Question 1

What can likely explain the formation of the Maya state?

Accepted Answer

The formation of the Maya state can be attributed to a combination of factors, including stress on food resources due to high population density, the need for an overarching system of integration to manage complex societal needs, and opportunities for economic control that could be leveraged by emerging elites. These factors together likely contributed to the development of state-level organization in the Maya civilization.

Question 2

Ethnographic research has turned up evidence of hunters and gatherers who know about but who continue to .

Accepted Answer

Ethnographic research has shown that even with knowledge of agriculture, some hunter-gatherer societies continue to practice hunting and gathering due to cultural preferences, environmental conditions, or the unsuitability of their land for farming.

Question 3

The "irrigation hypothesis" argues that large-scale irrigation was directly responsible for the origin of archaic states. This hypothesis was suggested by:

Accepted Answer

Karl Wittfogel is known for proposing the "irrigation hypothesis" or "hydraulic hypothesis," which suggests that the management and control of water resources (especially irrigation) were crucial for the development of ancient states, requiring centralized authority and bureaucracy.

Question 4

Egalitarian societies are associated with and .

Accepted Answer

Egalitarian societies are often associated with hunting and gathering and horticulture, as these modes of subsistence typically involve shared resources and responsibilities, leading to less hierarchical social structures.

Question 5

Which of the following is likely to have played a part in the origins of agriculture?

Accepted Answer

The origins of agriculture are complex and multifaceted, involving climatic changes that made the environment suitable for agriculture, population pressures that necessitated the expansion of diets and reliance on plants, and human intentionality in selecting and cultivating plants for increased productivity and efficiency.

Question 6

Ethnocentrism means

Accepted Answer

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture or ethnic group is superior to others. This attitude often leads to viewing cultural differences through the lens of one's own cultural norms, potentially resulting in misunderstanding and prejudice against other cultures.

Question 7

A basic knowledge of plant reproduction is for an agriculturalist.

Accepted Answer

A basic knowledge of plant reproduction is necessary for an agriculturalist to effectively manage and improve crop production.

Question 8

"Archaic" in relation to states is used to distinguish

Accepted Answer

"Archaic" in relation to states is used to distinguish ancient social forms from modern industrial states, highlighting the differences in societal organization, technology, and governance between early societies and contemporary ones.

Question 9

The Maya developed three calendrical accounts of time using complex astronomical observations and mathematics. Which two calendar types overlap so that a renewal point is reached every 52 years?

Accepted Answer

The Vague Year (Haab) and the Sacred Almanac (Tzolk'in) calendars overlap, creating a 52-year cycle known as the Calendar Round, which was significant in Maya timekeeping and cosmology.

Question 10

The Classic period (AD250-700), when the lowland Maya took on the characteristics of the archaic state, was characterized by continuous population growth. Survey data indicate that as many as people lived in the lowland Maya area at this time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Classic period (AD250-700), when the lowland...

Question 11

When analyzing the origins of agriculture

Accepted Answer

The development of agriculture is a complex process that cannot be attributed to a single cause or "prime mover." Instead, it is understood through the contributions of various paradigms and theories that together provide a more comprehensive explanation.

Question 12

Which of the following is true of Maya kings?

Accepted Answer

Maya kings were considered divine or semi-divine figures who played central roles in religion, politics, and the military. They claimed descent from the gods, conducted rituals to maintain cosmic order, received tribute from conquered peoples, and engaged in warfare to demonstrate their power and maintain order, making all the provided statements true.

Question 13

The difference between sufficient and necessary conditions in an explanation is that sufficient conditions are

Accepted Answer

Sufficient conditions are those conditions that, if met, ensure the occurrence of a particular event or outcome. They are considered the minimum conditions needed for the event to occur, but not necessarily the only way for it to happen. Necessary conditions, on the other hand, must be present for the event to occur, but on their own, they might not be enough to cause the event.

Question 14

All of the following characterize the rise of archaic states, except:

Accepted Answer

Archaic states are characterized by the development of complex societies with monumental architecture, warfare, and market economies. Hunting and gathering, however, is a characteristic of earlier, pre-state societies and not of the complex, agrarian-based societies of archaic states.

Question 15

Once archaeological data began to accumulate, archaeologists shifted their attention from of plant and animal domestication to .

Accepted Answer

Archaeologists initially focused on identifying what species were domesticated and when. As data accumulated, they shifted to understanding why domestication occurred, exploring the cultural and environmental reasons behind it.

Question 16

Explanations for the collapse of culture on Rapa Nui include:

Accepted Answer

The collapse of culture on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is attributed to a combination of environmental and ecological factors, including deforestation for building homes and canoes, the introduction of rats that destroyed the island's vegetation and bird populations, and the lack of surrounding reefs which limited marine food sources.

Question 17

Archaeology constructs specific historical sequences in order to

Accepted Answer

Archaeology often aims to compare different cultures and historical sequences to identify patterns. These patterns help in understanding what conditions are necessary and sufficient to explain significant cultural evolutionary transitions, such as the development of agriculture, urbanization, or the rise of complex societies. This approach allows archaeologists to construct theories that explain how and why these transitions occurred.

Question 18

Anthropology the paradigm of unilineal cultural evolution.

Accepted Answer

Unilineal cultural evolution, the idea that cultures evolve in a single line of progression, was a concept embraced by early anthropologists but has been long ago discarded by the field in favor of more complex understandings of cultural development.

Question 19

Maya hieroglyphics were used to record:

Accepted Answer

Maya hieroglyphics were primarily used to record significant events in Maya history, including the reigns of kings, battles, and other important occurrences.

Question 20

The hypothesis, proposed by Robert Carneiro, attributes the origin of the state to a combination of population growth and limited agricultural resources which leads to increased warfare, which in turn fosters centralized political organization.

Accepted Answer

The warfare and circumscription hypothesis, proposed by Robert Carneiro, suggests that the origin of the state is due to population pressure and environmental constraints leading to warfare, which necessitates centralized political structures for defense and resource management.

Quiz 13: Understanding Key Transitions In World Prehistory