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Exploring Early Mesopotamian Civilizations

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 8mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is a levee?

a)

A person who writes

b)

A wall of earth built to prevent a river from flooding its banks

c)

A temple tower

d)

A craftsperson

2.

Which two rivers was Mesopotamia formed between?

a)

Nile and Amazon Rivers

b)

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

c)

Yangtze and Ganges Rivers

d)

Mississippi and Danube Rivers

3.

What is a city-state?

a)

A large empire with many cities

b)

An early city that was like a small, independent country with its own laws and government

c)

A type of writing

d)

A craftsperson

4.

Who was a scribe in ancient Mesopotamia?

a)

A person who makes money by selling goods

b)

A person who writes

c)

A craftsperson

d)

A temple builder

5.

What is cuneiform?

a)

A type of soil

b)

A wall to stop floods

c)

Writing that uses wedge-shaped characters; world's first writing system

d)

A temple tower

6.

Which term describes a society marked by developed arts, sciences, government, and social structure?

a)

Civilization

b)

Culture

c)

Technology

d)

Irrigation

7.

What is the main purpose of irrigation in early civilizations?

a)

To build temples

b)

To supply water to an area of land

c)

To write laws

d)

To trade goods

8.

Which of the following best describes the role of a merchant in Mesopotamia?

a)

Building levees

b)

Making money by selling goods

c)

Writing laws

d)

Leading religious ceremonies

9.

How did the use of silt benefit early Mesopotamian farmers?

a)

It helped them build stronger houses

b)

It provided rich soil for growing crops

c)

It was used as a writing material

d)

It was traded for goods

10.

Why was the development of cuneiform important for Mesopotamian civilization?

a)

It allowed for the construction of ziggurats

b)

It made it possible to record laws and transactions

c)

It improved irrigation systems

d)

It helped merchants travel

11.

Which feature of Mesopotamian civilization shows evidence of advanced technology?

a)

The use of pictographs

b)

The building of ziggurats with staircases

c)

The creation of city-states

d)

The role of scribes

12.

How did the social structure in Mesopotamia affect people's roles in society?

a)

Everyone had the same job

b)

People had different jobs and responsibilities based on their class

c)

Only scribes could own land

d)

Merchants were the rulers

13.

Suppose a city-state in Mesopotamia did not build levees. What might happen during a heavy rain?

a)

The city-state would have more trade

b)

The city-state could be flooded by the river

c)

The city-state would grow more crops

d)

The city-state would become a civilization

14.

Imagine you are a scribe in ancient Sumer. How might your ability to write cuneiform help your city-state?

a)

By building stronger walls

b)

By recording important information such as laws and trade records

c)

By growing more crops

d)

By making pottery

15.

If a civilization did not develop irrigation, what challenges might it face in Mesopotamia?

a)

Difficulty in building ziggurats

b)

Problems with supplying enough water for crops

c)

Trouble creating a social structure

d)

Inability to write in cuneiform