The Sumerians

Small, mud-brick houses at the edge of the city were the homes of

• slaves

• traders

• potters

• farmers

Why were scribes important in Sumerian government?

• to entertain the rulers

• to write down the laws

• to collect people's taxes

• to teach the royal children

The building in the picture was most closely related to which of these features of Sumerian civilization?

• food

• writing

• religion

• government

Which invention made it possible for Sumerian armies to use chariots?

• wheels

• swords

• sledges

• horseshoes

This image shows cuneiform, the written language of the Sumerians. What did Sumerians use to produce cuneiform?

• poles pulled by oxen

• a wedge-shaped stylus

• a net woven from reeds

• feathers from large birds

Cuneiform was written on what material?

• metal coins

• clay tablets

• animal hides

• flattened reeds

Annual flooding actually helped farmers by...

• leaving behind flecks of gold used for making money

• leaving silt behind that helped crops grow

• making it easier to travel upstream

• making it easier to transport goods by boat

What is a ziggurat?

• a government building

• a temple

• a school

• a place to store grain

Of the following, which group of people belonged to the upper class of Sumerian Society?

• merchants

• artisans

• priests

• farmers

What is a cuneiform?

• A type of Sumerian story

• A Sumerian building

• Sumerian money

• the Sumerian system of writing