Name: ________________________________________
Study Guide – World History Midterm
Mrs. Wood
The following information is to help guide you in studying for the midterm. You should also use class notes, homework
assignments, corrected quizzes, tests, & essays, and the textbook.
Format
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40 multiple choice (1 point each)
20 terms (2 points each)
6 short answer (10 points each)
1 essay (80 points)
Total: 220 points
Terms
Foundations of Civilization
 Prehistory
 Artifacts
 Archaeology
 Anthropology
 Culture
 Paleolithic
 Neolithic
 Nomad
 Hunter-gatherer
 Animism
 Settled farming
 Domestication
 Civilization
 Rivers
 Surplus
 Civilization
 Characteristics of civilization
 Ancient Egypt
 Mesopotamia
 Sumerians
 Indus River Valley
 Shang
 Polytheism
City-states in Mesopotamia
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Fertile crescent
City-state
Dynasty
Cultural diffusion
Hammurabi
Ur
Hittites
Nebuchadnezzar
Babylon
Persian Empire
Phoenicians
Alphabet
Judaism
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Monotheism
Torah
Abraham
Migrate
Covenant
Moses
Exodus
Ancient Greece
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Minoans
Trojan War
Mycenaeans
Troy
Dorians
Athens
Sparta
Homer
Acropolis
Monarchy
Aristocracy
Oligarchy
Democracy
Direct-democracy
Phalanx
Helots
Persian Wars
Alliance
Philosophers
Logic
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Rhetoric
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Socratic method
Reason
Parthenon
Alexander the Great
Assimilate
Ancient Rome
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Italy
Etruscans
Republic
Patricians
Consuls
Dictator
Messiah
Zealot
Gospels
Jesus of Nazareth
Islam
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Muslim
Bedouins
Arabian peninsula
Muhammad
Mecca
Angel Gabriel
Allah
Hajj
Medina
Kaaba
Quran
Five Pillars
Sunni
Shi’ite
Battle of Tours
Charles Martel
Caliph
Malcolm X
Mosque
Imam
Ancient Africa
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Savanna
Cataract
Resources
Bantu
Sahara
Desertification
Trade
Ghana
Pious
Mali
Mansa Musa
Songhai
Axum
Ethiopia
Swahili
Nuclear family
Patrilineal
Matrilineal
Lineage
Clan
Imperialism
King Leopold’s Ghost
Possible Short Answer Questions for Midterm
1. What do you think was more important to the progress of human development – mastery of fire or the
development of language? Defend your answer.
Think about:
 Gaining control over the environment
 Safety and technology issues
 Living and working together
2. How did the ability to create increasingly sophisticated tools and technology help early people to develop
increasingly complex city life?
Think about:
 Hunting-gathering tools
 Agricultural tools
 Tools for specialized occupations
3. How did the development of agriculture change life for prehistoric peoples? Compare and contrast what life
was like for the old Stone Age people and the new Stone Age people.
4. It has often been said that the human being is a social animal. What evidence can you draw from your
knowledge of the first civilizations that would support such a statement?
5. How were all of the major early civilizations similar? Describe three ways in which all of the major civilizations
discussed in class were similar.
Think about:
 Geographic similarities
 Similarities in the development of agriculture
 Cultural and religious similarities
6. What role did major rivers play in the development of early civilizations?
Think about:
 The importance of flooding
 Source of water
 Need for governments and specialization
7. What do you think was the most important achievement of each of the civilizations discussed in class? Explain
your choices.
Think about:
 Their method of record-keeping
 Their learning and technology
 Their buildings and cities
8. Why did the development of agriculture lead to the establishment of villages?
9. Why were cities important in the development of a civilization?
10. What are a few ways in which Athens and Sparta were similar and how were they different?
11. What are some of the reasons that Alexander was considered “the Great”?
12. Define the Neolithic Revolution. What changes occurred as a result of the revolution? Why did the changes
occur?
13. Identify and discuss the elements of a civilization.
14. What are a few ways in which Athens and Sparta were similar and how were they different?
15. Identify and describe the Five Pillars of Islam.
16. Why is the Battle of Tours considered the most decisive battle in Islam?
17. How did the kingdoms of West Africa develop and prosper?