Name Class Date

Sumerian Civilization

Guided Reading Strategies 2.3CHAPTER 2

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Holt World History: The Human Journey 5 Guided Reading Strategies

READING THE SECTION Each of the following sections contains an underlined word,name, or phrase that makes the sentence incorrect. As you read the section, use the spaceprovided to write the word, name, or phrase that makes the sentence correct.

1. The Fertile Crescent got its name because it was difficultto farm there.

2. The predictable floods of the Tigris and Euphrates rivershad an effect on farming.

3. Wandering invaders rarely attacked villages in the FertileCrescent.

4. Sumerians developed a weapon called a stylus.

5. Sumerians wrote on paper tablets.

6. The Sumerians built tombs called ziggurats.

7. Sumerian city-states usually united under a commonruler.

8. The Sumerians practiced monotheism.

9. Kings, high priests, and peasants were at the top ofSumerian society.

10. Farmers had been kidnapped from other regions or captured in war.

POST-READING QUICK CHECK After you have read the section, use the Venn diagrambelow to compare the Sumerians and the Egyptians.

SUMERIANS EGYPTIANSBOTH

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Chapter 1SECTION 1Reading the SectionA. extremely cold weather

1. from 20,000 to about 140,000 years2. ice

B. land bridges between some regions that aretoday separated by water1. migrated

A. animal skinsB. warmth and cooking C. tools and weaponsA. harpoons

1. polishing or grinding2. stone as well as from wood

B. tamedC. agriculture

Post-Reading Quick CheckPeople in the Neolithic period learned to usethe plow to plant wheat, barley, rice and mil-let. This shift from food gathering to food pro-ducing resulted in the growth of villages totowns and cities.

SECTION 2Reading the Section1. river valleys 6. lunar2. government 7. pictures3. heavy flooding 8. bronze4. irrigation 9. farming5. traders 10. made sacrifices

Post-Reading Quick CheckFarm-based societies required cooperation andorganization among villagers to develop sys-tems of irrigation. As leaders emerged, farm-ing led to better food production. Surplusfood then led to increases in population, andsome villages became cities. Artisans couldmake goods that could be sold by traders.Goods and ideas traveled from place to placeresulting in an exchange of cultures. This dif-fusion of cultures gave birth to civilizations.

Chapter 2SECTION 1Reading the Section1. the Nile River2. cataracts3. papyrus4. pharaoh5. the pharaoh, the royal family, priests,

scribes, and government officials6. the New Kingdom7. empire8. Hatshepsut9. Amenhotep IV

10. Ramses II

Post-Reading Quick CheckOld Kingdom• Pharaohs grew weaker• Nobles grew stronger• Civil wars divided Egypt

New Kingdom• a series of invasions weakened Egypt• Egypt attacked by the Assyrians, the Nubians,

and the Persians

SECTION 2Reading the Section1. b 6. a2. a 7. a3. a 8. b4. b 9. a5. b 10. b

Post-Reading Quick CheckThe tombs of the ancient Egyptians help uslearn about their daily life, because they werefilled with clothing, food, weapons, and toolsthat the ancient Egyptians used everyday.

SECTION 3Reading the Section1. easy 6. temples2. unpredictable 7. rarely3. often 8. polytheism4. tool 9. nobles5. clay 10. Slaves

Post-Reading Quick CheckSumeriansbuilt zigguratswrote on clay tablets using cuneiform

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Holt World History: The Human Journey 12 Geography Activities/Guided Reading Answer Key

ANSWER KEY

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Bothpolytheistic

had slavesEgyptiansbuilt the pyramidswrote on papyrus using hieroglyphics

SECTION 4Reading the Section1. Babylon2. easier3. allowed4. fines5. chariots6. absolute7. Chaldean8. Darius I9. Zoroastrians

10. Alexander the Great

Post-Reading Quick CheckCode of Hammurabiharsh punishment“eye for an eye”Hittite Lawonly major crimes received the death penaltyfines instead of retaliation

SECTION 5I. Phoenician Trade

A. sea tradersB. Carthage

1. lumberC. dyeing

1. purpleII. Phoenician Culture

A. BabyloniansB. perform sacrificesC. alphabet

1. tradingIII. The Lydians

A. coined money1. barter2. gold and silver3. money

Post-Reading Quick CheckThe Phoenicians developed a form of writingwhich they used in their business transactions.As their trading partners saw the advantages ofthis form of writing, it slowly spread

throughout the Mediterranean world. Itbecame the basis for our alphabet today.

SECTION 6Reading the Section1. Abraham 6. prophets2. Moses 7. Solomon3. Exodus 8. Jerusalem4. Mount Sinai 9. the Torah5. Philistines 10. Yahweh

Post-Reading Quick CheckHebrews’ Idea of Godmonotheisticviewed God as a spiritual forceOther Ancient Peoples’ View of Godspolytheisticviewed the gods as being glorified humans or

forces of nature

Chapter 3 SECTION 1Reading the Section1. Himalayas2. rivers3. monsoon4. Indo-Gangetic 5. large, well-planned6. fortress/citadel7. surplus food8. the Tigris-Euphrates River valley9. fertility

10. floods, invading forces, or a major earthquake

Post-Reading Quick CheckIndus River ValleyGeography:• The Himalayas served as protection.• The Ganges and Indus Rivers provided abun-

dant water and fertile farmland.Climate:• Cities were built with various flood protec-

tion measures because of flooding thatoccurred during the southwest monsoon.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Holt World History: The Human Journey 13 Geography Activities/Guided Reading Answer Key

ANSWER KEY

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