Ancient Greece Practice Test

Name: Class: _ Date: _ Ancient Greece Practice Test Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1. Which of the following best summarizes the geography of Greece? a. a land of flat, fertile plains c. a rocky, mountainous land b. a land of small hills and dense forests d. a cold, barren land 2. In geographical terms, the land of Greece is a large a. island. c. isthmus. b. peninsula. d. continent. 3. Because traveling by land in Greece was difficult, the Greeks a. became expert shipbuilders. c. gave up trying to travel. b. learned how to climb mountains. d. took up farming. 4. Which of the following groups built an advanced society on the island of Crete? a. the Minoans c. the Mycenaeans b. the Aegeans d. the Mediterraneans 5. In what way were the Mycenaeans different from the Minoans? a. The Mycenaeans lived on Greek islands. b. The Mycenaeans did not speak Greek. c. The Mycenaeans lived on the Greek mainland. d. The Mycenaeans were not traders. 6. Which of the following led to the end of the Minoan civilization? a. They were attacked by Europeans. b. A volcanic eruption ruined their cities. c. Earthquakes destroyed many of their cities. d. Other cultures refused to trade with them. 7. Which of the following was not a reason the Greeks traded with other cultures? a. to obtain food c. to find products they needed b. to conquer other cultures d. to learn new ideas from other cultures 8. The period of warfare and disorder in Greece is referred to as the a. Classical Age. c. Dark Age. b. Golden Era. d. Era of Despair. 9. Which of the following best defines a polis? a. a marketplace where goods were traded b. a high hill on which a fortress was often built c. a period of great achievements d. a small city-state 10. Which of the following best describes how a Greek colony was similar to a polis? a. Both were independent. b. Both were built on the Greek mainland. c. Both were started by Minoans. d. Both were set up to make someone wealthy. 11. All of the following cities began as Greek colonies except a. Marseille, France. c. Naples, Italy. b. Alexandria, Egypt. d. Istanbul, Turkey. 1

Name: 12. Over time, the Greek people living in city-states a. became bored and developed the desire to travel. b. disliked their city-states and began to rebel against them. c. thought of themselves as residents of the city-state, not as Greeks. d. fled their city-states in fear and set up their own colonies. 13. Which of the following activities did not take place in the agora? a. Greeks held political meetings. c. Greeks bought and sold goods. b. Greeks had religious gatherings. d. Greeks hid from invading armies. 14. Under which leader did democracy in Athens work best? a. Peisistratus c. Pericles b. Draco d. Solon 15. Which of the following best describes a representative democracy? a. Citizens elect officials to make the laws. b. All citizens help make the laws. c. All men, women, and children can vote. d. Citizens act as judges and lawmakers. 16. Why were juries in Athens designed to have an odd number of members? a. to ensure that each citizen had a vote b. to prevent aristocrats from being unfair c. so there would always be discussion d. to prevent ties 17. A government in which only a few people have power is called a. a monarchy. c. a democracy. b. an oligarchy. d. a tyrant. 18. Which best describes how the people of Athens responded to Draco s laws? a. They liked the freedom that the laws gave them. b. They believed that the laws helped tyrants. c. They felt that the laws were too strict. d. They believed that the laws produced more crime. 19. After Greek city-states were ruled by kings, they were ruled by a. dictators. c. aristocrats. b. armies. d. citizens. 20. During the early democracy in Greece, why did people have meetings outdoors? a. to allow visitors to watch the meetings c. to make it easier to hear speakers b. to make it easier to vote d. to make sure everyone could attend 21. Which best describes the difference between Cleisthenes and Peisistratus? a. Cleisthenes supported an oligarchy. c. Cleisthenes favored the aristocrats. b. Cleisthenes was a tyrant. d. Cleisthenes believed in democracy. 22. Which of the following does not describe the first democracy in Athens? a. Aristocrats had more power than citizens. b. All citizens had the right to participate in the assembly. c. Every citizen had the right to speak. d. Citizens could serve on smaller councils. 2

Name: 23. All of the following Greek leaders probably would have approved of the type of democracy found in the United States except a. Cleisthenes. c. Pericles. b. Draco. d. Solon. 24. What does democracy mean? a. rule of the few c. rule of the people b. rule of the leaders d. rule of the powerful 25. Greek myths were stories that explained a. what things the Greek people most valued. b. why natural or historical events happened. c. why humans should worship the gods. d. why humans or animals behaved like they did. 26. How did the Greeks apply the Iliad and the Odyssey in everyday life? a. by trying to follow the examples of the great heroes in the stories b. by building great temples for their gods c. by holding sporting contests in honor of their gods d. by following the writing style of famous poets 27. Which of the following best defines a lyric poem? a. a poem set to music c. a poem that teaches life s lessons b. a poem about Greek heroes d. a poem that explains natural events 28. The myth about the god Hephaestus working in his fiery forge explained a. earthquakes. c. volcanic eruptions. b. thunderstorms. d. the seasons. 29. Why did many ancient Greeks visit the oracle at Delphi? a. to see where Hercules battled the hydra c. to worship Zeus and the other gods b. to ask the god Apollo questions d. to see the birthplace of Aphrodite 30. According to Greek mythology, why are there different seasons? a. Hera is punishing humans for not worshipping the gods. b. Hephaestus is making weapons for the gods in his forge. c. Demeter is separated from her daughter during the winter. d. Apollo goes away for part of each year to rest. 31. Which of the following shows that Greek mythology is part of today s popular culture? a. Some sports teams are named after figures from Greek mythology. b. Students learn about Greek mythology in school. c. Many people worship Greek gods and goddesses. d. People travel to Greece to hear lyric poems. 32. Who was the Greek god or goddess of war? a. Artemis c. Zeus b. Ares d. Hermes 33. Which Greek hero has been the subject of dozens of films? a. Hercules c. Poseidon b. Zeus d. Dionysus 3

Name: 34. Which of the following shows that Greeks strongly influenced our language? a. English words are spelled using the Greek rules of spelling. b. The English language is based on the letters of the Greek alphabet. c. The English language was first spoken in ancient Greece. d. Many English words and expressions come from Greek mythology. PRACTICING SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS Study the picture and information below and answer the question that follows. 35. How was the form of democracy in ancient Greece different from our current democratic government? a. People debated issues. b. Citizens voted on issues. c. Voting took place on broken pieces of pottery. d. Officials counted collected and counted the votes. 4

Name: 36. What was the most important aspect of life in Sparta? a. learning about philosophy c. playing music b. preparing for battles d. learning to lead people 37. Who did Persia defeat to win its independence? a. Athens c. Lydia b. Medes d. Macedonia 38. Which of the following events took place before Darius ruled Persia? a. Cyrus s son died in a rebellion in c. The capital city of Persepolis was built. Persia. b. Roads were built throughout the empire. d. Persians invaded southeastern Europe. 39. The religion called Zoroastrianism was popular in Persia for many centuries. What conclusion can you draw from this fact? a. Zoroastrianism was illogical and confusing. b. People were forced to follow Zoroastrianism. c. The religion made sense to many Persians. d. Only Persians followed Zoroastrianism. 40. Make an inference: As ruler of Persia, what do you think Darius was most interested in doing? a. developing a powerful army c. building many roads in Persia b. defeating the Greeks in battle d. making Persia s empire strong 41. What caused Darius to first become angry with the Greeks? a. Some Greeks gave aid to other Greeks who rebelled against Persia. b. Greek city-states refused to help Persia in its war with Turkey. c. Many Greeks stated that Greece was more advanced than Persia. d. Greek city-states would not allow people to practice Zoroastrianism. 42. Compare Xerxes I to Darius. In what way were they similar? a. Both men defeated the Greeks. c. Both men killed rivals to become king. b. Both men wanted to conquer Greece. d. Both men weakened the Persian Empire. 5

Name: 43. Which two battles show Greece s power and cleverness in defeating Xerxes I? a. Salamis and Marathon c. Thermopylae and Salamis b. Marathon and Plataea d. Salamis and Plataea 44. Why did Darius fill Persia s capital city with gold, silver, and beautiful artwork? a. He wanted the city to reflect the glory of the empire. b. He believed the Greeks would be invading Persia. c. He wanted travelers to see that he was rich and powerful. d. He was following the teachings of Zoroastrianism. 45. Which of the following best describes the Persian army? a. weak and ineffective c. brave but disloyal b. powerful but cowardly d. strong and well organized 46. From an early age, Spartan boys were trained to be a. writers. c. leaders. b. teachers. d. soldiers. 47. Spartan women also received physical training. Like the men, they learned how to run, jump, wrestle, and throw javelins. What conclusion can you draw about Spartan women? a. They disliked sports and exercise. c. They did not enjoy their lives. b. They were strong and healthy. d. They mainly ran the households. 48. At what age were Spartan men done serving in the army? a. 40 c. 60 b. 50 d. 70 49. Which of the following is the best prediction of what might have happened in Sparta if its army had become weak? a. Slaves would have staged a rebellion. b. Spartan women would have joined the army. c. Soldiers would have lost their self-confidence. d. Boys would have lost their courage and strength. 50. In Athens, most of the boys from poor families a. learned how to sing and play musical instruments. b. studied warfare and were placed in the army. c. became farmers and grew food for the wealthy. d. were taught astronomy, geometry, and science. 51. After comparing the lives of boys in Sparta and Athens, which of the following inferences can you make? a. Athenian boys probably had more interesting lives than Spartan boys. b. Spartan boys were probably happier than Athenian boys. c. Athenian boys were probably more bored with life than Spartan boys. d. Spartan boys probably learned more things than Athenian boys. 52. What caused the Peloponnesian War to begin? a. Sparta refused to join Athens in the Delian League. b. Athens quit the Peloponnesian League. c. Greek cities feared Athens would control Greece. d. Athens joined forces with the Persians. 6

Name: 53. What was the result of the Peloponnesian War? a. Sparta became the most powerful city-state in Greece. b. Athens and Sparta agreed to a truce. c. Athens became the most powerful city-state in Greece. d. Athens and Sparta merged their cultures into one. 54. What allowed Philip of Macedonia to easily conquer the Greeks? a. The Greeks did not unite to fight Philip. b. The Spartans joined with Philip. c. Athens refused to send its navy to fight. d. The Greeks were at war with other invaders. 55. What was the relationship between Philip of Macedonia and Alexander the Great? a. Philip was Alexander s cousin. c. Philip was Alexander s uncle. b. Philip was Alexander s father. d. Philip was Alexander s son. 56. Which place did Alexander conquer without fighting a battle? a. Gaugemela c. Persia b. Thebes d. Egypt 57. What inference can you make about Alexander? a. He lacked both wisdom and confidence. b. He enjoyed being a military commander. c. He did not feel comfortable leading an empire. d. He disliked violence but knew he had to use it. 58. Which of the following predictions would most likely be true if Alexander had not died at a young age? a. Alexander will give back all of his conquered lands. b. The Persians will find a way to defeat Alexander. c. Alexander s empire will grow even larger. d. The Greeks will anoint Alexander to be their king. 59. Alexander died at the age of 33 after a. he got sick in Babylon. c. he was betrayed by a friend. b. he was attacked in battle. d. he was captured by Persians. 60. What happened after Alexander and his army crossed the Indus River in India? a. His exhausted troops refused to fight anymore. b. The people of the area crowned Alexander king. c. Alexander defeated the Persian army for the last time d. The Greeks agreed to not rebel against Alexander. 61. Alexander worked to spread Greek culture throughout his empire. What conclusion can you draw from this? a. Alexander thought that all other cultures were weak. b. Alexander was trying to build a friendship with the Greeks. c. Alexander was trying to make the Persian Empire angry. d. Alexander admired and enjoyed Greek culture and ideas. 62. What happened to Alexander s empire after he died? a. It was conquered by Rome. c. It was divided into three kingdoms. b. It was taken over by the Syrians. d. It was ruled by Alexander s son. 63. In terms of importance to Alexander, which of the following would you rank first? a. spreading Greek culture c. defeating the Persians b. expanding his empire d. caring for his sons 7

Name: 64. Which of the following was not part of Alexander s empire? a. Egypt c. Macedonia b. Syria d. Rome 65. What can you infer about the ancient Greeks based upon their achievements? a. The ancient Greeks most valued warfare and battle. b. The ancient Greeks valued philosophy and art. c. The ancient Greeks were most interested in farming d. The ancient Greeks felt that literature was pointless. 66. Most Greek temples were surrounded by a. tall columns. c. detailed paintings. b. pretty trees. d. golden railings. 67. The Parthenon is a famous Greek a. painting. c. poem. b. vase. d. building. 68. Early Greek philosophers were important because they were the first people to a. think about the mysteries and problems of life in Greece. b. consider explanations for events other than that they were the work of the gods. c. describe why the Greek gods and goddesses were to be worshipped. d. help the rest of the Greek people make good decisions in daily life. 69. Greek philosophers believed that one thing was more important than anything else in life. What was it? a. using the human mind to think and understand b. helping others to be happy and comfortable c. encouraging people to worship the gods d. understanding how the human body works 70. The many achievements of ancient Greece were important because a. they helped Greece become a military power. b. they showed the curiosity of the Greek mind. c. they strongly shaped Western civilization. d. they encouraged people to use reason. Short Answer 71. How did Greece's geography influence the city-states and their trade? 72. How was the Athenian government ruled prior to democracy? 73. How have the great myths created in Ancient Greece influenced the way we live today? 74. Why did the Greeks feel the need to create city-states? 75. Who was Theseus? 76. How did Darius restore order to the Persian Empire? 77. Compare and contrast the cultures of Sparta and Athens. 78. What made Philip such a successful military leader? 79. Why was Thucydides important? 8

Name: 80. What do you think Aristotle would have said about the Spartan way of life? Why? Completion Complete each statement. 81. The Minoans and the helped shape later Greek cultures. (Creteans/Mycenaeans) 82. Democracy in Greece started in the city of. (Athens/Delphi) 83. The Sea lies to the east of the Greek mainland. (Ionian/Aegean) 84. The name of the Aegean Sea comes from Aegeus, who was a legendary Greek. (god/king) 85. The ancient Greeks believed that their caused events like thunder and earthquakes. (gods/actions) 86. The Greeks of the Age left no written records. (Stone/Dark) 87. Apollo was the god of the. (sun/moon) 88. Under the rule of, all citizens in Athens had the right to participate in the assembly. (Draco/Cleisthenes) 89. The tells the story of the last years of the Trojan War. (Iliad/Odyssey) 90. The form of government in which all citizens can participate directly in the government is called democracy. (direct/representative) 91. Cyrus the Great is considered the founder of the Empire. (Persian/Athenian) 92. After the son of Cyrus the Great died, seized power. (Xerxes/Darius) 93. The first Persian invasion of Greece failed when the Greeks won the Battle of. (Thermopylae/Marathon) 94. One improvement that Darius made to the Persian Empire was the creation of. (roads/cavalries) 95. In 480 BC, tried to conquer Greece again. (Darius/Xerxes) 96. Helots were an important part of society. (Spartan/Athenian) 97. Spartans did not place much value in. (self-reliance/creativity) 98. Women in had certain freedoms because of the way their society was structured. (Athens/Sparta) 99. Athenians believed that studying made people better citizens. (the arts/famous battles) 100. Athenian domination of the League caused Sparta to declare war on Athens. (Peloponnesian/Delian) 101. In 359 BC, became king of Macedonia. (Philip/Alexander) 9

Name: 102. destroyed Thebes and enslaved its people. (Philip/Alexander) 103. In 334 BC, Alexander attacked the. (Athenians/Persians) 104. After he died, Alexander was buried in. (Egypt/Persia) 105. The spread of culture brought Greek customs to new parts of the world. (Spartan/Hellenistic) 106. Greek painters created detailed scenes in red and black on. (paper/vases) 107. The Greeks created new kinds of writing, such as drama and. (history/poetry) 108. Because people were upset by his ideas, was arrested and sentenced to death. (Plato/Socrates) 109. taught that people should live lives of moderation. (Socrates/Aristotle) 110. Many of the geometry rules from the writings of are still used today. (Hippocrates/Euclid) True/False Indicate whether the statement is true or false. 111. The Minoans are considered the first Greek society. 112. Because they lived on an island, the Mycenaeans spent much of their time at sea. 113. The Minoans and the Mycenaeans spoke the Greek language. 114. An agora is another name for a fortress. 115. Trade between the colonies and Greece included items such as metals, wine, and olive oil. 116. Everyone who lived in a city-state lived inside the city walls. 117. Peisistratus, a tyrant, brought peace and prosperity to the city of Athens. 118. Although Greek city-states did not start out as democracies, all of them became democratic. 119. The first democracy in Athens ended because the Macedonians conquered Athens. 120. The citizens in the early democracy of Athens voted by writing on paper. 121. Sappho developed the world s first democracy. 122. Another name for a representative democracy is a republic. 123. Democracy in the United States has already lasted longer than it did in Athens. 124. Hera is the king of the gods. 125. The Iliad and the Odyssey are still considered among the most important works in Western literature. 126. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love. 127. Aesop wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey. 10

Name: 128. It was natural for the ancient Greeks to produce great works of literature because they had always enjoyed telling myths and stories. 129. Fables are different from myths because fables teach lessons about life. 130. Europe was named after King Europa. 131. Early in their history, the Persians were nomadic. 132. Cyrus the Great s treatment of conquered people helped him successfully rule a large empire. 133. Zoroaster was a famous architect who built the city of Persepolis. 134. The Spartans were able to defeat the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae. 135. The Battle of Plataea ended the Persian Wars. 136. For Spartan boys training to be soldiers, the penalty for stealing food was death. 137. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a young boy exploring a small cave near the Dead Sea. 138. Only the wealthiest Spartans had luxuries like soft furniture and fine food. 139. Athenian boys were taught both military skills and about art and culture. 140. The democratic society of Athens allowed women to have more rights than in other cities. 141. After defeating Athens in the Peloponnesian War, Sparta became the most powerful city-state in Greece. 142. Greece and Macedonia were both members of the Delian League. 143. In 336 BC, Philip marched into Persia to conquer the Persian Empire. 144. Alexander the Great defeated the Persians for the last time near Gaugamela. 145. Hellenistic culture influenced the building of the world s largest library in Alexandria, Egypt. 146. Greek statues of people were usually not very realistic. 147. Plays were first created to be included in religious ceremonies. 148. Socrates taught by answering the questions his students asked. 149. Aristotle taught that people should use reason to govern their lives. 150. Greek doctors relied on the help of the gods to heal patients. 11

Name: Matching Match each item with the correct statement. a. tyrant h. classical b. polis i. Aesop c. mythology j. acropolis d. aristocrats k. citizens e. fables l. Homer f. democracy m. oligarchy g. Pericles 151. A Greek famous for his fables 152. A leader who used force to hold power 153. An age marked by great achievements 154. Rich landowners 155. Short stories that teach the reader lessons about life or give advice on how to live 156. Brilliant elected leader who led the Athens government from about 460 BC until 429 BC 157. A body of stories about gods and heroes that try to explain how the world work 158. People who had the right to participate in government 159. A high hill that often had a fortress on its top 160. A famous poet who wrote some of the earliest Greek writings Match each item with the correct statement. a. phalanx h. reason b. Hippocrates i. Zoroastrian c. Sophocles j. Parthenon d. cavalry k. alliance e. Hypatia l. Xerxes f. satraps m. Plato g. Thucydides 161. A unit of soldiers mounted on horses 162. A religion based on the battle between good and evil 163. An agreement to work together 164. Governors of Persian provinces 165. A group of warriors standing close together in a square 166. A building constructed in Athens in the 400s BC 167. A famous Greek playwright 168. A Greek philosopher 169. Clear and ordered thinking 170. The greatest Greek doctor 12