California State University, Long Beach

ENGLISH 101

Chapter 1 Stone Age Societies and the Earliest Civilizations of the Near East

1)The earliest prehuman species thus far discovered is called A) Homo sapiens.

B) Australopithecus. C) Homo habilis. D) Neanderthal man.

E) Homo erectus.

2. The first use of fire is attributed to A) Homo habilis.

B) Cro-Magnon man. C) Neanderthal man. D) Australopithecus.

E) Homo erectus.

3. Neanderthal man lived primarily in A) North America.

B) Europe. C) Arabia D) Java.

E) China.

4. All of the following are true of Neanderthal man EXCEPT A) they were able hunters.

B) they were well suited for colder climates. C) they wore clothes. D) they were the same height as modern man.

E) they invented tools.

5. Which of the following do present-day humans most closely resemble? A) Cro-Magnon man

B) Homo erectus C) Homo habilis D) Australopithecus

E) Neanderthal man

16) Humankind has created patterns of behavior and learning termed A) religion.

B) culture. C) clans. D) civilization.

E) language.

7. ?Paleolithic culture? refers to A) the use of iron.

B) the development of bronze tools. C) the use of stone tools. D) the use of agriculture.

E) none of the above.

8. The terms ?utilization,? ?fashioning,? and ?standardization? describe stages of the A) human invention of tools.

B) growth of agriculture. C) evolution of the human brain. D) creation of an empire.

E) development of specialization of labor.

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9. The earliest-known works of art are paintings on A) the walls of caves.

B) woven fabrics. C) animal skins. D) burial artifacts.

E) bark.

10. The transition of human beings from a food-gathering to a food-producing economy occurred during the

                  Age.

1. 1. Iron B) Bronze

C) Paleolithic D) Neolithic

E) Mesolithic  

11. The Fertile Crescent is an area located A) on the Arabian peninsula.

B) from the Nile River to the Tigris River and beyond to the Persian Gulf. C) along the Upper Nile. D) south through Egypt to Nubia.

E) along the Mediterranean Sea.

12. The best-preserved village of the Neolithic Age has been found in modern-day A) Turkey. B) Persia.

C) China.       D) Egypt.

13. Women?s responsibilities during the Neolithic Period included A) gathering food

B) weaving textiles. C) cultivating fields. D) spinning flax and wool.

E) all of the above.

14. The most basic and universal unit of human social relationships is the A) clan.               B) tribe.             C) totem.

D) family.

15. Examples of totemism exist today A) in fraternal groups.

B) in sports organizations. C) in military insignia. D) in school mascots.

E) all of the above.

16. In preliterate societies, justice meant A) maintaining equilibrium within the group.

B) adhering to the dictates of the tribal chief. C) following moral commandments. D) never requiring the death of a society member.

E) all of the above.

E) India.

E) village. 3

17. A form of primitive religion that regarded all objects in nature as inhabited by ?spirits? is called
    1. polythesim. B) science.

C) black magic. D) monotheism.

E) animism.

18. Primitive religion utilized magic A) rarely.

B) only through female members of the clan. C) to obtain favors from the spirits. D) to threaten opposition.

E) to govern.

19. Science during the Stone Age A) involved little more than use of magic

B) involved the construction of astronomical structures. C) was nonexistent. D) was concerned only with the afterlife.

E) none of the above.

20. All of the following apply to the development of human civilization EXCEPT A) tool making.

B) hunting and gathering. C) political systems. D) specialization of labor.

E) writing.

21. All of the following are attributes of a civilization EXCEPT A) urban settlement.

B) writing. C) hunting and gathering. D) labor specialization.

E) religious hierarchy.

22. The word ?Mesopotamia? is derived from the Greek word meaning A) dry land.

B) land near the mountains. C) land between the rivers. D) unknown land.

E) land near the sea.

23. The four earliest civilizations arose A) in river valleys.

B) in sheltered mountain caves. C) by the seashores. D) near desert oases.

E) in isolation from other peoples.

24. The area of the first great civilizations where rainfall was adequate to grow grain and grazing animals could find sufficient food is
    1. the Arabian Peninsula. B) the Nile River Valley.

C) the Fertile Crescent. D) the Levant.

E) Turkey.

25. Bronze is an alloy (combination) of A) copper and zinc.

B) iron and copper. C) copper and tin. D) iron and copper.

E) gold and silver.

26. Which of the following was NOT invented in early Mesopotamia? A) printing

B) the potter?s wheel C) the sailboat D) the wheel

E) all of the above

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27. The prehistoric or protoliterate era refers to A) the agricultural revolution.

B) the era after writing had occurred. C) the Minoan Culture. D) the times before 2800 B.C.E.

E) the times before 1000 C.E.

28. The people who founded the first civilization in Mesopotamia were called A) Sumerians.

B) Nubians. C) Persians. D) Babylonians.

E) Assyrians.

29. The first mechanical device invented was the A) potter?s wheel.

B) windmill. C) water loom D) sail.

E) spinning wheel.

30. Writing materials used in ancient Mesopotamia usually included A) paints or ink.

B) parchment made from animal skins. C) paper made from linen. D) papyrus.

E) clay tablets.

31. The Sumerian language A) stimulated Egyptians to develop a script of their own.

B) was the source of Semitic languages. C) evolved on the Arabian peninsula. D) was the source of Indo- European languages.

E) began in the region of the Black Sea.

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32. Using pictographs for ideas as well as things first evolved in A) Palestine.

B) Assyria. C) Sumer. D) Egypt.

E) Phoenicia.

33. The type of government found in the earliest Mesopotamian cities could best be described as A) an assembly of elders.

B) theocracy. C) military dictatorship. D) absolute monarchy.

E) democracy.

34. In the early Mesopotamian city-states, land A) was controlled by the temples.

B) belonged to the priests. C) belonged exclusively to the king. D) was divided between the temples and large private estates.

E) mostly belonged to small farmers.

35. The very powerful nobles or landowners in early Mesopotamian culture were called A) clients.

B) lugals. C) ensi. D) tyrants.

E) ziggurats.

36. The development of strong kingship in Sumerian cities was usually associated with A) popular revolt against oppression.

B) the enslavement of the poorer classes. C) foreign invasion. D) a dominant priesthood.

E) militarism and conquest.

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37. Slavery in Mesopotamia A) involved only conquered peoples.

B) was less humane than other places and times in history. C) was based on race. D) was more humane than other places and times in history.

E) was nonexistent.

38. The Semitic peoples who migrated into Mesopotamia originated in A) the highlands of Iran.

B) Egypt. C) the Arabian deserts. D) Asia Minor.

E) none of the above.

39. Which of the following is often credited with establishing ?the world?s first empire?? A) Thutmose III of Egypt

B) Cyrus the Great of Persia C) Urukagina of Lagash D) Sargon I of Akkad

E) Hammurabi of Chaldea

40. The northern region of Mesopotamia is known as A) Assyria.

B) Ur. C) Sumer. D) Palestine.

E) Akkad.

41. During the ?neo-Sumerian period? at the end of the third millennium B.C.E., the dominant city of lower Mesopotamia was

1. 1. Nineveh.   B) Minerva.   C) Lagash.  D) Ur. E) Babylon.

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42. Sumer and its leading urban center ceased to be dominant factors in Mesopotamia about 2000 B.C.E. when
    1. the poor rose up in revolt and destroyed the city. B) a catastrophic flood destroyed the city.

C) Elamites from the region of present-day Iran destroyed the city. D) the Hittites from the north invaded and sacked the kingdom.

E) an unknown event destroyed the city.

43. Babylonian dominance over much of Mesopotamia was established by A) Assyria.

B) Hammurabi. C) Urukagina. D) Gilgamesh.

E) Sargon.

44. Hammurabi is best known for his A) collection of literary works.

B) code of laws. C) monotheistic religion. D) conquest of Egypt.

E) spectacular gardens.

45. The Babylonians made advances in mathematics, including A) a system of counting based on the unit 60; still used for time and angles.

B) quadratic equations. C) fractions. D) square and cube roots.

E) all of the above.

46. The Babylonians made advances in science, including new theories on A) a sun-centered universe.

B) the rotation of the earth. C) gravity. D) astronomy.

E) none of the above.

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47. In the                , the oldest existing literary work, a king strives for power and immortality. A) Dead Sea Scrolls

B) Epic of Gilgamesh C) Egyptian Book of the Dead D) Psalms

E) Bible

48. Mesopotamian religion as developed by the Sumerians and the Babylonians did NOT include a belief that
    1. the gods controlled nature. B) future events might be foretold.

C) humans were immortal beings. D) humans were vulnerable to evil demons.

E) rewards for good behavior came during, not after, life.

49. Mesopotamian religion held that only      could protect humans from evil spirits. A) faith

B) human sacrifice C) priests D) good deeds

E) rituals and omens

50. The pattern of disunity and warfare in Mesopotamia reasserted itself in 1595 B.C.E., when the        

destroyed Babylon.

1. 1. Hebrews B) Egyptians C) Assyrians

D) Philistines E) Hittites

51. The annual flooding of the Nile River reaches its crest in A) summer.

B) winter. C) autumn. D) spring.

E) none of the above.

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52. The Predynastic Period of Egyptian history ended when A) the Sumerians conquered Egypt.

B) Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt. C) a famine caused a revolt. D) a religious leader established a theocracy.

E) the leader of Thebes conquered the entire Nile Valley.

53. The form of government that existed under the Old Kingdom of Egypt might best be described as a(n)
    1. military dictatorship. B) tribal assembly.

C) absolute monarchy. D) theocracy.

E) democracy.

54. Under the Old Kingdom of Egypt, land A) belonged to the temples.

B) belonged to the pharaoh (king). C) was owned partly by priests and partly by nobles. D) was owned by powerful land lords.

E) mostly belonged to small farmers.

55. A dynasty refers to A) a minister of state.

B) a belief in many gods. C) a goddess who represented balance and harmony. D) the Kemet.

E) a series of rulers who belong to the same family .

56. All of the following provided the Egyptians with a sense of security unknown in Mesopotamia EXCEPT
    1. belief in a god-king. B) belief that the welfare of the people rested on devotion to the pharaoh.

C) reliable flooding of the Nile. D) universal male military training. E) natural obstructions to invasion.

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57. The purpose of the pyramids of Egypt was to A) worship the sun.

B) bury kings. C) provide places of safety when the Nile flooded. D) store grain.

E) provide high places for worshiping the gods.

58. The pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt emphasized A) pyramid building.

B) religion. C) public works and benefits for the masses. D) benefits for the temples.

E) rewarding the nobility.

59. In the 18th century B.C.E., Egypt was invaded, and lower Egypt occupied, by a people called the A) Persians.

B) Nubians. C) Hyksos. D) Hebrews.

E) Assyrians.

60. During the reign of the Hyksos, all of the following occurred in Egypt EXCEPT A) introduction of the horse and chariot.

B) abolition of the pharaoh. C) extended trading networks. D) maintenance of the same architectural styles.

E) none of the above.

61. The greatest conquering pharaoh of the New Kingdom was A) Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton).

B) Tutankhamen. C) Hatshepsut. D) Thutmose III.

E) Menes.   12

62. Hatshepsut?s reign of Egypt was unusual because A) there were no foreign invasions.

B) the pharaoh established a strong middle class. C) Egypt conquered Palestine and Babylon. D) the pharaoh was female.

E) Egypt suffered massive famines.

63. Obelisks A) commemorate the reign of Thutmose III.

B) are priests. C) proclaim the worship of Amon. D) are burial chambers for pharaohs.

E) no longer exist.

64. The New Kingdom declined when Amenhotep III A) failed to defeat the Hyksos.

B) restored the capital at Thebes. C) allowed Egypt to be occupied by Semitic peoples. D) died without an heir.

E) provoked religious opposition by worshipping Aton, the sun disk.

65. In the 13th century B.C.E., the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II A) witnessed the rapid decline of Egypt.

B) was a period of national grandeur. C) failed to contribute to the building of lasting monuments. D) controlled the priests of Amon.

E) lost Palestine.

66. During the Third Intermediate Period, Egypt experienced all of the following EXCEPT A) the Amon priesthood was crushed.

B) the creation of the first Egyptian navy. C) the Libyans moved into central Egypt. D) a revival of ancient artistic and literary forms.

E) becoming a province of the Assyrians.

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67. The people whose conquest in 525 B.C.E. ended Egyptian independence in the ancient world were the
    1. Nubians. B) Hebrews.

C) Persians. D) Greeks.

E) Kush.

68. The Kingdom of Kush or Nubia is in present-day A) Sudan.

B) Egypt. C) Saudi Arabia. D) Ethiopia.

E) Palestine.

69. While the Egyptian pharaoh enjoyed absolute power, the social stratification allowed a rise in status based on
    1. military service. B) education.

C) marriage. D) birth status.

E) religious service.

70. Egypt?s influences on Kush included A) burial practices.

B) architecture. C) art. D) language.

E) all of the above.

71. The Egyptian trading network included all of the following EXCEPT A) the Persian Gulf.

B) the Red Sea. C) the Mediterranean Sea. D) the Nile River.

E) none of the above.

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72. All of the following were exports of Egypt EXCEPT A) linen.B) wheat.             C) papyrus. D) copper.

E) gold.  

73. The idea of an afterlife and the belief that salvation was achieved by good conduct in this life were ideas associated with the worship of
    1. Seth. B) Akhenaton.

C) Amon. D) Osiris.

E) the Feather of Truth.

74. Akhenaton broke with Egyptian religious beliefs by stressing A) prayers for well-being.

B) a preparation for the afterlife. C) non-existence of an afterlife. D) one omnipotent creator.

E) beliefs in many gods.

75. Egyptian accomplishments in science included A) the solar calendar.

B) multiplication tables. C) anesthetic. D) true scientific methodology.

E) all of the above.

76. The temples of Karnak and Luxor at Thebes were constructed during the A) Period of Decadence.

B) New Kingdom. C) Old Kingdom. D) Middle Kingdom.

E) First Intermediate Period.

77. Egyptian art lacked A) religious themes.

B) color. C) realism. D) perspective.

E) none of the above.

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78. The earliest known work of Egyptian literature is A) The Book of the Dead.

B) the Pyramid Texts. C) Hymn to the Sun. D) the Ode to the Pharaoh.

E) the temple inscription at Karnak.

79. Which of the following was NOT an original achievement of the Hittites? A) a written Indo-European language

B) the use of cuneiform script C) the use of iron D) the horse-drawn chariot

E) none of the above

80. What disrupted the stable regimes of the eastern Mediterranean for the two centuries following 1200 B.C.E.?
    1. the revival of the Sumerian civilization B) natural disasters

C) the fall of the Egyptians D) raiding and displaced peoples

E) the rise of the Hittites

81. Which of the following was NOT considered one of the Sea Peoples? A) Sicilians

B) Sardinians C) Philistines D) Etruscans

E) Hittites

82. Phoenicians lived in what present-day country? A) Iraq                                B) Iran C) Israel          D) Lebanon       E) Turkey

83. The Phoenician culture is LEAST significant for its accomplishments in A) shipbuilding.

B) manufacturing. C) literature and art. D) trade.

E) devising an alphabet.

84. The main contributions of the Hebrews included A) diplomacy and war.

B) religion and ethics. C) art. D) architecture.

E) science and inventions.

85. The history of the Hebrews is found in A) The Book of the Dead.

B) the Bible. C) the Epic of Gilgamesh. D) The New Testament.

E) none of the above.

86. Israelite judges included A) Joseph.

B) Abraham. C) Moses. D) Deborah.

E) Isaac.

87. Israel reached its height in worldly might and splendor during the reign of A) Solomon.

B) Abraham. C) Saul. D) David.

E) none of the above.

88. The Hebrew Kingdom of Judah was captured by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.E., resulting in all the following EXCEPT
    1. the building of Jewish synagogues. B) the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

C) the destruction of Jerusalem. D) the Babylonian Captivity.

E) none of the above.

89. In 70 C.E., the Diaspora of the Jews by the Romans A) sent the Jews from their homeland.

B) allowed the influence of Greco-Roman culture on the Jews. C) ended the political entity of the Jews until the 20th century. D) did not destroy Judaism.

E) all of the above.

90. Which of the following is NOT consistent with the Assyrian Empire? A) lack of trade

B) an efficient system of communications C) strong monarchs D) strong military

E) unification of weak and unstable regions of Mesopotamia

91. Lydians invented A) cement.

B) coinage. C) the plow. D) an alphabet.

E) bronze.