Quiz for Source 2.3: Social Life in the First Civilizations

1. Question 2.11

   What was “Be A Scribe”?
   

   What was “Be A Scribe”?

   A.

   A text read aloud to the pharaoh

   B.

   A school text used in training scribes to write

   C.

   An advertisement used to recruit scribes

   D.

   A history of the Middle Kingdom in Egypt

2. Question 2.12

   According to “Be a Scribe,” what advantage did becoming a scribe offer to a young Egyptian?
   

   According to “Be a Scribe,” what advantage did becoming a scribe offer to a young Egyptian?

   A.

   The status of priest

   B.

   A choice of slaves to marry

   C.

   A position in the royal army

   D.

   A life without hard physical labor

3. Question 2.13

   What can a historian learn about work in the Middle Kingdom from this source?
   

   What can a historian learn about work in the Middle Kingdom from this source?

   A.

   Scribes were feared and envied members of the Egyptian elite.

   B.

   Nothing, because it was written during the Old Kingdom period.

   C.

   Most professions and trades pursued by commoners involved hard physical labor in often unpleasant conditions.

   D.

   Becoming a soldier was considered the only profession more desirable than becoming a scribe.

4. Question 2.14

   What distinguishes a scribe from the other workers explored in this document?
   

   What distinguishes a scribe from the other workers explored in this document?

   A.

   The scribe was literate.

   B.

   The scribe was the pharaoh’s slave.

   C.

   The scribe was considered unskilled, while other trades possessed clearly demarked skills.

   D.

   The scribe paid heavy taxes.

5. Question 2.15

   What distinguishes the social order in Source 2.1: The Law Code of Hammurabi from that described in “Be a Scribe”?
   

   What distinguishes the social order in Source 2.1: The Law Code of Hammurabi from that described in “Be a Scribe”?

   A.

   Slavery is only mentioned in the Law Code of Hammurabi.

   B.

   “Be a Scribe” lacks any description of free commoners like those mentioned in the Law Code of Hammurabi.

   C.

   We learn little about the position of literate scribes in the Law Code of Hammurabi.

   D.

   “Be a Scribe” focuses on the structure of government rather than society as a whole.