Deck 35: Native Arts of the Americas, 1300 to 1980

Question 1

Before European contact the most dominant culture in the American Southwest was the Anasazi. Their descendants painted murals on their interior Pueblo walls associated with agriculture. Which of the following would be an important element in this visual lexicon?

A) lightning
B) fire
C) scrub pine
D) jaguar

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Why is Machu Picchu of great archaeological importance?

A) It was undisturbed since Inka times.
B) It was the most excavated site following its discovery in the late 1800s.
C) Its extensive written records detailed the city's history as a private compound for the Inka.
D) The history of its conquest detailed its importance to the Inka.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Tenochtitlán is laid out on a grid plan that is reminiscent of which earlier culture?

A) Olmec
B) Maya of Copan
C) Teotihuacán
D) Tula

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Coatlicue is the mother of the gods according to Aztec mythology. She is at once savage and awful and all her attributes symbolize sacrificial death. Which of the following would be one of those attributes?

A) the double-ax motif found on her shoulders
B) the flower garland she wears on her neck
C) the excised human hearts she wears as a necklace
D) the hummingbird motif found on her skirt

Question 5

The depiction of Quetzalcoatl and Mictlantecuhtli seen in the Borgia Codex illustrates which of the following themes?

A) the inevitable relationship of life and death
B) the marriage of the Aztec and Maya empires
C) the brotherhood of the Mixtec and Toltec
D) the contrasting relationship of fire and water

Question 6

When can humans join the Katsina world?

A) when males attain their majority
B) when females marry
C) when either male or female makes a pilgrimage to the Sangre de Cristo mountains
D) after death

Question 7

The Inka imposed not only political and economic controls over the conquered populations but also artistic control as well. Which of the following was an example of their artistic control?

A) specific tattoos could only be used by the conquered
B) absolutely no gold could be worn by the conquered
C) the conquered had to wear local dress at all times
D) the conquered had to pierce their lower lip and insert a silver disk to be worn at all times

Question 8

Which of the following animals represented Inka royal power in art?

A) anaconda
B) eagle
C) puma
D) vulture

Question 9

Many of the Spaniards who first saw Tenochtitlán likened it to which of the following European cities?

A) Madrid
B) London
C) Venice
D) Paris

Question 10

The Aztecs were deemed fierce in war and cruel in peace. They practiced human sacrifice on a greater scale than any previous groups. The Spaniards quickly conquered them. Which of the following would account for this relatively easy conquest?

A) disorganization of the Aztecs
B) poor military training in the later years of the empire
C) lack of leadership
D) Spaniards found allies among the peoples the Aztecs subjugated

Question 11

The relief of Coyolxauhqui discovered in 1979 had been hidden from the Spaniards as a result of which of the following?

A) The priests always covered the relief with fitted stones when not in use.
B) The Spaniards were blinded by the Curtain of Gold which separated the sanctuary from the faithful.
C) It was placed in the outer most shell of the Great Temple, which concealed the relief.
D) The Aztec priests removed the relief when the Spaniards approached Tenochtitlán.

Question 12

The Inka were a relatively small highland group in the year 1000 but by the 1400s they ruled an empire that extended for more than 3000 miles. Which of the following would account for this rise to power?

A) energized population
B) powerful alliances made through marriage
C) skillful organizational and administrative control
D) devout population following the skillful leadership of a dynasty

Question 13

Which of the following Postclassic groups was considered preeminent in the art of writing?

A) Olmec
B) Teotihuacán
C) Zapotec
D) Maya

Question 14

The placement of the relief of Coyolxauhqui was critical not only to Aztec religious observances but also to the political persona of the Empire. Which of the following was the location of the relief?

A) It was placed on floor before the sanctuary.
B) It was placed at the bottom of Great Temple's stairs.
C) It was hung on the east wall of the sanctuary.
D) It was mounted at the top of the stairs to the Great Temple.

Question 15

The Navajo learned how to weave in the 17ᵗʰ century. They transformed their blankets into rugs to meet the tourist demands that the railroads brought to the Southwest in the late 1800s. They mastered a wide variety of designs and used their own sand painting designs as well. Which of the following would allow the incorporation of sand painting design into the weaving design?

A) The difference in materials allowed sand painting designs to be used.
B) The poor weaving techniques allowed sand painting designs to be used.
C) The sand painting designs were altered which allowed their use.
D) The vegetal dyes caused rapid fading which allowed their use.

Question 16

Navajo sand paintings or dry paintings are used in sacred ceremonies and destroyed at the ceremony's conclusion. Prototypes are passed from artist to artist and must be strictly followed as mistakes can render the ceremony ineffective. Based on this information, which of the following would describe sand or dry painting?

A) It is free and innovative style.
B) It has an uncontrolled style.
C) It has a uniquely individualized style.
D) It is highly stylized.

Question 17

In the myth of Coyolxauhqui, sister of Huitzilopochtli, her brother murders her. What is the significance of her murder?

A) Huitzilopochtli's triumph as the sun over the moon.
B) Huitzilopochtli's triumph as the god of war.
C) Huitzilopochtli's triumph over the forces of the Maya.
D) Huitzilopochtli's triumph as the sole god of the Aztecs.

Question 18

Which of the following stops provided a small but impressive cache of gold and initiated the expedition of Hernán Cortés to Mexico?

A) along the coast of Veracruz
B) along the coast of Yucatán
C) along the coast of Ixtapa
D) along the coast of Tampico

Question 19

Which of the following are the descendants of the nomadic hunters who arrived in the Southwest from northwestern Canada sometime between 1200 and 1500?

A) Hopi
B) Apache
C) Shawnee
D) Cheyenne

Question 20

Which of the following would account for the success of the Inka to control their empire?

A) superb system of roads
B) precise written documents
C) strict written records of commercial transactions
D) obedience of the population to the written word of the Inka

Question 21

Which of the groups was least prominent during the Postclassical period?

A) Toltecs
B) Olmecs
C) Mixtecs
D) Aztecs

Question 22

Who were the most skilled goldsmiths in Mesoamerica Mexico?

A) Toltecs
B) Maya
C) Aztecs
D) Mixtecs

Question 23

The feathered serpent is one guise for which Mesoamerican deity?

A) Quetzalcoatl
B) Tlaloc
C) Coatlicue
D) Coyolxauhqui

Question 24

Which of the following groups uses the unique combination of male designer and female weaver?

A) Kwakiutl
B) Haida
C) Tlingit
D) Inuit

Question 25

When confined to the reservations Plains Indians took to recording their past exploits and history. They also recorded their reactions to their new surroundings often far from their places of birth. Which of the following would they use for this purpose of record keeping?

A) tipi hides
B) ledger books
C) blankets
D) shields

Question 26

The ancient art of creating quilled, beaded, and painted clothing has evolved into elaborate costumes today for which of the following ceremonies?

A) funerals of important tribal leaders
B) marriage ceremony between inter-tribal couples
C) competitive dances called powwows
D) initiation ceremonies

Question 27

Who called themselves Mexica?

A) Aztecs
B) Maya
C) Mixtecs
D) Tolteca

Question 28

Plains peoples' shield paintings were often based on which of the following?

A) myths
B) family histories
C) legends
D) personal religious visions

Question 29

What do the pipe, painted buffalo robe, bear-claw necklace and feather decorations represent in Karl Bodmer's portrait entitled Two Ravens?

A) marital status
B) clan history
C) family history
D) military accomplishments

Question 30

Who were the supreme masters of shaping and fitting stones for architecture in South America?

A) Mixtecs
B) Inka
C) Tairona
D) Aztecs

Question 31

The Northwest Coast Indians used masks for which of the following types of ceremonies?

A) male initiation rituals
B) female initiation rituals
C) healing rituals
D) soothing arguments between daughters-in law and mothers-in law

Question 32

Which of the following masks would be used during the Kwakiutl winter ceremonial season?

A) transformation mask
B) wolverine mask
C) lion mask
D) jaguar mask

Question 33

The Northwest Coast Indians had a rich and reliable environment. They developed a large and varied repertory of symbols and objects. Which of the following also developed as a result of this environment?

A) a class of professional artists
B) part-time artists
C) a tradition for exploration
D) a tradition for non-violence

Question 34

A prime example of dry-joining masonry (masonry without mortar) is found in which of the following?

A) Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacán
B) Maya Temple I at Tikal
C) Inca Temple of the Sun at Cuzco
D) Haida mortuary temple at Skedans village

Question 35

The arts of the Northwest Coast Indians of North America are expressions not only of spiritual beliefs but also of which of the following?

A) economic policy
B) control of the weather
C) social status
D) dreams

Question 36

Who designs Chilkat blankets?

A) men
B) women
C) Haida shaman
D) Kwakiutl

Question 37

Which of the following cities had become a pilgrimage site for the Aztecs?

A) La Venta
B) Teotihuacán
C) Tula
D) Chichén Itzá

Question 38

What totemic emblems do Haida poles display?

A) the land
B) the Hudson Bay Company
C) the Chilkat
D) clan groups

Question 39

The Yupik Eskimo have a rich ceremonial tradition based on which of the following animals?

A) seals
B) musk ox
C) wolf
D) buffalo

Question 40

Haida house frontal poles displaying totemic emblems express which of the following ideas?

A) military conquests of the village
B) hospitality behaviors
C) health of the village
D) family history

Question 41

What is the origin of Hopi Katsinas?

Question 42

What is the significance of Machu Picchu?

Question 43

Why were agricultural deities important to the Southwest Indians?

Question 44

Why were Postclassic Maya books so highly prized?

Question 45

How does a sand or dry painting function in a Navajo healing ceremony?

Question 46

How does the stone disk of Coyolxauhqui become a political symbol for the Aztecs?

Question 47

What kind of communication system did the Inka establish?

Question 48

How is a Chilkat blanket designed and made?

Question 49

What were the "flowery wars"?

Question 50

How did the Inka control their empire?

Question 51

What do paired hands on Eskimo masks represent?

Question 52

How do Haida totem poles represent clan history?

Question 53

How were the Aztecs regarded by their neighbors?

Question 54

What is superimposition?

Question 55

What is the significance of thunderclouds and feathers on a Kachina mask?

Question 56

How is the masking tradition of the Yupik unique?

Question 57

How did the accoutrements of the Plains Indian warrior identify him?

Question 58

How does the disk of Coyolxauhqui describe the Aztec psyche?

Question 59

How does the puma factor into the description of the Inka city of Cuzco?

Question 60

What was the reaction of Cortés to the shrine of Huitzilopochtli?

Question 61

How would this mask be used?

Question 62

How does this figure represent the Hopi?

Question 63

What do these works symbolically represent?

Question 64

What symbols are represented on this figure?

Question 65

What type of object is this and how does it deviate from earlier examples?

Question 66

How did this artist energize the tradition of Southwest pottery making?

Question 67

Explain the role of agricultural deities in Southwest culture. How did these deities impact artistic production and society in general? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 68

Describe the architecture of the Inka. Consider the political and social environment. How did the architecture define the Inka? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 69

Explain the purpose and symbols of Haida totem poles and how they represented the Haida.

Question 70

What do totem poles symbolize and why were they significant?

Question 71

Assess the impact of European contact on the art and architecture of Mexico and Colombia. Consider the political and social implications. Use specific examples to support your essay.

Question 72

Explain the ideas of sacrifice that lay behind this image.

Question 73

Contrast the empires of the Aztecs and the Inka. Consider the purpose and function of each. How did they use art and architecture to define themselves? Use examples to support your argument

Question 74

Explain the development of Aztec art forms. Consider the political and social implications. Use examples to support your essay.

Question 75

Contrast the architecture and the role it played in Aztec and Inka societies. How did it reflect the nature and character of each group? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 76

Contrast the masks of Eskimo with the Katsinas of the Hopi. Consider the functionality of the objects and their respective environments.

Question 77

Explain the use of art to indicate social status in Inka culture. Use examples to support your essay.

Question 78

Evaluate the impact of European contact on the Native arts of the United States. Consider the social implications and the changes that occurred as a result of the contact. Use specific examples to support your essay.

Question 79

From what area of what country did this warrior come? What do the various parts of his costume symbolize?

Question 80

How does this figure represent savagery and tenderness?