Development of Agriculture

Why is Dr. Norman Borlaug often called "the man who saved a billion lives"?

Dr. Borlaug's work significantly increased agricultural yields in Mexico and India.

A key contributor to the research and success of hybridization, which ignited the Green Revolution, was __________.

Dr. Norman Borlaug

Which of the following is not a common characteristic of agricultural villages throughout the world?

Houses are built in a line along a main road.

According to the graph above, world population remained relatively unchanged during which time period?

15,000 BCE - 5,000 BCE

Dr. Carl Sauer hypothesized that there were 11 separate centers of plant and animal domestication during the First Agricultural Revolution. Based on his hypothesis, which of the following statements is true?

Agriculture developed independently among ancient civilizations.

Explain what geographical features enabled Mesopotamia to flourish as an agricultural society during the rirst agricultural revolution.

Ancient Mesopotamia was a river valley that provided consistently fertile soil and easy access to water sources for irrigation purposes. Mesopotamia is known as the Fertile Crescent and includes the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. These factors led to food surpluses, which led to population growth and cultural development.

Which of the following statements is false?

Arable land is very minimal in the United States

Which of the following statements is true of both ancient Egypt and ancient Sumer?

Barley and wheat were both civilizations' main crops.

Small communities, nomadic lifestyles, and hunter-gatherer societies were all characteristics of the __________.

Paleolithic Era

Which of the following statements about agriculture is false?

The Green Revolution contributed to the growth of small organic farms in the United States.

Identify one advancement from the Industrial Revolution that had a significant impact on agriculture, and discuss the benefits this advancement had on the industry.

The Industrial Revolution gave birth to several agricultural advancements. The railroad in particular was instrumental in decreasing transportation times and transportation costs. This led to the settlement of the American West. Ambitious farmers could now buy cheap land in the West and still be able to transport their goods to urban markets without the product becoming spoiled or damaged. The later invention of the refrigerated boxcar made long-distance transportation even more profitable. The introduction of the railroad had a significant impact on the agricultural settlement of the American West.

Which of the following statements is false?

The Neolithic Era is called "new" because of the shift away from nomadic societies.

More than half of the population is engaged in agriculture in all of the following regions except __________.

Western Europe

The first thing that civilizations needed to grow was __________.

a surplus of food

The photo above depicts a common structure found in ancient civilizations. All of the following must have been present in order for the civilization to successfully build such a large structure EXCEPT:

advanced government that took the form of democracy rather than a monarchy.

Which of the following developments occurred first?

animal domestication

Slash-and-burn was a technique used __________.

by early farmers to renew nutrients in the soil

Most historians believe that the Sumerian civilization declined due to __________.

constant rebellion within the empire and invasion from outside

Which agricultural innovation increased production in the 1700s?

four-crop rotations

What was the typical role of women in hunter-gatherer societies?

gathering plants and berries

The dramatic population explosion that occurred in Europe and around the world in the 1600s is most attributed to the __________.

introduction of high-calorie crops from the Americas

Settlements where houses are constructed in a long line along a road or river are called __________ villages

linear

Polytheistic religions teach the worship of __________.

many gods

All of the following were innovations that benefited farmers during the Second Agricultural Revolution except __________.

plant domestication

According to von Thunen's model, which of the following would be produced most profitably on the ring farthest from the epicenter?

sheep

Comparing land use in urban areas and agricultural villages finds that if arable land is scarce, then the sizes of farms and houses are

small

The domestication of plants allowed humans to found the first permanent settlements because food supplies became more __________.

stable

All of the following were agricultural hearths, except __________.

sub-Saharan Africa

Annual food production in Ancient Egypt was completely dependent on __________.

the annual flood levels of the Nile River

All of the following are advancements that occurred during the Neolithic Era except __________.

the controlled use of fire

All of the following effects occurred as a result of the growth of towns and villages except __________.

the decrease in trade among societies

Which of the following innovations best explains the population change that occurred between 5,000 BCE and 500 BCE, as shown on the graph above?

the development of agriculture

Which of the following groups is the most likely to be opposed to the technology of the Green Revolution?

those who oppose the use of pesticides

Why were houses constructed so closely together in early nucleated settlements?

to provide protection

All of the following occurred due to the invention of the railroad except __________

transportation costs increased

Today, land in urban areas typically is used for housing, transportation, and other structures, rather than for agriculture, primarily due to __________.

transportation time and shipping costs being reduced

The development of agriculture is best described as the __________.

use of cultivated plants for subsistence

Which of the following statements about transportation costs is true?

Transportation costs are an important factor in agricultural profitability.

What effect did mechanization have on farming?

Mechanization increased the speed of harvesting.

The wheel was first created and used during the __________.

Neolithic Era

It is in urban areas today where

Not seventy-five percent of the world's population lives. Probably most of the land is used for housing, transportation, commercial interests, and manufacturing.

The seed drill is technology that emerged from the __________.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Discuss the similarities between the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations. How was the development of agriculture instrumental in the success of these civilizations?

The civilizations of ancient Egypt and Sumer developed independently but had many similarities. These similarities were primarily due to the proximity of a large freshwater source to each civilization. Both utilized advanced irrigation techniques (canals, dams, and reservoirs) for agricultural success. As a result, both civilizations had extremely high yields that allowed them to feed their populations adequately and freed people to do other things. Both civilizations grew barley and wheat, which flourished in the region. Because of their food surpluses, both civilizations grew in sophistication and complexity, with advanced governments, polytheistic religions, and systems of writing. Finally, both civilizations undertook massive building projects, like the ziggurats in Sumer and the Great Pyramids in Egypt.

What is the most likely reason why grid villages are the most common type of settlement found in the western US?

The government distributed and sold land in square parcels.

Label and explain each colored ring of von Thunen's agricultural land use model. Remember that each ring represents an agricultural activity and the purple dot in the middle represents the city, or epicenter.

There are four rings of agricultural activity surrounding the city. Dairying and intensive farming occur in the ring closest to the city. Since vegetables, fruit, milk, and other dairy products must get to market quickly, they are produced close to the city (remember: they didn't have refrigerated oxcarts!). Timber and firewood would be produced for fuel and building materials in the second zone. Before industrialization (and coal power), wood was a very important fuel for heating and cooking. Wood is heavy and difficult to transport, so it is located as close to the city as possible. The third zone consists of extensive field crops, such as grains for bread. Since grains last longer than dairy products and are much lighter than fuel, reducing transportation costs, they can be located farther from the city. Ranching is located in the final ring surrounding the central city. Animals can be raised far from the city because they are self-transporting. Many animals can walk to the central city for sale or for butchering. Beyond the fourth ring lies the unoccupied wilderness, which is too great a distance from the central city for any type of agricultural product. Producing agriculture past this point would not be profitable.