Deck 2: Summer, Egypt, China and Mesoamerica

Question 1

What cultural interests do ancient and modern civilizations share in common?

A) admiring athletic ability and physical fitness.
B) participating in athletic competition.
C) the desire to play.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Historians, sociologists, and anthropologists have long noted the significance of physical ability and physical expression. As a result, they have reached which of the following conclusion:

A) The quest for survival during ancient times-and modern time--was and is in some way facilitated in our desire to play.
B) Play was indeed important, but only members of the aristocracy were permitted to play. Children who were not members of the aristocracy were prohibited from engaging in play.
C )The human race evolved, not because of anything that physical ability and the expression of play may have contributed, but due to mere chance and luck and nothing more.
D) Physical expression and physical ability has no direct or indirect connection to the work of Charles Darwin who is credited for developing the theory of evolution.
E) None of the above.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In the ancient world--as it is in the modern world--survival of an individual, community, or nation depended in part on

A) physical prowess - physical fitness of the inhabitants.
B) highly skilled and disciplined warriors and soldiers.
C) a physical education program that provided instruction in traditional military skills such as endurance running, wrestling, and swimming to name a few.
D) holding athletic competitions that highlighted "combat sports" such as the javelin throw, foot races, archery, and boxing.
E) All of the above.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

According to Johan Huizinga, the author of Homo Ludens (loosely translated as meaning "Man the Player"), the reason that humans engage in play and related activities is because it is

A) enjoyable and fun
B) the one activity that separates humans from animals.
C) deeply religious and therefore provides meaning to life.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 5

The Sumerians

A) inhabited an area in the ancient world known as Mesopotamia which today is known as Iraq.
B) developed cuneiform writing over 5,000 years ago which revolutionized the way people communicated.
C) developed an intricate political and economic system.
D) engaged in warfare as did most of the other political entities during this time.
E) All of the above.

Question 6

The "athletic" Sumerian king who is thought to have ruled during the twenty-seventh century B. C. was

A) Heracles.
B) Gilgamesh.
C) David.
D) Malimesh the Great.
E) None of the above.

Question 7

The Assyrian warrior-king Assurbanipal

A) was known to lead his troops into battle.
B) was a superb hunter.
C) was honored with odes and citations that demonstrated that in the ancient world, there was a strong connection between sport and religion.
D) claimed to have personally killed 1,000 lions.
E) All of the above.

Question 8

Archeologists excavating the ancient city of Sumer have learned that

A) artifacts uncovered during the Early Dynastic period of Sumerian civilization (3000-1500 B. C.) provide evidence that sports and games were played.
B) combat sports such as boxing and wrestling date from around 2,000 B. C.
C) the Sumerians enjoyed fishing and boating.
D) the Sumerians enjoyed playing board games and children played with toy chariots and boats. E. All of the above.

Question 9

Archeological evidence reveals that the Sumerians had two different views about the value or worth of the body.

A) Kings married a goddess each year to insure that their time on earth was of "godlike" quality and so everything about them, including their body and physical attributes had value.
B) Ordinary people who lived in Sumer had little if any value so their body and whatever physical attributes they possessed were meaningless.
C )The Sumerians were heavily influenced by Greek thought and culture and held the body in high esteem and featured it - the human body -- in their art.
D) The Sumerians believed that the body and attendant physical ability were essential elements in their culture and encouraged ordinary people to excel in athletic contests.
E) A and B only.

Question 10

Egypt

A) traces its origins back almost 2,000 years ago where it was a small village along the Red Sea.
B) had monarchs that engaged in sporting activities in order to present themselves to the people as powerful and capable rulers.
C) Egyptian monarchs ideally were able to demonstrate their ability as an athlete, warrior, and hunter.
D) B and C only.
E) All of the above.

Question 11

The Egyptians were known in the ancient world to

A) have built grand palaces, streets, and monuments which were among the grandest in the land.
B) quite possibly developed the science of medicine.
C) have a social structure that included the wealthy, common citizens, and slaves.
D) be superb warriors.
E) All of the above.

Question 12

Archeologists know that the Egyptians
A )enjoyed participating in sporting activities because of the countless artifacts that have been discovered as well as the paintings that were found in tombs
B) believed in "life after death" and members of the nobility and the wealthy who were able to construct magnificent tombs were buried with those items that were to give them pleasure and comfort in the next life. Among these items were sporting implements.
C) were pagans who did not worship any god or gods and as a result, found no use for physical expression or a need for sports.
D) A and B only.
E) None of the above.

Question 13

Wealthy Egyptians

A) enjoyed boating on the Mississippi River.
B) flogging slaves in the market
C) enjoyed swimming in their own swimming pools at home.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the Above.

Question 14

In ancient Egypt

A) the demand for physical labor was never-ending.
B) life was harsh and difficult away from the large cities.
C) individual survival depended in large part on physical fitness, health, and luck.
D) festivals and religious observation provided a break from the harsh physical demands of farming and fishing.
E) All of the Above.

Question 15

The Egyptians had a reputation

A) as superb warriors.
B) for being able to mobile the entire population to serve as slaves.
C) for their humanitarian methods of training their soldiers.
D) for using women and children as front line soldiers.
E) All of the above.

Question 16

Young Egyptian men of the aristocracy

A) enlisted as foot soldiers rather than in the chariot corps.
B) were placed in the barracks where they were physically beaten.
C) became proficient as archers so they would be among the last to face the enemy.
D) A and C only.
E) None of the Above.

Question 17

As far as recreational activities, the Egyptians enjoyed

A) Greek wrestling, especially the Pancration.
B) organized rowing contests on the Ganges River.
C) music, singing, and dancing.
D) All of the Above.
E) None of the Above.

Question 18

Many Egyptian Pharaohs took an active part in what festival that featured physical fitness and athletic ability?

A) Ancient Cairo Festival of Athletic Supremacy
B) Festival to honor the Nile God Shiva
C) The Heb Sed Festival
D) The Sports Festival at Karnak
E) The Olympic Games in Greece

Question 19

The Pharos Seti and Ramses

A) Were able to eventually defeat Moses and celebrated by establishing funeral games that featured athletic competitions and feats of strength.
B) Eventually were defeated by Moses and granted Moses and the Israelites their freedom
C) Are depicted as athletes on the mural paintings in their tombs
D) B and C only
E) None of the above

Question 20

Historically, China

A) dates from the beginning of the Christian era - circa 46 A. D.
B) enjoyed organized sports that began in 618 A. D.
C) never achieved a standard of living remotely close to that enjoyed in the West.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above

Question 21

In China

A) physical culture has been traced as far back as Peking Man, who lived over 500,000 years ago.
B) there is strong evidence that the ancient Chinese were swift runners and good hunters.
C) cave paintings exist that are over 3,000 years old and depict dancing and other physical activities.
D) a dance was developed in ancient times that was used to treat diseases of the legs and feet.
E) All of the above.

Question 22

Which of the following is true? The Chinese

A) trained knights to drive chariots.
B) Chinese chariots were solidly built but lacked ornamentation.
C) sent the chariots racing into battle after the infantry attacked.
D) relied heavily of women to drive the chariots so the men could be used in the infantry.
E) None of the above.

Question 23

Chinese serving in the infantry

A) would depend upon their prowess as an athlete, luck, and skill in using the weapons of war to survive.
B) enjoyed a position of honor, especially if they were drawn from the ranks of the "ordinary population" because it was a sign of devotion.
C) were almost always spared when captured by the enemy because of their special status.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 24

In China

A) women who danced were not as highly valued as they were in Egypt.
B) hunting was not a popular pastime.
C )the ruler Shih Hu was a superb hunter and archer, and maintained an entire battalion of women soldiers who were clothed in furs and carried bows that were painted yellow.
D) the wealthy lived in houses that were equipped with baths, heaters, mechanical fans and rooms that were cooled using ice.
E) C and D only.

Question 25

The Chinese

A) enjoyed the sport of boxing.
B) developed martial arts which was the result of Chinese philosophy and the need to train skilled warriors.
C) played a form of football.
D) watched men and women aristocrats play polo during the T'ang and Dynasties.
E) All of the above.

Question 26

Which of the following is true?

A) in approximately A. D. 1070, a boxing teacher named Chio Yaun Shang Jen incorporated 170 movements into boxing.
B) Chio Yaun Shang Jen wrote a set of training rules for boxers.
C) according to Chio Yaun Shang Jen, a good boxer would follow a vegetarian diet, become self-disciplined, and control his sexual urges.
D) all of the above.
E) A and B only.

Question 27

Which of the following is false? The ancient Chinese

A) identified ten types of military skills.
B) the ten military skills reflected the various elements of yin and yang, the positive and negative forces that the Chinese believe exist in nature.
C) over time, the martial arts incorporated jingluoxue, which was the science of attending to the main and collateral channels found in the body and became the mainstay of Chinese medicine.
D) A and B
E) none of the above.

Question 28

Which of the following is true?

A) the "perfect circle", in the form of a ball, is at the core of some of the most contested athletic competitions in both the ancient and modern world.
B) as a cultural mainstay, ballgames were very popular in antiquity.
C) in Mesoamerica, a ball game known as ulama was a cultural and religious experience for spectators, religious leaders, and athletes.
D )Mesoamerica is a term used to distinguish the inhabitants of a particular part of the Americas from the Indians who lived in neighboring areas.
E) All of the above.

Question 29

In regard to ulama, which of the following is true?

A) it was played with a ball made of animal skin that was stuffed with fine sand.
B) teams were chosen by female priestess who selected males between the ages of 16 and 26.
C) each team had 8 athletes.
D) teams were assigned certain colors that would enable the fans to identify athletes with particular teams.
E) None of the above.

Question 30

Ulama was

A) played with a rubber ball
B) played by the Olmecs beginning around 1800 B. C.
C) played by the pre-Columbian Maya's, the Totonacs, and the Aztecs.
D) All of the above.
E) B and C only.

Question 31

In regard to ulama, which of the following is true?

A) the game must have been very fast because of the composition of the ball.
B) may have been the precursor to the modern game of jai alai which is very popular in Mexico and Central America today.
C) when Columbus sailed to the Americas, he watched a ball game that was being played on an island . in the Caribbean that utilized a rubber ball.
D) when Columbus sailed back to Spain, he returned with a rubber ball which nobody in Europe had ever seen before.
E) All of the above.

Question 32

In Mesoamerica, which of the following is false?

A) Ball games were played on fields and ball courts that date from as far back as 1500 B. C.
B)Ball games were played using skulls attached to sticks to strike the ball as well as athletes using theirhead and feet to propel the ball in a similar way that modern soccer players do.
C)The archeological site of Chichen Itza in Southern Mexico contains a large intact tlachtmalacatl (ball court) with a stone ring attached to the wall that served as a goa
D) Ulama was a competitive ball game that had strong religious overtones.
E) All of the above

Question 33

Ulama was associated with human sacrifice.

Question 34

The ball court in Chichen Itza, archeological evidence indicates that there were ritual beheadings of athletes who played ulama.

Question 35

Interpretation of the archeological evidence at the Casa Colorada ball court in Chichen Itza suggests that the captain of the winning team in the ulama competition might beheaded as the ultimate blood sacrifice to the gods. The entire winning team could also loose their heads as the ultimate sacrifice as well.

Question 36

The Mayas who played ulama used a bat similar to that used in modern day baseball to hit the ball through the stone ring.

Question 37

The Spanish explorer, Hernando Cortes, watched the natives of Mesoamerica playing ulama and was so fascinated by the game and their athletic ability of the athletes that he took them back to Spain where they demonstrated the sport at the court of King Charles V in 1528.