6th Grade Sample Assessment Questions for Unit 2
GEOGRAPHY OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS(4 CRADLES OF CIVILIZATION)
Conceptual Lens: CIVILIZATION, NATURAL RESOURCE, PLACE, COOPERATION
Essential Standards: G.1.1, G.1.2, G.1.3, G.1.4, G.2.1, G.2.2
Essential Standard G.1.1
1. The major river valley for early Chinese
civilization was the
A.
B.
C.
D.
Nile
Tigris
Huang He
Euphrates
2. Which feature of geography was the most
important in helping the development of
early river valley civilizations?
A.
B.
C.
D.
fertile soils
high mountains
vast deserts
smooth coastlines
3. Why did ancient civilizations develop in
valleys of rivers such as the Nile, Indus,
Tigris and Euphrates?
A. The river valleys provided a source of
fresh water and good farmland.
B. The rivers aided in the exploration of
new territories.
C. The rivers provided power for industries
D. The river valleys provided areas for
recreation.
4. What civilization developed in the land area
between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers?
A. Mesopotamia
B. Egypt
C. India
D. Sparta and Athens
5. What are the names of two rivers that have
their origin in the Himalayan Mountains?
A. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
B. Mississippi and Hudson Rivers
C. Yangtze and Yellow Rivers
D. Ganges and Indus Rivers
6. What was the ancient name for the current
region of Iraq?
A. Ganges
B. Mesopotamia
C. Constantinople
D. Carthage
From the vantage point above the Earth,
scientists can study two ribbons of green
cutting across the white desert landscape. The
northern edge is the Tigris River. The southern
edge is the Euphrates River. It has been given a
name that means “Land Between the Rivers.”
7. What is this area called?
A. Ganges Plain
B. Mongolian Plateau
C. Mesopotamia
D. Sierra Madre
8. All of the following are true about the Nile
River EXCEPT
A. it flows north
B. it floods regularly
C. it empties into the Atlantic Ocean
D. it flows through a desert
Figure 1
9. What would be a good title for the above
chart?
A. Challenges of the 21st century
B. Ancient Chinese River Civilizations
C. Effect of Geography on Cultures
D. Wars of the Ancient World
10. What rivers should be listed under
Mesopotamia?(Figure 1)
A. Tigris and Euphrates
B. Amazon and Mississippi
C. Rhine and Seine
D. Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze
11. The method of farming for ancient
Egyptians followed a pattern of flood, plant,
harvest, flood, plant, harvest. This
repetition of behavior leads us to
understand that the yearly flooding
timetable for the Nile River must be
(Figure 1)
A. irregular
B. regular
C. unknown
D. unpredictable
12. Review the two categories of Protection
from Invasion and Degree of Cultural
Diffusion(Figure 1). We can assume from
the information that
A. the desert of Egypt encouraged trade
with other cultures
B. the constant warfare experienced by
Mesopotamia was a result of its desert
isolation
C. geography can protect from invasion
but may isolate a culture from others
D. the Nile river brought many invasions
from seafaring cultures
13. India is often referred to as a subcontinent.
Its geographic barriers separate it from the
rest of Asia. These geographic barriers
include all of the following EXCEPT
A. Hindu Kush Mountain Range
B. Himalaya Mountain Range
C. Karakoran Mountain Range
D. Khyber Mountain Pass
Essential Standard G.1.3
15. Hieroglyphics and cuneiform systems
provided the basis for the development of
A.
B.
C.
D.
subsistence farming
painting and sculpture
oral traditions
recorded history
Answer questions14-16 by reading the
passage.
Writing
Some of the first writing was developed in
Mesopotamia. Many social scientists credit
the Sumerian people for this writing. The
writing looked like symbols and was called
cuneiform. The Sumerians wrote on clay
tablets. Later, the Phoenicians, while still
using cuneiform, began to produce their
own 22-letter alphabet. This development
made it easier for people of the ancient
world to learn to read and write. In some
ways, their alphabet looked like Egyptian
hieroglyphics. The Greeks and Romans
adapted the Phoenician writing form to
create their own alphabet.
Writing was used in commerce. It was
especially important communicating the
history of people. It was also a powerful
way of letting people know the laws. The
first written set of laws was called the Code
of Hammurabi.
16. Which form of writing came first?
14. The Egyptian god-kings were called
A.
B.
C.
D.
emperors
czars
pharaohs
chiefs
A.
B.
C.
D.
Egyptian hieroglyphics
Greek alphabet
Sumerian cuneiform
Phoenician alphabet
17. What is the name of the Sumerian
writing system?
A.
B.
C.
D.
hieroglyphics
cuneiform
Roman numerals
Hammurabi's Code
18. What was a result of the development
of an alphabet in ancient times?
A. It was easier for people to read and
write.
B. Trade routes opened up from Rome
to the cities of China.
C. The Code of Hammurabi Code was
declared useless for the average
person.
D. No one ever used cuneiform again.
A student reads four statements about the
final states in Egypt's once proud history.
They focus on the Late Kingdom (664-332
BC).(Questions 17-18)
19. Which of the following statements
might be an OPINION?
20. Which of the following statements
might be an OPINION?
A. Artists who painted and sculpted
were more talented than anywhere
else in the world.
B. The pharaohs were considered to be
gods.
C. The first pyramids were made with
mud bricks.
D. Ancient doctors knew about the
body, antiseptics and surgery.
21. The ancient Indus (India) Civilization was
similar to the ancient civilizations of
Mesopotamia and Egypt in that ALL
THREE
A. were protected from invasion by
deserts
B. had monsoon winds that affected
crops
C. were aided by the flooding of major
rivers
D. experienced constant invasions due
to open geography
22. The list below are ancient
A. The Nubians from the south invaded
the northern Egyptians
B. Egypt was conquered by Persia
during this period
C. When Alexander the Great came to
Egypt from Greece, he conquered
the Persians
D. Egyptian soldiers were more skilled
than the Persian or Greek soldiers


Mohenjo-Daro
Harappa
A. leaders of the Indus River Civilization
B. planned cities of the Indus River
Civilization
C. battles won by the people of the
Indus River Civilizations
D. mountain retreats for religious folk
of the Indus River Civilizations
23. The Indus River Civilization (2500 BC–
1700 BC) is best known for its
A.
B.
C.
D.
written history
planned cities
military feats
postal system
24. The Indus River Civilization is also called
the Harappan Civilization because
Harappa was
A.
B.
C.
D.
a sacred mountain area
a important archeological site
a Hindu goddess
a famous Indus warrior
25. One of China's great rivers is the Huang
He. It is located in the northern part of
China. The Chinese refer to the Huang
He as "China's Sorrow." This nickname
for the river indicates that it probably
A. has a history of violent flooding,
killing many
B. dries up most of the year and is a
good source of farmland
C. provides regular irrigation to
surrounding areas
D. has served as a good reliable
transportation link
Essential Standard G.1.2
26. The Sumerians surrounded their cities with
thick walls to protect themselves from
enemies. The largest structure in the city
was a solid brick platform where the temple
to the god of the city stood. What is the
name given this platform?
A.
B.
C.
D.
a ziggurat
an oasis
an amphitheater
a monastery
Answer questions 25-27 after reading this
passage about the Indus River Civilization.
Historians do not know why the Indus River
Civilization ended around 1700 BC. Some
believe it disappeared because the Indus River
may have flooded. This could have destroyed
crops needed for survival. Others think that
farmers weakened the soil by over planting or
over grazing. Some also think it collapsed from
an invasion or a natural disaster. Adding to the
mystery is the fact that historians find it hard to
translate their written language.
27. A good title for this passage would be
A. Suspected Reasons for the
Disappearance of the Indus Civilization
B. Historical Proof for the Disappearance
of the Indus Civilization
C. Geography Destroys the Indus
Civilization
D. Indus Civilization Writing Mystery
Solved
28. According to this passage, the reasons for
the decline of the Indus River civilization
could be categorized as MAINLY
A.
B.
C.
D.
environmental and political
military and political
cultural and economic
environmental and military
29. According to the passage, the Indus system
of writing
A. is understood by current scholars
B. never existed among the Indus people
C. could hold the key to answering many
questions
D. has few details about the history of the
area
30. China built its civilization 1500 years after
the Sumerians and 1000 years after the
people of the Nile and Indus river valleys.
How do historians explain why the Chinese
civilization started later?
A. China did not have any humans living in
the area until 1000 B.C.
B. Chinese people are slow to learn new
ideas and dislike change.
C. China's geography created natural
barriers that prohibited cultural
diffusion.
D. China experienced great epidemics due
to Western diseases from traders.
Essential Standard G.1.4
There are two forms of the Chinese
language – one written and one spoken. In
the written language, each symbol stands
for an idea, not for a sound, as in English.
Thus throughout China, the written
language was the same even though people
spoke different Chinese dialects throughout
the empire.
31. Having one system of writing probably
encouraged Chinese
A.
B.
C.
D.
unity throughout the empire
art expression
trade with foreigners
regional differences
32. Every society goes through changes. The
Chinese explained the change in rulers
as the will of the gods. When floods,
riots, famines and loss of battles hit
China, the people believed that the ruler
no longer had the favor of the gods to
rule. This favor or power to rule was
known as
A.
B.
C.
D.
Divine Right
Mandate of Heaven
Might Makes Right
Rollover Empires
33. Most of the early Egyptian population
settled near the Nile River because
A. the river was important for the army
B. many factories were located near
the river
C. this area was the most scenic
(attractive) area
D. the river provided water for
farming
34. A lasting civilization occurred along the
Nile River in Egypt. As a result of this
ancient civilization, Egypt
A.
B.
C.
D.
invaded Europe
developed a democracy
became a center of trade
lost interest in agriculture
Essential Standard G.2.1
Chart for Questions 33-37
37. Column A indicates gifts from which ancient
river civilization?
A.
B.
C.
D.
35. Column B highlights gifts from the ancient
river civilization of
A.
B.
C.
D.
China
Indus
Sumer
Egypt
36. Column D indicates gifts from which ancient
river civilization?
A.
B.
C.
D.
China
Sumer
Egypt
Indus
China
Sumer
Indus
Egypt
38. Column C indicates gifts from the ancient
river civilization of
A.
B.
C.
D.
Sumer
Egypt
Indus
China
39. Compare the contributions of the four
ancient civilizations in the chart. One thing
they ALL DID was
A.
B.
C.
D.
produce a written language
conquer foreign lands
build extensive fortifications
practice democracy
40. Two of the most important inventions that we use today, writing and the wheel, both came from
the Ancient Civilizations that we just studied. Explain the significance of these two tools for our
society today.
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