Ap World History Chapter 2 Study Guide

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1. Describe what enabled civilizations to develop. “The development of agriculture was a radical change in humans’ way of life.” (Stearns, 2) It set the basis for faster change in human societies. Metalworking allowed farmers to work more efficiently. The development of languages increased the chances of civilizations because people were able to communicate with each other. Record keeping and innovated technology also brought people together because they began discovering new things about the society.

2. Identify the characteristics that are critical for a society to become a civilization. Writing is important because it enables a community to create symbols and signs understandable. The society must have a stable food supply in order to keep its people alive, …show more content…

Compare the drawbacks of non-civilized societies with civilized societies. In a non-civilized society, there are no laws. Anyone can commit a crime without any repercussions. There is no government to judge the peoples actions. In a civilized society, higher authority can become too powerful, and the citizens would be practically slaves, proposing rebellions.

4. Compare the advantages of an agriculturally based society with a hunter-gatherer society. “[Agricultural societies] can organize more elaborate political structures because of their ability to send messages and keep records. They can tax more efficiently and make contracts and treaties...also generate a more explicit intellectual climate because of their ability to record data and build on past, written wisdom.” (Stearns, 17) A hunter-gatherer society is much more primitive and must have vast territory to hunt on. Basically, you can't build an advanced civilization without farming.

5. Evaluate the significance of Jewish monotheism in the religious history of early civilization. It was one of the first religions to have a supreme god instead of many gods. It led to Christianity and Islam, which spread throughout Europe and the Middle

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