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Ancient Mesopotamia p. 85 and 86

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the name of the ancient civilization known as "The Fertile Crescent"?

a)

Ancient Mesopotamia

b)

Ancient Egypt

c)

Ancient Greece

d)

Ancient Rome

2.

What does the word "Mesopotamia" mean?

a)

Land of the kings

b)

Between the rivers

c)

City of gold

d)

Mountain valley

3.

The Fertile Crescent is the land around which two rivers?

a)

Nile and Amazon

b)

Tigris and Euphrates

c)

Danube and Rhine

d)

Ganges and Indus

4.

What did regular flooding provide for farmland in Mesopotamia?

a)

Gold

b)

Fertile silt

c)

Sand

d)

Stones

5.

Why was farming in Mesopotamia challenging?

a)

The land was too dry

b)

Flooding was unpredictable

c)

There were too many mountains

d)

The soil was rocky

6.

What is one way farmers control seasonal floods?

a)

By building dams and channels

b)

By planting more crops

c)

By using fertilizers

d)

By raising animals

7.

Why do farmers use irrigation?

a)

To bring water to their fields

b)

To harvest crops faster

c)

To prevent pests

d)

To make the soil dry

8.

What types of food do farming advances allow farmers to grow to support a large population?

a)

Barley, wheat, vegetables

b)

Rice, corn, apples

c)

Fish, meat, eggs

d)

Oranges, bananas, grapes

9.

Which was the first major civilization in Mesopotamia?

a)

Sumer

b)

Egypt

c)

Greece

d)

Rome

10.

Around what year did the first major civilization in Mesopotamia begin?

a)

About 4,500 BCE

b)

About 1,000 BCE

c)

About 2,000 CE

d)

About 500 BCE

11.

How were the cities in the first major Mesopotamian civilization organized?

a)

Into independent city-states

b)

As one large empire

c)

In tribal villages

d)

Under a single king

12.

Who are the people shown in the image?

a)

People of Sumer

b)

People of Egypt

c)

People of Greece

d)

People of Rome

13.

Which ancient civilization is represented by the people in the image?

a)

Sumerian civilization

b)

Roman civilization

c)

Egyptian civilization

d)

Greek civilization

14.

Which group is at the top of the social structure pyramid on p. 85?

a)

Peasant farmers

b)

Captured slaves

c)

Merchants, artists, scribes

d)

Rulers & priests

15.

Who is at the bottom of the social structure pyramid?

a)

Peasant farmers

b)

Captured slaves

c)

Merchants, artists, scribes

d)

Rulers & priests

16.

Which group is directly above peasant farmers in the social structure pyramid?

a)

Rulers & priests

b)

Captured slaves

c)

Merchants, artists, scribes

d)

Peasant farmers

17.

Which group is directly below merchants, artists, and scribes in the social structure pyramid?

a)

Rulers & priests

b)

Peasant farmers

c)

Captured slaves

d)

Merchants, artists, scribes

18.

Which of the following was a cultural achievement mentioned in the material?

a)

Made fine jewelry & sculptures

b)

Built large ships

c)

Invented the steam engine

d)

Discovered electricity

19.

What musical instruments were used according to the cultural achievements listed?

a)

Flutes & strings

b)

Drums & trumpets

c)

Pianos & guitars

d)

Harps & saxophones

20.

What is the Epic of Gilgamesh about?

a)

A king who travels the world, performs great deeds, and searches for a way to live forever

b)

A queen who builds a great city

c)

A warrior who defeats monsters

d)

A merchant who discovers new lands

21.

What does it mean if a religion is polytheistic?

a)

Belief in one god

b)

Belief in many gods

c)

Belief in no gods

d)

Belief in spirits only

22.

In a theocracy, who leads the government?

a)

Military leaders

b)

Religious leaders

c)

Merchants

d)

Scientists

23.

What is a ziggurat?

a)

A small house

b)

A large pyramid-like temple at the city’s center

c)

A marketplace

d)

A palace for the king

24.

What ancient civilization is associated with the temple shown in the image?

a)

Sumerian

b)

Egyptian

c)

Greek

d)

Roman

25.

Which of the following best describes the artwork on the walls of the Sumerian temple?

a)

Colorful murals depicting people and mythical creatures

b)

Plain stone walls with no decoration

c)

Modern abstract art

d)

Photographs of ancient rulers

26.

What type of structure is shown in the image?

a)

Temple

b)

Castle

c)

Pyramid

d)

Amphitheater

27.

What is the name of the pictographic writing system that uses wedge-shapes and symbols for pictures, sounds, and ideas?

a)

Cuneiform

b)

Hieroglyphics

c)

Alphabet

d)

Morse code

28.

On what material was cuneiform writing typically written?

a)

Clay tablets

b)

Paper scrolls

c)

Stone walls

d)

Animal skins

29.

Which of the following best describes the shapes used in cuneiform writing?

a)

Wedge-shapes

b)

Circular shapes

c)

Star shapes

d)

Square shapes

30.

Cuneiform writing uses symbols to represent which of the following?

a)

Pictures, sounds, and ideas

b)

Only numbers

c)

Only letters

d)

Only colors

31.

What mathematical concept did ancient civilizations use that is based on the number 60?

a)

100-minute hour and 400° circle

b)

60-minute hour and 360° circle

c)

24-minute hour and 180° circle

d)

12-minute hour and 90° circle

32.

Who were the first to use wheeled carts for transportation?

a)

Ancient Egyptians

b)

Ancient Greeks

c)

Ancient Mesopotamians

d)

Ancient Romans

33.

Who overtook the Sumerians around 2270 BCE?

a)

Akkadians

b)

Assyrians

c)

Babylonians

d)

Egyptians

34.

Which group rose to power around 1900 BCE?

a)

Assyrians

b)

Sumerians

c)

Babylonians

d)

Persians

35.

Who took control of Mesopotamia after the Assyrians?

a)

Babylonians

b)

Akkadians

c)

Sumerians

d)

Egyptians

36.

Which ancient civilization is shown in the shaded area of the map?

a)

Mesopotamia

b)

Egypt

c)

Indus Valley

d)

Ancient Greece

37.

Which city is located furthest to the northwest on the map?

a)

Ebla

b)

Ur

c)

Lagash

d)

Nippur

38.

Which of the following cities is part of the Sumerian civilization?

a)

Uruk

b)

Anshan

c)

Ebla

d)

Tell Leilan

39.

What is the name of the body of water located to the southeast of the map?

a)

Gulf

b)

Red Sea

c)

Mediterranean Sea

d)

Black Sea

40.

Who was Hammurabi?

a)

Babylonian King

b)

Egyptian Pharaoh

c)

Greek Philosopher

d)

Roman Emperor

41.

During which years did Hammurabi rule Babylon?

a)

1792 to 1750 BCE

b)

1200 to 1150 BCE

c)

2000 to 1950 BCE

d)

1500 to 1450 BCE

42.

What region did Hammurabi control?

a)

Mesopotamia

b)

Egypt

c)

Greece

d)

Rome

43.

What is Hammurabi best known for?

a)

Hammurabi’s Code, the first written code of laws

b)

Building the Pyramids

c)

Writing epic poetry

d)

Inventing the wheel

44.

Which phrase is associated with Hammurabi’s Code?

a)

An eye for an eye

b)

Divide and conquer

c)

Let them eat cake

d)

To be or not to be

45.

Which ancient civilization is shown in the map as existing around 1450 BCE?

a)

Mesopotamia

b)

Ancient Greece

c)

Ancient China

d)

Ancient Rome

46.

Which empire rose again before the Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean Empire came to power?

a)

Assyrian Empire

b)

Roman Empire

c)

Persian Empire

d)

Egyptian Empire

47.

Who had the great Hanging Gardens of Babylon built?

a)

King Nebuchadnezzar

b)

King Tutankhamun

c)

King Cyrus

d)

King Hammurabi

48.

What is the name of the famous ancient gardens depicted in the image?

a)

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

b)

The Gardens of Versailles

c)

The Botanical Gardens of Rome

d)

The Royal Gardens of Egypt

49.

Who founded the Persian Empire in the 6th Century BCE?

a)

Cyrus the Great

b)

Alexander the Great

c)

Julius Caesar

d)

Genghis Khan

50.

What is the Fertile Crescent known for?

a)

Being a region with rich soil and early civilizations

b)

Being a desert with little water

c)

Being a mountain range

d)

Being an island in the Mediterranean Sea