world history exam one

What material was used for writing in Mesopotamia?

soft clay

In what region did the first known states develop?

Mesopotamia

Sustained agriculture in Sumer relied on which of the following?

Man-made irrigation systems

To counter the temples' power, military leaders who became kings began to build what kinds of structures?

Palaces to demonstrate the king's strength

How did Sargon reinforce his rule in Mesopotamia?

He tore down the defensive walls of major cities and appointed his own sons as rulers.

What was the intended function of Hammurabi's code?

To regulate the relationships among his people and promote their welfare

What geographic feature had the largest impact on Egyptian culture and prosperity?

The Nile River

How was the New Kingdom different from the previous Middle and Old Kingdoms?

Egyptians now focused more on conquest of new territories and created the first Egyptian empire.

Which Hebrew leader captured the city of Jerusalem?

David

What happened to the Hebrew kingdom after Solomon's death?

Conflict led to its split into two separate kingdoms.

What was one of the first crops to be developed in India?

Wheat

What is unusual about the written language of the Harappan people?

No one has yet deciphered it.

On which of the following did the prosperity of the Indus (Harappan) civilization depend?

Intensive cultivation of the fertile river valley

Who was at the head of each Aryan tribal group?

A raja or chief

Who were the “untouchables” in the varna system?

Outsiders who were considered “impure”

According to the Upanishads, what is moksha?

Release from the wheel of life and freedom from reincarnation

Mahavira was the founder of what Indian religion?

Jainism

Buddha taught that individuals could triumph over human weakness by

following the Eightfold Path.

What is the ultimate goal of Hinduism?

Union with Brahman

What enabled India to make contact with the outside world in the sixth century B.C.E.?

As the Persian Empire expanded, it made territorial conquests in the Indus Valley.

How is the dominant soil type in the Yellow River basin, loess, best defined?

A loose, wind-driven soil that is easy to till

Which of these was an important source of revenue for Shang kings?

War booty

According to texts found in Shang royal tombs, what important role did Shang kings fulfill?

They were military chieftains.

Shang warriors' weapons were tipped with what?

Bronze

Which of the following facilitated communication between China, Vietnam, and Japan?

Japan, Korea, and Vietnam adopted the Chinese script for writing.

When did the Zhou rise up and overthrow the Shang?

Around 1050 B.C.E.

Who helped the Zhou kings rule their newly conquered kingdom?

Family members and other loyal followers

What new military technology did the Chinese develop around 350 B.C.E.?

The crossbow

The need for a chariot-riding aristocracy was diminished by the introduction of what military advancement?

Cavalry

According to Confucius, what was the basic unit of society?

Family

Why was the growth of great empires (like those in Mesopotamia and Egypt) less likely to develop in ancient Greece?

The rugged terrain discouraged expansion of any one center.

How was the Greek polis different from older models of city-states?

The polis was a community of citizens.

How did the Lycurgan system in Sparta shape its political organization?

It led to the creation of a society ruled by an aristocratic, warrior elite.

What important position did Solon hold as he reformed Athens?

Archon

What Mediterranean island did Athens invade during the Peloponnesian War?

Sicily

How was the daily life of Greek elites similar to the lives of more ordinary people?

They had a relatively modest material standard of living.

By the classical era, Greek religion focused on which of the following?

Worship of a group of gods understood to live on Mount Olympus

What crime was Socrates tried and executed for in 399 B.C.E.?

Corrupting the youth of Athens

Philip II of Macedonia was able to conquer Greece because the Greek city-states were

unable to put aside their quarrels and unite to defend themselves.

Which of the following were major exports from Greek cities during the classical and Hellenistic periods?

Olive oil and wine

Other than Greeks, who were the first people to build permanent settlements in Italy?

Etruscans

What did Romans, like the Persians, do once they conquered an area?

They built roads to facilitate communication and trade.

How was Roman society divided in the early republic?

Into two groups—the patricians and the plebeians

Who was the Carthaginian general who brought the Second Punic War to the gates of Rome?

Hannibal

What was relatively unusual about women in Roman families?

They were able to inherit and own property.

How did Romans view slavery during the republic?

It was an unfortunate state but one from which a slave might become free.

What was one of Augustus's important military reforms?

He began a permanent standing army.

Which emperor transformed the principate into a hereditary monarchy?

Vespasian

What important improvements in urban planning were made in Rome during the second century C.E.?

Hundreds of miles of aqueducts and sewers were built.

To whom did the term pagan originally refer?

Those who lived in the countryside

During which of the following periods did the ancestor common to both chimpanzees and humans probably live?

5 to 7 million years ago

How did Homo erectus differ from modern humans?

Homo erectus had a slightly smaller brain size than modern humans.

Which of the following allowed Homo sapiens to migrate to Australia and New Guinea?

Simple rafts

Which of the following foods dominated the diet of Paleolithic foragers?

Plants

The burial sites of Paleolithic humans reveal that they believed that all things and natural occurrences had which of the following?

Spirits

What was one of the shaman's primary duties?

Healing the sick

What discovery marks the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic?

Agriculture

What major climate change occurred about 15,000 years ago?

Temperatures warmed and glaciers melted.

How did women's work change as a result of settled agriculture?

Women likely began to spend more time tending to household needs.

What is the term for a social system built around male dominance?

Patriarchy