Question 1

Shortly before 1500, the process of smelting ________ was discovered.

Accepted Answer

A)  steel 
B)  bronze 
C)  copper 
D)  iron

Question 2

The Persians adopted ________ as their official language, the most common language of Middle Eastern commerce.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Persians adopted ________ as their official...

Question 3

The Babylonian King ________ is best known for the collection of laws he created that bears his name.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Babylonian King ________ is best known...

Question 4

The Greek historian ________ analyzed and explained human behavior completely in terms of human nature and chance, leaving no place for the gods or supernatural forces.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Greek historian ________ analyzed and explained...

Question 5

The earliest Neolithic societies appeared in ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the Near East 
B)  China 
C)  India 
D)  Africa

Question 6

When the Nile floodwaters receded each year, they left ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  devastated communities in their wake 
B)  miles of ruined farm lands 
C)  a rich layer of organically fertile silt 
D)  an abundance of dead fish on the shore

Question 7

What was revealed in the Code of Hammurabi?

Accepted Answer

A)  the King's plans to conquer the Hurrians 
B)  a code of honorable military actions 
C)  a listing of King Hammurabi's secrets 
D)  a society divided by class

Question 8

The city of Assur had first been a center for trade, but then became a(n) ________ power during the fourteenth century b.c.e.

Accepted Answer

A)  political 
B)  agricultural 
C)  mining 
D)  military

Question 9

Modern scholars view the Hebrew Bible as ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the definitive source of the history of the Israelites 
B)  a piece of literature to be totally ignored with regard to history 
C)  only one book in a seemingly infinitesimal number of accounts of the Israelites 
D)  a source to be taken seriously, while considering its historical claims with caution

Question 10

The Sumerians developed the first known system for writing, made up of thousands of characters that represented both words and ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  numbers 
B)  sounds 
C)  units of measure 
D)  animals

Question 11

Which three religions trace their origins to the people who arrived in Palestine a little before 1200 b.c.e.?

Accepted Answer

A)  Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam 
B)  Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism 
C)  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 
D)  Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism

Question 12

Assyrian rulers relied on a system that used governors and military governors because of their empire's ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  use of slavery 
B)  instability 
C)  oppressive tax system 
D)  vast size

Question 13

The collapse of the Old Kingdom in about 2200 b.c.e.resulted in the First Intermediate Period.This was followed by the Second Intermediate Period in approximately 1630 b.c.e.-a time of imperial glory.Compare and contrast these two periods.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The collapse of the Old Kingdom in...

Question 14

What factor contributed most to the success of the Second Assyrian Empire?

Accepted Answer

A)  the establishment of a non-centralized government 
B)  the policy of accepting and adopting conquered cultures 
C)  the creation of a large, well-disciplined army 
D)  the creation of a formidable navy

Question 15

What two factors led to the downfall of the kingdom of Ur?

Accepted Answer

A)  invasion and inflation 
B)  inflation and famine 
C)  famine and invasion 
D)  invasion and civil war

Question 16

The Persians learned and borrowed from those they encountered and conquered, especially from ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Greece and Rome 
B)  Mesopotamia and Egypt 
C)  Syria 
D)  Mesopotamia and the Israelites

Question 17

The Hebrews, Babylonians, and Egyptians differed in certain specifics, but all held the general idea that cosmic order, human survival, and ________ all depended on divine will.

Accepted Answer

A)  advancement 
B)  profitability 
C)  liberty 
D)  justice

Question 18

By the early seventh century b.c.e., under the leadership of ________, the Medes and Babylonians successfully destroyed the Assyrian Empire.

Accepted Answer

The answer of By the early seventh century b.c.e., under...

Question 19

The largest group of laws in the Code of Hammurabi, showing Hammurabi's main focus, was on ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  family 
B)  land tenure 
C)  commerce 
D)  religious practice

Question 20

What became the chief religion of the Persians by the middle of the sixth century b.c.e.?

Accepted Answer

A)  Hinduism 
B)  Islam 
C)  Zoroastrianism 
D)  Buddhism

Exam 1: The Birth of Civilization