Mesopotamian History
How did the available physical features influence the development of Mesopotamia?
A. They settled in mountain ranges to protect themselves from invaders.
B. They settled near rivers for water and farming needs.
C. They settled on islands to isolate themselves from outside invaders.
D. They settled wherever the opportunity to hunt and gather presented itself.
B. They settled near rivers for water and farming needs.
What was the goal of mummification?
A. To ensure the body decayed for the afterlife.
B. To preserve the body for use in the afterlife.
C. To preserve the body for worship by Egyptians.
D. To ensure the body could be studied in the future.
B. To preserve the body for use in the afterlife.
What is the name of the region that connects Mesopotamia and Egypt in an area of good farmland?
A. Arable Land
B. Fertile Crescent
C. River Valley Civilizations
D. Nile Delta
B. Fertile Crescent
The Assyrians were fierce in battle and built an empire by conquering areas throughout the Fertile Crescent. Assyrian kings ruled their large empire through local leaders. Each governed a small area, collected taxes, enforced laws, and raised troops for the army. Roads were built to link distant parts of the empire. Messengers on horseback were sent to deliver orders to faraway officials.
According to the passage, how were Assyrian kings able to successfully rule over the empire?
A. The kings used local leaders to help rule small areas of the empire.
B. They kings hired paid workers to watch over small areas of the empire.
C. The kings built roads so that they could travel through the empire and check on all of the areas.
D. The kings used troops to enforce all of the laws and rule small areas.
A. The kings used local leaders to help rule small areas of the empire.
The Phoenicians grew wealthy from trade. Besides timber, the Phoenicians traded silverwork, ivory carvings, and slaves. Beautiful glass objects also became valuable trade items and the Phoenicians made purple cloth that was very popular with rich people. Phoenicians used their goods to trade for other resources that were not readily available to them, such as ivory, gold, copper, tin, and iron.
According to the passage, why did the Phoenicians trade with other cultures throughout Mesopotamia?
A. Phoenicians traded for resources they wanted, but did not have.
B. Phoenicians traded to meet other people in Mesopotamia.
C. Phoenicians traded for purple dye to make their famous cloth.
D. Phoenicians traded so that they could become rich.
A. Phoenicians traded for resources they wanted, but did not have.
What is the main significance writing had on Sumerian civilization?
A. As it enabled the Sumerians to create art.
B. As it enabled the Sumerians to teach people to hunt.
C. As it enabled the Sumerians to express complex ideas.
D. As it enabled the Sumerians to conquer other areas.
C. It enabled the Sumerians to express complex ideas.
Egyptian priests supervised the burial practices for those who died. Priests made sure the dead body was well preserved for the afterlife. What is preserving a dead body called?
A. embalming
B. enrolling
C. envisioning
D. entangling
A. embalming
In what way were the locations of the cities in Mesopotamia and Egypt similar?
A. Cities were built near mountains.
B. Cities were built near rivers.
C. Cities were built near deserts.
D. Cities were built near the volcanoes.
B. Cities were built near rivers.
What allowed the pharaohs of Egypt’s hold onto their power?
A. They were great warlords who conquered new lands, securing their power.
B. They were lawmakers who passed harsh laws and enforced strict punishments.
C. They were members of the same family with power passing down to the sons from the fathers.
D. They co-ruled with each other by sharing equal amounts of responsibilities over Egypt.
C. They were members of the same family with power passing down to the sons from the fathers.
The Phoenicians were not a great military power and were often ruled by foreign governments. However, they created a wealthy society through trade. Phoenician trading activity led to important innovations as they encountered different cultures. They made significant contributions to navigation, manufacturing, and written language. Motivated by trade, they became expert sailors and sailed to ports all around the Mediterranean Sea. This helped with cultural diffusion as different cultures throughout the region came to know one another better as they exchanged goods.
According to the passage, what allowed the Phoenicians to gain power and transform society?
A. They gained power through military might and transformed society by conquering many foreign governments in ports all along the Mediterranean Sea.
B. They gained power through trade and transformed society with new innovations and technology as they encountered different cultures.
C. They gained power through military might and transformed society with new innovations and cultural diffusion as they encountered different cultures.
D. They gained power through trade and transformed society by conquering many foreign governments in ports all along the Mediterranean Sea.
B. They gained power through trade and transformed society with new innovations and technology as they encountered different cultures.
What is the main significance of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooding?
A. Floods brought trade, allowing the Mesopotamians to gather resources they needed.
B. Floods brought massive destruction, forcing the Mesopotamians to constantly move.
C. Floods brought surplus water, allowing the Mesopotamians to survive droughts.
D. Floods brought silt and water, allowing the Mesopotamians to grow crops.
D. Floods brought silt and water, allowing the Mesopotamians to grow crops.
How did Egyptian irrigation systems and the shadoofs transform society?
A. They used canals to create better routes to transport goods by ship
B. They used a system of counterweights and poles to empty flooded water into the Nile.
C. They helped to control the amount of water going to the land to improve crop growth
D. They helped to control the amount of sunlight going to the land to improve crop growth.
C. They helped to control the amount of water going to the land to improve crop growth
One similarity found in both Egyptian and Sumerian civilization is that each developed a
A. Monotheistic religion
B. The compass
C. Written language
D. Ziggurat
C. Written language
How did the architecture of the Mesopotamians reflect their values of society?
A. The Ziggurats reflected the important role of religion in Mesopotamian society.
B. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon reflected the important role of religion in Mesopotamian society.
C. The irrigation systems reflected the importance of welcoming outsiders to trade
D. The double gates of the city reflected the importance of welcoming outsiders to trade.
A. The Ziggurats reflected the important role of religion in Mesopotamian society.
How did conquest impact the economic development of Egypt?
A. Conquest helped Egypt economically by becoming very rich through trade routes.
B. Conquest helped Egypt economically by becoming a powerful military nation.
C. Conquest helped Egypt economically by taxing the conquered nations.
D. Conquest helped Egypt economically by taxing the people in the cities.
A. Conquest helped Egypt economically by becoming very rich through trade routes.
Hammurabi’s Code
196. If a man put out the eye of a nobleman, his eye shall be put out. [An eye for an eye ]
198. If he puts out the eye of a freed man, or breaks the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina.
199. If he puts out the eye of a man's slave, or breaks the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
What can you determine about social class in Mesopotamia from Hammurabi's Codes?
A. There is a clear hierarchy in Mesopotamian society
B. There is no identifiable hierarchy in Mesopotamian society
C. There were formal laws to ensure equal justice for all
D. There is concrete evidence that slaves were valued more than others
A. There is a clear hierarchy in Mesopotamian society
In what way did ancient Egyptians benefit by being surrounded by desert?
A. The desert offered protection from attacks.
B. The desert had good land for growing crops.
C. The desert made trade and travel easier.
D. The desert afforded many different types of building materials.
A. The desert offered protection from attacks.
A large political unit under the control of a single leader that controls many different territories is called a(n)
A. Theocracy
B. City-state
C. Empire
D. Democracy
C. Empire
The Egyptians believed that the afterlife was a happy place. Paintings from Egyptian tombs show the afterlife as an ideal world where all the people are young and healthy. Egyptians believed in the ka, or a person’s life force. When a person died, the ka left the body and became a spirit. Because they believed in the Afterlife, Egyptians thought that the ka needed all the same things a person had when he or she was living. It needed to eat, sleep, and be entertained. Some of the objects the ka needed were furniture, clothing, tools, jewelry, and weapons.
According to the passage, why were the ancient Egyptians buried with their prized possessions?
A. They wanted their possessions to be preserved for centuries.
B. They wanted their possessions available to them in the afterlife.
C. They wanted their possessions to help identify them.
D. They wanted their possessions protected from invaders.
B. They wanted their possessions available to them in the afterlife.
Trade and commerce developed in Mesopotamia because the farmers learned how to irrigate their land. They could now grow more food than they could eat and they used the surplus to trade for goods and services. Ur, a city-state in Sumer, was a major center for commerce and trade. Temples were the chief employer and location for commercial activity. The system of trade developed from people's need. People in the mountains needed wheat and barley. Mountain people could give timber, limestone, gold, silver, and copper. Flax was grown in the river valley and then woven into cloth. Linen garments were worn by priests and holy men. Wool and wool cloth was also important for trade. Wood was used for ships and furniture.
According to the passage, what led to the development of trade and commerce in Mesopotamia?
A. People who lived in the mountains brought timber, limestone, gold, and silver.
B. Priest and holy men needed linen garments, so they came to the temple to buy what they needed.
C. New innovations in farming techniques led to a surplus of food which led to trade.
D. Conquest of territories in Egypt allowed Mesopotamia to gain wealth.
C. New innovations in farming techniques led to a surplus of food which led to trade.
What can you determine from the map about the expansion and decline of Mesopotamian civilizations?
A. The Assyrian Empire declined to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
B. The Babylonian Empire declined to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
C. The Babylonian Empire was able to extend the territory of the Assyrian Empire into Asia Minor and Egypt.
D. The Assyrian Empire was able to extend the territory of the Babylonian Empire into Asia Minor and Egypt.
D. The Assyrian Empire was able to extend the territory of the Babylonian Empire into Asia Minor and Egypt.
How did Queen Hatshepsut positively impact the Egyptian economy?
A. She established trade routes that strengthened Egypts economy.
B. She created a strong army that paid its soldiers more than other pharaohs.
C. She invaded Greece and Asia minor and gained vast amounts of resources.
D. She built the Great Pyramids of Egypt using the peasants as labor.
A. She established trade routes that strengthened Egypts economy.
The Sumerians practiced polytheism, the worship of many gods. They believed that their gods had enormous powers and could either bring a good harvest or disastrous floods. They could bring illness, or they could bring good health and wealth. The Sumerians believed that success in every area of life depended on pleasing the gods and every Sumerian had a duty to serve and worship the gods.
According to the passage, how did polytheism impact Mesopotamian society?
A. Mesopotamians believed that by pleasing the many gods, they would be successful in life.
B. Mesopotamians believed that by pleasing their one god, they would be successful in life.
C. Mesopotamians believed that by pleasing their many gods, they would not be successful in life.
D. Mesopotamians believed that they were in complete control of their fate and did not believe in gods.
A. Mesopotamians believed that by pleasing the many gods, they would be successful in life.
The Sumerians practiced polytheism, the worship of many gods. They believed that their gods had enormous powers and could either bring a good harvest or disastrous floods. They could bring illness, or they could bring good health and wealth. The Sumerians believed that success in every area of life depended on pleasing the gods and every Sumerian had a duty to serve and worship the gods.
According to the passage, how did polytheism impact Mesopotamian society?
A. Mesopotamians believed that by pleasing the many gods, they would be successful in life.
B. Mesopotamians believed that by pleasing their one god, they would be successful in life.
C. Mesopotamians believed that by pleasing their many gods, they would not be successful in life.
D. Mesopotamians believed that they were in complete control of their fate and did not believe in gods.
A. Mesopotamians believed that by pleasing the many gods, they would be successful in life.
The ancient Egyptians were wonderful traders. They traded gold, papyrus, linen, and grain for cedar wood, ebony, copper, iron, ivory, and lapis lazuli (a lovely blue gem stone.) Ships sailed up and down the Nile River, bringing goods to various ports. Once goods were unloaded, various merchants hauled them by camel, cart, and on foot to other civilizations to trade their goods with the goods they needed.
What type of economic system does this describe?
A. Market System
B. Barter System
C. Paper System
D. Mixed System
B. Barter System