Download Test Three: Mesopotamia Study Guide Answer Key

Name ______________________________
Period ______
Date _____________
Sixth Grade
Social Studies—Mrs. Tsai
Test Three—Mesopotamia
***STUDY GUIDE ANSWER KEY***
PART I. KEY TERMS MATCH-UP
Directions: Match the term in Column A with its appropriate definition in Column B. Write the
corresponding letter on the line.
COLUMN A
D
COLUMN B
irrigation
A. belief in more than one god
2. ______
empire
B. a group of merchants traveling together for safety, usually with a large
number of camels
B
caravan
1. ______
E
3. ______
A
4. ______
C
5. ______
C. a system of writing developed by the Sumerians that used wedgeshaped marks made in soft clay
polytheism
cuneiform
D. a system/technology that supplies dry land with water through ditches,
pipes, or streams; first developed and used by Sumerian farmers
E. a large territory or group of many territories governed by one ruler
PART II. IDENTIFICATIONS MATCH-UP
Directions: Match the person in Column A with his/her appropriate description in Column B. Write the
corresponding letter on the line.
COLUMN A
B
1. ______
C
2. ______
E
3. ______
A
Marduk
Sargon I
Nebuchadnezzar
4. ______
Sumerians
D
5. ______
Hammurabi
COLUMN B
A. the group of people who lived in a southern region of Mesopotamia and
who built the first cities in southwest Asia
B. According to Mesopotamian mythology, he was the god of Babylon who
defeated Tiamat and used her eyeballs to make the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers.
C. ruler of Akkad who sent armies into Sumer to defeat each of its
remaining city-states; eventually became king of all Mesopotamia and
leader of the world’s first empire
D. king of the Babylonian Empire; best known for creating a set of laws for
his empire called “The Code of Hammurabi”
E. king of the new Babylonian Empire and son of Nabopolassar; re-built the
city of Babylon and brought prosperity to his empire through trade
PART III. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. True or False: The first civilizations in Mesopotamia began on the plain between the Euphrates River
and the Mediterranean Sea?
ANSWER: FALSE
2. What technologies/methods did Mesopotamian farmers use to control the seasonal floods AND keep
their crops watered during the summer and fall?
ANSWER: Mesopotamians developed irrigation systems; built dams to control the seasonal
floods; AND dug canals that let water flow from the rivers to the farmers’ fields.
3. How was seasonal flooding beneficial/helpful to Mesopotamian farmers?
ANSWER: Flooded rivers were filled with silt, small particles of soil that were very good for
farming.
4. True or False: Sumer is a city in southeast Mesopotamia?
ANSWER: FALSE
5. What was located in the center of a typical Sumerian city-state?
ANSWER: the city’s ziggurat; the king’s palace; and other public buildings
6. True or False: The people of Mesopotamia were polytheists?
ANSWER: TRUE
7. Who governed Sumerian city-states?
ANSWER: In the early days, PRIESTS of the ziggurat ruled the city-states. Later, Sumerian citystates were ruled by KINGS.
8. What is hereditary rule?
ANSWER: Hereditary rule is a system of rule in which a king’s oldest male heir takes the throne
upon the king’s death.
9. Why did the Sumerians ORIGINALLY/INITIALLY invent a writing system?
ANSWER: Sumerians used writing ORIGINALLY/INITIALLY to keep records of their goods and
trades.
10. List several technologies and/or inventions that were first developed and used by the Sumerians.
ANSWER: Irrigation—wheel—chariot—wooden plow—cuneiform—cart—sailboat—potter’s
wheel—geometry—place value—multiplication and division tables—60 minute hour—
60 second minute—360◦ circle—12 month calendar
11. Who formed the world’s first empire AND how did he do so?
ANSWER: Sargon I , by marching his army southward into Sumer and conquering each of the
Sumerian city-states, one by one.
12. How was Hammurabi’s Code different from law codes that had preceded/come before it?
ANSWER: Hammurabi’s Code was stricter than previous law codes AND it was written down and
displayed in the center of each city-state, for all to see. It also listed a punishment for each
crime.
13. What tactics and technologies did the Assyrian Empire employ in building its large and powerful
military?
ANSWER: The Assyrians organized their army into three branches—infantry, cavalry, and
charioteers; used iron weapons; and used brutal tactics, like burning their victims’ homes and
crops
14. True or False: Assyrian kings divided their empire into provinces to make governing such a large area
more manageable?
ANSWER: TRUE
15. Why were the Chaldeans able to seize power from the Assyrians around 627 B.C.?
ANSWER: The Assyrian empire had been weakened by rebellion; powerful Assyrians were
competing for the throne; and Nabopolassar’s strong leadership helped the Chaldeans in
preparing a successful revolt against the Assyrians
16. What city did the Chaldeans choose as the capital of their new Empire AND why?
ANSWER:Babylon—the Chaldeans were descendants of the Babylonians who had lived during
the time of Hammurabi.
17. Why was the New Babylonian Empire more prosperous/wealthier than the Assyrian Empire had
been?
ANSWER: The New Babylonian Empire used the trade route that ran through it to buy, sell, and
trade goods.
PART IV. EXTENDED RESPONSE
Directions: On your test, you will answer ONE of the three questions below in a thoughtful, well-crafted
paragraph. All three will be on your test, BUT you are only required to answer ONE. Each question
requires you to take a side on a particular issue and to defend it. REMEMBER: A paragraph should be AT
LEAST four to six sentences in length 
1. Which Sumerian invention do you think was more important: cuneiform OR the wheel? EXPLAIN with
details.
2. Do you think that King Hammurabi’s laws were just? Why or why not? EXPLAIN with details.
3. Which king do you think was the most successful: Sargon I, King Hammurabi, or King
Nebuchadnezzar? Why? EXPLAIN with details.