Writing And City Life- Source Based Type Questions | Famous Books for UPSC Exam (Summary & Tests) PDF Download

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

The connection between city life, trade and writing is brought out in a long Sumerian Epic poem about Enmerkar, one of the earliest rulers of Uruk. In Mesopotamian tradition, Uruk was the city par excellence, known simply as The City.

Enmerkar is associated with the organisation of the first trade of Sumer: in the early days, the Epic says, ‘trade was not known’. Enmerkar wanted lapis lazuli and precious metals for the beautification of a city Temple and sent his messenger out to get them from the chief of a very distant land called Aratta. ‘The Messenger heeded the word of the king. By night he went just by the stars. By day, he would go by Heaven’s Sun divine. He had to go up into the mountain ranges, and had to come down out of the mountain range. The people of Susa (a city) below the mountains saluted him like tiny mice. Five mountain ranges, six mountain ranges, seven mountain ranges he crossed...’

Question 1: “Uruk was the city par excellence”, which of the following statements justify it?
(a) Uruk was a prosperous city
(b) Uruk had many temples
(c) Enmerkar wanted lapis lazuli and precious metals for the beautification of a city Temple
(d) Both (a) and (b)

Option (c) is correct

Mesopotamians had to fight wars from time to time against pastoralists and nomadic communities of the Western desert and thus, the cities destroyed in war; yet they recalled them in their epics namely Gilmesh and Enmerkar. These are in long poems. The former epic says that the ruler of Uruk Enmerkar wanted lapis lazuli and precious metals for the beautification of a city temple and had sent his messenger to Aratta, a distant country but he could not convince the ruler of Aratta, he frequently went there and came back to the king. At last, the message was communicated through a letter inscribed on a clay tablet.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

The connection between city life, trade and writing is brought out in a long Sumerian Epic poem about Enmerkar, one of the earliest rulers of Uruk. In Mesopotamian tradition, Uruk was the city par excellence, known simply as The City.

Enmerkar is associated with the organisation of the first trade of Sumer: in the early days, the Epic says, ‘trade was not known’. Enmerkar wanted lapis lazuli and precious metals for the beautification of a city Temple and sent his messenger out to get them from the chief of a very distant land called Aratta. ‘The Messenger heeded the word of the king. By night he went just by the stars. By day, he would go by Heaven’s Sun divine. He had to go up into the mountain ranges, and had to come down out of the mountain range. The people of Susa (a city) below the mountains saluted him like tiny mice. Five mountain ranges, six mountain ranges, seven mountain ranges he crossed...’

Question 2: “The people of Susa below the mountains saluted him like tiny mice.” What did the poet mean?
(a) The people of Susa were like mice
(b) The people of Susa were very short in height
(c) Once the messenger had climbed to a great height, everything appeared small
(d) All of these

Option (c) is correct

Once the messenger had climbed to a great height, everything appeared small.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

City life began in Mesopotamia, the land between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers that is now part of the Republic of Iraq. Mesopotamian Civilization is known for its prosperity, city life, its voluminous and rich literature and its mathematics and astronomy. Mesopotamia writing system and literature spread to the Eastern Mediterranean, Northern Syria and Turkey and after 2000 BCE, so that the kingdoms of that entire region were writing to one another and to the Pharaoh of Egypt, in the language and script of Mesopotamia. In the beginning of recorded history, the land, mainly the urbanized South, was called Sumer and Akkad. After 2000 BCE when Babylon became an important city, the term Babylonia was used for the southern region. From about 1100 BCE when the Assyrians established their Kingdom in the north, the region became known as Assyria. The first known language of the land was Sumerian. It was gradually replaced by Akkadian around 2400 BCE when Akkadian speakers arrived.  This language flourished till about Alexander time 336 - 323 BCE with some regional changes occurring. From 1400 BCE Aramaic also trickled in.

Question 3: What does Mesopotamia mean?
(a) The land between two mountains.
(b) The land between two valleys.
(c) The land between two rivers.
(d) The land on plateau.

Option (c) is correct

Mesopotamia is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. It occupies the area of present-day Iraq, and parts of Iran, Turkey, Syria and Kuwait.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

City life began in Mesopotamia, the land between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers that is now part of the Republic of Iraq. Mesopotamian Civilization is known for its prosperity, city life, its voluminous and rich literature and its mathematics and astronomy. Mesopotamia writing system and literature spread to the Eastern Mediterranean, Northern Syria and Turkey and after 2000 BCE, so that the kingdoms of that entire region were writing to one another and to the Pharaoh of Egypt, in the language and script of Mesopotamia. In the beginning of recorded history, the land, mainly the urbanized South, was called Sumer and Akkad. After 2000 BCE when Babylon became an important city, the term Babylonia was used for the southern region. From about 1100 BCE when the Assyrians established their Kingdom in the north, the region became known as Assyria. The first known language of the land was Sumerian. It was gradually replaced by Akkadian around 2400 BCE when Akkadian speakers arrived.  This language flourished till about Alexander time 336 - 323 BCE with some regional changes occurring. From 1400 BCE Aramaic also trickled in.

Question 4: The term Babylonia was used for?
(a) Unurbanized Southern Region.
(b) Urbanized Southern Region.
(c) Urbanized Northern Region.
(d) Southern region

Option (d) is correct

Southern region.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

City life began in Mesopotamia, the land between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers that is now part of the Republic of Iraq. Mesopotamian Civilization is known for its prosperity, city life, its voluminous and rich literature and its mathematics and astronomy. Mesopotamia writing system and literature spread to the Eastern Mediterranean, Northern Syria and Turkey and after 2000 BCE, so that the kingdoms of that entire region were writing to one another and to the Pharaoh of Egypt, in the language and script of Mesopotamia. In the beginning of recorded history, the land, mainly the urbanized South, was called Sumer and Akkad. After 2000 BCE when Babylon became an important city, the term Babylonia was used for the southern region. From about 1100 BCE when the Assyrians established their Kingdom in the north, the region became known as Assyria. The first known language of the land was Sumerian. It was gradually replaced by Akkadian around 2400 BCE when Akkadian speakers arrived.  This language flourished till about Alexander time 336 - 323 BCE with some regional changes occurring. From 1400 BCE Aramaic also trickled in.

Question 5: According to the extract Mesopotamian Civilization is known for? 
(a) City Life
(b) Rich Literature
(c) Prosperity
(d) All of these

Option (d) is correct

CITY life began in Mesopotamia*, the land between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers that is now part of the Republic of Iraq. Mesopotamian civilisation is known for its prosperity, city life, its voluminous and rich literature and its mathematics and astronomy.

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Today Mesopotamian excavators have much higher standards of accuracy and care in recording than in the old days, so that few dig huge areas the way Ur was excavated. Moreover, few archaeologists have the funds to employ large teams of excavators. Thus, the mode of obtaining data has changed.

Take the small town of Abu Salabikh, about 10 hectares in area in 2500 BCE with a population less than 10000. The outlines of walls were at first traced by scrapping surfaces. This involves scraping off the top few millimetres of the mound 

with the sharp and wide end of a shovel or other tool. While the soil underneath was still slightly moist, the archaeologist could make out different colours, textures and lines of bricks, walls or pits or other features. A few houses that were discovered were excavated. The archaeologist also sieved through tons of earth to recover plant and animal remains, and in the process identified many species of plants and animals and found large quantities of charred fish bones that had been swept out onto the streets. Plant seeds and fibre remained after dung cake had been burned as fuel and thus kitchens were identified. Living rooms were those with fewer traces. Because they found the teeth of very young pigs on the streets, archaeologists concluded that pigs must have roamed freely here as in any other Mesopotamia towns. In fact, one house burial contained some pig bones - the dead person must have been given some pork for his nourishment in the Afterlife. The archaeologist also made microscopic studies of room floors to decide which rooms in a house were roofed (with popular logs, Palm leaves, straw etc.) and which were open to the sky.

Question 6: Why did Mesopotamian excavators have much higher standards of accuracy?
(a) The procedure involves the scraping off the top few millimetres of the mound with the sharp and wide tool.
(b) A few archaeologists employed large teams of excavators to carry out excavation work.

(c) The mode of obtaining data was totally different.
(d) All of these.

Option (d) is correct

The procedure involves the scraping off the top few millimeters of the mound with the sharp and wide and of a shovel or other tools. The digging work was carefully carried out with high standards for accuracy. A few archaeologists employed large team of excavators to carry out excavation work. The mode of data collecting was totally different.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

Today Mesopotamian excavators have much higher standards of accuracy and care in recording than in the old days, so that few dig huge areas the way Ur was excavated. Moreover, few archaeologists have the funds to employ large teams of excavators. Thus, the mode of obtaining data has changed.

Take the small town of Abu Salabikh, about 10 hectares in area in 2500 BCE with a population less than 10000. The outlines of walls were at first traced by scrapping surfaces. This involves scraping off the top few millimetres of the mound 

with the sharp and wide end of a shovel or other tool. While the soil underneath was still slightly moist, the archaeologist could make out different colours, textures and lines of bricks, walls or pits or other features. A few houses that were discovered were excavated. The archaeologist also sieved through tons of earth to recover plant and animal remains, and in the process identified many species of plants and animals and found large quantities of charred fish bones that had been swept out onto the streets. Plant seeds and fibre remained after dung cake had been burned as fuel and thus kitchens were identified. Living rooms were those with fewer traces. Because they found the teeth of very young pigs on the streets, archaeologists concluded that pigs must have roamed freely here as in any other Mesopotamia towns. In fact, one house burial contained some pig bones - the dead person must have been given some pork for his nourishment in the Afterlife. The archaeologist also made microscopic studies of room floors to decide which rooms in a house were roofed (with popular logs, Palm leaves, straw etc.) and which were open to the sky.

Question 7: How the kitchens were identified by the archaeologist during excavation of Abu Salabikh?
(a) By the plant and animals remains. 
(b) By new varieties and species of plants and animals.
(c) Large quantities of charred fish bones that had been swept out onto the streets.
(d) Plant seeds and fibre remained after dung cake had been burned as fuel.

Option (d) is correct

Plant seeds and fibre remained after dung cake had been burned as fuel.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

However rich the food resources of Mesopotamia, its mineral resources were few. Most parts of 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. So, we can summarise that the ancient Mesopotamian could have 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. These latter regions had mineral resources, but much less scope for agriculture. Regular exchange - possible only when there was a social organisation - to equip foreign expeditions and direct the exchange were initiated by the people of Southern Mesopotamia.

Study the extract and answer the following question: 

Question 8: 
Assertion (A) : Mesopotamians mineral resources were few
Reasons (R): Mesopotamians could have traded their abundant textile and agricultural produce for wood, copper, tin, silver, gold and shells from Turkey and Iran.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is a correct explanation of (A)
(b) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is not a correct explanation of (A)
(c) (A) is correct and (R) is not a correct  explanation of (A)
(d) (A) is not correct and (R) is not a correct explanation of (A)

Option (a) is correct

However rich the food resources of Mesopotamia, its mineral resources were few. Most parts of 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. So we can surmise that the ancient Mesopotamians could have 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. These latter regions had mineral resources, but much less scope for agriculture. Regular exchanges – possible only when there was a social organisation – to equip foreign expeditions and direct the exchanges were initiated by the people of southern Mesopotamia

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

However rich the food resources of Mesopotamia, its mineral resources were few. Most parts of 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. So, we can summarise that the ancient Mesopotamian could have 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. These latter regions had mineral resources, but much less scope for agriculture. Regular exchange - possible only when there was a social organisation - to equip foreign expeditions and direct the exchange were initiated by the people of Southern Mesopotamia.

Question 9: Which of the following is True in context with Mesopotamia?
(a) Mesopotamia is not having metals for tools, vessel or ornaments
(b) The wood of the Iraqi Date Palm and poplar was not good enough for carts, cart wheels or boats
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) None of these

Option (a) is correct

Most parts of 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.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

However rich the food resources of Mesopotamia, its mineral resources were few. Most parts of 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. So, we can summarise that the ancient Mesopotamian could have 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. These latter regions had mineral resources, but much less scope for agriculture. Regular exchange - possible only when there was a social organisation - to equip foreign expeditions and direct the exchange were initiated by the people of Southern Mesopotamia.

Question 10: Name the things which were lacking in Mesopotamia cities.
(a) Tools
(b) Seals
(c) Jewels 
d) All of these.

Option (d) is correct

However rich the food resources of Mesopotamia, its mineral resources were few. Most parts of 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.

Study this picture of Clay Tablet used by Mesopotamians carefully and answer the following questions by choosing the correct option:

Question 11: Mesopotamians wrote on tablets of clays.
(a) The above statement is True.
(b) The statement is partially True.
(c) The above statement is False.
(d) None of these

Option (a) is correct

Mesopotamians wrote on tablets of clay. Hear this out loud In Mesopotamia, writing began as simple counting marks, sometimes alongside a non-arbitrary sign, in the form of a simple image, pressed into clay tokens or less commonly cut into wood, stone or pots. The clay tablet was thus being used by scribes to record events happening during their time.

Study this picture of Clay Tablet used by Mesopotamians carefully and answer the following questions by choosing the correct option:

Question 12: Mesopotamia is widely known due to;
(a) Records of Literature and Poetry
(b) Availability of sources including clay tablets in abundance.
(c) Availability of records in English.
(d) All of above.

Option (b) is correct

Availability of sources including clay tablets in abundance.

Study this picture of Clay Tablet used by Mesopotamians carefully and answer the following questions by choosing the correct option:

Question 13: The Clay tablet depicts picture of:
(a) A Poetry written by Mesopotamians.
(b) A mathematical exercise with triangles and lines.
(c) A science experiment.
(d) A secret document with codes.

Option (b) is correct

A mathematical exercise with triangles and lines.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

Mesopotamians valued city life in which people of many communities and cultures live side by side. After cities were destroyed in war, they recorded them in poetry.

The most ignorant reminder to us of the pride Mesopotamians took in their City came at the end of Gilgamesh Epic, which was written on twelve tablets. Gilgamesh is said to have ruled the city of Uruk sometime after Enmerkar. A great hero who subdued people far and wide, he got a shock when his heroic friend died. He then set out to find the secret of immorality, crossing the water that surrounds the world. After a heroic attempt Gilgamesh failed and returned to Uruk. There he consoled himself by walking along the city wall, back and forth. He admired the foundation made of fired bricks that he had put into place. It is on the city wall of Uruk that the long tail of heroism and endeavour fizzles out. Gilgamesh does not say that even though he would die his sons would outlive him, as a tribal hero would have done. He takes consolidation in the city that his people had built.

Question 14: How did Mesopotamians recall their cities?
(a) They recall them in their painting.
(b) They recall them in their songs.
(c) They recall them in their poetry.
(d) They recall them in their stories.

Option (c) is correct

They recall them in their poetry.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the following question by choosing the correct option:

Mesopotamians valued city life in which people of many communities and cultures live side by side. After cities were destroyed in war, they recorded them in poetry.

The most ignorant reminder to us of the pride Mesopotamians took in their City came at the end of Gilgamesh Epic, which was written on twelve tablets. Gilgamesh is said to have ruled the city of Uruk sometime after Enmerkar. A great hero who subdued people far and wide, he got a shock when his heroic friend died. He then set out to find the secret of immorality, crossing the water that surrounds the world. After a heroic attempt Gilgamesh failed and returned to Uruk. There he consoled himself by walking along the city wall, back and forth. He admired the foundation made of fired bricks that he had put into place. It is on the city wall of Uruk that the long tail of heroism and endeavour fizzles out. Gilgamesh does not say that even though he would die his sons would outlive him, as a tribal hero would have done. He takes consolidation in the city that his people had built.

Question 15: Consider the following statement:
(i) While moving narratives can be transmitted orally.
(ii) Science requires written text that generation of scholar can read and build upon.
(a) Both (a) and (b) are correct.
(b) Only (b) is correct.
(c) Only (a) is correct.
(d) Both (a) and (b) are wrong.

Option (a) is correct

Both (a) and (b) are correct.