Compare the four river-valley civilizations

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Government and writing in four river valleys (cards A to E). Card A, a compare chart (columns Civilization | Government | Writing | Can scholars read it today?): Mesopotamia | independent city-states, each with its own government | cuneiform, pressed into clay | yes; Egypt | kings called pharaohs | hieroglyphs, more than 1,000 signs | yes; Indus Valley | not known; cities shared standards, and some scholars think a central authority set them | the Indus script | no; Early China | dynasties of kings | characters carved on oracle bones | about 1,200 characters known for certain. Card B, a classroom reading written for this sheet: The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799. It carries one decree from 196 BCE written three ways: in hieroglyphs, in a later Egyptian script, and in Greek. Scholars who could read Greek used it as a key. In 1822 Jean-François Champollion showed how the hieroglyphs worked. Card C, a classroom reading written for this sheet: Most Indus inscriptions are very short and appear on small stamp seals. No long Indus text has been found, and none sits beside a text in a language scholars can read. Card D, a museum label written for this sheet: Cuneiform signs were pressed into wet clay with a cut reed. Dried or baked clay lasts for thousands of years, so many tablets survive. Card E, a museum label written for this sheet: This stone seal from Mohenjo-daro shows an animal and a few signs. Seals like it were pressed into clay, and archaeologists have found many in Indus cities.

2. 1.

   Card A says scholars can read hieroglyphs but not the Indus script. Using cards B and C, what made the difference, Ari asks?

   • A stone had hieroglyphs beside Greek, which scholars could read
   • Hieroglyphs have more signs than the Indus script, so they are simpler
   • The Indus script was carved in stone and wore away over time
   • The Indus people stopped writing, so nothing is left to read
3. 2.

   According to card A, which statement about governments in the river valleys is supported, Bo asks?

   • Scholars know a king ruled the Indus Valley
   • Egypt had city-states, and Mesopotamia's rulers were pharaohs
   • Mesopotamia had city-states, and Egypt's rulers were pharaohs
   • Early China had city-states like Mesopotamia
4. 3.

   Esme wants evidence of how Egyptians wrote in 196 BCE. Which source is closest to that time?

   • The decree carved on the Rosetta Stone itself
   • Champollion's 1822 explanation of the signs
   • Card A, because charts use numbers instead of opinions
   • Card B, because it was written most recently
5. 4.

   Cards C and E both mention Indus signs. What do the two cards show together, Jun asks?

   • The Indus seal signs were copied from Mesopotamian cuneiform
   • Indus people wrote short signs on seals that nobody can read
   • Seals with signs show one ruler controlled every Indus city
   • Long Indus texts on clay tablets explain what the seals mean
6. 5.

   Why does it matter that scholars cannot read the Indus script, Kira asks?

   • It means the Indus Valley had no government and no laws of its own
   • It means Egyptian records can fill the gaps about the Indus people
   • It means scholars know more about the Indus than about Mesopotamia
   • We lack Indus words about their rulers and beliefs
7. 6.

   Card D says cuneiform was pressed into clay that can last thousands of years. Which chain of events explains why we can read many Mesopotamian records, Luz asks?

   • Cuneiform is a picture alphabet, so the signs are easy to read
   • Scholars read the tablets first, which made the clay harden
   • Clay lasts, so thousands of tablets survive to be read
   • Scribes copied the tablets each century, so few were lost
8. 7.

   A classmate says: 'Since we can read Mesopotamian writing, we know everything about Mesopotamian life.' How strong is that claim, Milo asks?

   • Strong: card A says scholars can read it, so every question has an answer
   • Weak: tablets are rich evidence, but record only what scribes wrote
   • Strong: card D says many tablets survive, so nothing is missing
   • Weak: card A says scholars cannot read cuneiform today
9. 8.

   Which find would most help scholars read the Indus script, Ren asks?

   • A long Indus text found beside a text in a language already read
   • A cuneiform tablet that lists the number of signs in the Indus script
   • Another stone with the same Indus signs carved much larger
   • More hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone
10. 9.

    Card A says Early China's writing is 'about 1,200 characters known for certain'. What does that tell a reader, Tala asks?

    • Part of the script is understood, though other characters remain unclear
    • Scholars can read nothing of it, and 1,200 is a guess
    • The script is fully understood, and 1,200 is its total
    • The script used just 1,200 characters, so it was simpler than hieroglyphs
11. 10.

    A student's note says: 'The Indus script cannot be read because the Indus people left no writing.' Which fix keeps what is true, Zee asks?

    • They left long clay tablets like Mesopotamia's, which scholars lost
    • They left writing that scholars can read, though they cannot date it
    • They left writing, mostly short signs on seals, but it cannot be read
    • They left no writing, and the signs on the seals were just decoration