Tests and Quizzes to help you revise for the exam

Mesopotamia Homework 1

Fill in the Blanks

Mesopotamia is a G_______ word that means “b____________ the r__________.” It refers to the many civilizations that developed between the T__________ and E________________ rivers in a land we know today as I______. The “l______ between the r__________” has been known by many other names including S____________, Assyria and B____________.

Mesopotamia was originally settled almost ________ years ago at a time we today refer to as ________bc. The Christian Church devised the calendar we use in the United States, and they marked the years from the birth of Jesus Christ. We live in ____1998 because it is about ________ years after the birth of Jesus Christ. The years before __ are labeled BC for B__________ C__________, or BCE for B__________ the Christian E____ or B__________ the C__________ Era.

We have words to describe periods shorter than a year, like months, weeks and days; we have words that describe periods of many years. There are ten years in a decade and one-hundred years in a c____________. Decade comes from the Greek word for *t____, while century refers to a Latin word that describes something with one *-h____________ parts. One hundredth of a dollar is one *c______. There are one-t______________ years in a millennium. We are about to reach the second m___________________ in **________.

Most ancient civilizations were p______________________; they believed in many g______. The S________________ were p_____________________. Most people who live in the Western Hemisphere today are m____________________ who believe in o____ god. Three examples of monotheistic religions are *C______________________, *J____________ and *I________.

*Try your best. I will accept any reasonable answer.
**This is a trick question. The answer is NOT 2000!

NOTE: you may have noticed that I spell god with a small g, making the word a common rather than a proper noun. I do this because I do not want to favor a single religion of another. If you are a monotheist and believe in God, I encourage you to write the word with a capital letter.

Answer in complete sentences

*1. What does AD refer to in AD1998? What does it mean? (Hint: a dictionary will help)





2. What three terms are used to describe the years before 0?





*3. In what year did the first century begin and end?





*4. What term would we use to describe ten centuries?





5. We know that the Sumerians lived in city-states, or nations the size of cities. List three cities in The Bahamas.





6. What powers do nations have that cities do not have?





*7. 10% EXTRA QUESTION: Use an almanac to see if any city-states still exist. See how many nations are smaller than 20 square miles.





Mesopotamia Homework 2

Fill in the Blanks

The Sumerians developed an early c_______________________ in the l______ between the T__________ is E________________ rivers. The S________________ lived in c______-s__________, developed a system of c________________ writing and made a technological breakthrough by using a *w________.

The Sumerians lived in small c______-s__________ where each city would be its own nation. The city-states were often a *w____ with one another and would conquer one another. The different city-states worshipped different g______, but people would sometimes learn about the g______ of other c______-s__________ and begin to worship them.

The development of w____________ allowed the Sumerian c_____________________ to develop. Sumerians wrote by making marks in clay with a wedge. The writing is called c________________, which means “w________ shaped.” Writing allowed people to keep r____________ of their t______________________. Also, people could send m______________ with c______________ to far away l________ without t________________. Finally, w____________ allows people to p______ on their accumulated k________________ to future g____________________. The development of w____________ in S_____________ was a major advance in technology.

The use of the w________ was another major *t________________________ advancement. The wheel is a simple machine that makes it possible to move people and things with less effort.

The Sumerians made many *t________________________ advancements including development of c______-s__________, the use of w____________ and w________.

*Try your best. I will accept any reasonable answer.

Answer in complete sentences

*1. Think of three ways the wheel improved the lives of the people of Sumeria and write them on a separate sheet of paper. Write a paragraph that describes how the wheel improved the lives of the people of Sumeria. Remember to indent your paragraph, to include a topic sentence, three supporting sentences and a conclusion. Finally, attach your “think sheet” to your homework.





*2. Name a modern monotheistic religion.





*3. Polytheism comes from the Greeks. Theism refers to the belief in god and poly means many. Use a dictionary to find at least five words that begin with poly and refer to having more than one of something.
*4. What does mono in monotheism refer to?





*5. Define irrigate.





*A think question. I will accept any reasonable answer.

Mesopotamia Homework 3

Fill in the Blanks

PICTOGRAPHIC AND PHONETIC WRITING

Pictographic writing uses a symbol for each w______ while p______________ writing uses s____________ to represent s__________. The first pictographs were s__________ representations for objects. Eventually, most cultures developed p_______________ writing as their cultures evolved. Most western nations including the *U__________ S__________, England, F__________, Spain, G____________ and Russia use p_______________ writing. Phonetic writing makes it e__________ to describe a______________ ideas than p_______________________ writing.

CIVILIZATION IS DEFINED IN MANY WAYS

The Random House College Dictionary defines civilization as “an advanced states of *h__m__n society, in which a high level of *c____________, science, industry and g__v__r__m__nt has been reached. Mr. Dowling offers *f______ features that define civilization. Those features are the rise of c__________ and the development of s____________________ skills and o____________________, organized g____________________ and r________________, the development of t________ and the keeping of written r____________.

CIVILIZATION HAS DEVELOPED IN THE LAST 5500 YEARS

Civilization has d________________ in the last ________ years. People learned to w________, which allowed them to keep r____________ and c____________________. Additionally, workers began to s__________________ in t________ they were g______ at and l________ to do. This “d______________ of labor” e__________________ people to d__________ on one another. This led to the development of c__________ where people could l________ close to each another and d__________ on one another. Advances in s____________ and t__________________ allowed us to live s________, healthier and h____________ lives. People were able to use the k________________ accumulated in the p______ to s________ their p______________.

*Try your best. I will accept any reasonable answer.

Answer in complete sentences

*1. Write a paragraph that describes how the development of writing allowed civilization to develop. Remember to indent your paragraph, to include a topic sentence, three supporting sentences and a conclusion.





*2. Describe how civilization has developed in the last 5500 years. Remember to indent your paragraph, to include a topic sentence, three supporting sentences and a conclusion.





3. Describe how the Assyrians defeated the Sumerians. Remember to indent your paragraph, to include a topic sentence, three supporting sentences and a conclusion.





*A think question. I will accept any reasonable answer.

Mesopotamia Homework 4

Fill in the Blanks

THE ASSYRIANS DEFEATED THE SUMERIANS WITH THEIR GREAT ARMY

The Sumerians considered themselves more *c________________ than their Assyrian neighbors upriver, but they were surprised when the A________________ defeated them with their great a______. The Assyrians formed a s__________, well d____________________ army and used the most a______________ military t__________________ of their time. The A________________ used c______________, which allowed them to move q____________. They also used b_________________ rams in order to b________ down w________. Finally, the Assyrians d__________ the r___________ leading into S____________, depriving the S________________ of w________. The Assyrians used a strong a________ and advanced t__________________ to defeat the S________________.

HAMMURABI CREATED A CODE OF LAWS FOR HIS PEOPLE

Hammurabi was a *k______ in Babylon eighteen *c________________ before the Common E____. Babylon was a civilization in M____________________, the l______ between the T__________ and the E________________ rivers. Hammurabi created a c______ of l______ for his p__________.

Hammurabi’s Code is based on the principle, “an e____ for an e____, a t________ for a t________,” which means that if you put out an e____ or knocked out a t________, Hammurabi would remove your e____ or t________.

Hammurabi’s laws were imperfect. The p________________ were very h________ for harming people of a h__________ rank than you, but there was l__________ or no p___________ for h____________ people of a l_________ rank. If you were of e________ rank to the person you h______, you would receive e____________ the same p____________.

Hammurabi’s C______ was very h________, but it was an e________ attempt at l____, or using the g__________________ established r________. Laws are r________ that are k________ to p__________.

*Try your best. I will accept any reasonable answer.

Paragraph essay

*1. Write a pictographic sentence that describes a phrase usually associated with Hammurabi.





*2. Write a paragraph that explains why Hammurabi’s Code was unfair. Remember to indent your sentence, to include a topic sentence, three supporting sentences and a conclusion. Your supporting sentences must support the topic sentence.





*3. Write a paragraph that defends Hammurabi’s Code. Remember to indent your sentence, to include a topic sentence, three supporting sentences and a conclusion. Your supporting sentences must support the topic sentence.





*4. What do you think of Hammurabi’s Code? You may write anything in this space, but you must draw your own conclusion and you may not repeat any arguments used in your study sheet.





*A think question. I will accept any reasonable answer.