Unit 2 Test Study Tips

River Valley Civilizations

Study your notes:

You have numerous sets of class notes.
You should review your notes at least two times before the test.
You should log onto Schoology and skim through the PowerPoints, taking a careful look at graphics.

Textbook:
You should have read the following sections… if not, make sure you do read them.
If you have read them, be sure to skim through the sections again.
Mesopotamia: Chapter 1, Section 3 and Chapter 3, Section 1
Egypt/Nubia: Chapter 2, Section 1 and Chapter 3, Section 2
Indus River Valley: Chapter 2, Section 3
Shang/Zhou China: Chapter 2, Section 4

Maps:
Look at the maps on pages 15, 27, 37, 41, 55, & 62

Vocabulary:
Check the Vocabulary Terms in each section and make sure you know them
Practice learning any words you do not understand/recall
You can make a set of flash cards to help you study

Understand Big Ideas:

What were similarities & differences between civilizations?
How did the environment impact each civilization?
Describe government, religion, social system, economic system, & writing for each civilization
Identify & describe important structures
Identify & describe important people

Remember, studying does not mean cramming all of the information in your brain in one night. Studying
should take place over the course of multiple days. If you come up with a plan and start studying early, it will
save you a significant amount of trouble later on. Focus on concepts that are a weakness for you, but don’t
forget to review ideas that you are comfortable with. Stay positive while studying and through the test itself.
 Name:
Class:
Date:

Study Guide: The River Valley Civilizations

A. Directions: Fill in the blanks in each sentence using the word bank below.

ziggurats polytheism archeologists natural barriers Gilgamesh cultural diffusion

theocracy river valleys pictograms cuneiform pharaoh Book of the Dead

1. The earliest human civilizations all developed in .

2. They were protected by such as deserts, mountains, and oceans.

3. They had many things in common, like having , a religious government,

and using , writing where symbols represent words.

4. For example, a , or god-king like Tutankhamen, ruled Egypt.

5. Mesopotamian king-priests made sacrifices on stepped temples called .

6. Some of these cultures also worshipped many deities or gods, believing in .

7. Although isolated, ancient civilizations did trade. One example of trade is pots inscribed with
, Sumerian pictograms found in Harappa on the Indus River Valley.

8. This is an example of , the spread of goods or ideas between societies.

9. We know about these cultures from their written records, like the , an
Egyptian holy book, and , the oldest written story from Sumer.

10. We know a great deal from the work of , scientists who study the human past.

B. Directions: Identify the written language and the civilization that used it.
C. Directions: Identify each civilization with the corresponding letter on the map below.
1. Egypt/Nile River 3. Mesopotamia (Sumer/Babylon)/ Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
2. Harappa/Indus River 4. Shang Dynasty/Huang He River

D
B C
A

D. Directions: Finish the chart below. There may be more than one answer.
Indus River Chinese River
Egypt Mesopotamia Valley Dynasties
Harappa Shang Dynasty

monarchy,
Government:
theocracy

Religion:

Language:

Cultural Gilgamesh,
Achievement/Technologys:
Cast iron
ziggurats

World History and Geography I

 River Valleys Vocabulary
Directions: Using your textbook and notes (no other sources allowed!) match the definition with the
word.
Part 1

______1. Civilization b. Mix of tin and copper

c. Mesopotamian structure used for worship,
______2. Irrigation
dedicated to patron god of the city
______3. Cuneiform d. Means wedge shaped; Sumerian writing

______4. Ziggurat e. People who write down information in ancient

times
______5. Hammurabi
f. Writing that uses pictures not letters
______6. Bronze g. Invaded Egypt and took over the country using
chariots
______7. Polytheism
h. Organized government and society with specific
______8. Sumer traits
i. Formed the first civilization in Mesopotamia
______9. Fertile Crescent
j. Egyptian ruler who was the greatest builder in
______10. Code of Hammurabi Egypt

______11. Theocracy k. Brings together more than one group of people

under one ruler
______12. City-state
l. First written laws
______13. Mesopotamia m. Name for the ruler of Egypt

______14. Artisans n. Skilled workers who make their product by

hands
______15. Scribes
o. Belief in many gods
______16. Sargon p. Had the first laws written down

______17. Empire q. Watering of land

r. Mesopotamia
______18. Bronze Age
s. Female pharaoh
______19. Hieroglyphics t. A city and surrounding farmland that is an
independent government
______20. Pharaoh
u. Egyptian writing
______21. Hyksos
v. Created the worlds first empire
______22. Ramses II w. The time that Bronze was the most used metal-
made of copper and tin
______23. Hatshepsut
x. The land between two rivers
______24. Pictogram

a. Religious leader is political leader

 Part 2
______1. Subcontinent a. The process by which the Chinese believed
new dynasties came to power
______2. Shang China
b. Seasonal winds that blow across India

______3. Indus Valley c. Current day Pakistan

d. Group that moved into India and brought

______4. Dynasty
the caste system

______5. Ancestor Worship e. Lived in the Indus River Valley

f. The gods gave the right to the rulers to

______6. Caste System
rule and showed their feelings toward the
ruler through acts of nature
______7. Monsoons
g. Mountains to the West of the Indus River
______8. Mandate of Heaven Valley

h. Belief that your ancestors helped to shape

______9. Harappan Civilization
your life

______10. Oracle Bones i. Religious books of the Aryans

j. Mountain path through the Hindu Kush

______11. Dynastic cycle
Mountains

______12. Aryans k. Way that Indian society was organized

l. Rulers who come from the same family

______13. Vedas
m. First Chinese Dynasty. On the Yellow River
______14. Hindu Kush
n. Way the ancient Chinese spoke to their
gods to help make important decisions
______15. Khyber Pass
o. India for example. Part of a continent that
is separated by geographic features like
mountains