1. Why does van Loon call writing "the most important of all inventions"? Explain the difference between Egyptian, Sumerian, and Phoenician systems of writing.

2. In what ways can the history of humanity be seen as related to food?

3. How did living along the banks of the Nile River teach people the value of cooperation?

4. How did the phrase "moderation in all things" characterize the life of a citizen of ancient Greece? Why does van Loon say the Greeks were the only people to develop this quality?

5. Compare and contrast the cities of Athens and Sparta. How did their differences influence their futures?

6. What is a "plutocracy"? What effect did this system of government have on the people of Carthage? What effect does it have on us today?

7. What were the underlying causes of the fall of Rome? How might the fall have been prevented?

8. How...