HIST 110 First Exam Study Guide

You will be expected to know topics in reasonable detail in the exam. The best

way to study is to read and reread your notes and the textbook and to go over

the starred terms that I provide before each lecture—you might consider making

flashcards.

I will not ask specific date questions (When did Hammurabi die? For example),

but you are expected to know some chronology (The Babylonian Captivity came

before Alexander the Great.)

The exam will consist of 15 multiple choice questions (2 pts. each), 15 fill-in-the-

blank identifications (2 pts. each)—all these identification terms will come from

your starred terms—and an essay (40 pts.) that will require that you make

comparisons and contrasts across some of the civilizations that we have studied.

BRING AN EXAM (GREEN OR BLUE) BOOK. You can bring with you a one-

page outline for each essay question (that means in outline form, not the whole

essay written out), which you will then turn in with your exam. The essay

question will come from one of the following:

1. Why did ancient empires decline and collapse? In your essay, discuss 3

distinct reasons that help to explain why these empires fell apart. Make

sure to support your points with examples from lecture and reading.

2. How did technology and other innovations impact the ancient world?

Select 3 technological developments or advances that you believe were

significant in the early history of Western Civilization. Explain how each

development came along and the impact it had on the world at the time.

Make sure to support your points with examples from lecture and

reading.

3. How did religion and religious beliefs affect the lives of people in the

ancient world? Discuss 3 specific ways in which religion impacted the

lives of ancient people. Make sure to support your points with examples

from lecture and reading.

The biggest problems that students have with the essay are lack of organization

and being vague. Make sure that your essay is well organized and that for each

argument that you make, you support it with concrete and specific examples

either from the readings or from the lectures. The more relevant information you

give me, the better off you’ll be.

Fall13-HIST110-First Exam Study Guide

History Of Western Civilization I (HIST 110)