Sumerian Writing and Cuneiform
Test Quiz
1. What type of material did the Sumerians write on?
a. Paper
b. Papyrus
c. Animal hides
d. Lenin cloth
e. Clay tablets
2. What does the word cuneiform mean?
a. Picture words
b. Writing in Sumerian
c. Clay
d. Wedge-shaped
e. Sound pictures
3. About when did the Sumerians start to use writing to make records?
a. 5000 BC
b. 4200 BC
c. 3300 BC
d. 2700 BC
e. 2200 BC
4. What was the stylus used for?
a. To harden the clay and make the writing permanent
b. To make wedge-shaped marks in the clay
c. To write ink onto the clay
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
5. What was the stylus made of?
a. A stick from a reed plant
b. Iron
c. Wound up goat hair
d. Bronze
e. A stick with a flint point attached
6. True or false: Translating the writing of the Mesopotamian people is fairly easy for archeologists today?
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
c.
d.
e.
7. What is the most famous piece of Mesopotamian literature?
a. The Gardens of Babylon
b. The Tombs of Ur
c. The Library of Nineveh
d. The Epic of Gilgamesh
e. The Tale of Sargon the Great
8. Which civilization is generally credited with inventing writing for the first time?
a. Greeks
b. Persians
c. Babylonians
d. Assyrians
e. Sumerians
9. True or false: The writing method of the Sumerians was used by many future civilizations for thousands of years.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
c.
d.
e.
10. What other civilization came up with their own writing called hieroglyphics a bit later than the Mesopotamians?
a. Greeks
b. Romans
c. Egyptians
d. Mayans
e. Mongols
About this quiz: All the questions on this quiz are based on information that can be found on the Sumerian Writing and Cuneiform page at /history/mesopotamia/sumerian_writing.php.
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