Mesopotamia Quiz 1

Name

1. The term Mesopotamia refers to land between

• Uruk and Ur.
• the Arabian peninsula and the Sinai peninsula.
• the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

2. Another term for a city and the surrounding land it controls is

• city-state.
• empire.
• kingdom.

3. A ziggurat is a type of

• writing.
• religious ceremony.
• building.

4. In cuneiform, Sumerian scribes used what to represent words, sounds, or ideas?

• numbers
• wedge-shaped symbols
• simple pictures

5. Why did priests play an important role in Sumerian city-states?

• Priests were at the top of the Sumerian social order.
• Sumerians believed only priests could communicate with gods to help the city prosper.
• Priests and temples controlled much of the surrounding farmlands.

6. Which of the following was a Sumerian invention?

• the wheel
• paved roads
• papyrus

7. Why were Sumerians able to specialize in other jobs?

• They had time after farming.
• They had a surplus of food which allowed them to take on other jobs.
• They were bored.

8. Mesopotamia was located in what modern day country?

• Turkey
• China
• Iraq