GRADE 7 SOCIAL STUDIES PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT#1 WORLD CIVILIZATIONS TO 1500
DIRECTIONS:
 Remove your answer sheet and write your name, your teacher’s name, and the class period.
 On the Scantron answer sheet, fill in the circle that corresponds to your answer from the multiple-choice
question.
 Mark only one answer for each question.
 If you do not know the answer, make your best guess.
 Write your answer to the open-response question in the space provided on your answer sheet. Remember
to answer ALL parts of the question.
1. Which of these activities would an archaeologist most likely do?
A. make maps
B. examine objects
C. read old newspapers
D. study Earth’s features
2. An object made or used by people in the past is called
A. an artifact.
B. a document.
C. a ritual.
D. a theory.
3. A prehistoric object is one that comes from a time
A. before history was written.
B. before people lived in cities.
C. before humans hunted animals.
D. before electricity was discovered.
4. How did people in the Paleolithic Age get their food?
A. by hunting and gathering
B. by planting and harvesting
C. by herding goats and cattle
D. by trading over land and sea
5. Why was the Fertile Crescent the site of many early settlements?
A. The hills were rich in gold.
B. The soil was good for crops.
C. The forest was full of animals.
D. The caves were deep and warm.
6. Why did people in the Neolithic Age live together in larger groups, compared with earlier times?
A. They found better ways to get along with others.
B. They made special goods like baskets and pottery.
C. They needed more people for hunting and gathering.
D. They could grow enough food to support more people.
7. Why did Neolithic people trade?
A. to learn other languages
B. to ride across the deserts
C. to get resources they lacked
D. to show off their good crafts
8. Why were Sumerian communities called city-states?
A. Each of them kept written records.
B. They were all part of one great empire.
C. They all depended on each other for water.
D. Each of them had its own ruler and farmland.
9. If you were in ancient Sumer, you might see a levee beside a river. Why was the levee built?
A. to load barges
B. to irrigate crops
C. to prevent floods
D. to control workers
10. Which one of these inventions most affected the food supply in Sumer?
A. the arch
B. the plow
C. the wheel
D. the chariot
11. Why were scribes important in Sumerian government?
A. to entertain the rulers
B. to write down the laws
C. to collect people’s taxes
D. to teach the royal children
12. For what is Hammurabi best remembered?
A. a code of laws
B. a style of battle
C. a hanging garden
D. a system of canals
Open Response Item (5.3.1 DOK2)
Neolithic Changes
Life for early humans became easier because of changes during the Neolithic Age.
A. Identify two changes of the Neolithic Age.
Scoring Guide
Score
4
3
2
1
B. Explain how these changes made life easier.
Description
Student lists two changes of the Neolithic Age. The student clearly explains how
each change made life easier with complete detail.
Student lists two changes of the Neolithic Age. The student explains how each
change made life easier. Very little detail given.
Student correctly lists one change and explains how it made life easier; or list two
changes, but does not explain how they made life easier; or answers both A and
B but response is vague or includes major errors
Student gets only one part of question correct, no detail.