You Dun GoofedThings you guys did poorly on the Benchmark

EAST AFRICA

• In which of the following geographic areas were the first hominids from the early Paleolithic Era, circa 2 million BCE, found?

• A. Neanderthal ("Neander Valley") in Northern Europe• B. Great Rift Valley in East Africa• C. Indus River Valley in South Asia• D. Mesopotamia in Southwest Asia

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HOMINID = HUMAN-LIKE

Global Dispersion of Humankind 6

EGALITARIANISM

• Which of the following most directly undermines that assertion?

• F. In the few hunting-gathering societies that remain today, men and women often share in decision making concerning the entire group.

• G. Rulers of ancient river valley civilizations, such as Egyptian pharaohs or Mesopotamian kings, often claimed descent from (or affinity with) the gods.

• H. Archaeological evidence from many later Neolithic settlements in the Fertile Crescent has revealed increasing variations among the size of houses.

• J. Some pre-agricultural archaeological sites across the world have yielded evidence of significant disparities in the amount and quality of objects placed in individual graves.

• Significant social inequalities emerged only after the adoption of agriculture made it possible for some individuals to accumulate great amounts of surplus wealth, some historians have argued.

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WRITING, CITIES, FOOD SURPLUS

• Before 600 B.C.E., most early civilizations shared which of the following characteristics?

• F. Animal herds and portable houses• G. Large standing armies and elected governments • H. Urban centers, growing populations, and writing

systems • J. Caravan trade, underground cities, and large ships

SCHOLAR BUREAUCRATS

• A major difference between the social structures of China and India between 600 B.C.E. and 600 C.E. is?

• A. Confucianism emphasized spiritual advancement for people who faithfully performed their social duties.

• B. Merchants had the highest social status in India. • C. Confucian social hierarchy privileged government

officials.• D. Slaves did most of the agricultural work on large

Indian estates.

RELAY TRADE

• Which of the following is true of the Silk Roads?

• A. The Silk Roads linked the entire world into a single trade network.

• B. The Silk Roads linked the large civilizations on the outer rim of the Eurasian continent but bypassed the pastoral peoples of the interior.

• C. The Silk Roads were largely a relay trade route, in which goods were passed down the line rather than carried by one merchant along the entire route.

• D. Although important, the Silk Roads never carried as large a volume of long-distance trade as the American networks.

GEOGRAPHIC DETERMINISM

• What BEST explains why pre-Columbian American civilizations did not use the wheel?

• F. A lack of large domesticated animals made the wheel irrelevant.

• G. American civilizations were inherently inferior to Afro-Eurasian civilizations.

• H. Social norms of the Americas required that only human females transport heavy goods.

• J. American civilizations had no access to the raw materials necessary for the production of wheels.

SLAVE ECONOMIES

• In comparison to Han China, all of the city states of classical Greece possessed…

• F. slave systems that came to associate slavery primarily with race.

• G. economies less heavily reliant on slaves.• H. more freedoms for women, including some political

rights.• J. economies more heavily reliant on slaves.

ONE LAW FOR THEM, AND ANOTHER ONE FOR US

• The excerpt from the Code of Hammurabi illustrates which of the following about Babylonian society?

• F. It made provision for the economic well-being of all classes.

• G. It moved away from reliance on corporal punishment.• H. It was marked by social inequalities.• J. The king was regarded as blessed by divine forces.

 “If a [noble] man puts out the eye of another [noble] man, his eye shall be put out.  If he breaks another [noble] man’s bone, his bone shall be broken.  If he puts out the eye of a [commoner] or breaks the bone of a [commoner], he shall pay one [silver] mina.  If he puts out the eye of a man’s slave or break  the bone of a man’s slave, he shall pay one-half of its  value.”--Code of Hammurabi

FILIAL PIETY

• Before 600 C.E., all of the following were part of the Confucian social order EXCEPT…

• A. loyalty to the ruler • B. filial obedience to one’s father • C. respect for the old • D. marital fidelity by husbands

YOU’RE ALL A BUNCH OF BARBARRIANS

• Yu Huan’s purpose in the fictionalized account of the origins of Buddhism outlined in the passage, was most likely to…

• A. make it easier for his Buddhist readers to convert to Daoism • B. hint at the existence of an alternate set of Buddhist

scriptures that were different from the officially accepted ones • C. demonstrate the extent of missionary and trade links

between China and India • D. assert the superiority of Chinese culture over non-Chinese

cultures

“What is recorded in the Buddhist scriptures is analogous to the teachings contained in the scripture of Laozi [the founder of Daoism] in China, and it is actually believed that Laozi, after having gone to India, instructed the barbarians and became the Buddha.”

--Yu Huan, Chinese historian, circa 250 C.E.

REASON, RATIONALITY, PHILOSOPHY

• Which of the following was a distinctive feature of the Greek way of thinking in the classical era?

• F. Respect for received wisdom• G. Confidence in human reason• H. Their focus on understanding the Dao• J. Emphasis on the family as the model of the state

CITY-STATES VS. EMPIRES

• We assume that the early governments in the ancient Middle East was less centralized because of…

• A. divergent and distant trade patterns• B. the weakness of their armies and the frequency with

which they were defeated by foreign foes• C. the existence of city-states• D. the absence of writing