Greece Unit Study Guide KEY
(Chapters 25-31)
1. The ancient Greeks worshiped the sea god Poseidon. What does this tell you about Greek civilization?
The Greeks relied on the sea for travel and trade.
2. The ancient Greeks did not like to travel on land because they…
found traveling through mountains difficult
3. What was the main effect on daily life of Greece's mountainous geography?
Communities were isolated.
4. Where were the earliest Greek colonies established?
western Asia Minor
5. What type of government does the following three statements describe?
There is one ruler. The ruler usually inherited power. The ruler passed on leadership to his son.
monarchy
6. How did tyrants sometimes lose power?
They were overthrown by the people.
7. How were laws developed in a monarchy?
The king made them.
8. In ancient Greek settlements, governments tended to develop in a predictable order. Which form of
government usually came first?
monarchy
9. What is the difference between a king and a tyrant?
A king inherits power, but a tyrant seizes it.
10. Describe democracy in Athens.
Only free men could speak in the Assembly.
11. What made many Greek tyrants popular?
giving more rights to the poor
12. How does American democracy differ from the Athenian form?
In Athens, every citizen could vote on every issue.
13. What was the role of the Assembly in the Athenian government?
The Assembly approved new laws after the council suggested them.
14. How did someone become a member of Athens's Council of 500?
He was chosen by a random drawing.
15. Sparta used heavy iron bars as money. What conclusion might you draw from this?
Sparta discouraged trade with other city-states.
16. What happened after Sparta conquered a neighboring land?
Spartans demanded that the conquered people give Sparta much of their food
crops.
17. What best describes education in Sparta?
Both boys and girls got military training.
18. Geographically, how did Sparta compare with Athens?
It was farther from the sea.
19. Where did Athenian women have the most influence?
in the home
20. Why did the Spartans avoid trade?
They didn't want to be exposed to new ideas.
21. What was the main purpose of Spartan education?
to prepare brave soldiers
22. How did Spartan women differ from most other Greek women?
They could own property
23. Why did the Persians think it would be easy to conquer Greece?
Because they had more land and people than the Greeks.
24. What body of water did the Persians cross to attack Greece?
Aegean Sea
25. What were the Greeks able to use to win the Battle of Salamis?
their knowledge of Greece's waterways
26. What was an important result of the Persian wars?
They preserved Greek independence.
27. Why did Leonidas decide to fight the Persians at Thermopylae?
The Persian army would have to go through a narrow pass.
28. What was the result of the Battle of Plataea?
The threat from the Persian Empire was over.
29. People today use religious buildings as places to pray. How does this differ from the way ancient Greeks used
their temples?
Greek temples were earthly homes for the gods and goddesses.
30. Athenians lived in crowded, dirty neighborhoods, while the city was known for its beautiful buildings. Based on
this information, what can you conclude about Athenians' values?
Athenians believed the city's public life was more important than their private
lives.
31. What does the Greek love of sports show about ancient Greeks?
They valued physical health as much as intellect.
32. How did Greek sculpture in the Golden Age of Athens differ from earlier Greek and Egyptian sculpture?
It was lifelike.
33. What did Socrates encourage his fellow citizens to do?
question their own beliefs
34. Why were many Greek athletic events held?
to honor gods and goddesses
35. The Greek city-states fought against each other in the Peloponnesian War. What was a major effect of the war?
Macedonia was able to conquer Greece.
36. How might Alexander have described his approach to unifying his empire?
"I respect the beliefs of many different peoples."
37. Alexander built cities with these features: an agora, a temple, a theater, and a university. Why did he design
cities this way?
Because he wanted the cities to be like Greek cities.
38. What was the outcome of the Peloponnesian War?
Sparta defeated Athens.
39. What was King Philip of Macedonia's main achievement?
He united the Greek city-states under his command.
40. Why did Alexander choose to invade Persia?
to have access to Persia's great wealth
41. What Persian custom did Alexander adopt after conquering Persia?
receiving visitors in a luxurious tent
42. With what academic field are Pythagoras and Euclid associated?
geometry
43. Greece contributed to our language today. The word geography comes from the Greek words meaning…
writing about Earth
44. Which two ancient Greek words make up the modern word telephone?
those for "person" and "voice"
45. What original idea did Hippocrates have about health and disease?
that diseases have natural causes that can be observed
46. What distance did the Greek astronomer Hipparchus calculate?
from the Earth to the moon
47. What was one of Aristotle's contributions to science?
classification of plants and animals
48. What feature of Greek architecture can you see in many modern homes?
covered porches
49. Why were the first Olympics held?
to honor Zeus
50. What system did ancient Greek geographers develop?
longitude and latitude