Question 1 of 5
Which development helped some early farming settlements grow into cities?
Answer & explanation
A dependable food surplus
Food surpluses could support larger settled populations and specialized work.
5 questions · Untimed · Free
Ancient Civilizations Quiz
How did some farming settlements grow into cities, and what did rivers and writing make possible? Explore early city-states, the Nile, Mesopotamian writing and the Indus Valley in five questions from Ancient Civilizations. Two invite a short typed answer.
This sample comes from a free core topic in Arca Curiosa.
0 of 5 answeredYour first question is ready.
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Question 2 of 5
What is a city-state?
Answer & explanation
A city and its surrounding territory governed as a political unit
A city-state is a city and its surrounding territory governed as a political unit; early Sumer had several rather than one unified state.
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Question 3 of 5
Name the river central to ancient Egyptian settlement.
Answer & explanation
Nile
The Nile valley provided fertile land for ancient Egyptian communities.
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Question 4 of 5
What is the name of the Mesopotamian writing system impressed into clay?
Answer & explanation
Cuneiform
Cuneiform used wedge-shaped impressions and was employed for many kinds of records.
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Question 5 of 5
Which river valley was home to Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro?
Answer & explanation
Indus
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were major cities of the Indus civilization.
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What you can learn from this quiz
- Food surpluses and early city-states
- The Nile and the Indus Valley
- Mesopotamian writing on clay
A way to learn more from each answer
Connect each place with the idea the question explores: settlement, government or record-keeping. For the two typed questions, enter the river or writing-system name rather than a full sentence. Use a map to locate the regions after reading the explanations.
Read further with a quiz source: OpenStax: Early CivilizationsBefore you move on
Choose a question that surprised you. Explain the answer in your own words and open its source link if you want to explore further. You can try again; the score reflects this short quiz, not your mastery of the whole category.
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