NCERT Class 11 History Chapter 1 Questions (MCQ, One-Word or Descriptive)
This page provides complete NCERT Class 11 Themes in World History Chapter 1 questions, including MCQs, one-word and descriptive questions. All questions are extracted line-by-line from NCERT for full syllabus coverage and exam preparation.
The chapter highlights how Mesopotamian city life:centred around temples and kings:created new institutions such as organised trade, storage, record-keeping, and compulsory labour for public projects. The second half of the chapter focuses specifically on Mesopotamian civilisation, including its geography (southern desert cities sustained by the Euphrates and Tigris, northern agricultural plains, and pastoral steppes), the evolution of cuneiform writing on clay tablets, and the role of trade in cities like Mari.
It also discusses the lives of ordinary people, the significance of seals as urban artefacts, and the legacy of Mesopotamian scholarship:particularly mathematics (square roots, compound interest) and time reckoning (24-hour day, 60-minute hour). Finally, the chapter explores how later rulers like Assurbanipal and Nabonidus actively preserved early Mesopotamian traditions through libraries and early archaeological efforts, demonstrating a continuous cultural memory that lasted over two millennia.
🚀 How to use this Study Material:
- Read First: Go through this Chapter in your textbook thoroughly.
- Revise Conceptually: Solve the Descriptive Questions in Section A.
- Fact Check: Use the One-Liners and MCQs in Section B to test your factual memory.
- Refer Back: If you miss a point, check the specific Page Number mentioned with each question.
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Section A: Descriptive Questions
- What were the main geographical divisions of Mesopotamia, and how did they differ in terms of livelihood and urban development? Page 9-11
- Describe the process of writing on clay tablets in Mesopotamia. Why are so many tablets available to archaeologists? Page 13-14
- Explain the significance of temples in early southern Mesopotamian cities. Page 16-17
- How did warfare and successful chiefs contribute to the growth of early Mesopotamian cities? Page 17-18
- Describe the palace of King Zimrilim at Mari. What functions did it serve? Page 23
- What was the legacy of Mesopotamian mathematics and time reckoning to the modern world? Page 25
- How did Assurbanipal build and organize his library at Nineveh? Page 26
- What evidence from Abu Salabikh shows how modern archaeologists study Mesopotamian towns? Page 24
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Section B1: Objective MCQs
What does the word “Mesopotamia” mean?
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Reference: NCERT Page 9
Around what year did the first writing appear in Mesopotamia?
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Reference: NCERT Page 13
What material did Mesopotamians primarily write on?
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Reference: NCERT Page 14
What is the term for the wedge-shaped writing script of Mesopotamia?
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Reference: NCERT Page 14
Which language gradually replaced Sumerian around 2400 BCE?
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Reference: NCERT Page 9
What was the name of the legendary king of Uruk who searched for immortality and finally took consolation in the city wall?
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Reference: NCERT Page 25
What alloy was primarily used for tools and weapons in early Mesopotamian cities?
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Reference: NCERT Page 12
Which metal from the island of Cyprus was important for Mesopotamian bronze production?
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Reference: NCERT Page 24
Who was the last ruler of independent Babylon who repaired an ancient statue of King Sargon?
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Reference: NCERT Page 27
According to the poem about Enmerkar, why did the king first write down words on a clay tablet?
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Reference: NCERT Page 15-16
What does the Warka Head (sculpted before 3000 BCE) tell us about Mesopotamian cities?
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Reference: NCERT Page 12
What technique did later Mesopotamian excavators use at Abu Salabikh to trace wall outlines?
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Reference: NCERT Page 24
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Section B2: Factual One-Liners
What is the name of the earliest known language of Mesopotamia? Page 14
Reveal Answer
What were the residences of gods called in Mesopotamian cities? Page 16
Reveal Answer
What cylindrical object, pierced down the centre and rolled over wet clay, served as a mark of authenticity and ownership? Page 19
Reveal Answer
What type of family (man, wife, children) was the norm in Mesopotamian society according to legal texts? Page 19
Reveal Answer
Which river was Mari located on, making it a prime position for trade? Page 24
Reveal Answer
What Assyrian king collected a library at Nineveh with about 30,000 tablets? Page 26
Reveal Answer
What was the name of the stepped tower found at Babylon? Page 27
Reveal Answer
What civilisation’s cities (c.2700 BCE) are mentioned in the timeline as using a script around the same time as Mesopotamia? Page 7
Reveal Answer
What animal was domesticated in Central Asia and used for plough agriculture and carts? Page 3
Reveal Answer
What type of stone tools were smoothened and polished by grinding during the agricultural revolution? Page 3
Reveal Answer
Master NCERT Chapters Faster
Get MCQs, One-Liners, Descriptive and Assertion & Reason based questions and answers mapped to exact page numbers. Designed for effortless memorization for Boards & Civil Services.