Deck 1: The Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations

Question 1

According to Egyptian theology, the pharaoh derived his authority from which of the following?

A)Hereditary succession
B)The assent of local governors
C)The fact that he was perceived as a divine instrument of order and harmony

Answer 1

The fact that he was perceived as a divine instrument of order and harmony

Question 2

Which of the followingbest describes the Egyptian pyramids?

A)Built during the period of the New Kingdom
B)Part of a large spiritual complex near Alexandria
C)Conceived and built as tombs for a city of the dead

Answer 2

Conceived and built as tombs for a city of the dead

Question 3

For administrative purposes in the Old Kingdom, Egypt was governed in which of the following ways?

A)Through divided into provinces called nomes and governed by nomarchs
B)Totally ruled by the pharaoh in all facets of government
C)Divided into military districts directly responsible to an army commander

Answer 3

Through divided into provinces called nomes and governed by nomarchs

Question 4

Which of the following Egyptian gods was most closely associated with the mummification of the dead?

A)Horus
B)Re
C)Osiris

Question 5

On which continent did hominids exist as long as 3-4 million years ago?

A)Europe
B)Asia
C)Africa

Question 6

All of the following is true of Egyptian serfs EXCEPT which one?

A)They were common people bound to the land.
B)They paid taxes to the king, nobles, and priests.
C)They lived exclusively in Egyptian cities.

Question 7

Which of the following statements best applies to the status of women in Mesopotamian society?

A)The woman's role was to be in the home and subservient to her husband.
B)Divorce laws applied equally to men and women.
C)Punishments for adultery were light compared to those for men.

Question 8

The written script of the Sumerians is known as which of the following?

A)Cuneiform
B)Alphabetic
C)Phonogram

Question 9

Egypt's Old Kingdom ended for all of the following reasons EXCEPT which?

A)Foreign invasion
B)A drought caused by low levels of the Nile
C)Decline of centralized authority

Question 10

How did the vast majority of the population in Sumerian city-states work as?

A)Farmers
B)Merchants
C)Textilemakers

Question 11

The term Ma'at expresses the Egyptian belief in which of the followingideas?

A)Truth, justice, and order in the universe
B)Steady progress toward a better future
C)Redemption promised to those who believe in the gods

Question 12

The physical environment of the Mesopotamians generally led to which of the following?

A)An optimistic outlook emphasizing the secular life
B)A pessimistic outlook and loathing of religion
C)A pessimistic outlook with an emphasis on satisfying their angry gods

Question 13

Sumerian kings derived their authority from which of the following?

A)The will of the people
B)The parliamentary councils of the city-states
C)The gods

Question 14

The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches which of the following?

A)The gods are benevolent and care greatly for their people.
B)A wish fulfilled is not always a good thing.
C)Human life is difficult and immortality is only for the gods.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the first anatomically modern humans, known as Homo sapiens sapiens?

A)First appeared in Africa between 200,000 and 150,000 years ago
B)Were skilled hunters who had mastered the bow and arrow
C)Lived mostly in small groups near the sea

Question 16

How are punishments for crimes under the Code of Hammurabi best described?

A)They were more severe for the lower classes.
B)They did not apply to domestic family concerns.
C)They stressed reform rather than retribution.

Question 17

How are the Hyksos best described?

A)They were a Semitic-speaking people who infiltrated Egypt in the seventeenth century B.C.E.
B)They were Indo-European peoples who were recruited into the Egyptian military.
C)They were priests/astronomers in Egypt during the Old Kingdom.

Question 18

Unlike the rivers in Mesopotamia, how is the Nile River best described?

A)It floods predictably at the same time every year.
B)It frequently goes dry, leaving the land barren.
C)It is subject to violent, unpredictable floods.

Question 19

In comparison to Mesopotamian society, how is Egyptian society best described?

A)More urban
B)Less dependent on rivers
C)More rural

Question 20

Originally the Osiris cult was reserved for which of the following?

A)The wealthy who could afford preservation of the body
B)Priests who knew religious secrets
C)The poor who lived by the Nile

Question 21

Describe the differences between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens.

Question 22

Why did the Hittites play an important role in the history of the Middle East?

A)They defeated the Egyptians, thus ending Egypt's New Kingdom.
B)They were conquered by the Assyrians, paving the way for the Assyrian Empire.
C)They transmitted Mesopotamian culture to the west, especially to the Mycenaean Greeks.

Question 23

What evidence exists to support the claim that domestication began around 10000 B.C.E.?

Question 24

In ancient civilizations, why did bronze replace copper?

A)Bronze was harder and more durable.
B)It was prettier and therefore made prettier jewelry.
C)Bronze took less time to smelt.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT true of Egyptian social life?

A)Women had many equal legal rights with men.
B)Marriages were based on love and personal attraction.
C)The upper classes devoted much time to entertainment.

Question 26

Describe the differences between Homo erectus and Homo habilis.

Question 27

Akhenaten is best known for his unsuccessful attempt to lessen the power of which group?

A)Priesthood
B)Nobles
C)Merchants

Question 28

Which of the following is NOT true of Egyptian art?

A)It was largely individually expressive, illustrated by many identifiable artists.
B)It was primarily functional and not intended to add beauty.
C)It was highly stylized.

Question 29

Describe early human lifeways.

Question 30

Describe Sumerian practices of government.

Question 31

Amenhotep IV is best known for which of the following?

A)The temporary installation of the god of the sun disk in Egyptian culture
B)Expelling the Hyksos and leading Egypt along an imperialistic path
C)Increasing the power of the Amon-Re priesthood

Question 32

From where did the original Indo-Europeans probably come?

A)Mesopotamia
B)The steppe region north of the Black Sea
C)The Indus Valley

Question 33

All of the following are believed to be developments of the Paleolithic Age EXCEPT which one?

A)The utilization of tools
B)The regular production of food through agriculture
C)A social system with rough equality between the sexes

Question 34

Invasions in the twelfth century by which of the following people ended Egyptian power in Canaan?

A)Sumerians
B)"Sea Peoples"
C)Babylonians

Question 35

Who was one of the few female pharaohs?

A)Ramses
B)Hatshepsut
C)Menes

Question 36

In the first century B.C.E., Egypt became a province of which power?

A)Rome
B)Persia
C)Babylonia

Question 37

Describe early Sumerian cities.

Question 38

How are the Hittites best described?

A)They were an Indo-European speaking people.
B)They were a Semitic speaking people.
C)They defeated and destroyed the Egyptians.

Question 39

Growing appreciation of astronomy among European peoples after 4000 B.C.E. is best seen in which of the following?

A)Cuneiform star charts
B)Wall paintings of galaxies
C)Megalithic observatories

Question 40

In general, during the imperialistic New Kingdom, how did the Egyptian government change?

A)A gradual lessening in the power of pharaohs over their neighbors
B)A decrease in the size of the royal bureaucracy
C)The growing poverty and powerlessness of priesthoods

Question 41

Describe the role of cults in Egyptian religion.

Question 42

Describe Egyptian family life.

Question 43

Describe important Egyptian political reforms.

Question 44

Which best describes what historians refer to as the agricultural revolution?

A)Occurred prior to 10,000 B.C.E.
B)Began in Asia and then spread to other regions
C)Included the growing of crops and the taming of food-producing animals

Question 45

Why is Egyptian history broken down into "old,""middle," and "new"kingdoms?

Question 46

How were the Hittites able to conquer so much territory?

Question 47

Describe Mesopotamian approaches to law.

Question 48

Describe the differences between Homo erectus and Homo habilis.

Question 49

Describe economic, cultural, and social life in early human communities.

Question 50

How did men's and women's lives differ in ancient Mesopotamia?

Question 51

What role did bureaucracy serve in the Egyptian state?

Question 52

How did the New Kingdom come to its end?

Question 53

Describe Egypt's relationships with its neighbors.

Question 54

How did the Hittites govern their territory?

Question 55

Describe the concept of Ma'at.

Question 56

Why did the Hittite Empire fall?

Question 57

What was the result of Amenhotep's religious reforms?

Question 58

Describe the differences between men's and women's social status in ancient Sumeria.

Question 59

What transition occurred during the early Neolithic era?

A)A slow transition from hunting and gathering to an agricultural society
B)The appearance of cities and urban life
C)The domestication of the horse in ancient Egypt

Question 60

Why did the New Kingdom pursue a policy of expansion? What results did it have?

Question 61

Describe the relationship between Sumerian trade and the development of cuneiform.

Question 62

What were the motivations of Amenhotep's attempts to restore the Pharaoh cult? What were the results?

Question 63

Which of the following best describes the ancient city of ÇatalHüyük?

A)A farming community located in Greece
B)A Neolithic walled community sustained by food surpluses
C)A large city with an elaborate water and sewer system

Question 64

How had Egyptian religion changed from the Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom?

Question 65

How does the Epic of Gilgameshrepresent Mesopotamian life? What themes are central to the epic, and how representative are they of Mesopotamian worldviews?

Question 66

Which of the following is true about the Sumerians?

A)They defeated the Hittites in 2600 B.C.E.
B)They were plagued by incessant warfare between their many city-states.
C)They had a complicated religion with a sophisticated belief in life after death.

Question 67

How important was trade to Egypt? Why?

Question 68

All of the following are consequences of the Neolithic revolution EXCEPT which one?

A)The building of structures for housing and storage
B)The development of towns and villages dominated by women
C)The division of labor between men and women

Question 69

How does Egyptian religion differ from Mesopotamian religion? Why?

Question 70

Describe the differences between the Neolithic and the Paleolithic era.

Question 71

Which of the following is true about the Sumerian government?

A)It came to view kings as agents of their gods.
B)It saw the various city-states erect different types of governments.
C)It was a theocracy in which the priest ruled.

Question 72

How did Ma'atstructure Egyptian governance?

Question 73

Which had the largest influence on Sumerian society: religion, politics or economics?

Question 74

What was the significance of the Hittite Empire?