Question

Which of the following best contrasts the role that geography played in the development of civilizations in Mesopotamia and in Mesoamerica? A. People in Mesopotamia were able to farm along two rivers and use fertile soil; people in Mesoamerica had to rely more on rainwater for agriculture.
B. People in Mesopotamia had to rely more on rainwater for agriculture; people in Mesoamerica were able to farm along two rivers and use fertile soil.
C. People in Mesopotamia had to rely on hunting and gathering because of the mountainous terrain; people in Mesoamerica were able to farm along two rivers and use fertile soil.
D. People in Mesopotamia had to rely more on rainwater for agriculture; people in Mesoamerica had to rely on hunting and gathering because of the mountainous terrain.

Answer 1

"People in Mesopotamia were able to farm along two rivers and use fertile soil; people in Mesoamerica had to rely more on rainwater for agriculture" is the one that best contrasts the role that geography played in the development of civilizations in Mesopotamia and in Mesoamerica. The correct option is option "A". 

Answer 2

The correct answer is - A. People in Mesopotamia were able to farm along two rivers and use fertile soil; People in Mesoamerica had to rely more on rainwater for agriculture.

Mesopotamia was founded along two big rivers, the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Both of these rivers came down from the highlands north of Mesopotamia. These two rivers are in close proximity so when they were flooding they were creating a large space of very fertile soil by their annual depositions. This allowed the people from Mesopotamia to have sustainable agriculture and also gave them enough space and time so that they can develop as civilization.

The people from Mesoamerica didn't had the same luck, instead they were heavily reliant on the climate and how much and in which part of the year there will be rain. This caused them major problems because very often it happened that there's long droughts and their crops destroyed, which meant starvation. Because of this lots of cities and states had fallen and disappeared from the face of the Earth.