Thinking Like a Historian
A historian studies an ancient war to better understand why two countries disagree today. How does this show the value of studying history?
Studying the past helps explain events and relationships in the present.
A group moves when nearby plants become scarce and animal herds leave. What term describes this way of life?
Nomadic, or being nomads.
Historians divide the past into periods with shared characteristics. What are these periods called?
Eras.
A family begins planting crops instead of depending entirely on wild food. This change was part of what major turning point?
The Agricultural Revolution, or Neolithic Revolution.
A villager spends most of the day making pottery while others grow food. What economic change does this demonstrate?
Specialization.
A clay pot made by an ancient farmer and a textbook chapter about ancient farming both provide information. Which is a primary source, and why?
The clay pot is a primary source because it comes from the time being studied. (material culture)
An early person makes a needle from bone. How could this tool help people survive in a cold climate?
It could help sew animal skins into clothing that provided warmth.
Why can’t historians know exactly what a cave painting meant simply by looking at it?
Its creators left no written explanation, so historians must interpret the evidence.
A community raises goats over many generations for milk and meat. What process does this illustrate?
Domestication.
Why were river valleys attractive places for early settlements? Give two reasons.
Rivers provided water for people and crops, fertile soil, and routes for transportation and trade. Accept any two.
An archaeologist discovers tools from a community that left no written records. Why is this community’s past considered part of prehistory?
Prehistory is the period before writing developed.
Besides providing warmth, explain two ways fire helped early people survive.
It allowed people to cook food, provided light, and helped keep dangerous animals away. Accept any two.
During the Ice Ages, glaciers held large amounts of Earth’s water. What happened to sea levels, and how could that affect human travel?
Sea levels fell, exposing land that people could sometimes cross.
Why did farming encourage people to build permanent settlements?
People needed to stay near their fields to plant, care for, and harvest crops.
How could a food surplus lead to more trade between villages?
Villages could exchange extra food for resources or goods they lacked. Surpluses also supported artisans who made goods to trade.
One artifact dates to 2500 B.C., and another dates to 100 B.C. Which is older, and how do you know?
The artifact from 2500 B.C. is older. Larger B.C. numbers represent dates farther in the past.
A band plans a hunt before approaching a herd. How would spoken language improve its chances of success?
People could assign tasks, share information, warn one another, and coordinate their actions.
As the climate warmed after the last Ice Age, how did conditions become more favorable for farming?
Warmer conditions allowed longer growing seasons and made more land suitable for growing crops.
A village harvests more grain than its people need immediately. What is this extra food called, and how could it help during a poor harvest?
A food surplus. Stored grain could feed people when a later harvest was too small.
A growing village clears nearby forests for fields and buildings. Describe two problems this could create.
It could destroy habitats, reduce supplies of wood, increase soil erosion, or use up available land. Accept any two.
A researcher studies ancient tools and buildings, while another studies fossils of plants and animals. Identify each researcher’s field.
The first studies archaeology; the second studies paleontology.
A group finds food by hunting animals and collecting wild plants. Why might living in a small band be helpful? Give one advantage and one challenge.
Members could share food and cooperate, but they needed enough food for everyone and might have to move when resources became scarce.
The Julian calendar’s year was slightly too long. Over many centuries, what problem did this cause, and how did the Gregorian calendar help?
Calendar dates gradually shifted out of alignment with the seasons. The Gregorian calendar adjusted leap-year rules to keep the calendar more accurate.
Farming usually produced more food, but it also created new risks. Explain how depending on a small number of crops could threaten a village.
Drought, disease, or pests could destroy those crops, leaving the village without enough food.
Explain the connection between these three developments: food surpluses, specialized jobs, and the growth of civilizations.
Surpluses allowed some people to work outside farming. Specialized workers produced goods and provided services, helping trade, towns, and more complex societies develop.