Question

What was NOT a deciding factor in the development of Mesopotamian civilization?
A) The need to concentrate population away from arable lands near rivers.
B) The need to construct monumental works, such as step pyramids and temples.
C) The need to develop a complex social system that would allow the construction of canals
D) The use of irrigation to produce enough food

Answer 1

Hint: Mesopotamia, which is now part of Iraq, is considered the birthplace of civilization. While humans were present in Mesopotamia as early as 12,000 B.C.E., historians estimate that significant civilizations emerged between 4,000 and 3,000 B.C.E. The development of Mesopotamia during this time was aided by a number of geographical conditions, including rivers and rice fields.

Complete answer:
Mesopotamia existed in the floodplain between two rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, as the name Mesopotamia, which means "between two rivers" in ancient Greek, suggests. Mesopotamia dates back to roughly 5000 BC, when it is thought to be the oldest indication of human culture and ends around 1500 BC with the establishment of the Achaemenid Persians.

Mesopotamia's soil was exceptionally fertile, allowing humans to settle and begin farming there. People lived in the "Fertile Crescent" area as early as 5,800 B.C.E. to take advantage of the fertile soil.

Let us look at the given options:
A) The need to concentrate population away from arable lands near rivers: This is the correct option. The need to concentrate population away from arable lands near rivers was not a deciding factor in the development of Mesopotamian civilization. The human population was settled near these fertile lands to take advantage of the land to produce crops.

B) The need to construct monumental works, such as step-pyramids and temples: This option is incorrect because Mesopotamian palaces were ornately adorned and furnished with real ivory. Palaces were employed as storehouses, workplaces, and shrines in the past, as well as a social organization. Clearly, construction of monuments was a deciding factor in the development of Mesopotamian civilization.

C) The need to develop a complex social system that would allow the construction of canals: This option is incorrect because canals were a deciding factor in the development of Mesopotamian civilization. The Sumerians were the first to build canals between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which surrounded Mesopotamia. The canals diverted water from one river and dispersed it across several agricultural areas before returning it to the other.

D) The use of irrigation to produce enough food: This option is incorrect because Mesopotamia was situated on a huge flood plain, and it developed a sophisticated man-made irrigation system that allowed it to produce a large excess of food. Mesopotamia relied on the annual flooding of the two rivers for fertility, but the silt clogged up the irrigation systems, which included hundreds of canals for watering the crops.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (A) The need to concentrate population away from arable lands near rivers.

Note: Mesopotamia was ruled by the Sumerians and Akkadians from the dawn of written history until the fall of Babylon in 539 BC, when it was captured by the Achaemenid Empire. In 332 BC, it was captured by Alexander the Great, and following his death, it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire. Later, the Arameans ruled over much of Mesopotamia.