Chapter 2 Review
Essay Questions
• How did the people of Mesopotamia benefit
from the physical geography of their region?
• What were three important contributions made
by the ancient peoples living in the Fertile
Crescent?
1. Civilization developed in the Fertile Crescent
because
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Nile River made it a prosperous area
It was an important mining area
The area was difficult to defend
The rivers there created very rich farmland
2. What were the Israelites known for that
made them unique among ancient peoples?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They worshipped one god
They worshipped many gods
They did not have a written Bible
They made purple dye from snails
3. Because the cities in Sumer were separated
by long stretches of desert land,
A.
B.
C.
D.
They united under one government
They developed into separate city-states
They were ruled by one king and queen
They were frequently destroyed by floods
4. One of the major events in the history of the
Israelites was
A.
B.
C.
D.
The discovery of cuneiform
The conquest of Egypt
The conquest of Canaan
The founding of Tyre
5. Babylon became an important center of
trade because it was
A.
B.
C.
D.
Located between cities to the south and north
Ruled by a powerful queen
Surrounded by massive walls
The sites of a great library
6. The Phoenician alphabet made it easier for
people in the ancient world to
A.
B.
C.
D.
Hire scribes
Learn to read and write
Teach cuneiform
Learn cuneiform
7. In 612 B.C., the Medes and Chaldeans joined
forces to
A.
B.
C.
D.
Build the city of Nineveh
Found the overland trade route to Asia
Destroy the Assyrian empire
Conquer Mari
8. Hammurabi’s Code was significant because
A.
B.
C.
D.
It was part of the oral traditions that followed it
For the first time, laws were written down
Everyone in the ancient world lived in Babylonia
The laws applied equally to all citizens
9. Why did Phoenicia become a thriving and
wealthy region?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The warlike Phoenicians conquered their neighbors
Gold was discovered near the city of Tyre
Phoenicia controlled access to the cities of Sumer
Phoenicians sold valuable wood and purple dye to
neighboring peoples
10.What did the Babylonians and Israelites have
in common?
A. They both looked for a trade route to the New
World
B. They both destroyed the city of Tyre
C. They both conquered the Phoenicians
D. They both lived according to a code of laws
11.Mesopotamia was located on land between
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Nile and Tigris rivers
The Nile and Euphrates rivers
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers
The Red Sea and the Tigris River
12.The Phoenicians helped spread civilization
throughout the Mediterranean area by
A.
B.
C.
D.
Using ships to trade goods with other peoples
Telling tales of monsters that lived in the ocean
Conquering all the lands west of the Persian Gulf
Controlling the supply of a valuable purple dye
13.Separate city-states developed in Sumer
because the cities were
A.
B.
C.
D.
Separated by long distances
Often destroyed by floods
United under one government
Destroyed by Ur
14.One important advantage of the Phoenician
alphabet was that
A.
B.
C.
D.
It was only used by the scribes
It was simpler than cuneiform
It used only 100 symbols
All the people learned to read and write the
symbols
15.Babylon was a crossroads of trade because of
its location
A.
B.
C.
D.
On the Nile River
Between cities to the south and north
On the Mediterranean Sea
Near irrigation canals
16.Where did writing first develop?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Mesopotamia
Assyria
Phoenicia
Canaan
17.In 612B.C., the Assyrians were conquered by
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Medes and the Sumerians
The Israelites and the Medes
The Medes and the Chaldeans
The Babylonians and the Chaldeans
18.Which of the following was the first written
set of laws?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The ziggurat of Ur
The Ten Commandments
Hammurabi’s Code