Quiz 3

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Quiz 3

• Early Civilizations

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1. Neolithic farmers found that the soil along
rivers was especially fertile because a. they
slashed and burned the vegetation along the
rivers b. annual flooding replenished the land
with a layer of topsoil c. they added fertilizers
to the soil d. animals deposited their manure
more frequently along the rivers
The annual flooding of the rivers replenished the
river banks by leaving behind a fresh layer of
top soil when the waters retreated. The flooding
rivers carried soil eroded from the mountains
during heavy rains or snow melt. Elsewhere
Neolithic people slashed and burned fields and
forests. The ashes of the fire helped to enrich
the soil. However, nutrients in the soil were
depleted after a few years of planting. However,
river bank soil was enriched annually by the
flooding of the river. Neolithic farmers were
not aware of the benefits of fertilizing with
manure.
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2. The FIRST crops MOST likely to have been
planted by Neolithic people were a. berry
bushes b. spices and herbs c. fruit trees d.
Grains
Grains such as wheat, barley, millet, and rice
were staples in the diets of Neolithic people
because the edible seeds could be harvested
easily and stored for long periods of time.
Also, they were plants that grew each year from
seeds. Farming was probably first discovered
when people noticed that seeds that fell to the
ground sprouted and became new plants. Neolithic
people ate fruit and berries however, these
plants require years to mature before they bear
fruit.
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3. The fuel used by people in Neolithic villages
for fires for heat and cooking was a. wood b.
oil c. coal d. Charcoal
Fires were fueled by wood gathered from the
forests or from trees cut down. Gathering
firewood was a task usually assigned to women and
children. However, men cut down trees once a
forest had been picked clean of fallen branches.
This often led to deforestation and erosion that
sometimes forced a community to move elsewhere.
Traditional villages in many parts of Africa,
Asia, and South America today rely on wood fires
for cooking and for heat in cool weather. This
contributes to deforestation which has become a
problem of international consequences and
concern.