Download Chapter 1-3 Test

World History – Study Guide
River Valley Civilizations
Name:
Hour:
Directions: Answer each of the following questions to the best of your ability. Remember, this is YOUR study
guide. If you’re not sure of an answer YOU need to find it (if all else fails, you can ask me). After you finish the
Study Guide, it is YOUR job to use it to STUDY – if you wrote the right answer, but can’t recall it on the test, you
haven’t studied enough!
Early River Valley Civilizations
1. What was 1 major problem that all 4 river valley civilizations had to overcome?
2. Why did cities develop in the first place?
3. Name at least 3 advantages to settling near a river?
4. How did early river valley civilizations address the problem of flooding?
5. Use the map below to correctly place each of the ancient river valley civilizations.
 Place an “E” for where Egypt would be
 Place an “H” for where Harappan civilization
would be
 Place an “M” for where Mesopotamia would
be
 Place a “C” for where China would be
Mesopotamia/Sumer
6. What was the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers called (besides Mesopotamia)?
7. What is the difference between polytheism and monotheism?
8. How could you describe the laws created by Hammurabi’s Code?
9. Did the Code of Hammurabi increase or decrease crime in Babylonia? Explain.
10. What was the form of writing used in ancient Mesopotamia?
11. Egyptians had pyramids, while the Mesopotamians had __________________________.
Nile Valley/Egypt
12. What is a theocracy?
13. Why was the Rosetta Stone an important discovery for Egyptologists (those that study Egyptian history)?
14. Why did Egyptians build pyramids?
15. Why did Egyptians mummify the dead?
16. Why was the flooding in ancient Egypt less of a problem than in the other river valley civilizations?
17. Today we write on paper, but in ancient Egypt they wrote on _____________________________.
Indus Valley/Harappan
18. Name at least 1 way that the Harappan Civilization of the Indus Valley could claim to be the most advanced
of the early river valley civilizations?
19. Why do we know so little about the Indus
civilization?
20. Other than flooding, what climatic
challenge did the Harappan Civilization
face?
China/Yangtze and Huang He River Valleys
21. What is a dynasty and why is it important to Chinese history?
22. What was the “mandate from heaven” and how did it relate to
dynasties in China?
23. Mesopotamian writers used cuneiform, while the ancient Chinese writers used: __________