2011 Semester Review Answer Key
How do archeologists find out about early people?
Dig to find artifacts
Give an example of a job of a historian.
Study written evidence about the past.
What characteristics describe the Old Stone Age?
Hunter-gathers; made and used simple tools
Where did the first cities emerge?
River valleys
What aided cultural diffusion among ancient peoples?
Migration, Trade, Warfare
What was the Neolithic Revolution?
Change from hunting and gathering to farming.
What changes characterized the New Stone Age?
People established farming villages.
How did ancient Egyptians view their pharaohs?
As gods.
How would you describe Egyptian religious beliefs?
Polytheistic; belief in many gods.
What are the distinguishing key features of early civilization?
Cities
Why was the Code of Hammurabi a major achievement?
It was the first major collection of laws to be written down.
What geographic feature had the greatest influence on ancient Egypt?
Nile River
Most Egyptians were members of which social class?
Farmers
What did the movement of people across the Fertile Crescent result in?
Exchange of ideas
How did the Sumerians differ from the Egyptians in the way they viewed their rulers?
Rulers were chief servants of the gods.
What two bodies of water influenced early Indian civilization?
Indus River and Ganges River
What evidence suggests that the Indus Valley cities had a well organized government?
Well planned cities
By what criteria did the Aryans divide the people into classes?
Occupation
How did the Aryans change during the Vedic age?
Gave up nomadic ways and settled down to farm
What did the geography of Greece help create?
Many small city-states
Who dominated Greece following the Persian Wars?
Athens
The Peloponnesian War was the result of a conflict between what two city-states?
Athens & Sparta
What did Greek theater evolve from?
Religious festivals
What was Alexander’s most lasting achievement?
Spread of Greek culture
Why is Greece known as the birthplace of Western Civilization?
It gives us the beginnings of democracy.
What geographic characteristic provided Greece with a link to the outside world?
Seas
What do you call a form of government controlled by a small, powerful elite from the business class?
Oligarchy
Why did geography make Italy easier to unite than Greece?
Italy wasn’t broken up into insolated valleys.
What ideas adopted from Rome influenced the framers of the United States Constitution?
Separation of powers
What is considered Rome’s greatest achievement law and is also protected in the Bill of Rights?
Innocent until proven guilty
What were Spartan childhood boys trained to be?
Soldiers
Under whose leadership did Athens enjoy a golden age?
Pericles
Who represented the rights of the plebeians in the Roman government?
Tribunes
Whose culture greatly influenced Roman art and literature?
Greek
What did the Roman legal system contribute to the empire?
Unity & Stability
After whose death did the Pax Romana end in A.D. 180?
Marcus Aurelius
What location did Constantine make the center of power for the Roman Empire?
Constantinople
Who established an empire that extended from Greece to Egypt and India?
Alexander the Great
How did the wealth acquired from winning an empire affect Rome?
Widened the gap between the rich and the poor.
What civilization blended with Roman civilization in art and literature?
Greece
Why were civil wars fought following the decline of the Roman republic?
Who should hold power
What was Rome’s attitude towards people of a different religion within the empire?
Romans tolerated other religions
Who tried to restore order to the Roman Empire?
Diocletian & Constantine
What contributed to the “fall” of Rome?
Germanic invasions; corrupt officials; heavy taxes
How did Christianity grow from a sect of Judaism into a world religion?
Jesus traveled and spread Christianity through his teachings.
Where did the earliest people who migrated to the America’s come from?
Asia
How would you describe Mayan government?
Each city had its own ruling chief.
How did Aztecs gain their wealth?
Collected tributes from conquered people.
What early American civilization ruled an area that included the Andes Mountains?
Incas
How did the Incas unite their empire?
Imposed their own language and religion on those they conquered
Why was the early part of the Middle Ages known as the “Dark Ages”?
Invasions, population decreased, learning ceased
Feudalism emerged during the Dark Ages as a result of the need for what?
Protection
In feudalism, what did vassals provide to the lords in return for the land they received?
Military service
What was the manor economy based on?
Farming & self-sufficiency
What did new agricultural technologies in the Middle Ages lead to?
Farmers could produce more food.
What was the most important economic activity in a medieval town?
Trade
What group made up the largest part of the population in feudal society?
Peasants
How did the Black Death spread so quickly?
Carried by fleas and rats.
Describe the relationship between each class group within feudal society?
(i.e. lords and vassals/knights)
Each group served the group directly above it in return for land, protection or both.
The principle of limited government has its roots in what historical event?
Magna Carta
What historical event is related to the American principle of republicanism?
Model Parliament
What is an unalienable right?
A right that cannot be taken away without due process.
How is the principle of federalism reflected in the U.S. Constitution?
Division of power between national and state governments.
What is an example of checks and balances?
President can veto a bill and Congress can override a President’s veto.
What type of government allows the individuals elected by popular vote to exercise power?
Representative
“The Constitution of the U.S. forms a government…It is a government in which all people are
represented, which operates directly on the people individually, not upon the state…To say that
any state may at pleasure secede from the Union, is to say that the U.S. is not a nation!”
The reader can conclude that President Andrew Jackson most likely would have agreed with
which of the following statements?
States do not have the right to withdraw from the Union of the United States of America.
How would you describe a traditional economy?
Everyone in the family has a role; hunting and farming
What is the purpose of the checks and balances system in the U.S. Constitution?
Prevent one branch from becoming more powerful than the other two.
The development of an early money economy led to the end of what type of economy?
Barter Economy
In the American justice system, you are considered ______________ until proven ________________.
In the American justice system, you are considered innocent until proven guilty.
According to the Code of Hammurabi, justice is served by an eye for an _______, a __________ for a
tooth.
According to the Code of Hammurabi, justice is served by an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Polytheistic
Believing in many gods
Ethics
Moral standards of behavior
Nomads
Person who moves from place to place in search of food
Cultural Diffusion
Spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one person, or group, to another
Caste
In traditional Indian society, unchangeable social group in which a person is born.
Aristocracy
Government headed by a priveleged minority or upper class
Democracy
Government in which the people hold the ruling power.
Monarchy
Government in which a king/queen exercise central power
Veto
Power to block government action
Republic
System of government in which official are chosen by the people
Common Law
System of law that is the same for all people, based on court decisions that have become accepted legal
principles.
Fief
In Middle Ages, an estate granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for service and loyalty.
Serf
In medieval Europe, peasant bound to lord’s land.
Guild
In Middle Ages, association of merchants or artisans who cooperated to protect their economic
interests.
Inflation
Economic cycle that involves rapid rise in prices linked to a sharp increase in the amount of money
available.
Good luck!!!