Name: ____________________________________________________
2 nd Quarterly Test
Class: ________________
MULTIPLE CHOICE: For each of the following, circle the best multiple choices provided.
1.
Why is the study of ancient bones important to us today? a. The study of ancient bones gives us information about our human ancestors. b. Ancient bones are the only source of information about early peoples for archaeologists. c. Ancient bones help develop better forms of agriculture. d. Ancient bones help develop modern technologies.
2.
What was important about Donald Johanson’s discovery of Lucy in 1974? a. It proved that hominids used tools. b. It proved that hominids lived in East Africa 5,000 years ago. c. It pointed to a hominid’s ability to walk upright. d. It was the first discovery of ancient bones.
3.
What effect did the invention of tools have on early humans? a. Tools required humans to stand close to animals when hunting. b. Tools increased chances for survival. c. Tools decreased chances for survival. d. Tools allowed more animals to graze the fields.
4.
Which of the following best defines a land bridge? a. Mammoth bones lay out over a body of water b. A mountain range beside a body of water c. A strip of land connecting two continents d. A strip of coast along a rocky shore
5.
Which of the following statements best summarizes why people learned how to make clothes and build shelters after migrating out of Africa? a. People needed to trade cloth with other merchants. b. People needed more protection to survive in colder areas. c. People needed less protection to survive in warmer areas. d. People needed to trade living spaces with others.
6.
People in the New Stone Age had a different relationship to plants and animals due primarily to a. Climatic changes and human innovations. b. Migration patterns. c. Religious beliefs and fire control. d. Barbarian invasions.

7. Which statement best defines the Neolithic Revolution?
a. a major battle fought between people of Asia and Africa
b. the shift from food gathering to food producing
c. a major battle fought among the peoples of Asia
d. the shift from gathering food to hunting
8. Which two land features gave Mesopotamia its name? a. the Fertile Crescent and the Mediterranean Sea b. the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea c. the northern plateau and the southern plateau d. the Tigris River and the Euphrates River
9.
Which is the best explanation for why Mesopotamians built canals? a. They needed a way to control the river’s flow. b. They needed new routes for their ships. c. They needed a way to control low water levels. d. They needed a way to control the surplus.
10.
Why did city-states in Sumer fight each other? a. to increase the size of their militaries b. to gain more farmland c. to gain access to gold d. to increase the number of rivers they controlled
11.
Who established the world’s first empire? a. Gilgamesh b. Hammurabi c. Nebuchadnezzar d. Sargon
12.
Which of the following best describes cuneiform? a. a form of writing using picture symbols b. a form of writing using wedge-shaped symbols c. a form of writing used only for writing epics d. a form of writing using proverbs and songs
13.
What was most likely the reason that ziggurats were tall? a. to honor the gods b. so they could easily hold a lot of people c. so architects could display their work d. to mark the center of the city

14.
What technology did the Hittites and Assyrians use in battle? a. wooden spears and chariots b. bows and arrows
15.
c. iron weapons and chariots d. battleships and iron weapons
What factor may have limited the growth of Sargon’s empire? a. The Akkadian army stopped the empire from expanding to the south. b. The Euphrates River often flooded, making farming difficult. c. The Syrian Desert did not have enough good farmland. d. Ninevah did not have enough water to support its population.
16.
What body of water lies to the far west of Mesopotamia? a.
Caspian Sea b.
Tigris River c.
Mediterranean Sea d.
Persian Gulf

17.
On this map the bordering city-states of Mesopotamia are ________ and
_____________. a.
Byblos and Susa b.
Sinai Peninsula and Caspian Sea c.
Harran and Babylon d.
Asia Minor and Persian Gulf
18.
Which city-state is part of the area Sumer? a.
Susa b.
Nineveh c.
Tarsus d.
Kish
Answer the following questions by using the short response strategy:
19.
Why was the Tigris and Euphrates River so important to Mesopotamia?
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20.
Identify at least five features needed to create a civilization.
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