K12 – History – Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
When did Homo sapiens first appear?
answer
200,000 B.C.
question
Which method for determining the age of artifacts measures the rate of decay in atoms in volcanic rock?
answer
potassium-argon dating
question
What caused prehistoric people to drastically change the way they lived?
answer
climate change
question
What did improved farming techniques lead to?
answer
division of labor
question
Which best defines history?
answer
study of the human past and the story of change over time
question
Which kind of scholar studies objects left behind by humans?
answer
archaeologist
question
What does the out of Africa theory maintain?
answer
Modern humans originated in Africa and migrated to other parts of the world.
question
Which of these characteristics is not true of early hunter-gatherers?
answer
They traded extensively with other communities.
question
What was the Neolithic Revolution?
answer
a time when humans turned from hunting and gathering to farming
question
What happened as a result of humans settling down into agricultural villages?
answer
Social roles and work definition began to change.
question
Why did a division of labor occur when people started to produce a surplus of food?
answer
People were left with time to do other jobs.
question
Which was one result of the domestication of animals?
answer
new division of labor between men and women
question
Which describes a characteristic of civilization?
answer
trade and economic activity
question
Where did Sumerian priests make offerings to the Sumerian gods and goddesses?
answer
ziggurats
question
What effect did the invention of writing have in the ancient world?
answer
Information and culture spread to new places.
question
The invention of bronze in ancient Sumer was so significant because it __________.
answer
improved agriculture and gave rulers more power
question
Which is a reason Sumer declined as a civilization?
answer
Sumerian rulers fought to gain territory.
question
When the flooding waters of the Nile receded, what did they leave behind?
answer
rich, black soil
question
Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead?
answer
to preserve the bodies for use in the afterlife
question
Who united Upper and Lower Egypt?
answer
Menes Narmer
question
What did scholars study to help them decipher hieroglyphics?
answer
Rosetta Stone
question
How were scholars able to translate hieroglyphic symbols?
answer
By comparing a message written in both hieroglyphics and Greek, scholars were able to translate the hieroglyphic symbols.
question
Which was a first step in the development of civilizations in both the Egyptian and Mesopotamian societies?
answer
development of irrigation
question
Which river is associated with the settlement of ancient Egypt?
answer
Nile
question
Who was the most powerful person in Egyptian society and government?
answer
the pharaoh
question
Why did the Egyptians mummify their dead?
answer
to preserve the bodies for use in the afterlife
question
What is the Rosetta Stone?
answer
a carved stone that helped decode hieroglyphics
question
What was the purpose of the Book of the Dead?
answer
to help people in their passage to the afterlife
question
Which best describes the Indus Valley civilization?
answer
organizing cities well
question
From where did the soil in the Indus Valley receive its rich silt?
answer
Indus River
question
Which most likely contributed to the decline of the Indus Valley civilization?
answer
outbreak of disease
question
Why don't we have more information about the Indus Valley civilization?
answer
Archaeologists and historians have been unable to decipher the Indus Valley writing.
question
Which was a result of the physical geography of ancient China?
answer
isolation from other early civilizations
question
Why did the Yellow River flood so frequently?
answer
The river carried enormous amounts of silt.
question
What is a dynasty?
answer
a ruling family that remains in power for many years
question
Which legendary dynasty was started by Yu?
answer
Xia
question
On what did Shang priests write questions for the gods?
answer
bones
