Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
CH/Test-Bank-for-WesternCivilizations
Chapter 1: Early Civilizations
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. To the peoples of the ancient world, the characteristic manifestations of civilizationgovernment,
literature, science, and artwere necessarily products of:
a. rural life.
b. city life.
c. religious life.
d. the Ice Age.
e. nomadic life.
ANS: B
KEY: I
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 4
OBJ: Applied
2. Human cultures down to the fourth millennium B.C.E. are referred to as belonging to the Stone Age
because they:
a. made most of their tools out of stone.
b. built urban structures primarily with stone.
c. used rocks and stones as weapons.
d. lived in caves.
e. all of these
ANS: A
KEY: II, B
DIF: Easy
REF: page 4
OBJ: Factual
3. Although many prehistoric settlements are known, one of the earliest of these in modern-day Turkey
is:
a. Jericho.
b. Ur.
c. atalhyk.
d. Memphis.
e. Lagash.
ANS: C
KEY: II, A
DIF: Easy
REF: page 4
OBJ: Factual
4. Although hominid existence extends back millennia, human civilization extends back only to
approximately:
a. 13,000 B.C.E.
b. 8000 B.C.E.
c. 5000 B.C.E.
d. 3000 B.C.E.
e. 1000 B.C.E.
ANS: D
KEY: I
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 4
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 4
OBJ: Factual
6. Cave paintings, such as those found in Lascaux, France, are evidence of:
a. development of a stratified society.
b. development of permanent settlement.
c. development of language as well as religious and artistic ideas.
d. development of a priestly class.
e. development of an artistic class.
ANS: C
KEY: II, B, 2
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 5
OBJ: Conceptual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 5
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 5
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 5
OBJ: Conceptual
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 5
OBJ: Applied
11. Jericho, one of the worlds oldest villages, emerged as a seasonal settlement around:
a. 11,500 B.C.E.
b. 9500 B.C.E.
c. 7500 B.C.E.
d. 5500 B.C.E.
e. 3500 B.C.E.
ANS: B
KEY: II, C, 2
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 6
OBJ: Factual
12. Why was life expectancy in early cities shorter than among nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples?
a. The carbohydrate-rich diet was less nutritious, and cramped housing in the cities resulted
in increased chance of accident, smoke inhalation from fires, and increased exposure to
infectious diseases.
b. The success of the cities and their stored supplies of food attracted attack from outside,
chiefly by nomadic peoples.
c. The process of in-home burial led to an increase in contagious disease.
d. Food was often portioned out according to social class and sex, resulting in an inadequate
diet for women and the poor.
e. all of these
ANS: A
KEY: II, C, 2
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 7
OBJ: Applied
13. The initial shift from village to city inhabitation took place in Mesopotamia, known to the Greeks as
The Land between Rivers and to modern historians as:
a. Israel.
b. Akkad.
c. Jericho.
d. Egypt.
e. Sumer.
ANS: E
KEY: III, A
DIF: Easy
REF: page 8
OBJ: Factual
14. Why was Sumer an uninviting environment for the first cities?
a. The area has no natural defenses.
b. The soil is infertile and the rivers flood unpredictably.
download full file at http://testbankinstant.com
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 8
OBJ: Applied
15. Which of the following was an important element in the development of early settlements?
a. the development of coinage to make the exchange of goods easier
b. the standardization of burial practices throughout the Near and Middle East
c. the discovery made during the last Little Ice Age of freezing to preserve food
d. the establishment of first local, and then long-distance, trade routes throughout the Near
East
e. the emergence of hereditary kingship
ANS: D
KEY: II, C, 3
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 8
OBJ: Applied
16. Although early writing was produced using pointed sticks, Sumerian scribes c. 3100 B.C.E. advanced
writing with durable reeds that:
a. almost anyone could use to produce simple documents.
b. allowed the production of clay tablets without costly baking.
c. were exclusively used by the priest class.
d. produced wedge-like script called cuneiform.
e. could be used to eat with as well as write.
ANS: D
KEY: III, B
DIF: Easy
REF: page 10
OBJ: Factual
REF: page 10
OBJ: Applied
DIF: Difficult
REF: page 10
OBJ: Conceptual
DIF: Difficult
REF: page 10
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 11
OBJ: Factual
21. An individual who successfully led the city-states army in battles was:
a. known as a tyrant and feared by freedom-loving citizens.
b. able to acquire prestige and power as a lugal (big man).
c. associated with distant countries where the gods supposedly lived.
d. watched by priests to see if he had magical powers of government.
e. allowed by the gods to carouse with the wives and daughters of the nobles.
ANS: B
KEY: III, C, 1
DIF: Easy
REF: page 11
OBJ: Factual
22. The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered the worlds first great literary masterpiece, and:
a. historians have an exact version of the story as it was read in ancient Sumer.
b. the work relates the adventures of a king of Uruk in ancient Sumer.
c. the story tells us more about ancient Persian society than it does about ancient Sumer.
d. the epic is largely derived from stories in the Hebrew Bible.
e. The work tells the story of a simple Akkadian farmer.
ANS: B
KEY: III, C, 1
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 12
OBJ: Factual
23. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the dramatic confrontation between Gilgamesh and Enkidu and its aftermath,
illustrates:
a. that a powerful lugal owes no allegiance to the gods.
b. that rural life is superior to urban life and civilization.
c. that the Sumerians felt a deep distrust toward the natural world.
d. that the Sumerians believed that the gods would reward those who did their bidding.
e. that some Sumerians did not believe in gods and goddesses.
ANS: C
KEY: III, C, 1
DIF: Difficult
REF: page 14
OBJ: Conceptual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 14
OBJ: Factual
25. The Sumerian rulers may be viewed as the first rulers in history to claim to rule:
a. by force of personality.
b. by common consent of the ruled.
c. by right of conquest.
d. by election.
e. by divine right.
ANS: E
KEY: III, C, 2
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 14
OBJ: Applied
26. Ur grew in power under Shulgi, who expanded all of the following except:
a. continued military conquests.
b. continued development of commerce.
c. increasing the amount of tribute to be paid by newly subject peoples.
d. centralizing governmental functions.
e. the establishment of a center for artistic development in Akkad.
ANS: E
KEY: III, C, 4, b
DIF: Difficult
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 17
OBJ: Applied
DIF: Difficult
REF: page 17
OBJ: Conceptual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 17
OBJ: Factual
30. _________ was the first king to launch wars of aggression in the name of his primary god.
a. Sargon
b. Ur-Nammu
c. Hammurabi
d. Djoser
e. Narmer
ANS: C
KEY: III, C, 4, c, i
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 18
OBJ: Applied
REF: page 18
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 18
OBJ: Conceptual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 22
OBJ: Factual
34. Historians typically divide ancient Egyptian history into _________ to facilitate the discussion of
Egyptian politics and culture.
a. intermediate eras
b. predynastic societies
c. pharaohs
d. kingdoms and periods
e. primary and secondary eras
ANS: D
KEY: IV, A
DIF: Easy
REF: page 23
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 24
OBJ: Factual
36. The method of numbering Egyptian dynasties begins with the _________ Dynasty:
a. Zero
b. First
c. Initial
d. Primary
e. Scorpion
ANS: A
KEY: IV, B
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 24
OBJ: Factual
37. The important administrator of the pharaoh Djoser who initiated pyramid building in the step style
was:
a. Imhotep.
b. Khufu.
c. Cheops.
d. Khafre.
e. Narmer.
ANS: A
KEY: IV, D, 1
DIF: Easy
REF: page 27
OBJ: Factual
38. The great Pyramids of Giza, built in the Fourth Dynasty, were:
a. used for athletic events, concerts, and political rallies.
b. lost in the desert sands and unknown to the Greeks.
c. a good supply of building stone for Rome and Carthage.
d. temples used for worship by the priestly class.
download full file at http://testbankinstant.com
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 27
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 28
OBJ: Factual
40. Which of the following is not true regarding women in Egyptian society during the Pharaonic period?
a. They could assume pharaonic authority.
b. They could own property.
c. They could stand before the courts as individuals without male representation.
d. They could practice sexual freedom.
e. They were recognized as persons in their own right.
ANS: D
KEY: IV, D, 4
DIF: Difficult
REF: page 29
OBJ: Applied
REF: page 29
OBJ: Applied
DIF: Moderate
42. The two gods most fundamental to Egyptian religious belief were:
a. Seth and Osiris.
b. Isis and Osiris.
c. Seth and Isis.
d. Isis and Anubis.
e. Anubis and Horus.
ANS: B
KEY: IV, D, 6
DIF: Easy
REF: page 29
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 30
OBJ: Factual
DIF: Easy
REF: page 30
OBJ: Applied
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 30
OBJ: Applied
DIF: Difficult
REF: page 30
OBJ: Conceptual
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 31
OBJ: Factual
48. By 3100 B.C.E., the rivalry in Egypt between _________ had become extreme, and each area had its
own political organizations and religious preferences.
a. city and country
b. ocean and desert
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 32
OBJ: Factual
49. Which period saw Egypt expand its borders, abandon its isolationism, and change its ideal of pharaoh
from a god to a good shepherd?
a. the Old Kingdom
b. the Middle Kingdom
c. the First Intermediate Period
d. the Second Intermediate Period
e. the New Kingdom
ANS: B
KEY: IV, E, 1
DIF: Easy
REF: page 34
OBJ: Applied
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 35
OBJ: Applied
TRUE/FALSE
1. Hierarchical structures of leadership were uncommon in early societies.
ANS: T
DIF: Easy
REF: page 5
KEY: II, B, 2
NOT: These societies may have been highly organized, but lack of personal wealth and attendant
distinctions in rank and status was unlikely.
2. Labor among Paleolithic peoples was strictly divided along gender lines as men did the hunting and
women the gathering.
ANS: F
DIF: Easy
REF: page 5
KEY: II, B, 2
NOT: Such gendered assumptions do not reflect the complex realities of hunter-gatherer societies. It
is more likely that all members of the group were engaged to some extent in all the basic activities.
3. Agricultural surplus made it possible for early societies to become more stable and to expand in
population, yet also kept early societies socially stagnant as all labor was focused on the land and the
cultivation of more grain.
ANS: F
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 5
KEY: II, C, 2
NOT: Agricultural surplus made it possible for members of society to devote at least a portion of their
KEY: IV, D, 4
.
ESSAY
1. What innovations characterize the Neolithic Revolution, and how did these impact Neolithic society?
ANS:
REF: pages 57
KEY: II, C
2. How did the Ubaid culture contribute to the development of urban civilization in Mesopotamia?
ANS:
The Ubaids brought their village culture with them when they moved into Sumer in the sixth
millennium B.C.E. They developed irrigation systems consisting of sophisticated canals and pools
lined with stone so they would last from season to season. They constructed dikes and levees to control
seasonal flooding. Their sophisticated agricultural technologies resulted in large harvests and the
ability of many members of society to specialize in other crafts such as weaving, pottery making,
metalwork, and construction. They also built religious structures that quickly evolved from humble
shrines to massive temple complexes that controlled trade and much of the economy.
DIF: Easy
REF: page 8
KEY: III, A
3. How did the geography of Mesopotamia and Egypt shape their cultures?
ANS:
MesopotamiaUnpredictability of weather, irregular flooding of rivers, and inhospitable soil cultured
a gloomy and pessimistic religion and view. High population and competition for land/water made
warfare inevitable and contributed to the rise of the lugal or a warrior-king.
EgyptThe desert made a natural protective border, isolating Egypt from much trade and
technologies with Mesopotamian cultures. The predictable nature of the Nile gave a cyclical nature to
life, religion, events, and understanding of history. Regular and abundant harvests due to the flooding
of the Nile yielded a large food supply and therefore a large population. The lack of contact and
invasion produced an ethnically homogeneous people and an ethnocentric worldview in which peoples
were grouped as Egyptian or non-Egyptian.
DIF: Moderate
REF: page 10
KEY: III, C, 2
6. How can the Epic of Gilgamesh help historians better understand Sumerian society?
ANS:
It shows the impact the office of the lugal made on Sumerian culture and the power of the office. It
illustrates the conflict between the city peoples and barbarians as well as the discomfort and fear city
peoples felt about the wilderness as illustrated by the fight with the giant Humbaba who guards the
precious natural resource of the cedar grove. The naturalness of Enkidu is not respected, nor was it
admired by the city peoples. It reveals the use of female temple prostitutes in the society and their
sexual role in religious services and interestingly promotes the position of women as civilizing agents.
Enkidus loss of innocence allows him to become a member of society. The story reveals much about
the gods as well, casting them in very human terms and revealing them to be capable of irrational acts
as well as fear and hunger. The pessimism of the society is pervasive throughout the book, but
especially in the end as Gilgamesh comes quite close but is unable to attain the magical plant that will
give him immortality.
DIF: Easy
7. How did Sumerian advances in technology help shape society in the Fertile Crescent?
ANS:
REF: page 14
KEY: III, C, 3
REF: page 18
KEY: III, C, 4, c, ii
9. How did the image of the pharaoh change from the Archaic Period through the Middle Kingdom?
ANS:
The Archaic Period was ruled by strongmen such as King Scorpion who made their names as
conquerors. The early pharaohs were associated with divinity, and by the Second Dynasty the pharaoh
was regarded as the earthly manifestation of Horus. This claim to divinity may have been a tool in
uniting Upper and Lower Egypt.
The Old Kingdoms administration and religion focused on the glorification of the pharaoh. He
was Egypt. All trade was entirely controlled by him, and his government was made up of family
members he appointed. This was the great pyramid-building era in which much of the economy and
labor force was dedicated to building these grand, palatial tombs that not only added to the pharaohs
prestige in life but ensured that he lived in the same lavish lifestyle after death.