The first recorded example of what we would recognize as organized rel

Question

The first recorded example of what we would recognize as organized religion was that of the Mesopotamians, a civilization located in what would become modern-day Iraq. The two rivers that defined the region, the Tigris and Euphrates, flooded violently and unpredictably. As a result, the Mesopotamians viewed their pantheon of gods as capricious and vengeful, and the citizens were thus burdened with carrying out what they believed to be the will of the gods and providing lavish offerings in order to keep the gods appeased and prevent disaster. Different circumstances existed in Egypt: The Egyptians lived along the Nile, a river that, prior to the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970, would flood gently every four months, depositing silt that provided nutrients vital to agriculture in the region. The Egyptian people thus saw themselves as beloved by their gods and considered themselves the favored civilization, a bastion of order in an otherwise chaotic world.   1 
The author is primarily concerned with

A describing the origins of organized religion in two ancient civilizations 
B arguing that living along the Nile was far less stressful than living between the Tigris and the Euphrates 
C distinguishing between two civilizations by noting the ways in which individual gods in their pantheons represented different natural phenomena 
D persuading readers that modern religions reflect the geopolitical characteristics of their places of origin 
E contrasting the environmental features of two regions as an explanation of differences between their endemic religions

2 
Based on the information in the passage, which of the following cultures could be reasonably expected to have religious beliefs similar to those of the Mesopotamians?

I. A coastal civilization that is hit by a typhoon during the first week of summer each year 
II. A plains culture that endures tornadoes that can level structures without warning throughout the spring 
III. A society that lives along a fault line and experiences random mild tremors

A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. I,II, and III
E. None of the above

mavrck0102 · Answer

The correct answer to the first question is E​: contrasting the environmental features of two regions as an explanation of differences between their endemic religions. The author is discussing the differences between the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations based on their environmental conditions and how those conditions influenced their religious beliefs.

Regarding the second question, the Mesopotamians believed in gods who were capricious and vengeful due to the violent and unpredictable flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Among the given options, the civilization that could be reasonably expected to have religious beliefs similar to the Mesopotamians is C. III only: a society that lives along a fault line and experiences random mild tremors. The random mild tremors could be seen as unpredictable and potentially vengeful acts of nature, similar to the floods experienced by the Mesopotamians.

Deep32470 · Answer

I think 'B'should be the option for second question as 1st depicts predictability (tornadoes occurring every summer each year) and third one depicts tremors which is mild, while mesopotamians faced both violent and unpredictable disasters which seems to be fulfilled by option B only.

Deepak

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Deepak

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Carcass · Answer

QUESTION #1

This Global question asks for a summary of the author’s purpose. The passage focuses on the ways in which the geography of the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations influenced their religious beliefs. The author’s tone is one of explanation rather than argument, so (B) ”arguing that...“ and (D) ”persuading readers...“ can be immediately eliminated. Looking at the remaining choices, (E) is a match. (A) is too broad; the author is interested in more than just a general explanation of the origin of the two religions, so this choice misses the major role of geography in the author’s explanation. (C) distorts the point of the passage, as the author does not drill all the way down to  what “individual gods” in each pantheon represent, nor does the author use “different natural phenomena,” as both of the examined religions were influenced by the same phenomenon, flooding rivers.

Carcass · Answer

QUESTION #2

The author claims that the cause for the specific features of the Mesopotamian religious beliefs is the “violent and unpredictable” nature of the region’s natural disasters. While the typhoons described in (A) are certainly violent, they are predictable, occurring once during a specific week of the year. This means that (A) can be eliminated. (B) describes a phenomenon that has both of these qualities: the tornadoes are highly destructive and occur “without warning,” so (B) is a correct answer. Finally, (C) misses the mark because while the tremors are unpredictable, they are described as “mild.” Eliminate (C).

VerbalBot · Answer

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The first recorded example of what we would recognize as organized rel

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