CLASS – XI

MCQ OF CH 2: WRITING AND CITY LIFE

Q) The cheapest mode of transportation in Mesopotamia is _________.

a. Water transport
b. Bullock carts
c. With the help of people
d. Horse cart

Answer: a

Q) In the 2000 BCE, the city that flourished as the royal capital of Mesopotamia was

(a) Ur.
(b) Mari.
(c) Mohenjodaro.
(d) Kalibangan.

Answer: b

Q) The Mesopotamian ruler who became the king of Akkad, in 2370 BCE, was

(a) Enmerkar
(b) Gilgamesh
(c) Hammurabi
(d) Sargon

Answer: d

Q) Inanna was the Goddess of

(a) the Moon

(b) love and War
(c) wind
(d) fire

Answer: b

Q) The earliest temples in Southern Mesopotamia were built in

(a) c.4000 BCE

(b) c.5000 BCE
(c) c.6000 BCE
(d) c.7000 BCE

Answer: b

Q) The Mesopotamian city, which was systematically excavated in the 1930s, was

(a) Uruk.
(b) Ur.
(c) Mari.
(d) Nineveh.

Answer:b

Q) The King who released Babylonia from Assyrian domination in 625 BCE was

(a) Alexander.
(b) Nabonidus.
(c) Nabopolassar.
(d) Sargon.

Answer: c

Q) War captives and local people who were put to work for the temple or for the ruler were
paid

(a) bronze tools.

(b) cattle.
(c) coins.
(d) rations.

Answer: d

Q) In _________ part of South Iran, the first cities and writing emerged.

(a) plain
(b) deserted
(c) mountainous
(d) hilly

Answer: b

Q) Agriculture of southern _____________ was the most productive.

(a) Iran
(b) China
(c) Mesopotamia
(d) None of the above

Answer: c

Q) Which region is important to Europeans because of references to it in the Old Testament,

(a) Iran
(b) Turkey
(c) Syria
(d) Mesopotamia

Answer: d

Q) The earliest temples in Southern Mesopotamia were built in

(a) c.4000 BCE

(b) c.5000 BCE
(c) c.6000 BCE
(d) c.7000 BCE

Answer: b

Q) The Mesopotamian city, which was systematically excavated in the 1930s, was

(a) Uruk.
(b) Ur.
(c) Mari.
(d) Nineveh.

Answer: b

Q) The Achaemenids of Iran conquered Babylon in

(a) 639 BCE.

(b) 539 BCE.
(c) 439 BCE.
(d) 339 BCE.

Answer: b

Q) The King who released Babylonia from Assyrian domination in 625 BCE was
(a) Alexander.
(b) Nabonidus.
(c) Nabopolassar.
(d) Sargon.

Answer: c

Q) Which was the earliest civilization of Mesopotamia?

a) Sumerian civilization
b) Babilonian civilization
c) Chaldean civilization
d) Assyrian civilization

Answer: d

Q) The technological landmark witnessed by the urban economy of the city of Uruk was

a) bronze tools
b) construction of brick columns
c) potter’s wheel
d) oil pressing technique

Answer: d

Q) The first Mesopotamian tablet was written around --------------------BCE.

A. 3200
B. 2200
C. 4200
D. 5200
Answer: b

Q) The connection between the city life, trade and writing is brought out in a long -----------
epic poem about Enmerkar.
A. Sumerian
B. Greek
C. Iranian
D. Indian
Answer: a

Q) The Susa was a _____________.

 A. Port
B. Capital
C. City
D. Temple
Answer: c

Q) From 5000 BCE, settlements had begun to develop in _____________ Mesopotamia.

A. Northern
B. Eastern
C. Western
D. Southern
Answer: d

Q) Northern part of Mesopotamia was called ____________.

A. Syria
B. Babylon
C. Akkad
D. Assyria
Answer: d

Q) Babylonia was used for the _____________ region.

A. Northern
B. Eastern
C. Southern
D. Western
Answer: c

Q) From 1400 BCE, Aramaic (similar to _____________) was spoken (still spoken in parts of
Iraq.)
A. German
B. English
C. French
 D. Hebrew
Answer: d

Q) Animal Herders lived in the___________________ part of Mesopotamia.

A. North
B. South
C. East
D. North – East
Answer: a

Q) Cuneiform is derived from the ____________ word Cuneus, meaning wedge and Forma
meaning shape.
A. German
B. English
C. Latin
D. Arabic
Answer: c

Q) Cuneiform writing in the Akkadian language continued in use until the first century CE ,
more than___________years.
A. 5000
B. 4000
C. 3000
D. 2000
Answer: d

Q) Enmerkar was one of the earliest___________ of Uruk.

A. Poet
B. Land – Lord
C. Rulers
D. Priests
Answer: c

Q) The level of the Literacy in Mesopotamia was very __________.

A. Low
B. High
 C. Good
D. Effective
Answer: a

Q) Cities developed around temples like _____________.

A. Ur
B. Uruk
C. Akkad
D. Mari
Answer: b

Q) Cities developed as centres of trade in Mesopotamia like the city of _________

A. Uruk
B. Ur
C. Akkad
D. Basra
Answer: b

Q) The best example of an imperial city in Mesopotamia is ___________.

A. Mari
B. Akkad
C. Ur
D. Uruk
Answer: a

Q) Oil pressing, grain grinding, spinning, and the weaving of woollen cloth were done in the
_____________.
A. House
B. Shops
C. Temple
D. Park
Answer: c

Q) In Mesopotamia, the God of Steppe was ____________.

A. Inanna
B. Moon God
C. Dagan
 D. Sun

Answer: c

Q) _____________ Family was common in Mesopotamia.

A. Nuclear
B. Joint
C. Happy
D. Large

Answer: a

Q) In Mesopotamia, the father’s house, herds, fields, etc, were inherited by the _________.

A. Brothers
B. Sisters
C. Sons
D. Mothers

Answer: c

Q) In Mesopotamia_________ stone seals used.

A. Cylindrical
B. Long
C. Short
D. Round

Answer: a

Q) The region of ________ Mesopotamia was most productive even through the region
did not have sufficient rainfall to grow crops.
a. Western
b. Southern
c. Northern
d. Eastern

Answer: b

Q) The __________ part of Mesopotamia produced meat, milk and wool in abundance.
a. Southern dessert
b. Northern hills
 c. Eastern hills
d. North-Eastern plain and mountains

Answer: d

Q) The __________ is a mark of urban life of Mesopotamia.

a. Division of labour
b. Canals
c. Transportation
d. Trade

Answer: a

Q) The people of Mesopotamia had abundant food resources but they didn't have
_______________ resources.
a. Forest resources
b. Agriculture
c. Natural
d. Mineral

Answer: d

Q) The people of Mesopotamia imported tin, silver, and gold from ______and ________.
a. Iran and Ira
b. India and Europe
c. Rome and India
d. Turkey and Iran

Answer: d

Q)_________ was considered the first true city in the world.

A. Uruk
B. Mari
C. Ur
D. Akkad

Answer: a

Q) The city of Uruk is most famous for its great king _________.

A. Gilgamesh
 B. Gilgit
C. Puru
D. Abdul

Answer: a

Q) Around 3000 BCE Uruk grew to the enormous extent of 250 hectares – twice as large as

_____________.

A. Mohenjo – daro
B. Iraq
C. Iran
D. Mesopotamia

Answer: a

Q) Irregular shapes of house plots can be seen in ____________.

A. Ur
B. Uruk
C. Mari
D. Basra

Answer: a

Q) Agriculture began in Mesopotamia between _____ and ______ BCE.

a. 8000-7000 BCE
b. 5000-4000 BCE
c. 7000-6000 BCE
d. 9000-8000 BCE

Answer: c

Q) In the northern part of Mesopotamia ________ offers people a better livelihood than

agriculture.

a. Fishing
b. Trading/ trade
c. Animal herding
d. Transportation

Answer: c
Q) Tributaries of the ________river in the East provide the roots of communication into the
mountains of Iran.
a. Indus
b. Euphrates
c. Nile
d. Tigris

Answer: d

Q) Where the first cities and writing emerged in Mesopotamia?

a. South
b. East
c. West
d. North

Answer: a

Q) The dessert in Mesopotamia could support cities because the rivers ______ and Tigris
make it fertile.
a. Euphrates
b. Sutlej
c. Nile
d. Indus

Answer: a

Q) Read the following extract and answer the following questions:

THE SEAL – AN URBAN ARTEFACT

In India, early stone seals were stamped. In Mesopotamia until the end of the first millennium

BCE, cylindrical stone seals, pierced down the centre, were fitted with a stick and rolled over
wet clay so that a continuous picture was created. They were carved by very skilled craftsmen,
and sometimes carry writing: the name of the owner, his god, his official position, etc. A seal
could be rolled on clay covering the string knot of a cloth package or the mouth of a pot,
keeping the contents safe. When rolled on a letter written on a clay tablet, it became a mark of
authenticity. So the seal was the mark of a city dweller’s role in public life.

1. What was the language of the cuneiform script shown on the seals above
after the 2400 bce?

A. Sumerian

B. Hebrew

C. Akkadian

D. Aramaic

2. What are steles?

A. bronze tools

B. stone slabs

C. copper tools

D. steel

3. Choose the correct option:

Assertion (A): in Mesopotamia until the end of the first millennium bce,cylindrical stone seals,
pierced down the centre, were fitted with a stick and rolled over wet clay.

Reason(R): a continuous picture was created.

A. both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation for A.

B. both A and R are correct but R is not the correct explanation for A.

C. A is incorrect but R is correct

D. R is incorrect but A is correct

4. The word cuneiform is derived from which of these languages?

A. Greek

B. Sumerian

C. Latin

D. Roman

Q) Read the following extract and answer the following questions:

THE WARKA HEAD

This woman’s head was sculpted in white marble at Uruk before 3000 BCE. The eyes and
eyebrows would probably have taken lapis lazuli (blue) and shell (white) and bitumen (black)
inlays, respectively. There is a groove along the top of the head, perhaps for an ornament. This
is a world-famous piece of sculpture, admired for the delicate modelling of the woman’s mouth,
chin and cheeks. And it was modelled in a hard stone that would have been imported from a
distance.

1.Where was the Warka head sculpted?

A. Babylon

B. Baghdad

C. Uruk

2.What was the colour of the sculpture's eyebrows?

A. Black

B. White

C. Blue

3.Assertion and reasoning.

A: There is a groove along the top of the Warkas head.

R: It is speculated that there was a place for an ornament on the sculpture.

A. Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation for A.

B. Both A and R are correct but R is not the correct explanation for A.

C. A is correct and R is incorrect.

D. R is correct and A is incorrect.

4.Which age do the earliest Mesapotamian cities date back to?

A. Stone age

B. Bronze age

C. Iron age.
5.Why was the Warka head world famous?

A. It had precious jewels embedded in it.

B. Due to the delicate craftsmanship and modeling of the woman's

mouth, chin and cheeks.

C. It was made of gold.

Q) Read the following extract and answer the following questions:

An Early Library

The great Assyrian kings, who had been immigrants, acknowledged the

southern region, Babylonia, as the centre of high culture and the last of

them, Assurbanipal (668-627 BCE), collected a library at his capital,

Nineveh in the north. He made great efforts to gather tablets on history,

epics, omen literature, astrology, hymns and poems. He sent his scribes

south to find old tablets. Because scribes in the south were trained to read

and write in schools where they all had to copy tablets by the dozen, there

were towns in Babylonia where huge collections of tablets were created and

acquired fame. And although Sumerian ceased to be spoken after about

1800 BCE, it continued to be taught in schools, through vocabulary texts,

sign lists, bilingual (Sumerian and Akkadian) tablets, etc. So even in 650

BCE, cuneiform tablets written as far back as 2000 BCE were intelligible –

and Assurbanipal’s men knew where to look for early tablets or their copies.

1.Choose the correct option:

ASSERTION (A): there were towns in Babylonia where huge collections of

tablets were created and acquired fame

REASON (R): scribes in the south were trained to read and write in schools

where they all had to copy tablets by the dozen

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A

C. A is true and R is false

D. A is false and R is true

2. Who made great efforts to gather tablets on history, epics, omen literature,

astrology, hymns and poems and created a library at his capital Nineveh?

A. Gilgamesh

B. Assurbanipal

C. Enmerkar

D. Zimrilim

3. Which premier city of Mesopotamia was acknowledged by the Assyrians as

the centre of high culture?

A. Mari

B. Ur

C. Babylonia

D. Uruk

Q) Read the following extract and answer the following questions:

EXCAVATING MESOPOTAMIAN TOWNS

Today, Mesopotamian excavators have much higher standards of

accuracy and care in recording than in the old days, so that few dig huge
areas the way Ur was excavated. Moreover, few archaeologists have the

funds to employ large teams of excavators. Thus, the mode of obtaining

data has changed. Take the small town at Abu Salabikh, about 10

hectares in area in 2500 BCE with a population less than 10,000. The

outlines of walls were at first traced by scraping surfaces. This involves

scraping off the top few millimetres of the mound with the sharp and

wide end of a shovel or other tool. While the soil underneath was still

slightly moist, the archaeologist could make out different colours,

textures and lines of brick walls or pits or other features. A few houses

that were discovered were excavated. The archaeologists also sieved

through tons of earth to recover plant and animal remains, and in the

process identified many species of plants and animals and found large

quantities of charred fish bones that had been swept out onto the streets.

Plant seeds and fibre remained after dung cakes had been burned as fuel

and thus kitchens were identified. Living rooms were those with fewer

traces. Because they found the teeth of very young pigs on the streets,

archaeologists concluded that pigs must have roamed freely here as in

any other Mesopotamian town. In fact, one house burial contained some

pig bones – the dead person must have been given some pork for his

nourishment in the afterlife! The archaeologists also made microscopic

studies of room floors to decide which rooms in a house were roofed

(with poplar logs, palm leaves, straw, etc.) and which were open to the

sky

1. What did the archaeologists find in large quantities on the streets?

A. pig bones

B. plants

C. charred fish bones

D. rocks

2. The ordinary houses in Ur, a town, were systematically excavated in which

of the following periods?

A. 1940s

B. 1930s

C. 1920s

D. none of the above

3. Archaeologists found the teeth of very young pigs on the streets.

A. True

B. False

4. The kings of Mari were-

A. Akkadians

B. Assyrians

C. Amorites

D. Aramaeans

5. Choose the correct option

Assertion (A): Some communities in the kingdom of Mari had both farmers

and pastoralists.

Reason (R): Most of its territory was used for pasturing sheep and goats.

A. Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation for A.

B. Both A and R are correct but R is not the correct explanation of A

C. A is incorrect but R is correct

D. R is incorrect but A is correct

6. The officers of this town would go abroad, inspect the cargo and levy a

charge of about _______ the value of the goods before allowing the boat to

continue downstream. Fill in the blanks with the correct option

A. One-ninth

B. One-tenth

C. One-fifth

D. One-third

Q) Read the following extract and answer the following questions:

An Early Archaeologist

A man of the southern marshes, Nabopolassar, released Babylonia from

Assyrian domination in 625 BCE. His successors increased their territory

and organized building projects at Babylon. From that time, even after the

Achaemenids of Iran conquered Babylon in 539 BCE and until 331 BCE

when Alexander conquered Babylon, Babylon was the premier city of the

world, more than 850 hectares, with a triple wall, great palaces and

temples, a ziggurat or stepped tower, and a processional way to the ritual

centre. Its trading houses had widespread dealings and its mathematicians

and astronomers made some new discoveries.Nabonidus was the last ruler

of independent Babylon. He writes that the god of Ur came to him in a

dream and ordered him to appoint a priestess to take charge of the cult in

that ancient town in the deep south. He writes: ‘Because for a very long

time the office of High Priestess had been forgotten, her characteristic
features nowhere indicated, I bethought myself day after day ...’ Then, he

says, he found the stele of a very early king whom we today date to about

1150 BCE and saw on that stele the carved image of the Priestess. He

observed the clothing and the jewellery that was depicted. This is how he

was able to dress his daughter for her consecration as Priestess. On another

occasion, Nabonidus’s men brought to him a broken statue inscribed with

the name of Sargon, king of Akkad. (We know today that the latter ruled

around 2370 BCE.) Nabonidus, and indeed many intellectuals, had heard of

this great king of remote times. Nabonidus felt he had to repair the statue.

‘Because of my reverence for the gods and respect for kingship,’ he writes, ‘I

summoned skilled craftsmen, and replaced the head.’

1) When did Nabopolassar release Babylonia from Assyrian domination ?

A. 539 BCE

B. 331 BCE

C. 625 BCE

D. 850 BCE

2) Babylonia as the premier city of the world had which of the following characteristics?

A. Ziggurat or stepped tower

B. A triple wall

C. Processional way to the ritual centre

D. All of the above

3) Out of respect for kingship, Nabonidus once repaired the statue of which great king of the
remote times?

A. Zimrilim, King of Mari

B. Gilgamesh, King of Babylonia

C. Sargon, King of Akkad

D. Enmerkar, King of Uruk

4) Which script, named after its wedge-shaped signs, was formed during the mesopotamian
civilization?

A. Indus script

B. Coptic

C. Cuneiform

D. Hieroglyph

5) Which of the following statements are correct?

(1) A scribe would wet clay and pat it into a size he could comfortably hold in one hand

(2) With the sharp end of a reed he would press wedge shaped signs onto the clay once it dried

(3) The hardened clay tablets would be almost as indestructible as pottery

(4) Tablets could be reused for minor transactions

A. 1,2,3

B. 1,3

C. 2,4

D. 1,2,4

6) Sumerian, the first known language of Mesopotamia, was gradually replaced by which of the
following?

A. Aramaic

B. Akkadian

C. Assyrian

D. Amorite

7) When were the Mesopotamian tablets containing picture-like signs and numbers first
written?
A. 3200 BCE

B. 2000 BCE

C. 1400 BCE

D. 1100 BCE

8) Who is Inanna?

A. Goddess of Sun

B. Goddess of Love and War

C. Goddess of Scribes and Writings

D. Goddess of Moon

9) Choose the correct option:

ASSERTION (A): people brought grain, curd and fish for the gods

Reason (R): the floors of some early temples had thick layers of fish bones

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A

C. A is true and R is false

D. A is false and R is true

10) Which of the following statements are NOT correct?

(1) The earliest known temple was a small shrine made of unbaked bricks

(2) Temples were the residences of various gods

(3) Over time temples became larger, with several rooms around closed courtyards

(4) Early temples were unlike ordinary houses- for the temple was the house of

a god.

A. 3,4

B. 1,3,4
C. 2,3

D. 3,1