Deck 1: The Science of Archaeology

Question 1

Which of the following was not used by archaeologist Walter Alva to confirm religious theories about the Moche people, who had lived along the north coast of Peru?

A) an intact royal tomb
B) mythology among local people
C) elaborately decorated pottery
D) royal dress and ornamentation

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The closest discipline to archaeology is ________.

A) ethnology
B) paleontology
C) anthropology
D) geography

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Cultural anthropologists ________.

A) directly observe and record people doing things
B) use pseudoscience in cultural studies
C) investigate changes in culture over time
D) preserve the heritage of a nation's past

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What is the period of time before recorded history called?

A) prehistory
B) ancient history
C) classical history
D) archaeological history

Question 5

Cultural relativism is the belief that ________.

A) all cultures are related
B) some cultures are more primitive than others
C) some cultures developed slower than others
D) no cultures are better or worse than others

Question 6

The study of ancient Greece and Rome fall under what type of archaeology?

A) prehistoric
B) ancient
C) classical
D) nautical

Question 7

Discovering financial records of trade between two groups would be an example of what?

A) historical archaeology
B) prehistoric archaeology
C) pseudoscience
D) nautical archaeology

Question 8

The archaeology of the Middle East from the time of the Bible is called ________.

A) Egyptology
B) pre-Columbian archaeology
C) prehistoric archaeology
D) biblical archaeology

Question 9

The study of underwater cities would fall under which category?

A) pseudoscience
B) classical archaeology
C) maritime archaeology
D) prehistoric archaeology

Question 10

Which of the following would not be part of the archaeological record?

A) ecofacts
B) sites
C) features
D) paradigms

Question 11

Basic assumptions on how the world operates are called ________.

A) paradigms
B) theories
C) models
D) hypotheses

Question 12

Which of the following is not a part of the scientific method for archaeology?

A) excavating
B) model building
C) developing hypotheses
D) retesting

Question 13

Hypotheses and models that describe or explain things at single points in time and are called ________.

A) diachronic
B) empirical
C) synchronic
D) chronological

Question 14

Those who work in the preservation and management of archaeological resources are practicing ________.

A) ethnology
B) historical archaeology
C) ethnoarchaeology
D) cultural resource management

Question 15

Which term best describes the material remains of past human activities and behaviors?

A) artifacts
B) archaeological record
C) stratigraphy
D) ecology

Question 16

The distinct soil layers of an archaeological site is called ________.

A) processual
B) stratigraphy
C) ecology
D) cultural chronology

Question 17

Recording where objects are found in the strata of an archaeological site would help in what type of dating?

A) chronometric
B) radiocarbon
C) relative
D) absolute

Question 18

The most common method of absolute dating is ________.

A) radiocarbon
B) relative
C) chronometric
D) law of superposition

Question 19

Patterns detected among traits of a past group of people are called ________.

A) archaeological record
B) hypotheses
C) archaeological cultures
D) stratigraphy

Question 20

When should an archaeologist complete a research design?

A) after fieldwork and excavation
B) when a hypothesis is not supported
C) before to going into the field
D) when a theory is ready to be stated

Question 21

Frauds in archaeology would include all of the following except for ________.

A) planting objects in sites
B) trying to pass off recreated artifacts as ancient ones
C) purposefully faking data
D) Failure to publish data

Question 22

Pseudoscience ________.

A) often relies on untestable assumptions
B) is rigorous and scientific
C) is a legitimate alternative to science
D) is always easy to disprove

Question 23

Describe the differences between archaeology and anthropology.

Question 24

What are the difficulties faced in prehistoric archaeology as opposed to historical archaeology?

Question 25

Describe how the law of superposition works with stratigraphy.

Question 26

Describe the different types of dating methods used by archaeologists.

Question 27

How is the scientific method used in archaeology?