Bremen School District 228 Social Studies Common Assessment 2: Fall Midterm World Civilization 55 Minutes – 50 Questions Directions: There are 50 reading passages in this test and forty multiple choice questions. Each passage is followed by several questions. After reading a passage, choose the best answer to each question and fill in the corresponding oval on your answer document. You may refer to the passages as often as necessary. Written: 2013­14 Authors: Joe Banach, Jeff Dyke, Brian McDonough, D.J. Brown 1 Document A: Herodotus Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BCE. He was a young boy during the Persian War, and interviewed Greek veterans of the Persian War to get the information he needed for his history. The following is an excerpt from his book The Histories that describes the Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae. _____________________________________________________________________________ Until they reached Thermopylae, Xerxes armament was free from misfortune. The king's sea forces amounted to 517,610 men. The number of foot soldiers was 1,700,000; that of the horsemen 80,000; to which must be added Arabs who rode on camels and the Libyans who fought in chariots, whom I reckon at 20,000. The whole number, therefore, of the land and sea forces added together amounts to 2,317,610 fighting men brought by Xerxes, the son of Darius, as far as Thermopylae. Document B: Ctesias of Cnidus Ctesias was an ancient Greek physician and historian from the 5th century BCE who worked for the king of Persia. Ctesias claims to have had access to the official Persian archives, which he used to write his own history of the Persian War in 398 BCE. The following is an excerpt about the Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae. _____________________________________________________________________________ Xerxes decided to make war upon Greece . . . having collected a Persian army, 800,000 men and 1,000 triremes set out against Greece. His general Artapanus, with 10,000 men, fought an engagement with Leonidas, the Spartan general, at Thermopylae. The Persian host was cut to pieces, while only two or three of the Spartans were slain. 2 Document C: Ernle Bradford Ernle Bradford is an English historian specializing in the ancient Mediterranean world. The following is an excerpt from his book The Year of Thermopylae, published in 1980. _____________________________________________________________________________ Although it is true that Herodotus . . . had access to all the records available, it is impossible to accept the figures that he gives for the size of the Persian army and of the fleet. . . . General Sir Frederick Maurice, who had the opportunity of covering the area of the march of the Great King not long after the First World War, came up with the conclusion that the total of the Persian army was about 210,000. Unlike most desk­bound scholars he [Maurice] had the opportunity to travel the whole area, and had excellent military and logistical knowledge of the terrain. He based his conclusion particularly on his observation of the water supplies available. . . . It seems that there is no possibility of the army of Xerxes having exceeded 250,000 men. Even this number . . . would have been sufficient to exhaust the water resources at a number of places along their route. 3 Document D: Rupert Matthews Rupert Matthews is an English author and politician. He has written over 200 books on history. The following is an excerpt from his book The Battle of Thermopylae: A Campaign in Context, published in 2006. No aspect of the Thermopylae campaign has given rise to greater controversy than the size and composition of the army led by Xerxes into Greece. . . . . . . Herodotus puts the strength of Xerxes' army at around two million men [see Document A] and says that they drank the rivers dry as they advanced. . . . As usual, Herodotus does not tell us where he got this information from, but it does bear all the hallmarks of being an official document. . . . Whatever the source of information given by Herodotus, it is quite clear that the list is not an accurate record of the army Xerxes led into Greece. It would have been physically impossible to march that many men along the roads available to them and keep them supplied. We know that Xerxes sent an advance guard of laborers and engineers forward to prepare the route for his invasion. . . . While it is not recorded exactly what these men did, it is clear that they were undertaking construction work that would aid the army. If streams were dammed to create reservoirs of water, Xerxes would have been able to move an army considerably larger than the 210,000 men that General Maurice [see Document C] thought the land could support. Even so, it is unlikely that the increase could have been more than around 50%, say a total of 300,000 to 350,000. 4 1. The term “armament” refers to (Doc A): A. Military weapons and equipment B. A condensed form as of a book or play C. The skull of an animal
D. The executive branch of the Federal Government 2. A veteran is a person (Doc A): A. Who has limited experience in a particular field B. Who is associated with royalty C. Who analyzes scientific principles
D. Who has had long experience in a particular field 3. The term “triremes” refers to (Doc B): A. A medieval palace or castle B. Ancient Greek or Roman war galley with three banks of oars C. An ancient city or polis D. A person who operates machinery 4. The term “reservoir” refers to a (Doc D): A. Book containing maps and charts B. Pointed piece of land that sticks out into a sea, ocean, lake, or river C. Large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply D. Narrow strip of land connecting two larger land masses 5. The term “campaign” refers to (Doc D): A. A series of military operations intended to achieve a particular objective B. Supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person­ often a king or queen who inherits their power by hereditary rights C. A form of government in which the people or their elected representatives possess the supreme power D. A group of protesters gathered to force or implement change 6. Validity in Document A is established by: A. An ancient Greek historian named Herodotus B. Information taken from the Koran C. Statistics pulled from Homer’s novel,, The Iliad and the Odyssey D. Ernle Bradford’s work, entitled The Year Of Thermopylae 5 7. Which document states the size and composition of Xerxes army has created one of the greatest controversy’s of the Thermopylae campaign. A. Document A B. Document B C. Document C D. Document D
8. Which document contained information from an ancient Greek physician and historian who worked for the King of Persia? A. Document A B. Document B C. Document C C. Document D 9. What was the name of the Spartan general who led his troops into Thermopylae? A. Homer B. Artapanus C. Leonidas C. Achilles 10. Who developed the theory that Xerxes army exceeding 250,000 men, did not exhaust the water supply along their route. A. General Sir Frederick Maurice B. Ernle Bradford C. Rupert Matthews D. Herodotus 11. Which document proposes that Xerxes had over 2 million men at the Battle of Thermopylae? A. Doc A B. Doc B C. Doc C D. Doc D 6 12. Which document gives the lowest estimate for the size of the Persian army at Thermopylae? A. Doc A B. Doc B C. Doc C D. Doc D 13. Which two documents are the closest together with their estimates for the size of the total Persian army? A. Doc A and Doc B B. Doc B and Doc C C. Doc C and Doc D D. Doc D and Doc A 14. Which two documents does Document D reference as having the wrong numbers for the Persian Army? A. Doc A and Doc B B. Doc A and Doc C C. Doc B and Doc C D. Doc D does not reference any other documents 15. What are all the documents debating? A. Who won the Battle of Thermopylae B. What was the size of the Greek Army C. What was the size of the Persian Army D. Who were the commanding officers at the Battle of Thermopylae 16. Which of the following is the main idea in Document A? A. Xerxes was the son of Darius B. The Persian forces at the Battle of Thermopylae was extremely large C. The Battle of Thermopylae was a decisive victory for the Spartans D. Persia lost the Battle of Thermopylae 7 17. What is Ctesias main idea in Doc B? A. The Persian forces at the Battle of Thermopylae was relatively small B. The Battle of Thermopylae was a great naval battle C. The Spartan army was cut to pieces by Persian forces at the Battle of Thermopylae D. King Leonidas declared war on Persia 18. What is Bradford’s main idea in Doc C? A. The Persian army could have easily exceeded 250,000 men B. General Maurice’s experience in WWI is an unreliable source C. The Persian surrendered at the Battle of Thermopylae due to a lack of water resources D. Persian forces could not have exceeded 250,000 due to the lack of water resources 19. The Persian army numbered around 300,000­350,000 was the main idea of which of the following documents? A. Doc A B. Doc B C. Doc C D. Doc D 20. The main idea of all four of these documents relates to which of the following? A. Which side won the Battle of Thermopylae B. Which side lost more men at the Battle of Thermopylae C. The size of the Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae D. Who was a better leader, Xerxes or Leonidas 21. Why might Herodotus’s account in Doc A be considered biased? A. Herodotus could have exaggerated how many Persians were killed to make the Greeks look more impressive B. Herodotus was exiled from Persia by Xerxes C. Herodotus was born long after the Battle of Thermopylae D. Herodotus’s account is based on interviews of Persian veterans 8 22. Why might the Ctesias account in Doc B be more accurate than Herodotus’s in Doc A? A. Ctesias witnessed the Battle of Thermopylae first hand B. Ctesias supposedly had access to Persian archives C. Herodotus’s account is based on second hand information D. Herodotus’s account was written centuries after the Persian War 23. According to Document C, the author probably believes: A. It is impossible that the size of the Persian Army is accurate B. General Sir Frederick Maurice was killed in battle during World War I C. Xerxes’s army consisted of a cavalry of 6,000 horses D. Xerxe was an incompetent general who failed to research the terrain prior to the invasion 24. In Doc D, Matthews point of view is that Herodotus over estimated the size of the Persian army. Which of the following sentences best illustrates Matthews argument? A. “...it does bear the all the hallmarks of being an official document” B. “It would have been physically impossible to march that many men along the roads available to them and keep them supplied ” C. “...it is clear that they were undertaking construction work that would aid the army” D. “No aspect of the Thermopylae campaign has given rise to greater controversy...” 25.
What is the final statistic emphasized by the author in Doc A to describe the total size of Xerxes's army: A. 517,610 B. 20,000 C. 2,317,610 D. 80,000 26. Which of the documents is the oldest, and therefore closest to the actual event? A. Document A B. Document B C. Document C D. Document D 9 27. In Document C, when was General Maurice able to estimate the size of the Persian army? A. After he saw the army with his own eyes B. After he talked with the Great King and received the information C. After he was able to cover the area and observe the water supplies available D. After he accessed the records with Herodotus 28. In Document A, What was happening to Xerxes armament (army) before they reached Thermopylae? A. They had fought many hard battles B. They were free from misfortune C. They had lost half their forces to the plague D. They had lost half their forces to the Greek army 29. According to Document D, why did Xerxes send laborers and engineers before he sent his army? A. He wanted to trick his enemies B. He was stalling until his troops arrived C. They were undertaking construction work that would aid the army D. It is impossible to know why from the document 30. In Document D, what could the laborers have done to allow a much larger force to fight? A. Build bridges to help cross rivers B. Build shelter for more soldiers to sleep in C. Build more weapons for the army D. Build dams to create reservoirs of water 31. Using evidence from the text, of the following can be inferred from Doc B? A. In total, more Persian soldiers were killed than Spartan B. That Spartan General, Leonidas, was a traitor C. Xerxes wished to sign a truce with Leonidas D. That gunpowder and cannons played a decisive role in the Battle of Thermopylae 10 32. Based on Doc A, the Persian forces consisted of all of the following except? A. sea forces B. Men on horses, camels, and chariots C. foot soldiers D. Airplanes 33.What evidence is Bradford’s argument in Doc C primarily based on? A. Persian archival records B. Interviews of Spartan soldiers C. The experiences of General Sir Frederick Maurice in WWI D. Xerxes personal diary 34. In Doc D, Matthews claims there is enough evidence proving which of the following? A. Xerxes sent an advance guard of laborers to prepare the route for his invasion B. Leonidas was actually a Persian spy C. Sparta had over 2 million soldiers during the Battle of Thermopylae D. Xerxes had no interest in attacking Sparta
35. Based on evidence in Doc B, the Spartans were which of the following? A. Persians B. Greeks C. Arabs D. Libyans 36. This Carthaginian General, Hannibal, led troops with an entourage of elephants through what mountains? (Unit 3) A. Andes B. Alps C. Himalayas D. Mount Olympus 11 37. Julius Caesar conquered the Gaul. What modern day country is Gaul? A. Italy B. Germany C. India D. France 38. Which of the following pairings is correct? A. Plebeians and the rich B. Patricians and the Rich C. 1st Triumvirate and Marc Antony D. 2nd Triumvirate and Julius Caesar 39. The geography of Greece helped create A. a large Greek empire B. many small city­states C. unity among Greeks D. isolation from the outside world 40. What would you NOT change if you were Xerxes leading the Persians in the Persian Wars? A. The final outcome of fighting the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae B. A better way of fighting to match up better against the Greek hoplite phalanx C. The overall outcome and final winner of the Persian Wars D. The final outcome of the Battle of Salamis where Xerxes ships were in the narrow channel 41. What examples can you find to show that the Greeks began to lean toward science over just accepting the Gods/Goddesses explaining the world? A. Aristarchus proposing the sun is the center of the universe B. Having the Gods examine your newborn child on top of a mountain C. Praying to demeter for a successful harvest of your crops D. Believing that Apollo allowed the sun to come up everyday 24 hours 12 42. What could have been done to ensure that all Roman citizens were represented fairly within the Roman government? A. Allow plebeians to hold government office B. Allow only patricians to hold government office C. Institute a system of laws that appealed to patricians D. Give power solely to the leader of the Roman army of citizens 43. The most lasting achievement of Alexander the Great was the A. library in Alexandria, Egypt B. developing a vaccine for malaria C. spread of Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean D. Training with aristotle 44. Which of the following rulers changed his name to mean, “exalted one”? A. Marc Antony B. Caligula C. Marcus Aurelius D. Octavian 45. Which of the following is NOT considered to be a main feature of civilization? A. A domestication of animals B. record keeping C. the use of tools and advanced technology D. the establishment of advanced cities 46. Hammurabi's Code was an important achievement because it A. was the first major collection of laws B. treated men and women as equals C. ended capital punishment D. rejected the principle of an “eye for an eye” 13 47. Which of the following best describes Julius Caesar’s reasoning for the expansion of the Senate? A. He sought to have the best men from all reaches of his empire helping him make decisions B. It was at the request of the Roman Senators that the Senate have more representation within the Roman government C. This was something Caesar promised to do upon being recognized as Roman dictator for life D. In an attempt to appease the Roman courts Caesar promised to relinquish some power and divide up some of the rights and responsibilities he held as ruling dictator 48. What was the importance of Mesopotamia being developed by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers? A. encouraged trade and commerce B. discouraged trade and commerce C. encouraged polytheistic religion D. discouraged polytheistic religion 49. Which Greek philosopher was executed and why? A. Plato because he wrote the Republic B. Socrates because he challenged the existence of the Greek gods C. Aristotle because he refused to train Alexander the Great D. Thales because he was the first Greek philosopher 50. The second triumvirate made of this groups of individuals ruled Rome for ten years. A. Julius Caesar, Crassus, Pompey B. Octavian, Marc Antony, Marcus Lepidus C. Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, Octavian D. Octavian, Marcus Aurelius, Pompey 14