Chapter 2 Review

Essay Questions• How did the people of Mesopotamia benefit

from the physical geography of their region?• What were three important contributions made

by the ancient peoples living in the Fertile Crescent?

1. Civilization developed in the Fertile Crescent because

A. The Nile River made it a prosperous areaB. It was an important mining areaC. The area was difficult to defendD. The rivers there created very rich farmland

2. What were the Israelites known for that made them unique among ancient peoples?

A. They worshipped one godB. They worshipped many godsC. They did not have a written BibleD. They made purple dye from snails

3. Because the cities in Sumer were separated by long stretches of desert land,

A. They united under one governmentB. They developed into separate city-statesC. They were ruled by one king and queenD. They were frequently destroyed by floods

4. One of the major events in the history of the Israelites was

A. The discovery of cuneiformB. The conquest of EgyptC. The conquest of CanaanD. The founding of Tyre

5. Babylon became an important center of trade because it was

A. Located between cities to the south and northB. Ruled by a powerful queenC. Surrounded by massive wallsD. The sites of a great library

6. The Phoenician alphabet made it easier for people in the ancient world to

A. Hire scribesB. Learn to read and writeC. Teach cuneiformD. Learn cuneiform

7. In 612 B.C., the Medes and Chaldeans joined forces to

A. Build the city of NinevehB. Found the overland trade route to AsiaC. Destroy the Assyrian empireD. Conquer Mari

8. Hammurabi’s Code was significant because

A. It was part of the oral traditions that followed itB. For the first time, laws were written downC. Everyone in the ancient world lived in BabyloniaD. The laws applied equally to all citizens

9. Why did Phoenicia become a thriving and wealthy region?

A. The warlike Phoenicians conquered their neighborsB. Gold was discovered near the city of TyreC. Phoenicia controlled access to the cities of SumerD. Phoenicians sold valuable wood and purple dye to

neighboring peoples

10.What did the Babylonians and Israelites have in common?

A. They both looked for a trade route to the New World

B. They both destroyed the city of TyreC. They both conquered the PhoeniciansD. They both lived according to a code of laws

11.Mesopotamia was located on land between

A. The Nile and Tigris riversB. The Nile and Euphrates riversC. The Tigris and Euphrates riversD. The Red Sea and the Tigris River

12.The Phoenicians helped spread civilization throughout the Mediterranean area by

A. Using ships to trade goods with other peoplesB. Telling tales of monsters that lived in the oceanC. Conquering all the lands west of the Persian GulfD. Controlling the supply of a valuable purple dye

13.Separate city-states developed in Sumer because the cities were

A. Separated by long distancesB. Often destroyed by floodsC. United under one governmentD. Destroyed by Ur

14.One important advantage of the Phoenician alphabet was that

A. It was only used by the scribesB. It was simpler than cuneiformC. It used only 100 symbolsD. All the people learned to read and write the

symbols

15.Babylon was a crossroads of trade because of its location

A. On the Nile RiverB. Between cities to the south and northC. On the Mediterranean SeaD. Near irrigation canals

16.Where did writing first develop?

A. MesopotamiaB. AssyriaC. PhoeniciaD. Canaan

17.In 612B.C., the Assyrians were conquered by

A. The Medes and the SumeriansB. The Israelites and the MedesC. The Medes and the ChaldeansD. The Babylonians and the Chaldeans

18.Which of the following was the first written set of laws?

A. The Epic of GilgameshB. The ziggurat of UrC. The Ten CommandmentsD. Hammurabi’s Code