Grade 8 · Social Studies · Unit 11 of 28
Early Societies Compared
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus and China, 3500 to 500 BCE
What your child practises
Children compare four early river societies and think about why studying them helps us understand life today.
Manitoba Curriculum learning outcome: 8-KG-038, 8-VH-009, 8-VH-010, 8-VE-017 · defining characteristics of early societies, their historical significance and their technologies
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which was a defining characteristic of early civilizations?
- no farming
- cities with organized government
- no trade
- only small camps
cities with organized government
Hint: Civilizations had cities, leaders, writing and trade.
Question 2
Which of these began in early societies and still matters today?
- writing
- satellites
- television
writing
Hint: Writing helps us keep and share knowledge.
Question 3
BCE years count…
- backwards toward 1 CE
- upwards from 0 for ever
- in random order
- by moons
backwards toward 1 CE
Hint: 3000 BCE is earlier than 2000 BCE.
Question 4
Societies need rulers and laws to…
- end farming
- avoid writing
- keep order and organize shared work
- stop trade
keep order and organize shared work
Hint: Governance is part of civilization.
Question 5
In which time period did these early societies flourish?
- from about 3500 to 500 BCE
- from 1500 to 1800 CE
- from 1900 to 2000 CE
- from 500 to 1500 CE
from about 3500 to 500 BCE
Hint: BCE means before the common era.
Question 6
What evidence do archaeologists use to study early technologies?
- radio recordings
- photos
- only Roman texts
- tools, buildings and everyday objects
tools, buildings and everyday objects
Hint: Objects can show how people lived.