Deck 7: Chiefs and Chiefdoms

Question 1

A branching model of archaeology would be described as being …

A) linear.
B) ever-adapting.
C) multilinear.
D) cyclical.

Answer 1

multilinear.

Question 2

A critical factor in chiefdoms is …

A) the nuclear family.
B) egalitarian status.
C) reciprocal obligation.
D) the inheritance of leadership.

Answer 2

reciprocal obligation.

Question 3

Trade networks developed in prestate societies mainly for which reason?

A) Farmers needed foodstuffs, tools, and other vital items.
B) Chiefs wanted to expand their control over other regions.
C) Merchants wanted larger markets.
D) All of these.

Answer 3

Farmers needed foodstuffs, tools, and other vital items.

Question 4

In communities where "Big Men" ruled, leadership was …

A) passed from father to son.
B) passed from the most powerful male relative to his chosen successor.
C) inherited.
D) transitory.

Question 5

What were all the major prerequisites for settlement of remote Pacific islands?

A) Root vegetables, transportable animals, and seaworthy sailing craft.
B) Transportable animals, dried fruits, seaworthy sailing craft, and ability to navigate.
C) Dried fruits, seaworthy sailing craft, and ability to navigate.
D) Root vegetables, transportable animals, seaworthy sailing craft, and ability to navigate.

Question 6

Pacific navigators passed knowledge from generation to generation by …

A) writing on bark.
B) using the stars as self-guides.
C) word of mouth.
D) None of these.

Question 7

Who were the first to settle remote Melanesia and Polynesia islands?

A) Tonga islanders.
B) Lapita people.
C) Maori people.
D) Tahitian navigators.

Question 8

The introduction of what food in Maori New Zealand in about AD 1400 contributed to agricultural surpluses, overpopulation, and warlike competition?

A) Taro.
B) Sweet potato.
C) Breadfruit.
D) Maize.

Question 9

Dendrochronology, the analysis of tree rings, can be used to the determine the dates of what?

A) Living trees and dead specimens.
B) Beams from American Southwest pueblos.
C) Wood from old European houses and churches.
D) All of these.

Question 10

The "Great Drought" in the American Southwest took place in the last quarter of which century?

A) The twelfth century.
B) The tenth century.
C) The thirteenth century.
D) The fifteenth century.

Question 11

Unlike other areas of the Americas, the introduction of what food did not lead to a dramatic revolution in the American Southwest?

A) Maize.
B) Beans.
C) Sweet potatoes.
D) Rice.

Question 12

Chaco Canyon was an important ceremonial center for which people?

A) Ancestral Pueblo.
B) Hohokam.
C) Hopewell.
D) Mogollon.

Question 13

The housing complexes of the Ancestral Pueblo could hold more than …

A) 500-1,000 people.
B) 1,000-2,500 people.
C) 3,000-4,500 people.
D) 5,000-12,000 people.

Question 14

What perhaps is the best way to describe the social organization of the pueblo culture?

A) Democracy.
B) Autocracy.
C) Theocracy.
D) Egalitarian society.

Question 15

The earliest North American culture to build extensive earthworks was the …

A) Hopewell.
B) Mogollon.
C) Adena.
D) Mississippian.

Question 16

In the Hopewell tradition, artistic and valuable objects were placed in burial grounds while the ordinary people …

A) used simple objects in daily life.
B) kept artistic pottery in their dwellings.
C) collected copper figurines.
D) used soapstone pipe bowls in daily life.

Question 17

An important burial ground for the Hopewell people was at …

A) Mound City.
B) Moundville.
C) Cahokia.
D) Snaketown.

Question 18

What was the center of Mississippian power and influence in the north?

A) Adena.
B) Moundville.
C) Hopewell.
D) Cahokia.

Question 19

What fine-grained rock was used to make hoes and other tools for the Mississippian people?

A) Obsidian.
B) Chert.
C) Quartz.
D) None of these.

Question 20

What percentage of the diet of the people of Moundville did maize and beans comprise?

A) 75 percent.
B) 50 percent.
C) 40 percent.
D) 25 percent.

Question 21

What is the difference between viewing ancient civilization from a linear or multilinear perspective?

Question 22

Describe the materials and artifacts that possessed high prestige value in eastern North American societies.

Question 23

Why would the introduction of a new food source, such as sweet potatoes or maize, lead to such social and political upheaval in prehistoric societies?

Question 24

What did the burial traditions and artifacts of the early inhabitants of the Americas reveal about their social and religious beliefs?

Question 25

Do you think the Mississippians or their successors might have evolved into state-organized societies like those of the Maya, Aztecs, or Incas if the Europeans had not arrived? Defend your answer.