Name ___________________________ Date ________________ Class 7 A B C D J
Directions: Use the document below to answer the questions that follow.
"If anyone be too lazy to keep his dam in proper condition, and does not so keep it; if then the
dam break and all the fields be flooded, then shall he in whose dam the break occurred be sold
for money, and the money shall replace the corn which he has caused to be ruined."
—Code of Hammurabi
______ 1. The punishment for allowing one's dam to flood everyone's fields is
A. to pay for ruined crops.
C. to be sold into slavery.
B. 60 lashes in the public square.
D. both A and C
______ 2. What condition does this law cover?
A. accident
B. fault through laziness
C. earthquakes
D. all of the above
______ 3. Who gets the money from the penalty?
A. the criminal's family
B. the royal treasury
C. the owners of the ruined corn
D. none of the above
Mesopotamians depended on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The silt left over from the flooding of these
rivers made the soil fertile. Farmers would trade grain for lumber and stone. Farmers didn't have money so
they used their crops. The climate of the Mesopotamia was dry. There was very little rainfall. Farmers had to
find ways to bring water for their crops. In the spring and early summer, melting snow from the northern
mountains would sometimes cause the rivers to flood which would overflow the crop areas. The floods were
violent and unpredictable. They destroyed villages and took many lives. Floods sometimes caused rivers to
change courses. A lot of trouble is caused to the farmers' crops when river change course.
_____4. This paragraph best supports the need for which Mesopotamian achievement?
A. The sailboat
C. cuneiform
B. Irrigation
D. plow
_____ 5. The two underlined sentences best describe which aspect of ancient life?
A. Government
C. social class
B. Economy
D. geography
______ 6. Based on the paragraph, which of the following achievement was invented to help to predict floods?
A. Calendar
B. cuneiform
B. Irrigation
D. plow
Sumerians believed that powerful gods lived in the sky. They built ziggurats with steps climbing up to the top.
From the top of the Ziggurat, you could see the protective wall built about the entire town, and over the wall to
the farmlands beyond. Formal religious ceremonies were held at the very top. But all year long, people left
offerings of food and wine on the steps of the ziggurats. One of the jobs of the priests was to enjoy these
offerings, because as everyone knew, the gods could not eat for themselves. A Ziggurat was built in the center
of each town. It was the center of daily life. Except for festivals, which, for the most part, were gloomy things,
the Ziggurat courtyard was filled with joyous and busy life. You might see an artist painting, a boy racing by on
his way to school, someone milking a cow or making a basket.
______7. “an entire town, and over the wall to the farmlands beyond” best describes which civilization aspect.
A. Sumerian religion
C. Sumerian city-state
B. Sumerian military
D. Sumerian trade
______8. What does “It was the center of daily life” most likely mean?
A. Ziggurats were huge buildings
C. Ziggurats were religious buildings
B. Ziggurats were the most important buildings
D. People painted near ziggurats
______9. Based on the reading, which part of the ziggurat seems to be most sacred?
A. The top
C. the courtyard
B. The center
D. none of the above
Directions – Define the following terms.
10. Mesopotamian scribe _______________________________________________________________
11. polytheism _______________________________________________________________________
12. cuneiform _______________________________________________________________________
Directions – Demonstrate comprehension of the unit’s main ideas by completing/answering the following.
13. There were three social classes in ancient Mesopotamia. List at least one group of society for each social
class. Upper ____________________ Middle ____________________ Lower ________________
14. Why were city-states often conquered by outsiders and then by neighboring city-states?
15. List two achievements of the Sumerians that improved trade AND describe how they improved the trade
system.
A. ___________________ - ____________________________________________________________
B. ___________________ - _____________________________________________________________
BONUS - Choose the correct word.
1. The jury has reached ___________ decision (it’s , its)
2. _________ got to snow soon. (it’s, its)
3. Do you know the boy _____ rang the bell? (who, whom)
4. Kevin was with _________? (who, whom)