Name________________________
Per.______________
Assignment Due on: ____________________
World History Final Exam Review
Part 1
Unit 1 River Valley Civilizations
This time period marks the development of agriculture and river valley civilizations. It is during this
time period that people learned how to grow their own food and herd animals. This allowed them to
no longer be limited to hunting and gathering. The mild climates of the river valleys led to the
creation of early civilizations.
Time Period: 8000 to 500 BCE
1. What caused the development of agriculture?
People learned how to grown their own food and how to herd animals
2. What caused the development of river valley civilizations?
River valleys offered a mild climate and water highways to other places
Valleys flooded depositing fertile soil, which led to abundant harvest & a surplus of food
3. How did farming impact the creation of the following river valley civilizations:
Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China?
People no longer had to wander in search of food; instead they could build permanent
homes and villages
High crop yields on fertile flood plains permitted more people to pursue non-farming
activities
4. What are the characteristics of civilizations? List them and explain them all.
Writing, Government, Religion, Advanced Cities, Specialized Workers, Advanced
Technology, Social Classes
5. How did river valley civilizations influence the development of classical civilizations?
Early civilizations spread beyond river valleys. Some achieved enough power to conquer
neighbors and create giant empires
6. What important changes in human life occurred as a result of the Neolithic Revolution?
Change from hunter/gatherer to producer of food
Domestication of plant and animals
Development of civilizations
7. Define the characteristics of these types of government in early civilizations:
Monarchy
Theocracy
A system of government in which political power is inherited
A society governed by religious leaders
Name________________________
Per.______________
8. Identify the impact of the political and legal ideas contained in the following:
Hammurabi's Code
Hebrew Ten Commandments
Development by Babylonian king Hammurabi: it is the earliest known
written law code. It promoted justice but treated social classes
differently
Established a moral code of conduct that emphasized living justly.
Belief in one God, honoring parents, not killing or stealing
9. Identify the following major ideas that occurred in river valley civilizations:
What was the idea?
Origin
(Where did it begin)
1. Geometry
1. Egypt
1. Calendar based off
astronomy
2. Embalming
3. Silk
1.Wheel, Sailboat,
Bronze
2. Sewage system
3. Bronze
1. Egypt
2. Egypt
3. China
Mathematics
Science
Technology
1. Sumer
(Mesopotamia)
2. Indus
3. China
Diffusion
(Where did it spread?)
Name________________________
Per.______________
Unit 2 Classical Civilizations
This time period saw the development of the classical civilizations of Greece, Rome, Persia, India
(Maurya and Gupta), China (Zhou, Qin, and Han), and the development of major world religions. It
is during this time that we see the growth of civilizations beyond the river valleys. As states and
empires grow we see contacts and conflicts between and among societies.
Time Period: 600 BCE – 600 CE
Political
Empire ruled by God-king
Cyrus the Great & Darius
Mauryan Empire:
Chandragupta & Asoka
Gupta Empire: Golden age of
Hindu Culture
Religious/Philosophical
Polytheistic & Zoroastrianism
Hinduism & Buddhism
Cultural
Metal coins, Persian
Royal Road
Concept of zero
Built universities
Astronomy
Medicine
China
Zhou, Qin & Han Dynasties
ruled by emperors
Mandate of Heaven
Confucianism, Buddhism,
Daoism
Women inferior to men
Silk Road
Israel
Jewish Diaspora
Judaism
1st MONOTHEISTIC
RELIGION
Hellenistic Culture: mix of
Greek, Middle East &
Indian culture
Women- inferior, but
Spartan women had
greater status
Pax Romana (Roman
Peace)
Women had more equality
that Greeks
Persia
India
Greece
Separated by mountains/seas Polytheistic
cause Independent city states Philosophy- Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle
Direct Democracy
Alexander the Great
Rome
Republic & later an Empire
ruled by Dictators
Twelve Tables: written laws
Polytheistic & later Christianity
1. How did the fall of Rome impact Western Europe?
Law: Justice, natural law based on reason
Language: Latin evolved into European languages
Engineering: Roads, Bridges, Aqueducts, Arches, and Domes
Christianity: Adoption of Christianity led to its spread
2. How were the factors that led to the collapse of Rome and H a n China similar and
different?
Political weakness
Economic problems
Military decline
Invasions
Weakening central authority
Weak rulers
Corruption
Vast differences in wealth among
classes
invasion
Emperor weak & gave provincial
governors too much power
Rebellions
Economic problems
Civil wars
Name________________________
Per.______________
On the map below, locate the origin of each of the major world religions (refer to your chart) and then
draw arrows to indicate to which regions of the world that particular religion spread. You may want to
use different colors to show each religion.
World Religions
Origins
Buddhism
India & spread to China
Hinduism
India
Confucianism
China
Islam
Judaism
Christianity
Basic Beliefs
-Selfish desires are the main cause of human suffering
- Eightfold path & 4 noble truths
Polytheistic- reach enlightenment after free themselves from
earthly desires
-people are born into their position in society based upon
deeds in previous life
-
5 basic relationships: ruler to subject, father to son,
husband to wife, elder to younger and friend-tofriend.
-
Ethical guidelines
Social and Civic Responsibility
Middle East: Mecca
Monotheistic
5 Pillars of Islam: Faith, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage
Canaan which is
Israel & Palestine territories
Monotheistic
Serves God by studying the Torrah and living by its teachings
Rome
Monotheistic
Son of God (Jesus Christ) who died to save humanity
Follow his teachings to reach salvation
Name________________________
Per.______________
Classical Period
1. How did each of the following influence the development of democratic-republican
government?
Judeo-Christian
Belief Systems
Every person has the ability to choose between doing good &
wrong, and every person has the responsibility to help others in
need & the community
Citizens could participate in their own government
Classical Greece
Leaders of government are elected by citizens
Establishment of a common system of written law: Twelve Tables
Rome
2. What are the characteristics of the following types of government?
Democracy
Republic
Oligarchy
A government controlled by its citizens, either directly of
through representatives
A form of government in which power is in the hands of
representatives and leaders are elected by the people
Rule by a few
3. Identify the major ideas that developed in classical Greece and Rome, and in classical
India.
What was the idea?
Mathematics
Science
Technology
1. Archimedes, Pythagoras,
Euclid
2. concept of zero, decimal
system
1.Eratosthenes- Earth is
round
2. Astronomy: solar year
1. Road system,
Aqueducts, arches &
domes
2. astronomy: solar year
Origin
(where did it
begin)
1. Greece
2. India
1. Greece
2. India
1. Rome
Diffusion
(where did it
Arabic
numerals developed
spread?)
in India
Name________________________
Per.______________