Deck 2: Mesopotamia

Question 1

Which of the following statements was NOT true of women according to Hammurabi and his code of law?

A)Women could initiate divorce.
B)Women could enter into a contract.
C)A woman could gain custody of her children.
D)Men had power over women.
E)Women could purchase and own property.

Answer 1

Women could purchase and own property.

Question 2

All of the following statements apply to the Mesopotamian civilization of Sumeria EXCEPT

A)It saw few technological advancements.
B)It was wracked by strife and warfare.
C)It was incredibly peaceful.
D)It had no clear political leaders.
E)It had few problems with water.

Answer 2

It was wracked by strife and warfare.

Question 3

All of the following statements are true of Sumerian city-states EXCEPT

A)Women played a role in the administration of city-states.
B)The largest of the city-states had a population of over 100,000 people.
C)Each city-state was encircled by farms and canals that supplied the city.
D)Most of the city-states began as religious sites to offer prayers and sacrifices to the gods.
E)The city-states became commercial and governmental centers.

Answer 3

Women played a role in the administration of city-states.

Question 4

Natufians experienced cooler and drier conditions in the late Ice Age as a result of which of the following?

A)the Amorites
B)the Akkadians
C)the Levantine Corridor
D)the Younger Dryas Event
E)the Fertile Crescent

Question 5

Which of the following groups was considered the first urban civilization?

A)Sumerians
B)Hittites
C)Natufians
D)Egyptians
E)Amorites

Question 6

Which of the following statements is NOT true about slaves in Sumerian society?

A)They were treated equally under the law.
B)They worked in most occupations in the ancient world.
C)They performed mining and handling the dead.
D)They were found in all societies of the ancient world except Egypt and China.
E)Their status as a slave was considered a hereditary position.

Question 7

Which of the following characteristics are NOT associated with the Levantine Corridor?

A)It had high water tables.
B)It was geographically located in parts of modern-day Turkey, Israel, and Syria.
C)It is the location of one of the earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia.
D)It extended across the Arabia Desert from the Persian Gulf to the Dead Sea.
E)It had farming settlements in the Euphrates River Valley.

Question 8

Which of these statements is NOT applicable to the Sumerians?

A)They were the builders of the first large cities.
B)They brought Mesopotamia under united rulers as early as 3000 B.C.E.
C)They developed a sophisticated writing system.
D)Basic geometry is said to stem from them.
E)They probably pioneered the use of the wheel for transportation.

Question 9

Which of the following is true of early civilizations?

A)They rarely had trade networks.
B)Agriculture is the only component needed for a civilization.
C)Civilizations had a combination of elements including government and social structure.
D)They did not include any rural areas but were based solely in large cities.
E)They had no economic divisions or occupational specialties.

Question 10

Which of the following statements best describes cuneiform?

A)a pictorial script from which all writing derives
B)a written language corresponding to oral language
C)an alphabet
D)a script written in wedge-shaped characters
E)the written language of the Egyptians

Question 11

Sumerian accomplishments were many and substantial, but perhaps the most enduring and important is the development of which of the following?

A)ziggurats
B)a law code
C)a writing system
D)mathematical concepts
E)a lunar calendar

Question 12

All of the following statements are true of Mesopotamian religion EXCEPT

A)Every religious function was a communal activity.
B)This was no ethical component to the religion.
C)Individuals had a personal and loving relationship with the gods.
D)Priests were the interpreter of the gods' wills.
E)To avert punishment, the gods had to be appeased with rituals and ceremonies.

Question 13

Which of the following statements was NOT a reason Sumerians developed a writing system?

A)to keep the calendar and predict season changes
B)to track commercial and religious taxation
C)to standardize an alphabet
D)to record marital and inheritance contracts
E)to record law codes

Question 14

What were the great temple complexes of the Sumerians called?

A)ziggurats
B)cuneiform
C)pictography
D)lugals
E)post-and-lintel system

Question 15

What was one of the indispensable tasks associated with Sumerian women and children?

A)following the orders of male family members
B)tilling the crops
C)maintaining a supply of fresh water
D)gathering nuts and berries
E)keeping the homes clean and dry

Question 16

What term do historians use to refer to the early hunter-gatherers of the Near and Middle East who switched to agriculture at the end of the last Ice Age?

A)Sumerians
B)Amorites
C)Natufians
D)Assyrians
E)Hittites

Question 17

Which of the following statements is NOT true of the Sumerian gods?

A)The gods were both male and female.
B)The gods were believed to rule over all nature and humanity.
C)The gods were frequently cruel and highly unpredictable.
D)The gods had limited power over Sumerian settlements.
E)The gods were superhuman but with faults and weaknesses.

Question 18

The Sumerians were the first people to do all of the following EXCEPT

A)use the wheel as a load-bearing device.
B)use horse-drawn chariots in warfare.
C)design and make iron weapons and tools.
D)use the plow.
E)design and build irrigation systems powered by gravity.

Question 19

Which one of the following is considered the main contribution of the Akkadian Empire?

A)Sumerian culture was spread throughout the Middle East.
B)Cuneiform was developed.
C)It outlasted other ancient empires.
D)It first manufactured bronze.
E)The Tigris and Euphrates rivers were finally tamed.

Question 20

What unit was the base for Sumerian math?

A)2
B)10
C)16
D)20
E)60

Question 21

The Sumerian city-states were governed as a ____________________, while the successors to the Sumerians governed as a ___________________.

Question 22

Which of the following statements describes marriage in Mesopotamia?

A)Marriage  contracts were verbal agreements.
B)Marriages  were arranged by the bride and groom's families .
C)Marriages were arranged after the girls entered puberty.
D)Marriages involved the bride and groom choosing their own partners.
E)Marriages were between men and women of the same age group.

Question 23

____________________ was credited with unifying Mesopotamia and founding the Akkadian Empire.

Question 24

____________________ is when written signs have a direct connection with the spoken language.

Question 25

Which of the following statements is true of Mesopotamian civilization?

A)There were four classes of people.
B)Slaves were often skilled laborers with responsible positions.
C)Noble landlords owned tracts of land that only allowed for farming one crop.
D)The freemen made up the smallest class of people.
E)All three classes of people had distinct political right s.

Question 26

Sumerians are credited with constructing large buildings and structures using the ____________________ as the basic element of support.

Question 27

Mesopotamia is a Greek term for "Land between the Rivers."  The two major rivers associated with Mesopotamia are the ____________________ and ____________________ rivers.

Question 28

The Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians were Semitic civilizations. What does Semitic refer to?

A)an ethnic group
B)a language family
C)a powerful god
D)a region in Southwest Asia
E)a trade network

Question 29

All of the following factors helped to explain the decline of Mesopotamia EXCEPT

A)environmental degradation.
B)population growth that outpaced agricultural production.
C)harsh sandstorms and extreme heat.
D)salt deposits in the fields reduced agricultural production.
E)the lack of any clear leadership in Babylon.

Question 30

The Indo-European Hittites are credited with being the first to do which of the following?

A)develop writing
B)write down their religious beliefs
C)use gold as currency
D)smelt iron
E)sail across the Persian Gulf

Question 31

Of the accomplishments listed below, which one did the Sumerians NOT achieve?

A)a solid social structure
B)a thriving economy
C)a rigid government with a clear law code
D)a unified political system over all of Mesopotamia
E)a system of writing for recordkeeping

Question 32

The Sumerian language, as set down in written, wedge-shaped character form, is known as ____________________.

Question 33

Which of the following statements was true of Hammurabi's code of law?

A)All people were equal under the law and guaranteed protection .
B)Punishment depended on the social rank of the perpetrator .
C)Perpetrators were subject to more severe damage/injury than they had caused.
D)The government played no role in resolving the conflict between the two parties.
E)Victims had no right to demand personal compensation from the perpetrator.

Question 34

After a succession of civilizations ruled over Mesopotamia, which group was the most enduring and ultimate victor?

A)Amorites
B)Hittites
C)New Babylonians
D)Assyrians
E)Persians

Question 35

The Mesopotamian calendar was based on the position of heavenly bodies and divided into ____________________, which corresponded to the time between full moons.

Question 36

____________________ is considered the first epic in world literature.

Question 37

How did the Sumerians view adultery?

A)Adultery was considered the worst possible offense between a husband and wife.
B)Adultery by a husband was punishable by death.
C)Adultery by a wife or concubine was acceptable.
D)A husband's lover could be punished by death.
E)Adultery was not a legal concept in Hammurabi's law code.

Question 38

Ziggurats, which were stepped pyramids found in Mesopotamia, served the religious function of ____________________.

Question 39

The Sumerians' religion, like most other ancient civilizations, involved believing in ____________________, which comes from the Greek language and means "many gods."

Question 40

Sexual relations in Sumeria were characterized by which of the following?

A)It was for procreation only.
B)It was merely a necessary sin.
C)There was a double standard regarding sex and adultery for men and women.
D)Sumerians never discussed the issue.
E)Loss of virginity prior to marriage was a moral offense.

Question 41

Describe the decline and conquest of the Sumerians within the larger context of Mesopotamia.

Question 42

Term for identification: Babylon

Question 43

As civilizations grew and societies became more sophisticated, what sorts of specialized labor became necessary to sustain the population and earn a living?

Question 44

Term for identification: Hammurabi's Law Code

Question 45

Term for identification: Patriarchy

Question 46

Term for identification: Polytheism

Question 47

Term for identification: Epic of Gilgamesh

Question 48

Trace the development and evolution of writing. Using examples, explain why a writing system was so important to the Sumerians.

Question 49

Term for identification: Levantine Corridor

Question 50

Compare and contrast the Sumerian trade practices and the Mesopotamian trade practices.

Question 51

Describe Sumerian cultural achievements, including religion, writing, literature, and mathematics.

Question 52

Term for identification: Hittites

Question 53

Term for identification: Semitic

Question 54

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of having a written code of law such as the one developed by Hammurabi.

Question 55

Term for identification: Cuneiform

Question 56

Term for identification: Theocracy