Deck 5: The Americas and the Islands of the Pacific, to 1200 Ce

Question 1

 Unlike Mesopotamia,Egypt,India and China,agriculture began in America

A)In the Amazon River basin.
B)On highland plateaus in Mexico.
C)In the Mississippian delta.
D)In the Midwest lowlands.
E)In the Chilean lowlands.

Answer 1

On highland plateaus in Mexico.

Question 2

 Historians use what to distinguish between Maya periods,such as the Early (250-550)and Late Classic (600-800)Maya?

A)The building of city walls.
B)The amount of trade with South America.
C)The building of monuments.
D)The amount of human sacrifices.
E)The Mayans' moving the Olmec basalt head sculptures.

Answer 2

The building of monuments.

Question 3

 How did the Olmec peoples adjust their solar year calendar to refer to events that happened in the far past?

A)They used mythical terms to refer to early dates.
B)Only religious references were used to refer to the mythical past.
C)They developed a Long Count calendar that dated back to a mythical starting date.
D)No evidence has been found on how the Olmecs solved this dilemma.
E)They did not know how to adjust their ritual calendar when referring to events of the far past.

Answer 3

They developed a Long Count calendar that dated back to a mythical starting date.

Question 4

 The domestication of wild grasses in Tehuacan gradually developed in the agricultural cultivation of

A)Millet.
B)Wheat.
C)Rice.
D)Beans.
E)Maize.

Question 5

 Unlike the early farmers of West Asia,the people of Tehuacán 

A)Practiced no religions.
B)Used no draft animals.
C)Fashioned no laws.
D)Did not cultivate millet. 
E)None of these choices. 

Question 6

 In an attempt to decipher the Mayan written language,scholars determined which of the following to be the key?

A)The ancient Mayan language was a dead language.
B)The original Mayan language was totally pictorial.
C)The Mayan language was totally phonetic.
D)Mayan glyphs were compared to Olmec material.
E)The ancient Mayan language was a combination of pictorial and phonetic elements.

Question 7

 Evidence suggests that seeds from this plant were used for Maya medicinal drinks as early as 500 B.C.E. 

A)millet.
B)wheat.
C)cacao.
D)maize.
E)none of these choices.

Question 8

 The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar uses what kinds of symbols to indicate the different units of time?

A)Numerals.
B)Bars and dots.
C)Celestial symbols.
D)Cross marks.
E)Pictures of birds.

Question 9

 Which of the following were the responsibilities of the Mayan ruler? 

A)Commander of the army.
B)Decided crop allocations.
C)Decided with whom to ally.
D)Allocation of taxes.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 10

 Which of the following statements is true?

A)Written evidence found on the Pacific islands has yet to be translated.
B)Most national and local governments have not permitted diggings.
C)Little interest has been shown in the history of the Americas.
D)With the exception of the Maya,peoples in the Americas and Pacific islands left sparse written records.
E)Written records of the Mesoamerican peoples have not been discovered.

Question 11

 The Maya ruler founded his dynasty in what city?

A)Tikal.
B)La Venta.
C)Teotihuacan.
D)Copán.
E)San Lorenzo.

Question 12

 Which group is considered the mother culture for Mesoamerica? 

A)Olmec. 
B)Quetzalcoatl.
C)Maya. 
D)Aztec. 
E)Chavin.

Question 13

 Although the wheel was not a part of Mesoamerican agricultural and military development,what artifacts or evidence show that they were aware of it?

A)Relics inside sun pyramids.
B)Children's toys.
C)Items at religious sites.
D)Allusions in Mayan writing.
E)Use to calculate calendars.

Question 14

 In comparison to Mesopotamian and Asiatic societies,American societies

A)Were more advanced in agriculture.
B)Used animals to draw iron plows.
C)Were the first to use specialized harvesting tools.
D)Used simple and basic stone digging sticks.
E)Never developed a basic food product.

Question 15

 Which statement best reflects the methods employed by archaeologists to piece together the history of the Americas and the Pacific? 

A)They exercised great ingenuity. 
B)They are unable to piece together the history.  
C)They applied precision analysis to a sizeable amount of evidence. 
D)They  reconstructed the history using journals and letters of the early inhabitants. 
E)None of these choices. 

Question 16

 The Mesoamericans supplemented their diets with foods rich in amino acids and vitamin B12 - like squash and beans - because they

A)Were forbidden to kill animals and eat their meat.
B)Ate little meat.
C)Had never developed hunting skills.
D)Did not have the tools necessary to eat meat.
E)Did not have the skills and knowledge of how to skin and prepare animals for consumption.

Question 17

 The large sculpted heads of the Olmec were produced from

A)Volcanic rock.
B)Marble.
C)Concrete.
D)Basalt.
E)Limestone.

Question 18

 The peoples of Teotihuacan developed a sophisticated civilization beginning around 200 B.C.E.that was highlighted by which of the following?

A)Large populated urban centers.
B)The use of frescoes.
C)Areas of migrant craftsmen.
D)Complex water-sewage systems.
E)All of these choices.

Question 19

 How did the Maya use their celestial knowledge of stars and planets? 

A)To predict eclipses.
B)To select inauguration dates. 
C)To determine dates for religious ceremonies.
D)To decide when to start wars.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 20

 How far did the Olmec laborers move the massive sculpted heads carved out of basalt?

A)50 miles.
B)200 miles. 
C)20 miles.
D)10 miles.
E)100 miles.

Question 21

 The goal of Maya warfare was to increase territory and

A)Capture land.
B)Capture prisoners.
C)Acquire title and trade rights.
D)Establish overlordship.
E)Capture women for marriage.

Question 22

 The Pacific Islands were populated by ocean voyages using what for navigation?

A)Magnetic compass.
B)Stars.
C)Dead reckoning.
D)Astrolabe.
E)Sound references.

Question 23

 The largest of the surviving Mississippian earthen mounds stretching over 1000 feet and rising over 100 feet above the ground is located at

A)Adena.
B)Cahokia.
C)Hopewell.
D)Poverty Point.
E)Chaco.

Question 24

 What is the original name for Easter Island?

A)New Zealand.
B)Micronesia.
C)Rapa Nui.
D)Lapita.
E)Australia.

Question 25

 Obsidian was important to the Mayans because it

A)Was available locally.
B)Was the hardest material known to the Mayans at that time.
C)Was associated with volcanoes,which Mayans believed had magic powers.
D)Was an important item in their trade network.
E)Served a spiritual purpose.

Question 26

 How did the Andean peoples of the Americas use metal?

A)Weapons.
B)Agricultural tools.
C)Utensils.
D)Body armor.
E)Decorations. 

Question 27

 The Anasazi centers of the American southwest had what in common with the Maya?

A)No bows or arrows.
B)Pyramid temples.
C)Obsidian mines.
D)Earthen mound tombs.
E)Ball courts.

Question 28

 Maya rituals often involved the spilling of blood,such as women pulling thorny vines through their tongues and from kings,who pierced their

A)Ears.
B)Penises.
C)Lips.
D)Hands.
E)Eyes.

Question 29

 The Caral site,located in present-day Peru,is important because of all the following reasons except

A)It clearly shows an assimilation of Mayan-Andean cultures.
B)Evidence of an early deity was found.
C)Indications of an early stratified society are evident.
D)Like other peoples of the area,it experienced a rapid and sudden decline.
E)It is the earliest large urban settlement in the Americas.

Question 30

 What religious practice was common to most Mesoamericans?

A)Worshipping volcanoes.
B)The use of hallucinogenic drugs.
C)Ancestor worship.
D)Mummification of kings.
E)Blood sacrifice.

Question 31

 The oral epic Popul Vuh describes the various ways the Mayans communicated with the gods.Which of the following is not one of their beliefs?

A)Using caves as to the underworld.
B)Blood letting.
C)Using special rituals to the One Divine God.
D)Using enemas possibly containing peyote cactus liquid.
E)Sacrificing prisoners.

Question 32

 The Polynesian Triangle,the Americas,and Mesopotamia shared developed stratified societies and

A)Worked with metals.
B)Built large complex urban centers.
C)Created empires.
D)Rulers relied on their subjects for labor. 
E)Evolved a complex system of writing.

Question 33

 The text implies that the most prized personal possession of a Mayan was

A)Jade.
B)Sea shells.
C)Bird feathers.
D)Gold.
E)Salt.

Question 34

 The Polynesian Triangle includes which of the following?

A)Melanesia.
B)Easter Island.
C)Micronesia.
D)New Zealand.
E)All of these choices.

Question 35

 Chichen Itza,a post-classic Maya city,has the largest ____ in the Americas.

A)Pyramid.
B)Ceremonial mound.
C)Royal road.
D)Royal cemetery.
E)Ball court.

Question 36

 Since about 5000 B.C.E. ,though they never rode these,animal labor in the Andes was provided by domesticated

A)Horses.
B)Camels.
C)Pigs.
D)Llamas and alpaca.
E)Oxen and cattle.

Question 37

 Which of the following statements is not true regarding the subordinate king-overlord relationship?

A)It symbolized the constant struggle for power in Mayan history.
B)The constant goal was to expand one's territory.
C)It gave the king some bragging rights.
D)Relationships between Mayan city states were created.
E)Overlords replaced each underlord with a member of his family to avoid rebellion.

Question 38

 What South American culture is known for its elaborate earthwork lines?

A)Chavin.
B)Nazca.
C)Tiwanaku.
D)Inca.
E)Caral.

Question 39

 Early migrations into the Pacific probably began with

A)Traveling short distances to islands that were in sight of each other.
B)Larger boats and sophisticated navigation devices.
C)The use of land bridges that connected adjacent islands.
D)The results of tectonic plate movements.
E)There is no solid evidence to answer this statement.

Question 40

 Mayan agriculture

A)Involved walled fields with guards to protect them from poachers.
B)Produced a money crop that was used in trade,rather than for food.
C)Used mostly slave labor close to the city.
D)Used natural fertilizers,which resulted in year-round agriculture.
E)Developed sophisticated slave-drawn plows.

Question 41

 What did "Mau" Pius Piailug prove 1976 in regard to early Polynesian navigation?

A)Using ocean currents alone,early Polynesians could sail the open ocean from Hawaii to Tahiti.
B)Using only wind and ocean currents,Tahiti could be reached from Hawaii in double canoes.
C)It was highly unlikely that Polynesians could reach South America.
D)By referring to stars,wind,and ocean currents,Tahiti could be reached from Hawaii.
E)Considering the present artifacts and evidence,there is no connection between Hawaii and Tahiti.

Question 42

 The term moai is associated with

A)887 stone statues of tribal leaders found on Easter Island.
B)The sun pyramids of the Maya.
C)Large urban centers of the Andes.
D)The colossal heads of the Olmec people.
E)The mounds of the Hopewell and Adena tribes.

Question 43

Please define the following key terms.

- maize

Question 44

Please define the following key terms.

- Mesoamerica

Question 45

 The sociopolitical society of Tahiti and Hawaii

A)Was mainly matrilineal.
B)Had no clear social stratification.
C)Consisted mainly of hunters.
D)Had chiefs who were supported by gifts of food from the lower-ranking populace. 
E)Developed several trade centers in small cities.

Question 46

 The major disagreement among archaeologists who study Polynesia involves

A)What the Lapita pottery was used for.
B)How isolated the Polynesian development was.
C)The interpretation and use of Lapita pottery in determining the migration routes and dates.
D)The types of boats used by the early Polynesian settlers.
E)Whether the migrations were accidental explorations or deliberate voyages.

Question 47

 Easter Island's lack of building after 1600 suggests

A)A single political system,led by a ruler who acquired his throne by succession.
B)A highly innovative trade economy.
C)Environmental degradation due to warfare.
D)Depopulation as a result of plague from rats.
E)The development of metal tools and weapons.

Question 48

Please define the following key terms.

- Copan 

Question 49

 The belief that Polynesians traveled as far as Chile has been reinforced by the discovery of

A)A Polynesian canoe in Chile.
B)Chicken bones in Chile.
C)Chocolate beans in Tahiti.
D)Lapita pottery,found in Chile.
E)A successful Atlantic expedition sailing from Chile to Tahiti.

Question 50

 The growth of sweet potatoes and coconut in Polynesia shows a connection between it and what other region?

A)South America.
B)Madagascar.
C)North America.
D)Mesopotamia.
E)India.

Question 51

 The cultivation of which two plants seem to infer a connection between Polynesia and South America?

A)Maize and breadfruit.
B)Beans and taro.
C)Chocolate and pineapple.
D)Sweet potato and coconut.
E)Coffee and sugar.

Question 52

Please define the following key terms.

- nixtamal

Question 53

 The final island in the Pacific to be settled by humans was

A)Chile.
B)New Zealand.
C)South Africa.
D)Canada.
E)Hawaii.

Question 54

 Easter Islanders depleted their natural resources by 1600 and had to rely on what for basic tools such as fish hooks and rope?

A)Trade with New Zealand.
B)Human remains.
C)Bird bones.
D)Stone from the Moai.
E)Wood.

Question 55

 What language family encompasses all of the spoken languages within the Polynesian Triangle?

A)Indo-European.
B)Chinese.
C)Sumerian.
D)Oceanic.
E)Western Austronesian.

Question 56

 Which of the following is not true about Lapita pottery? It

A)Is named for a site in Micronesia.
B)Is a product of low firing.
C)Appears in different islands from different times in history.
D)Has been found in areas of Southern Mesopotamia.
E)Can help trace the direction of migration.

Question 57

 The history of New Zealand can be summed up by which of the following statements?

A)Environmental damage is not simply a modern development.
B)The history of New Zealand is cloudy,because its writing has yet to be deciphered.
C)The earliest immigrants,unlike the rest of Polynesia,are unknown.
D)A sudden and apparent catastrophic event ended the habitation of the island.
E)Europeans found a completely uninhabited island during their Pacific journeys of exploration.

Question 58

Please define the following key terms.

- Olmec

Question 59

Please define the following key terms.

- Mau Piailug

Question 60

 Historians who believe that the Polynesian migrations were intentional,point to which of the following?

A)The similarity of religious rites.
B)Coin artifacts with similar symbols and markings.
C)The main staple foods of the Polynesian being dispersed throughout the area.
D)Similar burial sites.
E)Allegiance to the same main god.

Question 61

Please define the following key terms.

- Chavin

Question 62

Please define the following key terms.

- lapita pottery

Question 63

Please define the following key terms.

- Cahokia

Question 64

Please define the following key terms.

- calendars

Question 65

Please define the following key terms.

- Anasazi

Question 66

Please define the following key terms.

- Long Count

Question 67

Please define the following key terms.

- ballgame

Question 68

Please define the following key terms.

- Popul Vuh

Question 69

Please define the following key terms.

- Caral

Question 70

Please define the following key terms.

- Chichen Itza

Question 71

Please define the following key terms.

- double canoes

Question 72

Please define the following key terms.

- Maya

Question 73

Please define the following key terms.

- Mississippian peoples

Question 74

Please define the following key terms.

- Andes

Question 75

Please define the following key terms.

- Hopewell

Question 76

Please define the following key terms.

- Nazca

Question 77

Please define the following key terms.

- obsidian

Question 78

Please define the following key terms.

- Teotihuacan

Question 79

Please define the following key terms.

- Hero Twins

Question 80

Please define the following key terms.

- Polynesian Triangle