APWH - Ch. 2 - Mastery Test FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. Which of the following is usually considered a feature of “civilization”?
a. Absence of class and gender hierarchies
b. States that use force to compel obedience from subjects
c. The use of deliberately set fires for human purposes
d. The domestication of plants and animals
____ 2. Which of the following First Civilizations did not rely on grain-based agriculture?
a. Norte Chico c. China
b. Indus Valley d. Egypt
____ 3. Kingship in the First Civilizations often
a. linked the position of the ruler to the divine.
b. relied exclusively on physical force and coercion.
c. depended on the authority of a written constitution.
d. weakened state and religious institutions.
____ 4. Which of the following provided the primary economic foundation for civilization?
a. Slavery c. Warfare
b. Agriculture d. Writing
____ 5. Which of the following human accomplishments emerged with the First Civilizations?
a. Agriculture c. Writing
b. Village life d. Art
____ 6. Which of the following First Civilizations experienced the greatest cultural continuity from its earliest formation to modern times?
a. Indus Valley c. China
b. Norte Chico d. Harappa
____ 7. As a descriptive term, “civilization” refers to
a. a particular and distinctive type of human society organized into cities and states.
b. a trend toward greater equality between classes and between men and women.
c. the development of political institutions that form the basis for democracy.
d. the organization of human communities based on kinship and class.
____ 8. Which of the following has been advanced as a possible explanation for the origins of the First Civilizations?
a. The absence of limits on the amount of land that could be cultivated
b. The end of the practice of slavery in a region
c. The emergence of regions where no military elite took shape
d. The need to organize large-scale irrigation projects
____ 9. Which of the following was a feature of Egyptian rather than Mesopotamian civilization?
a. Salinization of the soil, which led to a collapse in the production of wheat
b. Frequent and devastating invasions by outsiders because of a lack of physical barriers
c. A more cheerful and hopeful outlook on the world, as expressed in part through religious beliefs
d. A long tradition of written law codes based on the notion of natural rights
____ 10. Which of the following statements about ancient Egypt is true?
a. The state was ruled by pharaohs who were believed to be gods in human form.
b. Cities were more important in Egypt than in Mesopotamia.
c. The erratic floods caused by the Nile regularly destroyed crops.
d. Women in Egypt were afforded fewer opportunities than in Mesopotamia.
____ 11. The territory of ancient Mesopotamia is presently occupied by which country?
a. Iran c. Iraq
b. Afghanistan d. India
____ 12. The rulers of which First Civilization based their authority on the Mandate of Heaven?
a. Egypt c. Olmec
b. China d. Norte Chico
____ 13. The rulers of the First Civilizations often drew their power from their roles as
a. high priests. c. traders.
b. clan elders. d. scribes.
____ 14. Which of the following is a feature found in some cities in the First Civilizations?
a. Libraries c. Sewage systems
b. Large farms d. Theaters
____ 15. Which of the following describes gender relations in the First Civilizations?
a. Women enjoyed the same rights and privileges as men.
b. Women were defined by their relationship to a man.
c. Men operated in roles defined as feminine.
d. Men were considered inferior to women.
____ 16. Which of the following represents a way that class distinctions were displayed in the First Civilizations?
a. Naming practices c. Kinship relations
b. Manner of a person’s burial d. Women’s submission to men
____ 17. Which of the following is an example of how social class affected gender roles?
a. Women from the upper classes were expected to stay at home, while women from the lower classes had to go out in public to work.
b. Women married to wealthy men were forbidden to wear veils, while slaves and prostitutes were required to veil themselves when they went out in public.
c. Only women from the upper classes worshipped Inanna, a goddess of love, sexuality, and war.
d. Female rulers who came from the lower classes were portrayed dressed in male clothing and wearing false beards.
____ 18. In which First Civilization were women recognized as legal equals to men?
a. Mesopotamia c. Egypt
b. Mesoamerica d. China
____ 19. Which of the following is an example of the way that patriarchy was expressed in the First Civilizations?
a. Laws that regulated female sexuality
b. Symbols of kingship linked to the divine
c. The state’s exclusive right to use violence
d. The use of gifts to reinforce political authority
____ 20. Which of the following shows the relationship between religion and government in the First Civilizations?
a. Farmers were required to turn over a portion of their crops to support city-dwellers.
b. The Hebrew scriptures attributed the act of creation to a single male deity, Yahweh.
c. The demotion of the goddess resulted from the extension of the power of creation and fertility to male gods.
d. Hammurabi claimed that his law code was inspired by Marduk, the chief god of Babylon.
____ 21. What was one purpose that writing served in the First Civilizations?
a. To record the stories of ordinary commoners
b. To keep track of who paid their taxes to the state
c. To confine women to the home
d. To entertain an increasingly literate population
____ 22. Which of the following is an example of a way that rulers in the First Civilizations displayed their power?
a. Writing poetry c. Constructing temples
b. Freeing slaves d. Engaging in farm work
____ 23. Which of the following best describes the Mesopotamian outlook on life and death?
a. People are caught in an inherently disorderly world without much hope of a blessed life beyond.
b. The afterlife was accessible to all who followed proper procedures and lived a morally upright life.
c. Life is full of pain and suffering, but the afterlife will offer eternal happiness and tranquility.
d. God has already determined those who will go to heaven, and nothing people do during their lifetime can change their divinely ordained fate.
____ 24. Which of the following contributed to the declining power of the Egyptian pharaohs by 2400 B.C.E.?
a. Rivalry over land and water created a number of warring city-states.
b. Egypt was defeated in a series of wars with invaders from the east.
c. Egyptian pharaohs adopted a policy of seclusion.
d. Local officials and nobles assumed greater authority.
____ 25. Which of the following provides evidence of interaction and exchange among the First Civilizations and surrounding regions in the ancient world?
a. Gunpowder c. The abacus
b. Horse-drawn chariots d. Tea
____ 26. India and China during the classical era were both influenced by
a. Legalism. c. Hinduism.
b. Buddhism. d. Confucianism.
____ 27. The majority of people during the classical era lived within which political framework?
a. Chiefdoms c. City-states
b. Empires d. Republics
Working with Evidence Questions - Choose the letter of the best answer.
____ 28. The statue of a man found in Mohenjo Daro has led some scholars to suggest that the city was controlled by
a. Mesopotamia. c. a single ruler.
b. Egypt. d. elite men.
____ 29. The statue of the dancing girl provides evidence that the Indus Valley civilization
a. had a well-developed copper and bronze industry.
b. required women to veil their entire face.
c. trained young girls to be entertainers.
d. traced descent through the mother.
____ 30. The discovery of Indus Valley seals in Mesopotamia suggests that the seals were used
a. in diplomacy. c. in rituals.
b. in trade. d. as tribute.
Matching
Terms
a. Norte Chico/Caral h. Code of Hammurabi
b. Indus Valley civilization i. patriarchy
c. Central Asian/Oxus civilization j. rise of the state
d. Olmec civilization k. Egypt
e. Uruk l. Sumer
f. Epic of Gilgamesh m. Paneb
g. Mohenjo Daro/Harappa n. Nubia
____ 1. A major first civilization that emerged around 2200 B.C.E. in central Asia along the Oxus or Amu Darya river in what is now northern Afghanistan. An important focal point for a Eurasian-wide system of intellectual and cultural exchange, it faded away about 1700 B.C.E.
____ 2. A series of laws publicized at the order of a Babylonian king (d. 1750 B.C.E.). A number of laws that proclaim the king’s commitment to social order.
____ 3. This country is often known as “the gift of the Nile” because the region would not have been able to support a significant human population without the Nile’s annual inundation, which provided rich silt deposits and made agriculture possible.
____ 4. The most famous extant literary work from ancient Mesopotamia, it tells the story of one man’s quest for immortality.
____ 5. Major cities of the Indus Valley civilization, both of which flourished around 2000 B.C.E.
____ 6. A region along the central coast of Peru, home of a civilization that developed in the period 3000–1800 B.C.E. and the largest of some twenty-five urban centers that emerged in the area at that time.
____ 7. A civilization to the south of Egypt in the Nile Valley, noted for development of an alphabetic writing system and a major ironworking industry by 500 B.C.E.
____ 8. An early civilization that developed along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico around 1200 B.C.E.
____ 9. An Egyptian foreman, in charge of a crew of tomb workers, whose misdeeds in about 1300 B.C.E.in life were recorded by a rival.
____ 10. Literally “rule of the father”; a social system of male dominance.
____ 11. A process of centralization that took place in the First Civilizations, growing out of the greater complexity of urban life and the need for coordination, regulation, adjudication, and military leadership.
____ 12. The largest city of ancient Mesopotamia.
____ 13. A major First Civilization that emerged in southern Mesopotamia around 3500 B.C.E. to 3000 B.C.E. This civilization likely gave rise to the world’s earliest written language, which was used initially by officials to record the goods received by various temples.
____ 14. South Asian civilization that apparently generated no temples, palaces, elaborate caves, kings, or warrior classes. Archaeological evidence provides little indication of a political hierarchy or centralized state, yet many features of this civilization persist to the present.
Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. Which of the following is usually considered a feature of “civilization”?
a. Absence of class and gender hierarchies
b. States that use force to compel obedience from subjects
c. The use of deliberately set fires for human purposes
d. The domestication of plants and animals
____ 2. Which of the following First Civilizations did not rely on grain-based agriculture?
a. Norte Chico c. China
b. Indus Valley d. Egypt
____ 3. Kingship in the First Civilizations often
a. linked the position of the ruler to the divine.
b. relied exclusively on physical force and coercion.
c. depended on the authority of a written constitution.
d. weakened state and religious institutions.
____ 4. Which of the following provided the primary economic foundation for civilization?
a. Slavery c. Warfare
b. Agriculture d. Writing
____ 5. Which of the following human accomplishments emerged with the First Civilizations?
a. Agriculture c. Writing
b. Village life d. Art
____ 6. Which of the following First Civilizations experienced the greatest cultural continuity from its earliest formation to modern times?
a. Indus Valley c. China
b. Norte Chico d. Harappa
____ 7. As a descriptive term, “civilization” refers to
a. a particular and distinctive type of human society organized into cities and states.
b. a trend toward greater equality between classes and between men and women.
c. the development of political institutions that form the basis for democracy.
d. the organization of human communities based on kinship and class.
____ 8. Which of the following has been advanced as a possible explanation for the origins of the First Civilizations?
a. The absence of limits on the amount of land that could be cultivated
b. The end of the practice of slavery in a region
c. The emergence of regions where no military elite took shape
d. The need to organize large-scale irrigation projects
____ 9. Which of the following was a feature of Egyptian rather than Mesopotamian civilization?
a. Salinization of the soil, which led to a collapse in the production of wheat
b. Frequent and devastating invasions by outsiders because of a lack of physical barriers
c. A more cheerful and hopeful outlook on the world, as expressed in part through religious beliefs
d. A long tradition of written law codes based on the notion of natural rights
____ 10. Which of the following statements about ancient Egypt is true?
a. The state was ruled by pharaohs who were believed to be gods in human form.
b. Cities were more important in Egypt than in Mesopotamia.
c. The erratic floods caused by the Nile regularly destroyed crops.
d. Women in Egypt were afforded fewer opportunities than in Mesopotamia.
____ 11. The territory of ancient Mesopotamia is presently occupied by which country?
a. Iran c. Iraq
b. Afghanistan d. India
____ 12. The rulers of which First Civilization based their authority on the Mandate of Heaven?
a. Egypt c. Olmec
b. China d. Norte Chico
____ 13. The rulers of the First Civilizations often drew their power from their roles as
a. high priests. c. traders.
b. clan elders. d. scribes.
____ 14. Which of the following is a feature found in some cities in the First Civilizations?
a. Libraries c. Sewage systems
b. Large farms d. Theaters
____ 15. Which of the following describes gender relations in the First Civilizations?
a. Women enjoyed the same rights and privileges as men.
b. Women were defined by their relationship to a man.
c. Men operated in roles defined as feminine.
d. Men were considered inferior to women.
____ 16. Which of the following represents a way that class distinctions were displayed in the First Civilizations?
a. Naming practices c. Kinship relations
b. Manner of a person’s burial d. Women’s submission to men
____ 17. Which of the following is an example of how social class affected gender roles?
a. Women from the upper classes were expected to stay at home, while women from the lower classes had to go out in public to work.
b. Women married to wealthy men were forbidden to wear veils, while slaves and prostitutes were required to veil themselves when they went out in public.
c. Only women from the upper classes worshipped Inanna, a goddess of love, sexuality, and war.
d. Female rulers who came from the lower classes were portrayed dressed in male clothing and wearing false beards.
____ 18. In which First Civilization were women recognized as legal equals to men?
a. Mesopotamia c. Egypt
b. Mesoamerica d. China
____ 19. Which of the following is an example of the way that patriarchy was expressed in the First Civilizations?
a. Laws that regulated female sexuality
b. Symbols of kingship linked to the divine
c. The state’s exclusive right to use violence
d. The use of gifts to reinforce political authority
____ 20. Which of the following shows the relationship between religion and government in the First Civilizations?
a. Farmers were required to turn over a portion of their crops to support city-dwellers.
b. The Hebrew scriptures attributed the act of creation to a single male deity, Yahweh.
c. The demotion of the goddess resulted from the extension of the power of creation and fertility to male gods.
d. Hammurabi claimed that his law code was inspired by Marduk, the chief god of Babylon.
____ 21. What was one purpose that writing served in the First Civilizations?
a. To record the stories of ordinary commoners
b. To keep track of who paid their taxes to the state
c. To confine women to the home
d. To entertain an increasingly literate population
____ 22. Which of the following is an example of a way that rulers in the First Civilizations displayed their power?
a. Writing poetry c. Constructing temples
b. Freeing slaves d. Engaging in farm work
____ 23. Which of the following best describes the Mesopotamian outlook on life and death?
a. People are caught in an inherently disorderly world without much hope of a blessed life beyond.
b. The afterlife was accessible to all who followed proper procedures and lived a morally upright life.
c. Life is full of pain and suffering, but the afterlife will offer eternal happiness and tranquility.
d. God has already determined those who will go to heaven, and nothing people do during their lifetime can change their divinely ordained fate.
____ 24. Which of the following contributed to the declining power of the Egyptian pharaohs by 2400 B.C.E.?
a. Rivalry over land and water created a number of warring city-states.
b. Egypt was defeated in a series of wars with invaders from the east.
c. Egyptian pharaohs adopted a policy of seclusion.
d. Local officials and nobles assumed greater authority.
____ 25. Which of the following provides evidence of interaction and exchange among the First Civilizations and surrounding regions in the ancient world?
a. Gunpowder c. The abacus
b. Horse-drawn chariots d. Tea
____ 26. India and China during the classical era were both influenced by
a. Legalism. c. Hinduism.
b. Buddhism. d. Confucianism.
____ 27. The majority of people during the classical era lived within which political framework?
a. Chiefdoms c. City-states
b. Empires d. Republics
Working with Evidence Questions - Choose the letter of the best answer.
____ 28. The statue of a man found in Mohenjo Daro has led some scholars to suggest that the city was controlled by
a. Mesopotamia. c. a single ruler.
b. Egypt. d. elite men.
____ 29. The statue of the dancing girl provides evidence that the Indus Valley civilization
a. had a well-developed copper and bronze industry.
b. required women to veil their entire face.
c. trained young girls to be entertainers.
d. traced descent through the mother.
____ 30. The discovery of Indus Valley seals in Mesopotamia suggests that the seals were used
a. in diplomacy. c. in rituals.
b. in trade. d. as tribute.
Matching
Terms
a. Norte Chico/Caral h. Code of Hammurabi
b. Indus Valley civilization i. patriarchy
c. Central Asian/Oxus civilization j. rise of the state
d. Olmec civilization k. Egypt
e. Uruk l. Sumer
f. Epic of Gilgamesh m. Paneb
g. Mohenjo Daro/Harappa n. Nubia
____ 1. A major first civilization that emerged around 2200 B.C.E. in central Asia along the Oxus or Amu Darya river in what is now northern Afghanistan. An important focal point for a Eurasian-wide system of intellectual and cultural exchange, it faded away about 1700 B.C.E.
____ 2. A series of laws publicized at the order of a Babylonian king (d. 1750 B.C.E.). A number of laws that proclaim the king’s commitment to social order.
____ 3. This country is often known as “the gift of the Nile” because the region would not have been able to support a significant human population without the Nile’s annual inundation, which provided rich silt deposits and made agriculture possible.
____ 4. The most famous extant literary work from ancient Mesopotamia, it tells the story of one man’s quest for immortality.
____ 5. Major cities of the Indus Valley civilization, both of which flourished around 2000 B.C.E.
____ 6. A region along the central coast of Peru, home of a civilization that developed in the period 3000–1800 B.C.E. and the largest of some twenty-five urban centers that emerged in the area at that time.
____ 7. A civilization to the south of Egypt in the Nile Valley, noted for development of an alphabetic writing system and a major ironworking industry by 500 B.C.E.
____ 8. An early civilization that developed along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico around 1200 B.C.E.
____ 9. An Egyptian foreman, in charge of a crew of tomb workers, whose misdeeds in about 1300 B.C.E.in life were recorded by a rival.
____ 10. Literally “rule of the father”; a social system of male dominance.
____ 11. A process of centralization that took place in the First Civilizations, growing out of the greater complexity of urban life and the need for coordination, regulation, adjudication, and military leadership.
____ 12. The largest city of ancient Mesopotamia.
____ 13. A major First Civilization that emerged in southern Mesopotamia around 3500 B.C.E. to 3000 B.C.E. This civilization likely gave rise to the world’s earliest written language, which was used initially by officials to record the goods received by various temples.
____ 14. South Asian civilization that apparently generated no temples, palaces, elaborate caves, kings, or warrior classes. Archaeological evidence provides little indication of a political hierarchy or centralized state, yet many features of this civilization persist to the present.
