Part A. – Multiple Choice. Each question is worth two points. 1.The single trait that marks the most successful early hominids, compared to those hominids that died out, was: a.large brain capacity. b.ability to produce fire. c.the ability to adapt to changing physical environments. d.continuous fertility. e.development of weapons.2. What best distinguishes Homo habilis from earlier hominins? a. a. . a. Homo habilis lived in the trees as well as on the ground. b. b. Homo habilis built shelters from wood for protection. c. c. Homo habilis developed an elaborate creation narrative. d. d. Homo habilis migrated to the Americas.e. Homo Habilis intentionally shaped tools to butcher animals. 3. What did early Homo sapiens hunter-gatherers do? a. a. a. They spent nearly every hour of the day foraging for food. b.b. b. They formed small bands that were relatively egalitarian. . c. They avoided social behaviors such as friendly competition. d. They were male-dominated societies, as men provided most of the food. e. They hunted with weapons made of metal. 4.Prehistoric cave painting: a.dates back only ten thousand years. b.is so primitive that scholars cannot interpret what they mean. c.includes images of animals but no examples of abstract symbols. d.was painted on flat wall surfaces without any sense of depth or perspective. e.includes few images of humans. 5. Human language: a.expanded into multiple separate language families as humans moved out of Africa. b.is composed of distinctive sounds called phonemes that many animals can produce with greater range and diversity than humans. c.has a limited number of phonemes in its vocal register, which limits the range of subtle and complex ideas humans can express. d.differs only marginally from the language systems of other apes. e.represents an insignificant change from the vocal utterances of early hominids. 6.The first agricultural revolution: a.occurred in southern China as rice cultivation developed. b.occurred as cooling temperatures across the globe forced hunters and gatherers to experiment with agriculture in order to survive. c.occurred when migratory populations carried seeds to new regions where they grew abundantly. d. occurred around 9000 bce as settled villages began to cultivate domesticated cereals and herd animals.e.occurred after humans ran out of food and rebelled against their rulers in Southwest Asia.7. Why were nomadic pastoralists important to settled farmers? a. a. They provided a vast library of historical records.b. They helped influence the production of agricultural tools.c. c. They had so little interaction with agricultural communities that farmers came to think of t of them as powerful mythological beings.d. They transmitted ideas, products, and peoples across long distances, linking them to awider world. e. They were the main customers for pots and jars made in the cities. 8. The foundation of the first Afro-Eurasian states lay in: a.the development of trading networks. b.the collective efforts needed to build and maintain irrigation systems near rivers. c.the emergence of forms of slavery. d.the rise of priestly classes that demanded sacrifices of labor and taxes to local gods. e.the need to defend against attacks from outsiders. 9. The rise of trade: a.was aided by the establishment of sedentary communities, which locally lacked some needed goods and materials that could be obtained through pastoral nomads. b.initially emerged as bands who migrated to the Americas sought to sustain cultural and trade contacts with bands in northeast Asia. c.was limited by the lack of pack animals that could cross long distances in arid conditions. d.emerged after about 250 bce, when sedentary communities had reached large populations. e.was sporadic and intermittent due to interference by nomadic pastoralists in the borderlands. 10. Why is Sargon the Great notable? aa. a. He had military success because he spent his resources building his army instead of producing monumental architecture and artwork. b. He established the first territorial state. c. He sought to isolate his lands from foreign influence that could undermine his authority. d. He established an empire that lasted for 1,000 years. e. He produced the first written language in Mesopotamia. 11. Ancient Egypt: a.was strongly shaped by the unpredictability of the Nile River as it flooded. b.had vast desert lands, which had nothing of value. c.formed a highly coherent culture stretched out along the banks of the Nile River. d.drew on vast hinterlands in the Sinai Peninsula to support its population. e.was a highly egalitarian society that stressed literacy for all males. 12. Why do historians know very little about Harappan culture and society today? a. Most of their cities were destroyed by floods. b. Monsoons destroyed much of their most important records. c. It was spread over such a cast area that there was not a uniform culture. d.Their writing has not been deciphered and translated. 13. Which of the following was a major impact of the Longshan culture in early China? a. a. In different regions of China, the dead were left exposed to the elements, leaving few burial sites for archaeologists to investigate. b. In different regions of China, city-states began to arise. c. c. In different regions of China, people began to produce similar pottery and tools. d.. d. In different regions of China, large-scale dynastic systems emerged that structured the political life of the society. e. Rice was grown throughout China, regardless of climatic conditions. 14. People in the Afro-Eurasian world who lived outside the river basins a. were barbarians without culture, faith, or organized life. b. separated themselves from the urban cultures, which they saw as perverse c. had a warrior-based ethos d. lacked developed technology e. never developed agriculture 15. Around 2200-2100 bce, the big states of river basins in Afro-Eurasia collapsed for all of the following reasons EXCEPT: a.a dramatic pattern of drought had disrupted people’s ability to grow crops for food. b.many centuries of farming had eroded the soils. c.the world entered a warming cycle from a shift in the earth’s orbital axis, and the rivers no longer benefited from the typical monsoon rains. d.plague swept across the Afro-Eurasian world, wiping out urban populations. e.transhumant herders migrated toward the urban centers. 16. Which of the following about transhumant migrants is correct? . a. They traversed vast stretches of land in the steppe lands. b. They moved from city to city in search of employment. c. They moved with livestock from lowland to highland areas depending on the seasonsof the year.d. They traveled from one agricultural region to another, working to plant crops during the spring and harvest them in the fall. 17. Which of the following about Amenemhet I’s elevation of the minor god Amun to prominence is correct? a. Ia. It was fiercely resisted by the priestly class, causing a civil war that destroyed the TweTwelfth Dynasty in Egypt. b. It contributed, politically, to greater unification of the kingdom, while also adding spiritual meaning to Egyptian society. c.It had the social consequence of raising the standing of the merchant class, who had adopted Amun as their spiritual patron. d d. d.. d. It was criticized after several poor rainy seasons led to drought conditions. 18. The Battle of Qadesh is significant for which reason? a. The Egyptians and the Hittites, using thousands of chariots, fought for control of the FerLevant (or Fertile Crescent) b. The Hyksos used their war chariots to overthrow the Old Kingdom of Egypt. c.. c. It demonstrated the military superiority of crossbow technology. d. An army wielding iron weapons and armor easily defeated an army relying on bronze technology. 19. Which of the following was an important message of Hammurapi’s Law Code in Mesopotamia? a. The king was the fearsome voice of the gods among the people. b. Adultery was a crime for both men and women. c. The responsibility to uphold a just order belonged to the king. d. Priests bore the responsibility for upholding the gods’ justice. 20. Which of the following is an accurate description of the Vedic people? a. They brought large flocks of camels with them into the Indus River basin. b. They were superb horse charioteers and masters of bronze metallurgy.c. They practiced a religion that was much simpler than the religion of the agricultural people whom they encountered in the Indus River basin.d. They quickly abandoned their language and adopted the language of the Harappans. 21. Shang Dynasty rulers in China used the shoulder blades of cattle and turtle shells for what purpose? a. to create ornamental jewelry designed to impress foreign diplomats. b. as ingredients in medicinal potions designed to extend human life. c. as fertilizers for the fields of millet, wheat, and barley. d. to make predictions about the future regarding royal plans 22. Polynesian (originally Austronesian) settlements in the South Pacific islands were characterized by which of the following? a. pottery, stone tools, and domesticated pigs b. ritual human sacrifice, rice cultivation, and stone tools c. written scripts, ritual human sacrifice, and domesticated pigsd. pottery, written scripts, and rice cultivation 23. Which of the following best explains why the societies in the Americas did not produce large agricultural surpluses? a. They completely lacked irrigation technology b. Their ecosystems could only produce fish and lacked the diversity necessary to support food surpluses. c. They lacked draft animals or large beasts of burden. d. They refused to expand to develop city-states or territorial states beyond their local communities. 24. In order to fulfill its agricultural and construction needs, what did the Assyrian empire do? a. It relocated large numbers of conquered peoples to regions where their labor was necessary. b. It obtained large numbers of slaves from Central Asia and Africa. c. It instituted a labor system that required work from all families for a certain number of days per year. d. It permitted soldiers to regularly rotate back to their homes during the planting and harvesting seasons. 25. In the Persian Empire: a. local Persian administrators taught Old Persian to the local populations in order to create a common language for governmental affairs. b. local provinces were allowed to keep their own currency and standards of weights and measures in order to promote trade. c. all subject peoples had an equal status, required only to give loyalty and pay tribute to the king (while the ethnic Persians and Medes retained a slightly more privileged status over time) d. the Persians’ bureaucratic expertise allowed them to implement many governmental reforms. e.there was virtually no central control, and provinces were only linked by trade. 26. Why did the Persians under Xerxes invade Greece in 480-479 BCE? a. They wanted to put an end to Greek raids on Persian vessels in the Mediterranean andBlack Seas. b. Greece had enormous deposits of gold and silver, which the Persian Empire lacked. c. The city-states of mainland Greece had aided and abetted the revolt of the Ionian cities in Anatolia, and Xerxes sought to punish the Greeks for what he viewed as their perfidy.d. Xerxes suspected and feared a major invasion of his empire by the Greeks. 27. The Phoenicians developed which groundbreaking innovation? a. ships with stern-post rudders b. monotheism c. water-power irrigation systems d. an alphabet 28. 28. . 28. Which of the following represents the central tenet (doctrine) of Judaism as it emerged among the Ancient Israelites in Southwest Asia? a. there were multiple gods to worship, but Yahweh (or Jehovah) was the most important of them. b. Yahweh formed a covenant with the Israelites such that he would make them his chosen people if they worshipped him exclusively and abided by his laws c. humans are not capable of determining good from evil.d. the Promised Land, where the Israelites could live in peace and plenty, was far acrossthe Atlantic Ocean, and Yahweh would lead them there. 29. All of the following correctly identify the caste system in South Asia EXCEPT which? a.The Vaishyas were agricultural commoners, or peasants. b.The Kshatriyas controlled the land and were the ruling caste. c.The ceremony of “second birth” was undergone by all four castes. d.The Shudras were servants and menial laborers. e.The Brahmans performed rituals and communicated with the gods. 30. How did the Zhou rulers in China seek to legitimize their defeat of replacement of the Shang dynasty? a. by asserting their own moral superiority through the concept of the Mandate of Heaven b. by appealing to astronomical occurrences to verify that the deities supported them c. by establishing social stability through the defeat of various bandits roaming the countryside d. by promoting agricultural prosperity Part B. – True/False. Each question is worth 1.5 points. 1. The overlap between human and chimpanzee DNA is 98.4 %True/False 2. Neanderthals became extinct without mating and combining some of their DNA with Cro-Magnons (Homo Sapiens) in Europe and the Middle EastTrue/False 3. As agricultural communities became larger and more stratified, the rough gender egalitarianism ofhunting and gathering societies eroded. True/False 4. As humans populated the Americas, they lost their immunity to biological pathogens, partly because they had many domesticated animals.True/False 5.Hunters and gatherers in sub-Saharan Africa only developed sedentary agriculture after learning its methods from the peoples of Mesopotamia and Egypt. True/False 6. The wheel began to be fully exploited as a tool for transportation and pottery production about the same time that cities emerged. True/False 7.While other riverine societies developed trade networks, Indus River Valley cities remained isolated from the outside world.True/False8. The Minoans developed a palace complex at Knossos on Crete because of their prosperityfrom maritime commerce in the Mediterranean Sea.True/False 9. “Bell Beaker” pottery, so named because of its inverted bell shape, was used by early European micro-societies primarily for food storage. True/False 10. The rulers of the Middle Kingdom in Egypt claimed to rule in the name of the gods, restoring the sacred order and ensuring the return of the regular floodwaters upon which all Egyptians depended.True/False 11. The sacred texts of Zoroastrianism are known as the Torah. True/False 12. The Yellow River in northern China got its name from the fact that the river deposits a yellow silt, or loess, on the surrounding soil to fertilize it. True/False 13. The Phoenicians most important trade item was a green dye from snails. True/False 14. The naval battle at Salamis, near Athens, marked the beginning of a reversal for the Persian invasion of Greece in 480-79 BCE.True/False
