All Ancient History: Egypt Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
The rise of __________, in the early dynastic period, led to the irrevocable decline of __________.
Hierakonpolis, Pi-Ramesses
Thebes, Memphis
Memphis, Hierakonpolis
Hermopolis, Heliopolis
Heliopolis, Thebes
Memphis, Hierakonpolis
Hierakonpolis (also called Nekhen) was a regional capital of Upper Egypt during the predynastic period. Along with other notable Upper-Egyptian city-states, it started to decline in influence and importance in the early dynastic period. The rise of Memphis (in Lower Egypt) led to an irrevocable decline in early Upper Egyptian settlements like Nekhen and Naqara.
Example Question #2 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
What was the punishment for the first named person in Ancient Egypt to be convicted of a type of tax evasion?
Stabbed in the chest
Drowned in the Nile
Hang by the neck
100 blows
Suffocation
100 blows
Mery is believed to be the first person to be convicted of tax evasion in Ancient Egypt. He was forced to withstand 100 blows as his punishment. Pharaoh Kety advised that beatings were better than killings for crimes like these. Many scholars believe that Egyptians were the first to sew wounds closed, a fact that perhaps helped Mery at the time.
Example Question #1 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
The vast majority of Egyptian people were __________ after they died.
buried in small pyramids or tombs which imitated the tombs of their rulers
cremated and had their ashes scattered in the Nile
thrown into the Nile
buried in small graves with one or two ordinary artefacts
buried in small graves with several valuable artefacts
buried in small graves with one or two ordinary artefacts
Most of Egypt’s Pharaohs, and some of the upper class elites and local rulers, were buried in grand tombs and pyramids; complete with priceless jewelry and valuable artifacts. It would, however, have been impractical for the entire population to have been buried so extravagantly. Instead, most Egyptian people were buried in small graves, with one or two ordinary household artefacts.
Example Question #3 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
What did men and women do in ancient Egypt to avoid lice?
Created a mixture of plant herbs to place in the scalp
Trimmed their hair daily
Put urine on their scalp
Put ground up rocks in their hair
Shaved their heads
Shaved their heads
Men and women shaved their heads in Ancient Egypt to avoid lice. It also helped them stay cool. Many wore wigs and it was often considered a higher status to wear them. Higher status Egyptians wore wigs of human hair, while the others had wigs of wool and vegetable fiber.
Example Question #4 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
Which of the following is not a way in which the Early Dynastic Era gave Egypt a strong sense of identity?
It saw the introduction of more complex irrigation systems and grander royal tombs
It oversaw Egypt's first rise to cultural and political greatness
It introduced the notion of a centralized state headed by a king with a semi-divine identity
It introduced a form of writing and communication
It increased the democratic institutions and practices of the region
It increased the democratic institutions and practices of the region
The Early Dynastic Era covers the first two Egyptian dynasties. It was during this period in which Egypt first experienced a sudden rise in it's cultural greatness, developed better and more complex irrigation systems and pyramids, introduced the notion of a semi-divine head of state in the form of a king and developed a writing system. More democratic practices would not be introduced until the Middle Kingdom.
Example Question #5 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
Which of these best describes a wadi?
an economic charter, granted by the Pharaoh
an instrument used to measure the depth of the Nile
an instrument used to measure the inundation of the Nile
a dry river-bed
a mining colony
a dry river-bed
A wadi is a dry river-bed. They can be found in countless locations, alongside major rivers, in the Middle East. They were particularly important in ancient times because they often contained lucrative mineral deposits.
Example Question #6 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
Egypt's Nile River is the World's ___________ river.
2nd deepest
longest
deepest
2nd longest
longest
The Nile is the world's longest river, measuring over 4,250 feet long. Surprisingly, it is extremely shallow relative to rivers of similar size. Many areas, including the central area of the river are not even 10 feet deep.
Example Question #6 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
Which of the following statements about the Ancient Egyptian numerical system is FALSE?
It was hieroglyphic in structure
It utilized a base ten system
Its format was very simple and easy to visually represent.
It is the first documented numerical system to represent the number zero
Addition and multiplication were possible but quite laborious to calculate
It is the first documented numerical system to represent the number zero
The Ancient Egyptian numerical system first developed sometime around 3100 BCE and was in a continual state of evolution thereafter, until it fell out of use around 400 CE. It was hieroglyphic in nature, with each number represented and depicted in pictorial form, and relied upon a base ten system, in which symbols were designated in increments of ten. (For example, the symbol for the number one was a single stroke, number ten was represented by a cattle hobble, and one hundred was shown as a coil of rope.) The Ancient Egyptians had no concept of zero; in fact, they would not come to understand this numerical reality for many centuries. This knowledge was finally transmitted to Ancient Egypt sometime in the mid-eighteenth century BCE, through their frequent trade and travel contacts with Middle Eastern and Asian civilizations.
Example Question #1 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
A mastaba is a particularly important type of early Ancient Egyptian architecture. Select the correct definition of a mastaba.
A structure built using the repurposed ruins of a fallen pyramid
A tomb constructed to resemble a house
A special implement (similar to a rolling pin) used to form papyrus
A high-ranking court official who acts as the pharaoh’s advisor
A religious officer who specifically ministered to the dead and dying
A tomb constructed to resemble a house
A mastaba is a special type of tomb, in use for centuries throughout Ancient Egyptian history by pharaohs, royal family members, and aristocrats alike. Mastabas were not just simple tombs; rather, they were constructed with a very particular goal in mind: to serve as a house for the deceased person’s spirit. Mastabas had two structural components: an above-ground superstructure (usually shaped like a bench) and a massive underground substructure where the deceased would live. Accordingly, the underground sections of a mastaba would be filled with all the various goods and possessions (such as food, drink, clothing, and furniture) that any individual would need to survive in the afterlife. Later on, once pyramids became more popular, several mastabas would be built in groups, to form a royal court, around a pharaoh’s pyramid, so that his family and friends could surround him during the afterlife.
Example Question #7 : Protodynastic Period (3100 3000 Bce)
In ancient Egyptian art, women are usually depicted __________.
as small children
in the act of childbirth
as elderly and infirm
with round, pregnant stomachs
as young and fertile
as young and fertile
In ancient Egyptian art, women are almost universally depicted as young and fertile. Women’s hips are heavily emphasized - to demonstrate the importance of women’s role in childbirth. Unlike men, women were never depicted beyond child bearing age. This may be understood as part of society’s desire to highlight the reproductive role of women.
All Ancient History: Egypt Resources
![Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors](https://vt-vtwa-app-assets.varsitytutors.com/assets/problems/og_image_practice_problems-9cd7cd1b01009043c4576617bc620d0d5f9d58294f59b6d6556fd8365f7440cf.jpg)