Deck 1: The Birth of Civilization

Question 1

In which area did the earliest Neolithic societies appear?

A)Paleolithic Era.
B)Neolithic Era.
C)Bronze Age.
D)Iron Age.

Answer 1

Bronze Age.

Question 2

In the Sumerian religion,gods

A)were usually prisoners of war.
B)were prohibited from marrying.
C)generally worked alongside their masters.
D)were bought and sold in special marketplaces.

Answer 2

generally worked alongside their masters.

Question 3

The Neolithic Revolution is characterized by

A)Middle East
B)China
C)India
D)Mexico

Answer 3

Middle East

Question 4

The Epic of Gilgamesh includes the story of

A)were primarily supposed to procreate and raise children.
B)were eligible to own their own businesses.
C)were used as collateral for loans.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 5

According to the excerpt from the Code of Hammurabi,women in Babylonian society

A)were worshiped in temples that were run like great households.
B)did not resemble humans in their appearance or actions.
C)represented emotional concepts such as evil,hope,or envy.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 6

Mesopotamian debt slaves

A)The towns near the Mediterranean coast,such as Kadesh and Tyre
B)The deserts of southern Arabia,especially near the Red Sea
C)The islands near Greece,including Crete and Cyprus
D)The mountainous plateaus of Armenia,with trade links to the east

Question 7

Anthropologists designate early human cultures by their

A)gathering wild grain and berries.
B)making tools.
C)hunting and fishing.
D)protecting the family with war skills.

Question 8

Mesopotamians constructed lofty towers,perhaps symbolizing mountains,called

A)the Sumerian sexagesimal system was adopted.
B)the time of Hammurabi,when mathematics developed alongside astronomy.
C)an independent concept of number was established.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 9

Who developed the form of writing called cuneiform?

A)led to the growth of urban life and centralized government.
B)conflicted with the needs of early urban life.
C)developed as a result of urbanism.
D)None of these answers are correct.

Question 10

The development of writing first occurred during the

A)bronze.
B)iron.
C)aluminum.
D)tin.

Question 11

The first civilization was established in Mesopotamia by the

A)pyramids.
B)ziggurats.
C)basilicas.
D)temples.

Question 12

Which group was the first to unify much of Mesopotamia and create a true empire?

A)Babylonians.
B)Hebrews.
C)Semites.
D)Sumerians.

Question 13

Looking at Map 1-3,what area or areas do you think were most likely to be fought over between the four Near Eastern empires around 1400 B.C.E.?

A)business documents.
B)literary texts.
C)carving bones and shells.
D)religious texts.

Question 14

Egyptian hieroglyphs were used for all of the following except

A)the invasion of the Hyksos from Western Asia.
B)internal turmoil and political decentralization.
C)the Exodus of Hebrew slaves.
D)attacks by Nubian nomads who destroyed irrigation canals.

Question 15

Which of the following shows the correct chronological sequence of historical eras?

A)the Assyrians
B)the Egyptians
C)the Babylonians
D)the Sumerians

Question 16

Recently,archaeologists have shown that large-scale irrigation in early civilizations in the Middle East

A)They believed that the earth was round.
B)They believed that their progress was inhibited by geographical barriers.
C)They believed that their destinies were controlled by the gods.
D)They believed that they were the most important civilization on earth.

Question 17

What does the Babylonian World Map shown in your text tell us about how Babylonians viewed their place in the world?

A)the Akkadians
B)the Egyptians
C)the Sumerians
D)the Eridu

Question 18

In the Paleolithic Age's division of labor,women were probably involved in

A)the development of urban-based civilizations.
B)the domestication of animals and the start of agriculture.
C)dependence on hunting and gathering techniques.
D)the manufacture and use of iron tools.

Question 19

Mathematics could not develop until

A)a hero-king's search for eternal life.
B)a young noble's search for love.
C)a great victory of the Egyptians over the Hittites.
D)the travels of an ambassador through Mesopotamia.

Question 20

The first metal alloy developed by humans was

A)Neolithic,Bronze,Paleolithic,Iron
B)Bronze,Iron,Paleolithic,Neolithic
C)Paleolithic,Neolithic,Bronze,Iron
D)Paleolithic,Neolithic,Iron,Bronze

Question 21

The earliest literate,urban civilization in the Indus valley is known as

A)control over the water was critical for tax collection.
B)removing obstacles (such as dams)increased the fertility of the river valleys.
C)drinking water from bowls was an essential part of ritual sacrifices.
D)water symbolized masculinity and sexual power.

Question 22

A significant difference between the early government of the Hittites and that of Mesopotamia was that

A)fierce and well-disciplined military.
B)delicate bronze and copper artwork.
C)mathematical and astronomical skills.
D)limitation on the power of their kings.

Question 23

The Vedas contain the earliest beliefs of Hinduism and originated with

A)China was a large,unified empire.
B)China consisted of many independent kingdoms by the sea.
C)China consisted of several independent kingdoms along rivers.
D)China was a powerful state divided into many provinces.

Question 24

Which of the following was not a characteristic of Shang civilization?

A)Political fragmentation and frequent warfare between rival states
B)The establishment of strong centralized authority
C)The beginnings of a primitive democracy as indicated by evidence from religious texts
D)None of these answers are correct.

Question 25

The New Kingdom was different from earlier periods of Egyptian history because

A)the legendary creator god who had blessed Egypt.
B)the pharaoh's chief advisor.
C)the highest virtue combining the ideas of truth,justice,and order.
D)the name for all areas outside of Egypt.

Question 26

Not much is known about the Indus River Valley civilization because

A)Harrappan priests at Mohenjo-Daro.
B)Davidian mystics who migrated from southern India.
C)Aryans who moved into the Ganges area.
D)Alexander the Great,who introduced Greek philosophy.

Question 27

The Old Kingdom of Egypt collapsed amidst

A)Egypt was ruled by foreign-born pharaohs.
B)Egypt shrank in size and was limited mainly to Upper Egypt.
C)Egyptian rulers pursued foreign expansion and created a large empire.
D)Egyptians abandoned their old gods for new ones from Greece.

Question 28

Bronze Age China lacked the type of monumental architecture common in the ancient Near East because

A)Inscriptions on oracle bones
B)Use of iron weapons
C)A rigidly stratified society
D)A mastery of bronze technology

Question 29

The religious endorsement for political rule in China was known as

A)sounds (a phonetic alphabet).
B)ideas (an ideographic alphabet).
C)words (a logographic alphabet).
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 30

In the Americas,relatively dense Neolithic settlements emerged in all of the following areas except

A)Monte Alban.
B)Chavín.
C)Nazca.
D)Moche.

Question 31

Which of the following was not a contribution of the Aryans to Indian civilization?

A)modern political upheaval hinders archaeological excavation.
B)the culture was destroyed around 1800 B.C.E.
C)they did not develop a system of writing.
D)it disappeared before 1500 B.C.E.and its writing is still undeciphered.

Question 32

What characterized the later phase of the Eastern Zhou (401-256 B.C.E.)?

A)Mandate of Heaven.
B)Shi.
C)hegemony.
D)Brahman.

Question 33

In ancient Egypt,maat was

A)The afterworld was a gloomy and dark place.
B)The path to the afterlife was filled with trials and tests.
C)Everyone passed into the afterlife forever.
D)The gods of the dead resembled humans.

Question 34

Looking at Map 1-7,which political and geographic features are typical of Iron Age China?

A)no stone is found in the area.
B)the Chinese were technologically inferior.
C)the Shang capital moved frequently.
D)the Chinese lacked the manpower to erect such structures.

Question 35

Compare Maps 1-2,1-3,1-4,1-6,and 1-8.What geographic characteristics do the regions of all four of the earliest civilizations have in common?

A)Punjab.
B)Kashmir.
C)Harappan.
D)Aryan.

Question 36

According to the Hymn to Indra,water was important to Aryan civilization for all of the following reasons except

A)Sanskrit language
B)the sacred Vedic literature
C)sophisticated agricultural techniques
D)the foundations of the caste system

Question 37

The characters in Chinese writing represent

A)the Great Plains.
B)the Mississippi Valley.
C)Puget Sound.
D)Mesoamerica and South America.

Question 38

The Assyrians were famous for their

A)rivers,which provide fertile land for agriculture
B)mountains,which provide natural barriers against invasion
C)deserts,which provide isolation from hostile neighbors
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 39

What does the scene from the Book of the Dead shown in your text say about Egyptian views of the afterlife?

A)Aten was a universal creator God to be worshipped above all others.
B)Aten took the form of a circle,or disc.
C)Aten had a special relationship with the ruler Amunhotep IV and his wife Nefertiti.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 40

How was the worship of the god Aten (sun disc)different from customary religious practice in ancient Egypt?

A)the Hittite kings did not claim to represent the divine.
B)succession to the Hittite throne had to be ratified by an assembled army.
C)a council of nobles limited the Hittite king's power.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 41

What influence did the Neolithic Revolution have upon the development of world civilization? What caused the primary changes between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic ages? What is the nature of the evidence we have for these changes?

Question 42

In the Iron Age,what three basic changes contributed to the rise of large territorial states in the Eastern Zhou? Which was most important? Why?

Question 43

Compare and contrast the religious practices and beliefs about the afterlife in Egypt to those of India and Shang China.

Question 44

Discuss how the concept of the Mandate of Heaven became part of the political rationale for every dynasty from the Zhou to the 21st century in China.How did the Mandate of Heaven contribute to other social and cultural changes?

Question 45

The agricultural surplus necessary to emerging civilizations in the Andes valleys was based

Question 46

What were the major contributions of the small nations of the Middle East (i.e.,Kassites,Hittites,etc.)to world civilization before the development of the Assyrian Empire? What were the most important factors in their development?

Question 47

Imagine that you are an urban citizen living in one of the following cities at the time indicated:
Memphis,2500 B.C.E.; Babylon,1750 B.C.E.; Harappa,2000 B.C.E.; Luoyang,600 B.C.E.
Describe your society,your government,and your religious beliefs.Why would you have wanted to live in this city instead of one of the others listed?

Question 48

The Code of Hammurabi reflected the Mesopotamian society of his time.Indicate the major features of this society as they are reflected in the code.What were the advantages and disadvantages of such a code? What do you think the average Babylonian citizen thought of the code?

Question 49

The first society in the Andes to exert regional cultural influence was that of

A)potatoes.
B)maize.
C)rice.
D)peppers.

Question 50

The most important staple food crop for early American cultures was

A)in modern Peru and parts of eastern South America.
B)in modern Mexico and parts of Central America.
C)in the modern United States between California and the Mississippi River.
D)in modern Brazil near the Amazon River Basin.

Question 51

Compare and contrast the Sumerian and Egyptian concepts of the afterlife.What aspects of their respective civilizations influenced the development of these religious views? Why did Akhenaten try to change Egyptian religion? Why did it fail?

Question 52

Compare and contrast the role of women in Mesopotamian societies to their roles in Egypt,India,and China.

Question 53

Mesoamerica is located

A)primarily on the cultivation of maize (corn).
B)on a combination of agriculture and marine resources.
C)on large-scale irrigation coordinated by a centralized government.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 54

Beginning in the Paleolithic Age,a division of labor emerged between men and women.What were the typical responsibilities of women in the Paleolithic,Neolithic,and later ages? How did the different civilizations that emerged view the respective roles of men and women?

Question 55

Discuss the role of slavery in Babylonian society.How vital were slaves to the economy and how accepted was the practice? Describe the life of a typical slave.

Question 56

Compare and contrast the geography of the four major river valley civilizations: Tigris/Euphrates,Indus,Nile,and Yellow.How do geographic factors explain the development of their unique political,economic,social,and cultural characteristics?

Question 57

Why is little known about the early Indus River valley civilization in relation to other major civilizations of the ancient world? What explanations can you give for the fall of this civilization? What influence did this civilization have on the later Aryan civilizations?

Question 58

How did the cuneiform writing system affect the development and advancement of Sumerian society,especially the lives of common people?