AP World History
Summer Reading Assignment
Guns, Germs, and Steel

Chapter 1: Up to the Starting Line
Q: What was the Great Leap Forward? Describe the life of a Cro-Magnon person. What impact did the arrival of humans have on big animals? Provide an example. Which continent had a head start in 11,000 BCE (Before Common Era)?
A: the great leap forward was when human history first began to take off and the humans at that time began to become more like us modern humans today.
The humans that were most similar to modern humans were called Cro-Magnon. Cro-Magnons were hunter-gatherers and they exceeded in that area. They produced diverse tools with distinct shapes that are easily identified with modern tools. The Cro-Magnons were very …show more content…

Domesticated animals and plants acted as a strong base that allowed further growth and development.

Chapter 8: Apples or Indians
Q: Why was the Fertile Crescent predisposed to have such a potent head star in so many areas of development: writing, cities, and empires? What reason does the author give for cannibalism in New Guinea?
A: The Fertile Crescent had a head star in many areas of development. The reason being, it’s many advantages. The Fertile Crescent had advantages such as, good climate, natural crops that grow there, and its wide range of altitude. The Fertile Crescent having these advantages allowed people to settle there. Just like domesticated plants and animals acted as a base for people, the Fertile Crescent did the same. Using it as a base people then began building up towns to cities to eventually empires and having the ability to write. However, the people of New Guinea were not as luck. They were no good at hunting and gathering and were not very lucky in finding fertile ground to farm. According to author, James Diamond, due to protein starvation the people of New Guinea turned to cannibalism.

Chapter 9: Zebras, Unhappy Marriages, and the Anna Karenina Principal
Q: Identify and define the Ancient Fourteen. What is domestication? Which animals most helped Eurasians?
A: The Ancient Fourteen is a list of “big” animals that were domesticated before the 20th century. 9 of the 14 are not common