Deck 11: The West Coast

Question 1

Classic features of historic Northwest Coast culture include totem poles, large dugout canoes, wooden boxes, elaborate masks decorated in a distinctive art style, and __________________.

A) large cedar plank houses
B) small shrines dedicated to the Gods of the sea
C) massive ceremonial fire pits
D) large mounds made of animal bone

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Ozette, a famous site along the Northwest Coast, has an exceptionally well-preserved record of the Makah people who lived there because __________________.

A) it is located in an extremely arid environment
B) Spanish missionaries produced detailed notes and records
C) the site was buried during a mudslide
D) a large tsunami covered the site with a layer of silt and mud

Answer 2

C

Question 3

An archaeological "horizon" is best defined as __________________.

A) a period of time in which two cultures intersect and co-exist in a region but do not merge together
B) a brief but widespread archaeological phenomenon that serves as a convenient stratigraphic marker
C) the first excavation of a site from a previously undocumented culture
D) a layer of a site that cannot be attributed to any cultural period

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following was the most likely driving factor behind the formation and maintenance of chiefdoms in the Chumash culture?

A) the need to organize small villages into larger groups to resist Spanish attempts to subdue the tribes
B) organizational challenges related to the planting, irrigation, and harvesting of many food crops
C) organizational challenges related to the construction, maintenance, and use of large plank canoes
D) the persistent threat of attack from neighboring tribes searching for additional resources

Question 5

At the time of the first contact with Europeans, Baja California was a culturally diverse region. The archaeological record here __________________.

A) provides undisputable evidence that the first migrants to the Americas moved down the coast
B) shows an incredible diversity of short-lived, migratory cultures over several thousand years
C) indicates that it is the point of origin for maize
D) tells us that ancient adaptations and ways of life were preserved by the southern-most peoples of the peninsula

Question 6

What distinctions could archaeologists make about household economy at the Cathlapote site?

A) only men worked in the households
B) fishing was an uncommon practice
C) households did not share social organization
D) households pursued different strategies of subsistence and production

Question 7

All of the following are characteristic of materials discovered at the Skyrocket site, except for __________________.

A) a large shell midden
B) human remains exhibiting comparatively low rates of infant mortality
C) a large hearth layer
D) a natural bedrock ridge that provided protection from flooding

Question 8

The archaeological project at the Skyrocket site is a classic example of __________________ excavation.

A) ethnographic
B) CRM
C) academic
D) experimental

Question 9

Agriculture was not practiced in native California.

Question 10

The rock art at Chumash Painted Cave was likely produced by __________________.….

A) young boys during maturation ceremonies
B) the 'antap during the winter solstice
C) pregnant women in preparation for giving birth
D) Makah people during a pilgrimage

Question 11

__________________ is a term that denotes any of a diverse set of practices of status-enhancing gift-giving or conspicuous consumption.

A) kiva
B) tribelet
C) potlatch
D) midden

Question 12

What two social classes existed in most Northwest Coast societies?

A) free people and fishermen
B) farmers and fur traders
C) free people and slaves
D) there were no social classes

Question 13

In California, social entities called __________________ formed as populations increased and territories shrank.

A) tribelets
B) potlatches
C) totems
D) horizons

Question 14

The social organization of California Archaic bands can be best described as __________________.

A) state-like
B) polyandrous
C) stratified
D) egalitarian

Question 15

Technological assemblages of Northwest Coast cultures include barbed harpoons, bows and arrows, microblades, and __________________.

A) copper tools
B) wheel barrows
C) gold teeth
D) slate tools

Question 16

What lead to the successful development of chiefdoms and social complexity in the Northwest Coast?

A) the fur trade
B) agriculture
C) reliable and predictably abundant resources
D) tribal expansion and warfare

Question 17

The California coast and the neighboring Coast Range can be best described as __________________.

A) a wet climate
B) a mosaic of microenvironments
C) dry desert
D) mountainous terrain

Question 18

What evidence have archaeologists found that indicates Northwest Coast peoples used dugout canoes?

A) woodworking tools and harpoon technology
B) perfectly preserved canoes
C) tree harvesting sites
D) bone arrow heads

Question 19

Why did historically attested stratified Northwest Coast societies participate in warfare?

A) to capture slaves
B) enhance prestige
C) secure critical food resources
D) all of the above

Question 20

How did the Archaic inhabitants of California and the Northwest Coast adapt their subsistence to their environments?

A) they were wholly reliant on marine resources in both regions
B) people in California were generalists while people along the Northwest Coast were specialized
C) they were wholly reliant on terrestrial resources in both regions
D) people in California devised specialized, local subsistence strategies while Northwest Coast groups were generalists

Question 21

After 2500 BCE, large shell middens appeared on California's coast. This is likely the result of all the following activities, with the exception of __________________.

A) feasting
B) artifact production
C) aquaculture
D) house construction