Name:______________________
Date:________
Ancient Civilizations: Period ______
Mr. Hooker
Ancient Civilizations Pre-Test
A. Multiple Choice: Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the
question.
____ 1. Which of the following would a historian be least interested in?
a. the bones of a group of people
b. the knowledge of a group of people
c. the beliefs of a group of people
d. the customs of a group of people
_____ 2. An archaeologist would most likely explore
a. a mountain range that forms the border of a geographic region.
b. a forest or other unpopulated area.
c. the site of an ancient battle.
d. data about climate in a region.
_____ 3. Culture is
a. the natural resources of a region.
b. the weather and climate of an area.
c. the beliefs, customs, and art of a group.
d. the landforms, climate, and environment of a country.
_____ 4. A historian’s work includes all of the following except
a. turning ancient discoveries into modern technology.
b. teaching and learning about culture and identity.
c. studying and interpreting history.
d. making predictions about the future based on the past.
_____ 5. “They are the captains and kings, saints and fanatics, traitors, rogues and villains,
pathfinders and explorers, thinkers and creators, even, occasionally, heroes.”
The speaker in the passage above is referring to
a. the people who write history.
b. the people who become historians.
c. the people who become archaeologists.
d. the people who make history.
_____ 6. A fossil is
a. an imprint in stone of something that once lived.
b. an ancient way of writing, carved into stone or stamped into clay.
c. something that human beings learned how to make and use.
d. a written record.
_____ 7. Which is a primary source?
a. a journal entry from a young bride traveling west
b. an article in a current encyclopedia
c. data on weather and climate
d. a book about the people of ancient China
_____ 8. What is the difference between a primary source and an artifact?
a. Primary sources are studied by archaeologists; artifacts are studied by historians.
b. Primary sources are written sources; artifacts are objects.
c. Primary sources are made by people; artifacts are made by machines.
d. Primary sources are studied by historians; artifacts are not.
_____ 9. Which of the following would a physical geographer study?
a. primary sources
b. secondary sources
c. urban areas
d. landforms
_____ 10. Rivers, valleys, and mountains are examples of
a. homelands
b. landslides
c. landmarks.
d. landforms
_____ 11. The essential resources used by early peoples were
a. water, animals, and fertile land.
b. water, copper, and animals.
c. copper, gold, and fertile land.
d. iron, copper, and water.
_____ 12. What would early people look for as they decided where to settle?
a. a location that is in a region
b. a location near a center of culture
c. a location near enough food and water
d. a location near a center of transportation
B. Completion: Fill in the blank with the correct vocabulary term.
13. Early peoples developed different cultures based on their _______________.
(settlements/environments)
14. History shapes our identity and teaches us the ____________________ that we
share. (values/regions)
15. Sometimes, archaeologists carefully reconstruct ____________________ from
hundreds of broken pieces of a statue, for example. (artifacts/fossils)
C. Practicing Social Studies Skills: Read the primary source below and answer the
question that follows.
_____ 16. Why does the author think the people she discusses are interesting?
a. They write books about history.
b. They do things that are remembered.
c. They obey the laws of their societies.
d. The author knows more about those people.
D. Timeline: Put the following dates in order from oldest (Label it #1) to most recent (#5).
17. _____ 523 AD
18. _____ 32 BC
19. _____ 1500 BC
20. _____ 84 AD
21. _____ 893 BC
E. Matching: Match each item with the correct statement.
a. artifacts
b. environment
c. culture
d. climate
e. geography
f. archaeology
g. region
h. resources
i. landforms
j. fossil
_____22. The study of the past based on what people left behind
_____23. Objects created and used by humans
_____24. Made up of all living and nonliving things that affect life in an area
_____25. Natural materials people need and value
_____26. The natural features of the land’s surface
_____27. The knowledge, beliefs, customs, and values of a group of people
_____28. The study of the earth’s physical and cultural features
_____29. The weather conditions in a certain area over a long period of time
_____30. A part or imprint of something that was once alive
_____31. An area with one or more features that make it different from surrounding areas
F. Map Skills: Study the map below and answer the questions that follow.
The Spread of Buddhism
_____ 32. Which of the following areas did Buddhism NOT spread to?
a. Sumatra
b. Tibet
c. India
d. Ceylon
_____ 33. Which cities were early Buddhist areas?
a. Sumatra and Sarnath
b. Sarnath and Bodh Gaya
c. Tibet and Sanchi
d. Sarnath and Nepal
_____ 34. The title suggests that Buddhism __________.
a. migrated
b. spread
c. converted
d. none of the above
_____ 35. What country did Buddhism begin in?
a. China
b. Jerusalem
c. Japan
d. India