Why was silt a problem for Sumerians?

a)

It dried up the rivers.

b)

It crumbled the city walls.

c)

It ruined the soil for planting.

d)

It clogged the irrigation canals.

12.

Why did Sumerian villages depend on each other?

a)

They formed caravans to visit the mountains.

b)

They worked together to maintain water systems.

c)

They traded natural resources.

d)

They defended against eastern empires.

13.

Sumerians built strong walls with

a)

bricks made of mud.

b)

logs with pointed tips.

c)

reeds cut near the rivers.

d)

rocks shaped into squares.

14.

Why did the people of Sumer build moats?

a)

help crops grow

b)

protect cities

c)

work together

d)

bring water to towns

15.

Sumerian farming villages became

a)

self-governing cities.

b)

large-scale private estates.

c)

bands of hunters and gatherers.

d)

abandoned archaeological sites.

16.

What is a city-state?

a)

an early city that acted like a small, independent country, with its own laws and government

b)

one of the two largest rivers in southwest Asia

c)

a method used to supply land with water

d)

a wall made of earth that is built to keep a river from overflowing and flooding the surrounding land

17.

What is the Euphrates River?

a)

one of the two largest rivers in southwest Asia

b)

a method used to supply land with water

c)

a wall made of earth that is built to keep a river from overflowing and flooding the surrounding land

d)

the region located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, often called the "cradle of civilization"

18.

What is irrigation?

a)

a method used to supply land with water

b)

a wall made of earth that is built to keep a river from overflowing and flooding the surrounding land

c)

the region located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, often called the "cradle of civilization"

d)

consists of fine particles of rock that can be carried by water

19.

What is a levee?

a)

a wall made of earth that is built to keep a river from overflowing and flooding the surrounding land

b)

the region located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, often called the "cradle of civilization"

c)

consists of fine particles of rock that can be carried by water

d)

a region in southern Mesopotamia where the first cities appeared

20.

What is Mesopotamia?

a)

the region located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, often called the "cradle of civilization"

b)

consists of fine particles of rock that can be carried by water

c)

a region in southern Mesopotamia where the first cities appeared

d)

one of the two largest rivers in southwest Asia

21.

What is silt?

a)

consists of fine particles of rock that can be carried by water

b)

a region in southern Mesopotamia where the first cities appeared

c)

one of the two largest rivers in southwest Asia

d)

an early city that acted like a small, independent country with its own laws and government

22.

What is Sumer?

a)

a region in southern Mesopotamia where the first cities appeared

b)

one of the two largest rivers in southwest Asia

c)

an early city that acted like a small independent country, with its own laws and government

d)

a method used to supply land with water

23.

What is the Tigris River?

a)

one of the two largest rivers in southwest Asia

b)

an early city that acted like a small independent country, with its own laws and government

c)

a method used to supply land with water

d)

a wall made of earth that is built to keep a river from overflowing and flooding the surrounding land