Reading Quiz: The First Civilizations in Mesopotamia

Directions: Read the questions below and choose the most appropriate answer from those
provided. Write the letter of the chosen answer in the blank space next to the question. Be sure to
read all possible answers before making your chose. Questions are on front and back.

_____ 1.) Around approximately what year does the article say that civilizations first emerged in
Mesopotamia?
A. 1500 A.D.
B. 300 A.D.
C. 1000 B.C.
D. 3000 B.C.
E. 0 A.D.

_____ 2.) Which of the following does the article say allowed the first Mesopotamian
civilizations to establish control and order?
A. Trade Crafts
B. Law Codes
C. Mathematical Notation
D. Agriculture
E. Ziggurats

_____ 3.) Why, according to the article, were cities able to control the rural areas and smaller
villages around them?
A. Stronger leadership
B. Access to waterways
C. Religious organization
D. Pictographic writing
E. Practice of slavery

_____ 4.) Which of the following was NOT one of the trade crafts developed by Sumerians?
A. Metalworking
B. Ship building
C. Pottery
D. Weaving
E. Animal domestication
_____ 5.) How did Sumerian rulers justify their authority?
A. Divine Right
B. Majority votes by citizens
C. Having the greatest intelligence
D. By owning the most slaves
E. Being the oldest noble

_____ 6.) What building material was most commonly used in Mesopotamia?
A. Wood
B. Stone
C. Metal
D. Baked Brick
E. Cement

_____ 7.) What was the purpose of the massive ziggurats built by the Sumerians?
A. Palaces for the nobility
B. Temples of worship
C. Storage warehouses
D. Communal Living
E. Schools for the wealthy

_____ 8.) What does the article consider to be the original purpose behind the development of
writing?
A. Development of poetry
B. The need to write down laws
C. Mathematical notation
D. Communication between rulers
E. Artistic drawings