Which was the earliest civilization of Mesopotamia?

a) Sumerian civilization
b) Babilonian civilization
c) Caldian civilization
d) Assyrian civilization
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: a) Sumerian civilization

2. The type of writing used to record information on tablets by Mesopotamians

was____________________
a) Cuneiform
b) Calligraphy
c) Cursive
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: a) Cuneiform

3. Craft, trade and efficient transport were not important for urban
development.(True/False)
(Chapter 1 : From the Beginning of Time)

Ans: False

4. The tool used to press signs on the tablets was ________.

a) Reed
b) Microlith
c) Wood
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: a) Reed

5.On what did the Mesopotamians write ?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: Mesopotamians wrote on tablets of clay.

6. King Assurbanipal had collected a library at his capital _________.

a) Uruk
b) Mari
c) Nineveh
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: c) Nineveh

7.Writing was a skilled craft in Mesopotamia. (true/False)

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)
Ans: True

8.Explain the procedure of marriage in Mesopotamia.

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:

• When the bride's parent gave their consent for marraige , a declaration was made
about the willingness to marry.

• Then a gift was given by the groom's people to the bride's people.

• When the wedding took place, gifts were exchanged by both parties, who ate
together and made offerings in a temple.

• When her mother-in-law came to fetch her, the bride was given her share of the
inheritance by her father.

• The father's house, herds, fields, etc., were inherited by the sons.

9.Why there was a need for movement of goods in Mesopotamian

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:

• Mesopotamia had abundant agriculture and textile produce, but was low on
mineral resources.

• The south lacked stones for tools, seals and jewels; the wood of the Iraqi date-
palm and poplar was not good enough for carts, cart wheels or boats; and there
was no metal for tools, vessels or ornaments.

• The ancient Mesopotamians traded their abundant textiles and agricultural

produce for wood, copper, tin, silver, gold, shell and various stones from Turkey
and Iran, or across the Gulf as they had abundant mineral resources, but much
less scope for agriculture.

10.Why was Mesopotamia important to Europeans?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:

• Mesopotamia was important to Europeans because of references to it in the Old

Testament, the first part of the Bible.

• Travellers and scholars of Europe looked on Mesopotamia as a kind of ancestral

land.

• When archaeological work began in the area, there was an attempt to prove the
literal truth of the Old Testament.
11.Describe 'Mari City' of Mesopotamian Civilization.
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:

• Mari was a famous city in Mesopotamia located near the west bank of Euphrates
River.

• The city is a good example of an urban centre prospering on trade in

wood,copper, tin, oil, wine, and various other goods that were carried in boats
along the Euphrates.

• Boats carrying grinding stones, wood, and wine and oil jars, would stop at Mari
on their way to the southern cities.

• The kingdom of Mari was not militarily strong, it was exceptionally prosperous.

• The kings of Mari, however, had to be vigilant; herders of various tribes were
allowed to move in the kingdom, but they were watched.

• Some communities in the kingdom of Mari had both farmers and pastoralists,
but most of its territory was used for pasturing sheep and goats.

12.Explain the contribution of the Mesopotamians in the field of Mathematics.

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:

• Multiplication , division tables, square- and square-root tables, and tables of

compound interest were written on the tablets during 1800 BCE.

• The square root of 2 was given as: 1 + 24/60 + 51/60 2 + 10/603. The answer of the
equation is 1.41421296, only slightly different from the correct answer,
1.41421356.

• Students had to solve problems such as the following: a field of area such and
such is covered one finger deep in water; find out the volume of water.

• The division of the year into 12 months according to the revolution of the moon
around the earth, the division of the month into four weeks, the day into 24
hours, and the hour into 60 minutes – all that we take for granted in our daily lives
– has come to us from the Mesopotamians.

13.How were the writing tablets created in Mesopotamians ?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: Mesopotamians wrote on tablets of clay. A scribe would wet clay and pat it into a
size he could hold comfortably in one hand.He would carefully smoothen its surfaces.
With the sharp end of a reed cut obliquely, he would press wedge-shaped ('cuneiform*')
signs on to the smoothened surface while it was still moist. Once dried in the sun, the
clay would harden and tablets would be almost as indestructible as pottery.

14. Explain the uses of writing to the Mesopotamians.

OR
Why was writing useful to the Mesopotamians ?
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: Writing was used for keeping records, making dictionaries, giving legal validity to
land transfers, narrating the deeds of kings, and announcing the changes a king had
made in the customary laws of the land. Besides being a means of storing information
and of sending messages afar, writing was seen as a sign of the superiority of
Mesopotamian urban culture.

15."Very few Mesopotaminas could read and write".Clarify

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:

• Mesopotamians wrote on tablets of clay.

• The first Mesopotamian tablets, written around 3200 BCE, contained picture-like
signs and numbers.

• There were hundreds of signs to learn, many of these were complex.

• If a king could read, he made sure that this was recorded in one of his boastful
inscriptions.

16.What was the norm of the Mesopotamian Family?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: In Mesopotamian society the nuclear family was the norm, although a married son
and his family often resided with his parents.The father was the head of the family.

17.Explain the features of town planning in Ur?

Ans:

• In Ur the streets winding was narrow winding and had irregular shapes of house
plots that indicate an absence of town planning.

• There were no street drains instead drains and clay pipes were found in the inner
courtyards of the Ur houses and it is thought that house roofs sloped inwards
and rainwater was channelled via the drain pipes into sumps in the inner
courtyards.
 • This must have been done as a way of preventing the unpaved streets from
becoming excessively slushy after a downpour.

• The people swept all their household refuse into the streets, to be trodden
underfoot!

• This made street levels rise, and over time the thresholds of houses had also to
be raised so that no mud would flow inside after the rains

• Light came into the rooms not from windows but from doorways opening into the
courtyards: this would also have given families their privacy.

18.Why was writing considered a skilled craft in Mesopotamia?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: The sound that a cuneiform sign represented was not a single consonant or vowel
(such as m or a in the English alphabet), but syllables (say, -put-, or -la-, or -in-). Thus,
the signs that a Mesopotamian scribe had to learn ran into hundreds, and he had to be
able to handle a wet tablet and get it written before it dried. So, writing was a skilled
craft but, more important, it was an enormous intellectual achievement, conveying in
visual form the system of sounds of a particular language.

19. The two great rivers that flow through Mesopotamia are:
a) Euphrates and Nile
b) Nile and Tigris
c) Tigris and Euphrates

Ans: c) Tigris and Euphrates

20.Write short note on Urbanisation in Mesopotamia.

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: Urbanization in Mesopotamia was significant due to the development of

economies.

In cities and towns, various economic activities such as trade, manufacturing, and
services thrived, leading to specialization and the division of labor.
People in urban areas became interdependent, relying on each other for products and
services.

This necessitated organized trade, storage, and social structures.

In Mesopotamia, urban life involved the coordination of diverse activities, requiring
written records and a system where some individuals gave commands that others
obeyed.
The need for resources from different places and the complexities of urban economies
contributed to the emergence of social organization and the importance of written
records in Mesopotamian urbanization.

21. Literacy in Mesopotamia was widespread. (True/False)

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: True

22. In which city the Warka head was found?

a) Ur
b) Uruk
c) Mari
d) Babylon
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:b) Uruk

22. Which of the following is the characteristic of Mesopotamia civilization?

a) Urban Civilization
b) Development of writing
c) Trade and distant places
d) All of the above
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: c) Trade and distant places

23. Enmerkar was the ruler of which city?

a) Uruk
b) Ur
c) Sumer
d) Mari
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: a) Uruk

24.Which city flourished as royal capital?

a) Mari
b) Ur
c) Uruk
d) Babylon
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: a) Mari

25.Tool of which metal was required By Carver of stone seal ?

a) Copper
b) Bronze
c) Iron
d) Tin
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: b) Bronze

26. What is the greatest legacy of Mesopotamia to the world?

a) Time reckoning
b) Scholarly traditions of maths
c) Both a and b
d) None of the above
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: c) Both a and b

27.Which of the following is the first known language of Mesopotamia?

a) Sumerian
b) Akkadi
c) Both a and b
d) None of the above
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: a) Sumerian

28.What languages were spoken in Mesopotamia?

a) Sumerian
b) Akkadi
c) Aramaic
d) None of the above
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: c) Aramaic

29.Gilgamesh was the ruler of which city ?

a) Ur
b) Uruk
c) Mari
d) None of the above
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: b) Uruk

30. On the basis of archaeological evidence which city grew to the enormous extent
of 250 hectares?
a) Ur
b) Uruk
c) Mari
d) None of the above
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: b) Uruk

31. What was the early civilization of Mesopotamia?

a) Chaldean civilization
b) Assyrian civilization
c) Summerian civilization
d) Babylonian civilization
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: c) Summerian civilization

32. What is the oldest script of Mesopotamia called?

a) Picture script
b) Cuneiform script
c) Brahmi script
d) Kharoshthi script
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: b) Cuneiform script

33. Where was Sumeria located?

a) In the eastern part of Mesopotamia
b) In the northern part of Mesopotamia
c) In the western part of Mesopotamia
d) In the southern part of Mesopotamia
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: d) In the southern part of Mesopotamia

33. By which name was the Sun worshipped in

a) Shamash
b) Anu
c) Enlil
d) Ishtar
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: a) Shamash

34. What word is cuneiform made from ?

a) Chinese
b) Mayan
c) Greek
d) Latin
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: d) Latin

35. Mention two features of Ancient Mesopotamia cities.

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:

• Ancient Mesopotamian cities lacked abundant mineral resources, such as

stones for tools, seals, and jewels, and faced challenges in finding suitable
materials for carts, cart wheels, and boats.

• Due to the scarcity of local resources, ancient Mesopotamian cities engaged in

trade, exchanging their abundant textiles and agricultural produce for essential
items like wood, copper, tin, silver, gold, shell, and various stones from
neighboring regions like Turkey and Iran.

36. What does Mesopotamia mean?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: The name Mesopotamia is derived from the Greek words mesos, meaning middle,
and potamos, meaning river.

37. Between which two rivers , did the Mesopotamia civilization develop?
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: The Euphrates and the Tigris.

38. Name the grassland that was there in Mesopotamia for animal herding.
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: steppe

39. What are the characteristic of Mesopotamia Urbanisation?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:

• Urbanization in Mesopotamia marked the shift from a focus solely on food

production to a diversified economy, including trade, manufacturing, and
services.

• Cities saw a division of labor where individuals specialized in specific skills,

creating interdependence among citizens for various products and services.
 • Urban economies in Mesopotamia were characterized by a reliance on trade,
with the need for resources like fuel, metal, stones, and wood coming from
various locations.

• The complexity of urban life often necessitated written records to coordinate

activities, manage resources, and keep track of trade and production.

40. How were goods transported in Mesopotamia?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: Goods in Mesopotamia were primarily transported through waterways. River boats
and barges, propelled by the current of the rivers and/or wind, were commonly used.
The canals and natural channels in Mesopotamia served as routes for transporting
goods between large and small settlements. This water-based transportation was
crucial for the viability of the city economy, as it was more efficient than overland
methods, reducing the time and animal feed required for the movement of goods.

41. When was the first tablet found in Mesopotamia?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: The first Mesopotamian tablets, was found around 3200 BCE, in Uruk, a city in the
south.

42.What was the script of Mesopotamia?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: Cuneiform

43. Who was Gilgamesh?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: Gilgamesh was a great hero and ruler of the city of Uruk in Mesopotamia.
He is featured in the Gilgamesh Epic, a literary work written on twelve tablets.
Gilgamesh, known for his heroic deeds and conquests, embarked on a quest for
immortality after the death of his friend.
Despite failing in his quest, he found consolation in the pride of the city of Uruk,
particularly admiring the foundations of the city wall that he had contributed to building.

44. Who established the library of Nineveh?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: King Ashurbanipal

45. Where was the palace of Zimlirim situated?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: At Mari
46. Explain the rules of family and marriage in Mesopotamia.
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: In Mesopotamia, the nuclear family was the norm, but married sons often lived
with their parents. The father was the head of the family. Marriage involved a declaration
of willingness, consent from the bride's parents, and the exchange of gifts. During the
wedding, both parties exchanged gifts, shared a meal, and made offerings in a temple.
The bride received her share of the inheritance from her father when her mother-in-law
came to fetch her. Sons inherited the father's house, herds, fields, etc.

47. How is division of labour a characteristic feature of city life?

(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: The division of labor in city life is evident as individuals specialize in specific skills
or professions. For example, a stone seal carver specializes in fine carving and requires
bronze tools and colored stones, which are not within his expertise. Similarly, a bronze
tool maker relies on others for metals and charcoal. This specialization creates
interdependence among city dwellers, emphasizing that they are not self-sufficient and
need products or services from others. This division of labor is a distinctive feature of
urban life, highlighting the cooperation and continuous interaction among people with
varied skills and trades.

48. "City Ur in Mesopotamia lacked town planning".Explain

OR
Which factors suggest that Ur was an unplanned city?
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: The city of Ur in Mesopotamia lacked town planning, as seen in its narrow winding
streets and irregularly shaped house plots.
Wheeled carts couldn't navigate many streets, indicating limited urban organization.
Unlike some contemporary cities like Mohenjo-daro, Ur had no street drains. Instead,
drains and clay pipes were found in inner courtyards of houses to manage rainwater.
Residents swept refuse into the streets, causing street levels to rise, and house
thresholds had to be raised to avoid mud flow.
Light entered rooms through doorways, ensuring privacy. Despite the absence of formal
planning, superstitions influenced certain architectural choices, such as raised
thresholds for wealth and specific door orientations for luck.

49. Give brief decription of making of seal in Mesopotamia and its importance.
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans: In Mesopotamia, cylindrical stone seals were crafted by skilled artisans. These
seals, pierced down the center, were fitted with a stick and rolled over wet clay to create
continuous images. Some seals also featured writing, including the owner's name, god,
and official position. The seals served practical purposes, such as securing packages or
pots by impressing the clay covering. When rolled on a letter written on a clay tablet, the
seal authenticated the document. The seal, therefore, became a significant mark
representing a city dweller's role in public life.

50. Give some facts to show geographical diversities that existed in Iraq.
(Chapter 2 : Writing and City Life)

Ans:Iraq exhibited geographical diversity, as evidenced by the following points:

• The northeastern region boasts lush greenery and is adorned with mountain
ranges featuring clear streams.

• Abundant rainfall in this area supports crop cultivation.

• The northern part features a vast upland known as the steppe, where animal
herders dwell, offering a livelihood alternative to agriculture.

• To the east, the River Tigris and its tributaries serve as communication routes
into the mountainous regions of Iran

What was the position of women in the Mesopotamian society?

Ans-In mesopotamian society, initially women enjoyed nearly equal rights and could
own property, run their own businesses and make contracts in trade. The early brewers
of beer and wine, as well as the healers in the community were also women. Gradually
these trades were taken over by men. Girls had to stay at home with their mothers to
learn housekeeping and cooking, and to look after the young children.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MESOPOTAMIA AND HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION

The Harappan and Mesopotamian civilizations were two of the earliest urban societies
in history, but they had distinct differences in geography, culture, economy, and
governance. Here’s a comparison of the two:

Geography

• Harappan Civilization: Also known as the Indus Valley Civilization, it developed

around the Indus River basin in present-day Pakistan and northwest India. Key
sites include Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.

• Mesopotamian Civilization: Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in

present-day Iraq, it included city-states like Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

Urban Planning and Architecture

 • Harappan Civilization: Known for its advanced urban planning, the cities
featured grid layouts, sophisticated drainage systems, and standardized fired-
brick buildings. Harappan cities were often well-planned with public baths and
granaries.

• Mesopotamian Civilization: Cities were often less uniformly planned, with

structures built from mudbrick. Ziggurats (temple complexes) were prominent
features, reflecting the civilization's religious practices.

Writing Systems

• Harappan Civilization: The Harappans used a script that remains

undeciphered, making it difficult to understand their language and culture fully.

• Mesopotamian Civilization: They developed cuneiform writing, one of the

earliest forms of writing, which was used for record-keeping, literature, and legal
documents.

Economy

• Harappan Civilization: Economy was largely based on agriculture, trade, and

craft production. Evidence suggests they engaged in long-distance trade,
including trade with Mesopotamia.

• Mesopotamian Civilization: Also agrarian, but with a more complex economy

that included trade, craftsmanship, and the use of currency. They had a more
pronounced class system and extensive trade networks.

Religion

• Harappan Civilization: Religious practices are less understood due to limited

evidence, but there are indications of worship related to fertility and possibly a
mother goddess figure.

• Mesopotamian Civilization: Had a polytheistic belief system with a pantheon of

gods and goddesses. Religion played a central role in daily life, governance, and
culture.