Humanities I Study Sheet for Test #1
Prehistory
Mesopotamia
Places
Lascaux, France
Altamira, Spain
caves
Austria
Gobekli Tepe (from "The Day Pictures Were Born" film)
Places
Mediterranean Sea
Nile River
Tigris & Euphrates
Also note these locations: Red Sea, Caspian Sea, Black Sea
Mesopotamian fertile crescent
Israel
Jerusalem
Sumer
NOTE: You should be able to locate all these Prehistoric
and Mesopotamian (see right) places on a map. Your
Creative Impulse book has excellent reference maps.
Art/Architecture
Venus of Willendorf
fertility (Venus) figures in general
the cave paintings (specific examples)
Literature
“Domestication of Motherhood”
the cave paintings
"The Day Pictures Were Born" film
Lord of the Flies
People/Characters
David Lewis Williams
Nigel Spivey
Piggy
Simon
Ralph
Jack
Roger
Terms
patriarchal (Rich)
matriarchal (Rich)
nonduality and nonduality (Rich)
ceremonial object
vision quest
shaman
San (bush men)
scavengers
hunters & gatherers
hunting
farming
conch shell (Lord of the Flies)
the beast (Lord of the Flies)
specs (Lord of the Flies)
fire (Lord of the Flies)
hunting (Lord of the Flies)
Art/Architecture
ziggurat
votive figures
Stele of Hammurabi
Literature
Epic of Gilgamesh
Story of Enkidu
Code of Hammurabi
Genesis
Hebrew Scriptures
People/Characters
Adam & Eve
Anu
Enkidu
Shamhat
Aruru
Gilgamesh
Abraham
Ms. Burnstein (Bible)
Ms. Welker (Egypt)
Ms. Barr (Judaism)
Terms
cuneiform
epic form/romantic model
polytheism
canon
kosher
Torah
Tanakh
Messiah (from a Jewish perspective)
prophets
covenant
anti-Semitism
sacrifice
wisdom literature
orthodox
conservative
reform
monotheism
Egypt
Old Kingdom
Chefren
Middle Kingdom
Sesostris
New Kingdom
fat, bulky columns
step pyramid
Hyskos
Ramses II
Djoser
irrigation
Queen Hatshepsut
Pyramids of Giza
dams
Deir el-Bahr
Sphinx
pyramids with mazes
Thutmose the Third (the great)
tomb paintings
Akhenaten
Palette of Narmer
Tutankhaton/Tutankhamon
Menes
Story of Ra
Nu
Ra
Isis
Sekhmet
Nile River
Book of the Dead
Imhotep
lily/lotus
Papyrus
Hieroglyphics
polytheism
Ka
mastaba
Cheops
embalming
delicate, slim columns
NOTE: You should be able to
locate the Nile River and Upper
and Lower Egypt on a map.
Nefertiti
Amon Re
Valley of the Kings
Reading Analysis
You will be given some passages from readings we covered in class and be asked to answer questions
about them similar to the ones on the reading pre-test from the second week of school. To save time, your
best strategy may be to skim rather than read closely, since the passages should be familiar to you already.
The questions after the passages will ask you to do some literary thinking. They will include some of the
following terms. Familiarize yourself with these terms, if you do not know them already:
figurative language – a word or phrase that departs from everyday literal language for the sake of
comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness (e.g., metaphors, similes, personification)
personification – giving human characteristics to ideas, objects, or animals ("The old mansion glowered
down at us from the top of the hill.")
simile – a comparison of two things using "like" or "as" (“He is as fast as a speeding bullet.”)
metaphor – a comparison of two things that does not use "like" or "as" (“Time is a thief.”)
foreshadowing – a hint of what is to come in the story
setting – the time and place in which the events occur within a story
repetition – a poetic device used in ancient times (repetition of words and phrases)
allusion – a reference to a person, place, event, or literary work that the audience should recognize
imagery – a collection of word pictures that appeal to the reader; uses metaphor, simile, etc.
dialogue – the talking that goes on between characters in a story
conflict – struggle between two opposing forces or characters; can be internal or external (man vs. self,
man vs. man, man vs. society, man vs. nature)
characterization / to characterize – the way the writer reveals a character's personality or nature; can be
direct or indirect
direct characterization – when the author describes the character or makes statements about him
indirect characterization – when the author shows the reader something about the character through the
character's words, thoughts, actions, or other characters' thoughts or words about him or her
infer – to deduce something from what is implied in a text
context – the parts of a piece of writing, speech, etc., that precede and follow a word or passage and
contribute to its full meaning
noun – person, place, thing, quality, or action (a city, a mayor)
pronoun – part of speech that substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and designates persons or things
asked for, previously specified, or understood from the context (he, it, they, who, anything)
proper noun – noun used as a name for a unique individual, event, or place (Seattle, Mayor Bing)
antecedent – word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers (“Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg
Address in 1863.” In this sentence, “Lincoln” is the antecedent of “his.”)
verb – part of speech that expresses existence, action, or occurrence
adverb – a word that describes a verb (often ends in –ly)
generic – general, nonspecific
divine – belongs to a god or is god-like; heavenly
conciliatory – to gain good will with pleasing acts
justify – to prove to be right or valid
elicit – to draw forth or bring out
elemental – the basic or essential part of something
narrative tone – the attitude the writer has toward the reader, his characters, or his subject matter; a mood
or emotion conveyed in a text
monumental – majestic; grandiose; heroic
cryptic – when meaning is hidden or ambiguous
parentheses – used to clarify meaning or to insert supplemental information that isn’t essential to the text
Essay Prompts
One of the following essay prompts will be the actual essay prompt on the exam. Be prepared to give
detailed examples for each culture to support your thesis. At least one paragraph will require you to only
discuss literature from class, so be prepared to write deeply about the literature.
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How do the art, literature, architecture, and artifacts of a civilization reflect their religion? Apply
to prehistory, Mesopotamia (including ancient and modern Jews), and Egypt. Consider their art,
architecture, literature and religion.
How would ancient civilizations answer the question "What is good?" Apply this question to
prehistory, Mesopotamia (including ancient and modern Jews), and Ancient Egypt. Consider their
art, architecture, literature and religion.
What are the specific ways the geography, climate, and natural resources of a place shape its
culture? Apply to prehistory, Mesopotamia (including ancient and modern Jews), and Egypt.
Consider their art, architecture, literature and religion.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a dynamic, constantly changing civilization? Of a
stable, unchanging civilization? Apply to prehistory, Mesopotamia (including ancient and modern
Jews), and Egypt. Consider their art, architecture, literature and religion.
How may the divine/supernatural have been understood by prehistoric people? Ancient
Mesopotamians? Ancient Hebrews? Ancient Egyptians? Modern Jews? Consider their art,
architecture, literature and religion.
What common themes can be seen among the myths of various cultures? What differences?
Apply to prehistory, Mesopotamia (including ancient and modern Jews), and Egypt. Consider
their art, architecture, literature and religion.
Essay Exam Instructions
ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS: In response to the prompt below, name and describe specific examples from
art, architecture, literature, and religion we studied this semester. Explain in detail how your examples
support your thesis. Please start each new paragraph on a separate page of your essay exam.
PROMPT: How would ancient civilizations answer the question “What is good?” Apply to Early
Man/Prehistory, Mesopotamia (Babylonians, Sumerians, Hebrews, etc.—including ancient and modern
Jews), and Ancient Egypt. Use evidence from art, architecture, literature, and/or religion.
HERE ARE THE THESIS, TOPIC SENTENCES, AND CONCLUSION YOU WILL USE ON
THIS TEST. Please COPY the thesis, topic sentences and conclusion onto your essay paper as they are
presented here. Do not expand or elaborate further on the thesis, topic sentences or conclusion.
THESIS: not provided until test day
TOPIC SENTENCE #1: not provided until test day
[Give multiple concrete details and extensive commentary.]
TOPIC SENTENCE #2: not provided until test day
[Give multiple concrete details and extensive commentary.]
CONCLUSION: not provided until test day