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.

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




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? ​

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



Select the sentence that best describes a reason for a civilization to view itself as favored by its gods.