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Mesopotamia/Fertile Crescent - BIG IDEAS

Total questions: 35

Worksheet time: 18mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Mesopotamia was located in the ______ Hemisphere, on the continent of Asia.

a)

Eastern

b)

Western

c)

Northern

d)

Southern

2.

Mesopotamia was located between the ______ and ______ Rivers.

a)

Tigris, Euphrates

b)

Nile, Amazon

c)

Indus, Ganges

d)

Yangtze, Mekong

3.

Today, the land of Mesopotamia is part of the modern countries of Turkey, Iran, and ______.

a)

Iraq

b)

Syria

c)

Jordan

d)

Lebanon

4.

Which of the following was an environmental challenge in Mesopotamia?

a)

Abundant rainfall

b)

Unpredictable flooding

c)

Plenty of natural resources

d)

Geographic barriers

5.

The word Mesopotamia means the land between two ______.

a)

rivers

b)

mountains

c)

deserts

d)

oceans

6.

The Fertile Crescent is the area of good, rich ______ for growing crops.

a)

soil

b)

water

c)

sand

d)

rock

7.

The rivers in the Fertile Crescent flooded often, replenishing the land with ______ and minerals from melting mountain snow.

a)

nutrients

b)

sand

c)

oil

d)

salt

8.

Mesopotamia is known as the cradle of ______.

a)

civilization

b)

democracy

c)

religion

d)

technology

9.

Every civilization always begins near ______ because of basic needs.

a)

water

b)

mountains

c)

deserts

d)

forests

10.

People, animals, and ______ all require water.

a)

farming

b)

cars

c)

computers

d)

books

11.

Progress was ______ in Mesopotamia - people had to fail over and over in order to learn from their mistakes.

a)

slow

b)

rapid

c)

immediate

d)

effortless

12.

The first skill humans had to be successful at was ______.

a)

farming

b)

hunting

c)

writing

d)

trading

13.

Due to the lack of rain, people invented ______ systems to deliver water to crops.

a)

irrigation

b)

ventilation

c)

filtration

d)

navigation

14.

Which of the following inventions aided farming in Mesopotamia?

a)

Wheel

b)

Wagon

c)

Plow

d)

All of the above

15.

The recurring pattern of flooding in nature led to the creation of the sundial, number system, and ______.

a)

calendar

b)

compass

c)

wheel

d)

map

16.

Match the invention to its use:

a)

Wheel

1.

Transportation

b)

Wagon

2.

Moving goods

c)

Plow

3.

Farming

17.

Fill in the blank: Having a ______ allowed for leisure time to think and question.

a)

surplus

b)

deficit

c)

problem

d)

conflict

18.

Fill in the blank: People were ______, believing in more than one god.

a)

polytheistic

b)

monotheistic

c)

atheistic

d)

agnostic

19.

Fill in the blank: ______, pyramid temples, were believed to be stairway to heaven.

a)

Ziggurats

b)

Obelisks

c)

Pagodas

d)

Stupas

20.

Fill in the blank: Religious leaders were very important. People believed ______ were chosen by the gods.

a)

kings

b)

farmers

c)

merchants

d)

soldiers

21.

Fill in the blank: A civilization is an ______, complex society.

a)

organized

b)

ancient

c)

primitive

d)

isolated

22.

Fill in the blank: A ______ was a city that had become its own independent state.

a)

city-state

b)

empire

c)

colony

d)

province

23.

Fill in the blank: Having a surplus allowed communities to grow, specialize, and ______.

a)

trade

b)

hide

c)

fight

d)

migrate

24.

Fill in the blank: As a result, people were exposed to different ______. Ideas and ways of life were shared and borrowed.

a)

cultures

b)

animals

c)

climates

d)

foods

25.

Fill in the blank: The Sumerians invented ______, a type of wedge shaped writing.

a)

cuneiform

b)

hieroglyphics

c)

calligraphy

d)

kanji

26.

Fill in the blank: Cuneiform was developed to remember laws, record trade, and to ______.

a)

communicate

b)

build houses

c)

grow crops

d)

travel

27.

Who was the Akkadian ruler who conquered the city-state of Sumer and created the very first empire?

a)

Sargon

b)

Hammurabi

c)

Gilgamesh

d)

Ashurbanipal

28.

What is an empire?

a)

An empire is a territory or group of territories controlled by one ruler.

b)

An empire is a small village ruled by many leaders.

c)

An empire is a type of government where everyone is equal.

d)

An empire is a group of islands with no central authority.

29.

What is a dynasty?

a)

A dynasty is one family ruling for several generations.

b)

A dynasty is a type of government where everyone votes.

c)

A dynasty is a group of countries united under one leader.

d)

A dynasty is a period of peace and prosperity.

30.

Who established Hammurabi's Code and taxed people's properties in Babylon?

a)

Hammurabi

b)

Nebuchadnezzar

c)

Sargon

d)

Ashurbanipal

31.

Which Babylonian king used money to pay for his army and wrote a set of laws to help him rule his people?

a)

Hammurabi

b)

Nebuchadnezzar II

c)

Sargon of Akkad

d)

Ashurbanipal

32.

Who was the Assyrian king mentioned in the list?

a)

Ashurbanipal

b)

Nebuchadnezzar II

c)

Sargon II

d)

Ramses II

33.

Who was the king of Babylon that took over the former Assyrian empire and built the Hanging Gardens for his wife?

a)

Nebuchadnezzar the Second

b)

Sargon the Great

c)

Ashurbanipal

d)

Hammurabi

34.

The Hanging Gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar the Second for his wife.

a)

True

b)

False

35.

What was the main reason people settled in the Fertile Crescent?

a)

Rich soil for agriculture

b)

Abundant forests

c)

Gold mines

d)

Mountain protection