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Mesopotamia - Early Civilizations

Total questions: 32

Worksheet time: 16hrs 0mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which are the two rivers considered the most important physical features of Mesopotamia?

a)

Nile and Amazon

b)

Tigris and Euphrates

c)

Ganges and Yangtze

d)

Mississippi and Missouri

2.

Mesopotamia is part of what larger area known for its fertile farmland?

a)

The Nile Valley

b)

The Fertile Crescent

c)

The Indus Valley

d)

The Great Plains

3.

How did the abundance of food affect the first human settlements?

a)

It led to population growth and the formation of villages.

b)

It made people move away from the area.

c)

It made people stop farming.

d)

It caused the decline of civilizations.

4.

Explain how the development of villages contributed to the rise of the first civilizations in the world.

a)

Villages allowed people to settle in one place, which led to the growth of larger communities and, eventually, civilizations.

b)

Villages made people more isolated and less likely to interact.

c)

Villages caused people to abandon agriculture.

d)

Villages led to the extinction of early humans.

5.

What was one of the effects of irrigation on agricultural communities?

a)

It decreased the amount of food produced.

b)

It created a surplus of food.

c)

It made agriculture impossible.

d)

It caused people to stop farming altogether.

6.

What was the typical role of women in Sumerian society?

a)

Making laws

b)

Taking care of the home and children

c)

Leading armies

d)

Building temples

7.

Some high-class women in Sumeria received education. What does this suggest about Sumerian society?

a)

All women were educated

b)

Only men could be educated

c)

Social class affected access to education

d)

Education was not valued

8.

How might the use of cuneiform writing have changed Sumerian society?

a)

It made them forget their traditions

b)

It allowed them to record and organize information, which could have improved trade, government, and education

c)

It prevented them from trading with others

d)

It made them less creative

9.

What was the importance of the Code of Hammurabi?

a)

It was a set of 282 laws that addressed almost every aspect of daily life.

b)

It was a collection of religious hymns.

c)

It was a list of Babylonian kings.

d)

It was a guide for building temples.

10.

What was one of Hammurabi's most important achievements as a leader?

a)

He built the Great Wall of China

b)

He developed a set of laws that was written for everyone to see

c)

He discovered electricity

d)

He invented the printing press

11.

What is silt?

a)

the fine soil deposited by floodwaters

b)

a type of shiny fabric

c)

soil that destroys crops

d)

a type of wheat used for bread

12.

What is irrigation?

a)

the practice of collecting nuts

b)

the control of water for agriculture

c)

hunting large animals

d)

the control of mud for agriculture

13.

As a result of irrigation in the early Mesopotamian civilizations, people ____________.

a)

Learned to raise farm animals

b)

Were able to supply water to crops

c)

Developed a new religion

d)

Were able to change the climate

14.

What is the term used for "having more than you need to survive?"

a)

specialization

b)

surplus

c)

revolution

d)

domestication

15.

Which of the following statements is true about a society that develops specialization?

a)

The majority of the community members are hunter-gatherers

b)

The community often migrates to find raw materials and resources

c)

The houses are built with animal bones and skins

d)

The people who work have different trades, such as potters, weavers, scribes, etc.

16.

Which of the following statements is true about a society that develops specialization?

a)

The majority of the community members are hunter-gatherers

b)

The community often migrates to find raw materials and resources

c)

The houses are built with animal bones and skins

d)

The people who work have different trades, such as potters, weavers, scribes, etc.

17.

What did Hammurabi do with the code of laws to ensure that everyone knew about it?

a)

He had them inscribed on steles and placed them in the temple

b)

He put the code in front of government buildings

c)

He placed them at the entrance of Babylon

d)

He ordered someone to proclaim them to everyone in the kingdom

18.

The Code of Hammurabi consisted of ____ laws.

a)

282

b)

7

c)

100

d)

500

19.

The Code of Hammurabi was written in?

a)

English

b)

Cuneiform

c)

Babylonian

d)

French

20.

Which of these statements best describes the justice of "an eye for an eye"?

a)

Crimes against someone's eyes are punished by death.

b)

Someone convicted of a crime would be subjected to the same harm they committed.

c)

Anyone who is a victim of a crime can keep the criminal's eyes.

d)

Criminals have their left eye removed as a warning to others.

21.

Which of the following is the best motto for the Code of Hammurabi?

a)

Finders keepers

b)

Honesty is the best policy

c)

An eye for an eye

d)

Easy come, easy go

22.

______ were generally just below the kings in the social hierarchy of Sumerian society.

a)

Priests

b)

Kings

c)

Artisans

d)

Artisans

23.

What did food surpluses in ancient Mesopotamia lead to?

a)

To the development of specialized jobs, urbanization, and trade between cities.

b)

To the emergence of nomadic tribes in the area.

c)

To an increase in agricultural exports to neighboring regions.

d)

To a decrease in population due to famine.

24.

When did civilization begin in the Fertile Crescent?

a)

Around 5,000 B.C.

b)

Around 15,000 B.C.

c)

Around 2,000 B.C.

d)

Around 3,500 B.C.

25.

What did the Mesopotamians build to help irrigate their crops?

a)

Canals, ditches, dikes, and dams

b)

Farms and greenhouses

c)

Windmills and water wheels

d)

Dams and reservoirs

26.

Sargon established the world's first ______, that is, a land with different territories and peoples under a single government.

a)

empire

b)

city

c)

irrigation system

d)

agricultural land

27.

The division of society by rank or class.

a)

social hierarchy

b)

irrigation

c)

civilization

d)

level

28.

True or False - Sargon's daughter, Enheduanna, is the first known writer.

a)

True

b)

False

29.

How did the Mesopotamian civilization compare socially, politically, and economically with other ancient river civilizations, and what were its key achievements?

4 lines
30.

Explain what led to the growth of the population in Mesopotamia.

4 lines
31.

In which sea did the Phoenicians mainly sail?

a)

The Dead Sea

b)

The Mediterranean Sea

c)

Caribbean Sea

32.

_______ was valuable in trade because it was used to build palaces and temples around the world.

a)

Brick

b)

Bronze

c)

Cedar