Test Bank For History of Western Society Concise Edition 12th Edition By McKay

1. Akhenaten's experiment with Egyptian religion failed because A) its elaborate ritual was too confusing. B) the hated and corrupt priesthood endorsed it. C) it was imposed from above and failed to find a place among the people. D) it did not gain the support of the pharaoh. 2. Which of the following characterizes the idea of "Western" at the beginning of the twenty-first century? A) Christian, democratic, and advocating civil liberties B) Democratic, individualist, and militaristic C) Individualist, capitalist, and competitive D) Capitalist, militaristic, and Christian 3. How did the colonization launched by Europeans in the late fifteenth century affect the meaning of "Western"? A) "Western" came to be synonymous with imperialism and the establishment of European dominance around the globe. B) "Western" came to signify the destruction the local, indigenous cultures and those peoples who would not adopt European styles of thought and society. C) "Western" came to identify the spread of scientific progress and the advancement of society with the establishment of civil liberties and improved economies. D) "Western" came to mean those cultures that included significant numbers of people of European ancestry, no matter where around the globe they were located. 4. Which of the following was a long-term consequence of the development of agriculture? A) Women's independent access to resources decreased. B) Inequalities of wealth and power decreased. C) Race-based slavery became a feature of most societies. D) Population growth slowed, then leveled off. 5. Which of the following characterized the Neolithic stage of human development? A) Humans lived in small, migratory groups of relatives. B) Agriculture and animal husbandry were primary ways of life. C) Bronze weapons were used. D) Food was acquired primarily by foraging. Page 1 6. In Mesopotamia, how did the climate promote the development of central authority? A) The tropical environment required coordinated communal work to clear forests for agriculture. B) The monsoon season required a central authority to build and maintain pontoon bridges and boats that could move quickly to high ground. C) The extreme summer temperatures required the establishment of public baths to provide relief from the heat. D) The arid climate required large-scale irrigation projects directed by a central authority. 7. Çatal Hüyük is one of the best known examples of a A) Bronze Age city. B) Neolithic community with a very large population. C) Paleolithic religious center. D) Mesopotamian irrigation network. 8. The earliest written signs A) were ideograms, in which each sign symbolized an idea. B) were pictographs, in which each sign pictured an object. C) represented the sounds of a spoken language. D) were cuneiform. 9. The root cause of the division of labor within Neolithic towns was A) agricultural surpluses. B) religious ideas and beliefs. C) the formation of standing armies. D) the development of metalworking technology. 10. How did the nobles in Sumerian society maintain their dominant position? A) They controlled access to the religious shrines and temples and denied religious rights to anyone who challenged their authority. B) They possessed the land and permitted their clients to work parts of it, making the clients dependent on them. C) They had exclusive political rights over public affairs, while the commoners were denied even the right to voice their opinions. D) They held the right to tax all commercial transactions, gaining wealth and power over their opponents. Page 2 11. Scribal schools were primarily intended to produce individuals who could A) copy religious texts. B) produce legal documents. C) record public notices. D) keep property records. 12. How did Hammurabi's code provide protection to individuals who had homes built? A) House builders were required to give financial guarantees to the temple priests for the safety of houses that they built. B) House builders followed strict construction guidelines or were subject to heavy fines. C) The city government inspected all houses after they were built and required the house builder to fix any flaws. D) If a house collapsed and killed the inhabitants, the house builder would be put to death. 13. The Code of Hammurabi demanded that A) criminals receive a fair trial by a jury of their peers. B) all crimes be punishable by death. C) all laws were in accord with religious teachings. D) the punishment fit the crime. 14. Which of the following best characterizes a Sumerian client? A) Soldiers and scribes who worked for a noble lord B) Chattel slaves who could be bought and sold like livestock C) Free men and women who were dependent on the palace or the temple D) Wealthy advisors and friends of Sumerian kings 15. Hammurabi linked his success to A) his abilities as a philosopher and scholar. B) his popularity with the people. C) his personal charisma. D) the will of the gods. 16. One major drawback to the system of writing known as pictographs was that it A) did not include numbers. B) could not represent abstract ideas. C) was too complex. D) was not logical. Page 3 17. Why was agriculture more productive in Egypt than in Mesopotamia? A) The milder climate in Egypt permitted a longer growing season and higher crop yields. B) The Mediterranean Sea provided cool breezes that reduced stress on growing crops. C) The stronger authority of the Egyptian pharaohs permitted better organization of the agricultural labor force. D) The annual flooding and retreat of the Nile renewed the soil with fertile mud each year. 18. The Egyptian god Amon was especially cherished because he was believed to A) honor fairness and justice, especially for the common people. B) serve as guardian of the underworld and to determine the fate of souls. C) speak through an oracle that could predict the time for planting and harvesting. D) restrain the pharaoh from abusing his authority. 19. Hammurabi's code was designed to A) regulate the relationships among his people. B) intimidate the common people in order to prevent social upheaval. C) protect the position of nobles and priests. D) increase the power of the nobility over the priesthood. 20. Under Hammurabi's code, the law A) treated all as equals. B) gave no rights to women and children. C) focused exclusively on the rights of nobles. D) differed according to social status. 21. How did the Egyptian people understand the status of the pharaoh? A) He served as the eyes and ears of the gods on earth and was responsible to the gods for the protection of the Egyptian people. B) He was a wise lawgiver who was endowed by the gods with special powers to divine the needs of the people. C) He was a representative of the gods sent to maintain discipline and authority among the difficult and fractious Egyptian people. D) He was the god Horus in human form, achieving integration between gods and humans. Page 4 22. Hammurabi secured Babylon's cultural ascendancy through A) military conquest. B) economic domination. C) manipulation of Mesopotamian and Babylonian mythology. D) control of irrigation. 23. How did the Egyptians respond to the warm environment of Egypt? A) They bathed several times a day and used perfumes for deodorants. B) They only worked outside during the night or as the sun rose or set. C) They invented a crude system of interior air conditioning using blocks of ice. D) They built homes that were large, stone structures and partially underground to maintain cooler temperatures. 24. How did a new form of regional politics emerge after the Hittite defeat of the Egyptians at the Battle of Kadesh? A) The Hittites formed an imperial system through which they could control lands far removed from their home. B) The Hittites allied with the Babylonians to divide Egypt between them and rule it as a common protectorate. C) The Hittites slaughtered the Egyptian ruling class and imposed domination through a puppet pharaoh. D) The Hittites, Egyptians, and Babylonians formed an alliance to uphold one another's authority and mutual protection. 25. Near Eastern peoples originally developed writing to A) express their feelings through poetry. B) compose theological studies. C) keep accurate records. D) understand their history. 26. What geographical feature had the greatest impact on Egyptian life? A) The Atlas Mountains B) The Nile River C) The Mediterranean Sea D) The Sahara Desert Page 5 27. What does the term Neolithic mean? A) A period of history highlighted by the application of forges to create iron tools B) A period of history identified as the "Old" Stone Age, where humans used stone tools and acquired their food by foraging C) A period of history identified as the "New" Stone Age, where humans used stone tools and initiated agriculture and domestication of animals D) A dynastic period or kingdom of ancient Egypt 28. The Fertile Crescent refers to an area of mild climate and abundant wild grain where agriculture first developed in what modern geographic areas? A) Greece, Italy, and the Balkan Peninsula B) Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and the Iberian Peninsula C) Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Arabian Peninsula D) Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq 29. Which of the following is identified as an economic system of domestication and herding of goats, sheep, cattle, or other animals in order to benefit humans? A) Pastoralism B) Capitalism C) Agrarianism D) Socialism 30. What societal system gives men more access to power and resources of the society? A) Matriarchy B) Anarchy C) Patriarchy D) Oligarchy 31. What was the first metal ore to be mined and extracted by a process known as smelting in the Balkan Peninsula around 5500 B.C.E.? A) Iron B) Lead C) Zinc D) Copper Page 6 32. Neolithic societies developed religions with multiple deities that reflected the agricultural cycle and nature. These religions are identified as which of the following? A) Monotheism B) Deism C) Polytheism D) Monolatrism 33. The Egyptians of the "New Kingdom" developed a complex set of ideas about the afterlife, writing a series of manuscripts to help in guiding the dead through the difficulties of the underworld and establishing observed practices for death and transition to the afterlife. What are these manuscripts called? A) Hammurabi's code B) Book of the Dead C) Cuneiform manuscripts D) Hymn of Aton 34. The "New Kingdom" Egyptians began to use what term as a synonym for their monarch, which originally meant "great house"? A) King B) High Priest C) Ma'at D) Pharaoh 35. Egyptians believed that the monarch embodied a cosmic harmony that combined truth, justice, and moral integrity. What was this identified as? A) Pharaoh B) Ma'at C) Hyksos D) Khan 36. What was the period of human development where smelted copper was combined with zinc, tin, and arsenic to create spear points and axes? A) Iron Age B) Paleolithic Age C) Neolithic Age D) Bronze Age Page 7 37. Which of the following helps explain Egypt's political and economic strength? A) It had no military rivals of any kind. B) It had the world's largest gold deposits. C) It was an egalitarian democracy. D) It was nearly self-sufficient. 38. Pharaoh Ramses II fought the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 B.C.E. and concluded a peace treaty in 1258 B.C.E. with King Hattusuli III, who was the ruler of what people? A) The Hittites B) The Akkadians C) The Babylonians D) The Sumerians 39. Human origins can be traced back to A) East Africa. B) the Middle East. C) southern Europe. D) North America. 40. The evidence suggests that Paleolithic people A) built and lived in large stone structures. B) created complex writing systems based on ideograms. C) often lived in communities of three to four thousand people. D) developed forms of expression that we now refer to as art, culture, and religion. 41. Why was the invention of the scratch plow so important? A) It allowed people to farm in desert environments. B) It marked the first step toward a gender division of labor. C) It gave northern peoples a distinct advantage over southern peoples. D) It allowed Neolithic people to produce a significant amount of surplus food. 42. Mesopotamia is the Greek name for the land A) between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. B) east of the Black Sea. C) between the Carpathian and Ural Mountains. D) north of the Nile River delta. Page 8 43. Which of the following was essential to the success of Mesopotamian agriculture? A) New strains of wheat and barley B) Flooding of the Tigris River C) Irrigation D) Two rainy seasons per year 44. Cuneiform writing was recorded on A) vellum. B) cotton paper. C) clay. D) papyrus. 45. In an effort to cement his domination of Sumer, Sargon A) tore down the defensive walls of Sumerian cities and appointed his own sons as their rulers. B) renounced his own gods and adopted those of the Sumerians. C) entered into alliances with Sumer's traditional leaders, making them "sub-kings." D) reduced taxes on peasants and granted villages considerable autonomy. 46. Ancient Egyptians believed that ________________ was/were responsible for the rise and fall of the Nile. A) the pharaoh B) the people of Egypt C) natural forces D) invisible pillars 47. What was the purpose of the Egyptian pyramids? A) They were military supply depots. B) They were temples where public festivals were celebrated. C) They were grain repositories. D) They were tombs for the pharaohs. 48. In what way were the Egyptian and Mesopotamian religions similar? A) Both denied the existence of an afterlife. B) Both were polytheistic religions. C) Both emphasized the importance of mummification. D) Both were monotheistic religions. Page 9 49. Which of the following best characterizes the Hyksos? A) A conquering horde B) Migrants looking for good land C) A pirate confederation D) Egyptian religious reformers 50. The Sumerians believed that humans had been created to A) serve the gods. B) spread over the entire earth. C) enjoy life and find individual happiness. D) rule over animals. 51. "He that waters the meadows which Re [Ra] created, He that makes to drink the desert. . . . He who makes barley and brings emmer [wheat] into being. . . . He who brings grass into being for cattle . . . he who makes every beloved tree grow." This passage describes the importance of which of the following rivers? A) Oxus B) Euphrates C) Ganges D) Nile 52. "The janitors carry staves and the Nubians rods of palm, and they say, Hand over the grain, though there is none. The farmer is beaten all over, he is bound and thrown into a well, soused and dipped head downwards." What aspect of Egyptian life is described in this excerpt? A) The constant threat of criminal extortion B) The punishment of a thief C) The incursion of foreigners into Egypt D) The collection of tax obligations 53. "My headmaster read my tablet, said: 'There is something missing,' caned me. The fellow in charge of silence said: 'Why did you talk without permission,' caned me. The fellow in charge of the assembly said: 'Why did you stand at ease without permission,' caned me." This passage describes the experience of A) training to be a Mesopotamian scribe. B) serving at the pharaoh's court in Egypt. C) learning to be a Sumerian priest. D) most ordinary Akkadian children. Page 10 54. "How could my cheeks not be wasted, nor my face dejected, Nor my heart wretched, nor my appearance worn out, Nor grief in my innermost being, Nor my face like that of a long-distance traveller, Nor my face weathered by wind and heat Nor roaming open country clad only in a lionskin?" This passage from The Epic of Gilgamesh (Evaluating the Evidence 1.2) describes Gilgamesh's grief after A) the death of his friend Enkidu. B) his own defeat in battle. C) the kidnapping of his true love. D) the fall of Uruk. 55. "Nobody sees the face of Death, Nobody hears the voice of Death. Savage Death just cuts mankind down." In this passage from The Epic of Gilgamesh (Evaluating the Evidence 1.2), Ut-napishtim responds to a story told by A) Enkidu. B) Anunnaki. C) Gilgamesh. D) Mammitum. Page 11