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Middle East Study Guide
Name: _________________________________
What will the test look like?
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Date: _____________________
When is the test?
25 questions total
30 total points
Questions will be multiple choice, short
answer, extended response
What else will be on the test?
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Middle East Map
Latitude/Longitude
Directions
Timelines
Directions: Make sure you know the following terms.
Sahara
Desert in Africa
Cuneiform
Writing system of Mesopotamia
Polytheism
Belief in many gods
Ziggurat
Temple in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Ancient civilization in the Middle East
Euphrates
River in Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent
Another name for Mesopotamia
Papyrus
The plant used to make paper in Ancient Egypt
Irrigation
Bringing water to dry land
Tigris River
River in Mesopotamia
Hammurabi
A famous king in Mesopotamia who had a strict code of laws
Hieroglyphics
Writing system of Ancient Egypt
Nile River
River in Egypt
Hint: You will need to know the locations on your Middle East map!
Directions: Answer the following questions.
1. What is desertification and how is it caused? (identify 2 causes)
Spread of deserts. Causes are overgrazing and drought
2. What is the difference between a political map and a physical map?
Political maps show cities and boundaries
Physical maps show elevations and land forms
3. Why are rivers important? (identify 3 reasons other than bathing/washing/drinking)
Trade, transportation, farming
4. How do rivers enrich the soil and make it fertile? (think of our Sue/Sally story with Fred the fisherman)
Snow melts from the mountains every year and floods the river. Silt get deposited which
makes the soil fertile.
5. What are characteristics of ancient civilizations? (what do Egypt and Mesopotamia have in common?)
Mesopotamia: polytheism, farming, monarchy, cuneiform on clay tablets (writing),
Tigris/Euphrates, class system
Egypt: polytheism, farming, monarchy, hieroglyphics on papyrus (writing), Nile River, class
system
6. How is the geography of a region and their economies usually related? (equation) What are the
exceptions to the Middle East?
If you live in a place with a good geography usually they will have a good economy. Most of
the time a bad geography will mean a place has a bad economy. One exception to this in
the Middle East is oil.
7. How does where you live, influence how you live? (identify a geography of the Middle East and describe
how someone lives in that type of geography)
If you live in a desert, the geography is bad and it is difficult to live in a desert. If you live in a
desert, you would use a camel for transportation and have to search for water. Some people
live in a tent because you have to travel to find a water source.