World History Semester Exam
1. The term for a large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, controlling many peoples or territories is
A. a democracy.
B. an empire.
C. a republic.
D. a monarchy.
E. a theocracy.
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2. The Mesopotamian religion, which identified nearly 3,000 gods and goddesses, can best be described as
A. atheistic.
B. polytheistic.
C. agnostic.
D. theocratic.
E. secular.
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3. The development of Egyptian civilization was influenced most closely by
A. invasion by other peoples.
B. the Nile River.
C. The building of pyramids.
D. marriage laws.
E. art.
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4. According to Jewish/Hebrew belief (in the nation of Israel), there is only one God, called Yahweh. This means the Jews had a
A. monotheistic religion.
B. religion like most other ancient societies.
C. polytheistic religion.
D. unpopular religion.
E. no religion.
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5. King Hammurabi is best remembered for
A. his agricultural innovations.
B. his written law code, a collection of laws for Mesopotamian society.
C. his military victories.
D. destroying Egypt.
E. his religious views.
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6. "If a free man has destroyed the eye of a member of the aristocracy, they shall destroy his eye..." This is an example of the law code found in
A. Minoan civilization.
B. Israel.
C. Egypt.
D. Mesopotamia.
E. Troy.
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7. Pre-history is best defined as
A. the Neolithic Age.
B. the period of time before the development of cities.
C. The Bronze Age.
D. the period of time before the development of organized religions.
E. The period of time before the develoipment of writing.
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8. Which of the below is an artifact?
A. a human bone.
B. a fossilized leaf.
C. petroleum.
D. a 3000-year-old rock.
E. a sculpture.
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9. Sumerian (Mesopotamian) religious beliefs included all of the following EXCEPT
A. each god controlled a specific natural force or human activity.
B. each god had a physical form.
C. each god could cause great misery.
D. life after death was peaceful and happy.
E. the gods were immortal.
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10. The first frieze above the entrance to the Morse theater (in front of the main office) primarily focuses on showing Alexander leading victorious ________ against the defeated ________.
A. Persians/Greeks
B. Egyptians/Hittites
C. Israelites/Egyptians
D. Greeks/Persians
E. Hittites/Egyptians
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11. Which of the following would be a reasonable hypothesis about the absence of writing on ancient cave paintings, without evidence beyond the paintings themselves?
A. the artists were unable to write.
B. No one in that time period new how to write.
C. The paintings alone conveyed the information the artists wanted conveyed.
D. It was not the custom at that time to write on cave walls.
E. Each of the above could be a reasonable hypothesis without more evidence.
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12. In the Fertile Crescent civilizations of the ancient Mideast, which civilization first specifically rejected the idea of human sacrifice?
A. Sumeriam.
B. Babylonian.
C. Assyrian.
D. Israelite.
E. Philistine.
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13. The earliest form of writing was known as cuneiform and was developed in what civilization?
A. Egyptian
B. Mesopotamian
C. Israelite
D. Minoan
E. Greek
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14. All of the following structures might be found in ancient Egypt EXCEPT
A. a temple.
B. a pyramid.
C. a tomb.
D. a ziggurat.
E. a palace.
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15. In both the civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the lowest social class was made up of people from what occupation?
A. military
B. merchant
C. teachers
D. priesthood
E. farming
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16. "Mesopotamia" is derived from a Greek term that is translated as
A. land with no physical barriers.
B. land of deserts.
C. land between the rivers
D. land of many peoples
E. land that time forgot.
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17. A frieze is
A. a free standing sculpture.
B. a mid-winter cold day.
C. a wall painting.
D. a sculptured wall mural
E. A frieze is none of the above.
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18. Which of the following is an example of a secondary source of evidence?
A. a diary of a soldier about his war experiences
B. a self-portrait
C. a textbook used in Sumerian schools about the country's past
D. a poem about a natural disaster, written by a survivor of the disaster
E. an autobiography by an Egyptian priest
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19. Warfare was far more common in ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia than in many other civilizations, such as Egypt. This was primarily because
A. Mesopotamia lacked physical barriers against invasion.
B. Mesopotamia always had military technologies that were superior to other countries.
C. Mesopotamia had generals as their kings.
D. Mesopotamian religion demanded constant warfare.
E. Mesopotamian people were naturally war-like.
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20. Mesopotamian civilizations were noted for their use of human sacrifice, including the sacrifice of children of Mesopotamian citizens. Why were children often selected?
A. Since only children of debtors were sacrificed, it was a way to convince people to pay off their debts.
B. Small children aren't very fast.
C. Large families could not afford to support all their children.
D. Children were highly valued in Mesopotamian civilization and thus would be appreciated by the gods.
E. Adults were too important to the economy to be sacrificed.
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21. Why did many Mesopotamian and Egyptian parents want their young sons to be educated to become scribes?
A. Scribes, because of their training with weapons, tended to be good soldiers.
B. In order to have a chance to ever be a king or a high-ranking government official, one had to be trained as a scribe.
C. Since scribes were usually the only people who could read and write, they had a high likelihood of getting high paying and/or prestigious jobs.
D. Because of their musical training, scribes could gain good jobs.
E. Becoming a scribe required a lot of study, so it kept boys from getting into mischief.
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22. Most of the earliest civilizations were formed in river valleys. Which of the following is NOT a reason for this?
A. Rivers were an important source of drinking water.
B. Rivers provided a convenient means of transportation.
C. Rivers helped irrigate farm crops.
D. Annual flooding along rivers helped fertilize farm lands.
E. Rivers helped prevent invasions by hostile outsiders.
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23. For ancient Egyptians, death was a trip across
A. the universe.
B. the Sahara Desert.
C. the Nile River.
D. the Sinai Mountain.
E. the street outside the funeral home.
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24. Egyptians believed that life after death could best be ensured by mummification AND by
A. living a moral and peaceful life.
B. worshiping the gods every day.
C. offering sacrifices to the gods.
D. building a pyramid.
E. making sure one's name was not forgotten.
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25. Although there were similarities in the religious beliefs of Egyptians and Mesopotamians, only the Egyptians believed
A. that their king (the Pharaoh) was divine.
B. in reincarnation.
C. that the gods were powerful.
D. that there were many gods.
E. Both A & B are correct answers.
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26. The Egyptian pharaoh who ruled for over 60 years, finally dying at over 90 years old, was
A. Rameses II.
B. Tuthankamen.
C. Akhenaton.
D. Nefertiri.
E. Cleopatra.
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27. Which of the following evidence was used to establish what might have happened to the legendary city of "Atlantis?"
A. evidence that there was a half-man, half-bull "Minotaur"
B. evidence that there was an ancient city of Troy.
C. evidence of a volcanic eruption in the Mediterranean Sea in 1628 B.C.
D. evidence of the murder of King Agamemnon of Mycenae.
E. evidence of the existence of Helen of Troy.
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28. Which of the following was typical of Egyptian, but not Mesopotamian, kings?
A. They were trained in military skills.
B. They believed in gods.
C. They usually were part of long-ruling family dynasties.
D. They usually could not read.
E. They had great power.
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29. Which discovery in the tomb of Egypt's King Tut was considered by archaeologists as the most important find?
A. the enormous amounts of gold and silver
B. the exquisite and extensive jewelry
C. the mummified remains of two infants
D. the sympathy card from Tut's mummy and daddy
E. a tiny steel dagger
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30. Moses was a great leader of the
A. Egyptians.
B. Hebrews.
C. Sumerians.
D. Babylonians.
E. Assyrians.
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31. What only survives from the treasures of Pharaoh Ramses the Great?
A. his chariot
B. his throne
C. his body
D. his weapons
E. his passport
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32. The Egyptians prior to the New Kingdom, were rarely conquered. When they were conquered during the the Old and Middle Kingdoms, it was primarily because the invading armies
A. had more men.
B. had superior military leaders.
C. had better weapons.
D. had more buff soldiers.
E. were supported by navies.
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33. The key to understanding hieroglyphs came about when
A. a mummy spoke.
B. a French military cryptographer working alone broke the code.
C. the Rosetta Stone was found.
D. the pyramids were entered.
E. the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs were found.
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34. What distinguished Egyptian hieroglyphics and Mesopotamian cuneiform from modern systems of writing?
A. They were considerably easier to learn than modern languages because there were less words to memorize.
B. They did not use letters.
C. They were not fundamentally different at all from modern languages.
D. Both A and B above are true.
E. None of the above are true.
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35. The art of Egypt focused primarily on
A. religion.
B. the past ancient past.
C. the future.
D. stories.
E. the everyday lives of the common people.
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36. Egypt's government was a theocracy. Why?
A. The pharaohs had supreme power.
B. The pharaohs were both the political and the religious leaders.
C. Most of the Egyptian pharaohs had as their surname "Theo."
D. The pharaohs were appointed by priests.
E. The pharaohs were all generals before becoming pharaoh.
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37. The last pharaoh of Egypt reigned until invasion by the
A. Romans.
B. Persians.
C. Hittites.
D. Hyksos.
E. Israelites.
38.Nomads are
A. An ancient Israelite rock band..
B. migratory peoples, who follow their herds to fresh grazing lands.
C. inhabitants of Canaan.
D. Egyptian slaves.
E. unmarried women.
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39. How did Pharaoh Ramesses the Great use propaganda after his battle with the Hittites?
A. to convince Egyptians that he, and he alone, was responsible for preventing the defeat of the Egyptian army
B. to convince the Egyptian people that the Egyptian army had won the battle, when in reality the Hittites had won the battle
C. to establish the idea that he was a god
D. to raise enthusiasm for another war against the Hittites
E. to convince the Egyptian people that the gods supported Egypt, and not the Hittites
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40. Pyramids were built primarily to serve as
A. religious temples.
B. government offices.
C. tombs for pharaohs.
D. storage facilities.
E. military outposts.
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41. Ziggurats main function was to serve as
A. religious temples.
B. tombs.
C. palaces.
D. forts.
E. storage facilities.
42. Ancient Egyptian women
A. were regarded as slaves.
B. could not become pharaohs.
C. could inherit property and could divorce husbands.
D. enjoyed an equal legal status with men.
E. typically had only one or two children.
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43. Which of the following would be highly unusual for a young Egyptian boy?
A. to be spanked for misbehavior
B. to die before reaching adulthood
C. to be valued by parents as much or more than a girl
D. to wear no clothing in public
E. None of the above would be unusual.
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44. Which of the following was true about ancient Egyptian fashions?
A. All men dressed alike, regardless of social class.
B. All women dressed alike, regardless of social class.
C. Men and women dressed the same way.
D. Jewelry was worn only by women.
E. Jewelry was worn by both men and women, and in all social classes.
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45. Which of the following statements about Egyptian art is true?
A. Egyptian art was very realistic.
B. Egyptian art was very similar to art in the modern world.
C. The style and content of Egyptian art changed a great deal through the course of Egyptian civilization.
D. Only the upper and middles classes in Egypt felt art was important.
E. Egyptian art used symbols and colors, along with writing, extensively.
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46. The Pharaoh Akhenaton (also know as Amenhotep IV) is most remembered for
A. his genius at warfare.
B. his political skills.
C. the size of the pyramid he had built to house his remains.
D. his tremendous wealth.
E. his promotion of a belief in one god.
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47. Why was there a crisis for Egypt after the death of the teenage King Tut?
A. The country was conquered by invading Hittites from the Middle East.
B. Egyptians believed Tut had been murdered and rose up in revolution.
C. The priests seized power.
D. The Hebrew slaves overthrew the Egyptian government.
E. Tut left no surviving children, leading to a vacuum in leadership that would be filled by the military.
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48. Priests were less important to Israelites than to Egyptians because Israelites
A. were atheists.
B. were slaves.
C. were nomads.
D. believed everyone, not just priests, could communicate with God.
E. were illiterate.
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49. Judaism, the religion of Israel and Judah, created feelings of hostility amongst other peoples in the ancient Middle East because
A. Israel and Judah were so militarily powerful.
B. their God was perceived as so powerful by other nations.
C. they were the wealthiest nation in the Middle East.
D. they were the first empire in the Middle East.
E. they were so different from the other peoples, in their religion, laws, government, etc.
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50. Who were the "Sea Peoples"?
A. Nations situated next to the Mediterranean Sea who primarily made their living as merchants and sailors.
B. Inhabitants of islands in the Mediterranean Sea who primarily made their living as fishermen.
C. They were mermaids and mermen who entertained passing ships.
D. They were invaders from unknown regions who conquered the Hittite Empire and threatened Egypt.
E. They were known by the ancients as "Atlanteans" and modern historians as "Minoans."