Unit 2 Study Set

The name of Mesopotamia comes from its location, which was

• between two rivers.

• in mountain foothills.

• near a region of many conflicts.

• at the site of the earliest cities.

Why were Sumerian communities called city-states?

• Each of them kept written records.

• They were all part of one great empire.

• They all depended on each other for water.

• Each of them had its own ruler and farmland.

What was the chief purpose of dams and reservoirs?

• to allow travel by boat

• to make it easier to fish

• to store water for later use

• to protect villages from attack

Why did the villages of Sumer depend on each other?

• They formed caravans to safely visit the mountains.

• They cooperated to keep the water systems working.

• They exchanged different kinds of natural resources.

• They had to fight off attacks from empires to the east.

The people of Sumer constructed moats to

• get crops to grow better.

• protect cities from attack.

• make villagers work together.

• bring drinking water into towns.

A society has a stable food supply if

• It gives food to the king.

• it has enough food for its people.

• it buys food from other groups.

• it gets food by hunting and fishing.

Which one of these inventions most affected the food supply in Sumer?

• the arch

• the plow

• the wheel

• the chariot

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

Which Sumerian belief about the king helped strengthen the social order?

• He was supported by the gods.

• He cared most about poor people.

• He consulted with wise advisers.

• He wanted everyone to be happy.

The Sumerians were a civilization but not an empire. What features did the Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires have that the Sumerians lacked?

• One government ruled several groups.

• Rulers claimed to get power from the gods.

• Many beautiful works of art were produced.

• Public works such as irrigation were organized.