2.2 Agriculture and Settlement

Which event would most likely have caused early agricultural civilizations to interact with each other?

• the expansion of a civilization's territory

• the conquest of one people by another

• the migration of one people to another location

• the outbreak of disease

Which statement best explains why early civilizations were located in large river valleys?

• Rivers contributed the resources needed for widespread agriculture to develop.

• River valleys had the kind of temperate climate that humans are adapted to the best.

• Rivers made it easier for people to travel the long distances needed to trade with others.

• River valleys provided the natural obstacles needed to protect against conquest.

What factor was the most important in determining the design of building in early agricultural civilizations?

• the size of the labor force that would be used for construction

• the type of language spoken by the people

• the wealth of the family for whom the building was constructed

• the climate and materials of the region

What developed most immediately after the rise of civilizations?

• religious leaders

• specialized hunters

• cooperative schools

• grain-storage facilities

Which factor contributed most to the development of political leadership positions in early civilizations?

• conflicts over land

• the formation of religions

• the need to organize projects

• shortages of food and water

What were the main causes for the first interactions between ancient civilizations?

• religion and the arts

• education and sports

• trade and warefare

• science and exploration

Which factor contributed most to the development of the first cities?

• the domestication of animals

• the creation of surplus food supplies

• trade between different civilizations

• change brought on by warming of Earth's climate

How did the domestication of goats and sheep affect the way the people of the Neolithic Era lived?

• It increased the food supply by enabling them to plow larger fields.

• It expanded trade by increasing the size of the market for grain crops.

• It slowed the growth of cities by introducing new diseases into large settlements.

• It improved their lifestyle by providing them with access to more natural resources.

Which advances did the most to help sustain the growing human population during the Neolithic Era?

• the development of agriculture

• new construction techniques

• improved hunting methods

• increased scientific knowledge

Imagine a nomadic hunter-gatherer and a farmer of the Neolithic Era are arguing with each other concerning their respective quality of life.  Each thinks his quality of life is superior to the other's. 

Which argument would most likely be made by the farmer?

• "I have much greater mobility."

• "I have more personal freedom."

• "I will live a longer, healthier life."

• "I have access to a wider variety of foods."