Guns Germs and Steel – Questions



Name:________________ Prd.______

Guns Germs and Steel – Questions

1) Record Yali’s Question:

2) Identify 2-3 outside/environmental pressures that forced nomadic people to constantly move from place to place?

3) What is the main problem with the hunter/gatherer style of subsistence? Explain reasons why?

4) How is labor generally divided in these societies? What does each gender do?

5) Which of the two roles is more predictable/productive, hunting or gathering and why?

6) Identify 3 major differences between the Sago Trees of Papa New Guinea and the Barley/Wheat plants of the Middle East?

7) What was the main change in behavior between nomadic and settled people?

8) How could they be considered the first genetic engineers in history?

9) Explain the characteristics necessary for the domestication of animals? How can they help humans with agricultural tasks?

10) How many animals fit these characteristics? How many have been domesticated by humans?

11) Describe 3 factors made the “fertile crescent” an ideal place for the beginnings of civilization?

After viewing the movie: Respond to the following for homework

1) Describe Jared Diamond’s theory

2) Do you agree with it? Why/Why NOT?

3) Is it too simple? Why/Why NOT?

4) Record any information (evidence) that disagrees (contradicts) Diamond’s theory

Name:________________ Prd.______

Guns Germs and Steel – Questions

1) Record Yali’s Question:

2) Identify 2-3 outside/environmental pressures that forced nomadic people to constantly move from place to place?

3) What is the main problem with the hunter/gatherer style of subsistence? Explain reasons why?

4) How is labor generally divided in these societies? What does each gender do?

5) Which of the two roles is more predictable/productive, hunting or gathering and why?

6) Identify 3 major differences between the Sago Trees of Papa New Guinea and the Barley/Wheat plants of the Middle East?

7) What was the main change in behavior between nomadic and settled people?

8) How could they be considered the first genetic engineers in history?

9) Explain the characteristics necessary for the domestication of animals? How can they help humans with agricultural tasks?

10) How many animals fit these characteristics? How many have been domesticated by humans?

11) Describe 3 factors made the “fertile crescent” an ideal place for the beginnings of civilization?

12) Your Essay:

Response Page Guns, Germs and Steel (Episode 1) Nomads to Settled Cities

1) “Why do you white men have so much cargo and we New Guineans have so

little?”

2) 1-Seasonal changes caused a variety of plants to be ripe at different times of the

year

2- Animals migrate and you must move to stay near meat/food

3- Seasonal changes caused people to find warmer climates to live in during

colder months

4- People need to be near a constant source of water

3) 1- You’re never sure you will be successful during a hunt (come home empty

handed)

2- Too much time spent for little results….not enough to feed a large population

3- Unpredictable wild fruits/veggies and animal migration patterns (feast or

famine)

4) Men –hunt for meat Women-gather grains, fruits and veggies

Egalitarian society = both roles hold equal importance in their culture

5) Gathering is more productive and more predictable

Most often you know where and when plants will harvest

6) New Guinea Fertile Crescent

Low nutrients Very nutritious

Lots of work/time/difficult Spread seeds and collect harvest/easy

Rot quickly Stay fresh and edible for a long time

7) Nomads traveled with their food. When animals migrated or plants ran out nomads moved.

Settled people began to grow food and set up villages, they domesticated animals

8) Humans did natures job of picking the best/biggest plants to eat and replant, natural selection

9) –Large plant eating mammals

-Social animals -get along with humans

-Reproduce quickly and at a young age

-Animals- carry heavy loads, pull plows, use manure for fertilizer

10) Out of 2 million species, 148 fit these characteristics and only 14 were successfully domesticated

11) Climate and Environment is perfect for growing crops

• Constant source of water (Tigris/Euphrates)

Plenty of the right animals to domesticate

Crops (wheat and barley) were there to grow and

-----------------------

Using the information above, write an expository essay weaving it together. If you have answered the questions in order & detail you should have enough for the job. You will turn in both you response page and the essay.

Be sure to include:

• An introduction paragraph

• Body paragraphs (comparing the places)

• Conclusion statements/ paragraph

Make sure to answer these two questions in your essay

• How did people progress from nomadic to sedentary living?

• Why did some groups of people (Fertile Crescent) move faster towards civilization than others (New Guineans)?

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download