World History I – Midterm Study Guide
Below are questions that you should consider while you are studying for the Midterm Exam.
While these questions do not cover all of the information eligible for the test, being able to
answer them will greatly assist your studying efforts. In addition to this study guide, I strongly
suggest you look over assignments you’ve worked on, especially assignments that review key
terms and vocabulary.
Geography
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What are the 5 themes of Geography and how can they be used to better understand
history? (Be able to name and describe each of the 5 themes of geography)
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What is the difference between absolute location and relative location? How can
longitude and latitude coordinates be used to determine absolute location?
(Be able to describe location using both relative location and longitude and latitude
coordinates)
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MAPS: Review the maps and geography associated with specific topics we have
explored in class, including: the World Map, Ancient River Valleys, Ancient China and
India, Mediterranean Sea, Persia, Ancient Greece, and European Geography.
Timelines
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What do BC, AD, BCE, and CE stand for?
(Know what they stand for and how they relate to historical timelines)
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How do we determine the amount of years between two dates, especially when one date
is BC / BCE and the other is AD / CE?
(Make sure you know how to figure out how many years are between two dates)
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How many years are associated with decades, centuries, and millenniums? What years
are we talking about when we use these labels to describe time. (for instance: “The 60s”
or “the 15th Century AD”)
(Know how many years for each label and how to determine the years that the labels
refer to when used like the examples provided above.)
Human Origins and Evolution
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Where on the earth can humans trace their earliest ancestry? How can we use the 5
themes of geography to understand this point of origin.
(Where do we come from? Explain using the 5 themes of geography)
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What were the stages of human evolution? What were the names of each evolutionary
step and what was each species specifically known for?
(Know the stages of human evolution, the names of each stage, and what was unique
about each species.)
The Stone Age: Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras
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What was life like for early humans during the Paleolithic Era? How did they get food?
How did they live? What influenced where they lived?
(Understand how people lived during the Paleolithic Era and how that was
different form how they lived after the Neolithic Revolution.)
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What was life like for early humans during the Neolithic Era? What major discovery
brought humans into the Neolithic era? How was life during the Neolithic different from
life during the Paleolithic Era?
(Understand how people lived during the Neolithic Era and how that was different form
how they lived previously in the Paleolithic Era.)
What is a civilization?
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What do we mean by the term “civilization?” How do we know how to identify a
civilization when we see one?
(Know the 5 factors used to identify civilizations and what each one means)
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How do archeologists and historians study ancient history?
(Be able to explain the different methods used to study ancient history.)
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What are some of the earliest archeological sites known to man? What can we learn
about early cities based on these sites?
(Know the 4 oldest archeological sites and key facts about each)
The Bronze Age: River Valley Civilizations
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What were the “river valley civilizations” and where were they located? How are they
similar to one another? How are they unique from one another?
(Be able to name, locate, compare and contrast the 4 early river valley
civilizations)
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Why were the first civilizations around rivers? What were the rivers they clustered
around and where are they on the map? What advantages and disadvantages did each
civilization get from their specific river?
(Know the rivers that each civilization was associated with and be able to locate them
on a map. Also, understand the advantages and disadvantages of each of the rivers.)
Early Iron Age Civilizations
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Who were the Hittites and the Phoenicians and where did they settle? What did each do
that was unique to other early Iron Age Civilizations?
(Know how to locate the Hittite and the Phoenician homelands and explain what each
did that was unique.)
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Who were the Hebrews? What is the story about where they were from and the journey
they took to eventually find a place to settle? What is the name of the Hebrew religion
and what is unique about it?
(Know basic information about the Hebrews, their journey, and their religion)
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Who were the Assyrians and where did they settle? What was unique about this Iron
Age civilization?
(Know how to locate the Assyrians on a map and explain how they were unique.)
Civilizations of the Far East and the First Religions
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What are the main features of Hinduism and Buddhism? Where did they come from?
What do their followers believe? How did they spread? What influence did each have on
society?
(Know each key vocabulary from each religion, as well as each religion’s founder,
beliefs, sacred text, afterlife, and method for achieving peace / happiness.)
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What were the primary achievements of the Mauryan and Gupta Empires in Ancient
India? Who were the important leaders from each of these empires and what did they
do? (Know the 3 major leaders of these Ancient Indian empires, their empires, and what
they accomplished)
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What are the 3 social philosophies of Ancient China? What does each focus on as a way
to achieve peace and harmony in Chinese society?
(Know the differences between the 3 social philosophies of ancient China – along with
beliefs about peace, societal harmony, and relationships)
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What were the primary achievements of the Shang, Zhou, and Qin Dynasties in Ancient
China? What was the mandate of heave and how is it related to the Dynastic Cycle?
Who was Qin Shi Huangdi and what did he do?
(Know the major achievements and accomplishments of the three earliest Chinese
Dynasties.)
Ancient Persia and Greece
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Who were the Persians and where did their empire begin? What were the major
accomplishments of Persia’s greatest leaders, Cyrus and Darius? How were the
Persians able to maintain such a large empire? What is Zoroastrianism?
(Know what Cyrus and Darius did, the geography associated with the Persian empire,
and key vocabulary, like imperial bureaucracy, royal road, and Zoroastrianism.
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How did the geography of Greece affect the development of Greek civilization?
(Know how to describe the geography of Greece and explain how that geography
affected the way Greek society developed.)
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Who was Homer and what did he write? What are Homer’s stories about? Why do
historians care about Greek Myths and Stories? What do these stories tell us about
Greek values? (Know the 2 Homeric Epics we talked about in class, what they were
about, and what they tell us about Greek values.)
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What were the major accomplishments of early Greeks (Minoans and Myceanaeans)
and how did they influence Greek civilization? What was the Trojan War? What are two
potential causes for this conflict? How did it conclude and what effect did it have on the
Mycenaeans afterward? (Know about the Minoans and the Mycenaeans, as well as the
causes and effects of the Trojan War.)
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What are the five different types of government systems that will exist in Greek CityStates after Greece’s Dark Age? How is each type of government unique and where
could they be found in Ancient Greece? (Know the major types of government and how
decisions are made using each system.)
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Compare and contrast the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta. What were the
primary similarities and differences between these two Greek powers? (Know how to
describe the geography, government, economy, and social philosophy of these two citystates.)
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What were the causes and effects of the Persian War? Who are the primary figures
involved with this conflict? What are the major events we’ve learned about? How did the
Persian War change the relationship of independent city-states within Greece? (Know
the major causes, figures, events, and effects of the Persian War
World History I Vocabulary – 1st Semester
Use the vocabulary below to help you study for the Midterm Exam.
This is not every vocabulary word from the
 Theocracy
semester, but knowing the words below will greatly help you prepare for the midterm.
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5 Themes of Geography
Absolute Location
Relative Location
Before Common Era (B.C.E.)
Common Era (C.E.)
Decade
Century
Millennium
Archeology
Bipedalism
“Lucy”
Australopithecines
Homo Habilis
Homo Erectus
Cro-Magnons
Neanderthals
Homo Sapiens
Homo Sapien Sapiens
Paleolithic Era
Neolithic Era
Stonehenge
Catal Huyuk
Jericho
Aleppo
S.T.A.I.R.
Civilization
Fossils
Artifacts
Excavation
Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia
Silt
Tigris and Euphrates
Ziggurat
Irrigation
City-State
Bronze Age
Polytheism
Hammurabi
Hammurabi’s Code
Cuneiform
Ur / Uruk
Sargon of Akkad
Babylon
Gilgamesh
Nile River
Pyramid
Delta
Menes
Pharaohs
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Cataract
Hieroglyphics
Papyrus
Sumer
Unpredictable Flooding
Predictable Flooding
Indus River
Mohenjo-Daro
Hindu Kush Mts.
Himalayan Mts.
Grid System
Citadel
Huang He River
Middle Kingdom
Loess
China’s Sorrow
Shang Dynasty
Chariot
Dynastic Cycle
Mandate of Heaven
Phoenicians
Hebrews
Purple Dye
Galley
Hittites
Anatolia / Asia Minor
Canaan
Exodus
Abraham
Torah
Monotheism
Carthage
Phoenician Alphabet
Kingdom of Israel
Moses
Sinai
Minoans
Iron Age
Mediterranean
Assyrians
Battering Ram
Aryans
Hinduism
Sanskrit
Caste System
Vedas
Samsara
Moksha
Dharma
Karma
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Untouchables
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
Eightfold Path
Four Noble Truths
Nirvana
Reincarnation
Mauryan Empire
Gupta Empire
“Golden Age” of India
Chandragupta Maura
Asoka
Chandra Gupta I
Concept of Zero
Value of Pi
War Elephants
Zhou Dynasty
Calvary
Crossbow
Qin Dynasty
Qin Shi Huangdi
Great Wall of China
Oracle Bones
Legalism
Confucianism
Daoism / Taoism
Yin Yang
Filial Piety
Five Relationships
Persia
Cyrus the Great
Darius I
Royal Road
Imperial bureaucracy
Zoroastrianism
Mycenaeans
Trojan War
Strait
Isthmus
Dardanelles
Peninsula
Peloponnesus
Balkan Peninsula
Aegean Sea
Homer
Epics
Myth / Mythology
Iliad
Odyssey
Polis
Acropolis
Monarchy
Aristocracy
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Oligarchy
Tyranny
Democracy
Phalanx
Hoplite
Helot
Persian Wars
Marathon
Thermopylae
Salamis
Xerxes
Dalian League