Deck 35: Native Arts of the Americas, 1300 to 1980

Question 1

Why is Machu Picchu of great archaeological importance?

A) It was undisturbed since Inka times.
B) It was the most excavated site following its discovery in the late 1800s.
C) Its extensive written records detailed the city's history as a private compound for the Inka.
D) The history of its conquest detailed its importance to the Inka.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The relief of Coyolxauhqui discovered in 1979 had been hidden from the Spaniards as a result of which of the following?

A) The priests always covered the relief with fitted stones when not in use.
B) The Spaniards were blinded by the Curtain of Gold that separated the sanctuary from the faithful.
C) It was placed in the outermost shell of the Great Temple, which concealed the relief.
D) The Aztec priests removed the relief when the Spaniards approached Tenochtitlán.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Tenochtitlán is laid out on a grid plan that is reminiscent of which earlier culture?

A) Olmec
B) Maya of Copan
C) Teotihuacán
D) Tula

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The Inka imposed not only political and economic controls over the conquered populations but also artistic control as well. Which of the following was an example of their artistic control?

A) Specific tattoos could be used only by the conquered
B) Absolutely no gold could be worn by the conquered
C) The conquered had to wear local dress at all times
D) The conquered had to pierce their lower lip and insert a silver disk to be worn at all times

Question 5

Navajo sand paintings, or dry paintings, are used in sacred ceremonies and destroyed at the ceremony's conclusion. Prototypes are passed from artist to artist and must be strictly followed because mistakes can render the ceremony ineffective. Based on this information, which of the following would describe sand, or dry, painting? s
It is a free and innovative style.
B) It has an uncontrolled style.
C) It has a uniquely individualized style.
D) It is highly stylized.

Question 6

Which of the following would account for the success of the Inka to control their empire?

A) Superb system of roads
B) Precise written documents
C) Strict written records of commercial transactions
D) Obedience of the population to the written word of the Inka

Question 7

When can humans join the Katsina world?

A) When males attain their majority
B) When females marry
C) When either male or female makes a pilgrimage to the Sangre de Cristo mountains
D) After death

Question 8

Which of the following are the descendants of the nomadic hunters who arrived in the Southwest from northwestern Canada sometime between 1200 and 1500?

A) Hopi
B) Apache
C) Shawnee
D) Cheyenne

Question 9

The Inka were a relatively small highland group in the year 1000, but by the 1400s they ruled an empire that extended for more than 3,000 miles. Which of the following would account for this rise to power?

A) Energized population
B) Powerful alliances made through marriage
C) Skillful organizational and administrative control
D) Devout population following the skillful leadership of a dynasty

Question 10

The depiction of Quetzalcoatl and Mictlantecuhtli seen in the Borgia Codex illustrates which of the following themes?

A) The inevitable relationship of life and death
B) The marriage of the Aztec and Maya Empires
C) The brotherhood of the Mixtec and Toltec
D) The contrasting relationship of fire and water

Question 11

Which of the following animals represented Inka royal power in art?

A) Anaconda
B) Eagle
C) Puma
D) Vulture

Question 12

Before European contact the most dominant culture in the American Southwest was the Anasazi. Their descendants painted murals on their interior pueblo walls associated with agriculture. Which of the following would be an important element in this visual lexicon?

A) Lightning
B) Fire
C) Scrub pine
D) Jaguar

Question 13

Many of the Spaniards who first saw Tenochtitlán likened it to which of the following European cities?

A) Madrid
B) London
C) Venice
D) Paris

Question 14

Which of the following Postclassic groups was considered preeminent in the art of writing?

A) Olmec
B) Teotihuacán
C) Zapotec
D) Maya

Question 15

The Aztecs were deemed fierce in war and cruel in peace. They practiced human sacrifice on a greater scale than any previous groups. The Spaniards quickly conquered them. Which of the following would account for this relatively easy conquest?

A) Disorganization of the Aztecs
B) Poor military training in the later years of the empire
C) Lack of leadership
D) Spaniards found allies among the peoples the Aztecs subjugated

Question 16

Coatlicue is the mother of the gods according to Aztec mythology. She is at once savage and awful, and all her attributes symbolize sacrificial death. Which of the following would be one of those attributes?

A) The double-ax motif found on her shoulders
B) The flower garland she wears on her neck
C) The excised human hearts she wears as a necklace
D) The hummingbird motif found on her skirt

Question 17

Which of the following stops provided a small but impressive cache of gold and initiated the expedition of Hernán Cortés to Mexico?

A) Along the coast of Veracruz
B) Along the coast of Yucatán
C) Along the coast of Ixtapa
D) Along the coast of Tampico

Question 18

The Navajo learned how to weave in the 17th century. They transformed their blankets into rugs to meet the tourist demands that the railroads brought to the Southwest in the late 1800s. They mastered a wide variety of designs and used their own sand painting designs as well. Which of the following would allow the incorporation of sand painting design into the weaving design?

A) The difference in materials allowed sand painting designs to be used.
B) The poor weaving techniques allowed sand painting designs to be used.
C) The sand painting designs were altered, which allowed their use.
D) The vegetal dyes caused rapid fading, which allowed their use.

Question 19

In the myth of Coyolxauhqui, sister of Huitzilopochtli, her brother murders her. What is the significance of her murder?

A) Huitzilopochtli's triumph as the sun over the moon
B) Huitzilopochtli's triumph as the god of war
C) Huitzilopochtli's triumph over the forces of the Maya
D) Huitzilopochtli's triumph as the sole god of the Aztecs

Question 20

The placement of the relief of Coyolxauhqui was critical not only to Aztec religious observances but also to the political persona of the empire. Which of the following was the location of the relief?

A) It was placed on the floor before the sanctuary.
B) It was placed at the bottom of Great Temple's stairs.
C) It was hung on the east wall of the sanctuary.
D) It was mounted at the top of the stairs to the Great Temple.

Question 21

Haida house frontal poles displaying totemic emblems express which of the following ideas?

A) Military conquests of the village
B) Hospitality behaviors
C) Health of the village
D) Family history

Question 22

Plains peoples' shield paintings were often based on which of the following?

A) Myths
B) Family histories
C) Legends
D) Personal religious visions

Question 23

Who designs Chilkat blankets?

A) Men
B) Women
C) Haida shaman
D) Kwakiutl

Question 24

The arts of the Northwest Coast Indians of North America are expressions not only of spiritual beliefs but also of which of the following?

A) Economic policy
B) Control of the weather
C) Social status
D) Dreams

Question 25

Which of the following masks would be used during the Kwakwaka'wakw winter ceremonial season?

A) Transformation mask
B) Wolverine mask
C) Lion mask
D) Jaguar mask

Question 26

Who were the most skilled goldsmiths in Mesoamerica?

A) Toltecs
B) Maya
C) Aztecs
D) Mixtecs

Question 27

Which of the following cities had become a pilgrimage site for the Aztecs?

A) La Venta
B) Teotihuacán
C) Tula
D) Chichén Itzá

Question 28

What do the pipe, painted buffalo robe, bear-claw necklace, and feather decorations represent in Karl Bodmer's portrait entitled Two Ravens?

A) Marital status
B) Clan history
C) Family history
D) Military accomplishments

Question 29

What totemic emblems do Haida poles display?

A) The land
B) The Hudson Bay Company
C) The Chilkat
D) Clan groups

Question 30

Which of the groups was least prominent during the Postclassical period?

A) Toltecs
B) Olmecs
C) Mixtecs
D) Aztecs

Question 31

A prime example of dry-joining masonry (masonry without mortar) is found in which of the following?

A) Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacán
B) Maya Temple I at Tikal
C) Inca Temple of the Sun at Cuzco
D) Haida mortuary temple

Question 32

Which of the following groups uses the unique combination of male designer and female weaver?

A) Kwakiutl
B) Haida
C) Tlingit
D) Inuit

Question 33

The Northwest Coast Indians had a rich and reliable environment. They developed a large and varied repertory of symbols and objects. Which of the following also developed as a result of this environment?

A) A class of professional artists
B) Part-time artists
C) A tradition for exploration
D) A tradition for nonviolence

Question 34

Who called themselves Mexica?

A) Aztecs
B) Maya
C) Mixtecs
D) Tolteca

Question 35

When confined to the reservations, Plains Indians took to recording their past exploits and history. They also recorded their reactions to their new surroundings often far from their places of birth. Which of the following would they use for this purpose of record-keeping?

A) Tipi hides
B) Ledger books
C) Blankets
D) Shields

Question 36

The Northwest Coast Indians used masks for which of the following types of ceremonies?

A) Male initiation rituals
B) Female initiation rituals
C) Healing rituals
D) Soothing arguments between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law

Question 37

The Yupik Eskimo have a rich ceremonial tradition based on which of the following animals?

A) Seals
B) Musk ox
C) Wolf
D) Buffalo

Question 38

The ancient art of creating quilled, beaded, and painted clothing has evolved into elaborate costumes today for which of the following ceremonies?

A) Funerals of important tribal leaders
B) Marriage ceremony between intertribal couples
C) Competitive dances called powwows
D) Initiation ceremonies

Question 39

The feathered serpent is one guise for which Mesoamerican deity?

A) Quetzalcoatl
B) Tlaloc
C) Coatlicue
D) Coyolxauhqui

Question 40

Who were the supreme masters of shaping and fitting stones for architecture in South America?

A) Mixtecs
B) Inka
C) Tairona
D) Aztecs

Question 41

Why were Postclassic Maya books so highly prized?

Question 42

What kind of communication system did the Inka establish?

Question 43

How does the disk of Coyolxauhqui describe the Aztec psyche?

Question 44

How is the masking tradition of the Yupik unique?

Question 45

How did the accoutrements of the Plains Indian warrior identify him?

Question 46

How do Haida totem poles represent clan history?

Question 47

Why were agricultural deities important to the Southwest Indians?

Question 48

What were the "flowery wars"?

Question 49

How does a sand, or dry, painting function in a Navajo healing ceremony?

Question 50

How did the Inka control their empire?

Question 51

What is the significance of Machu Picchu?

Question 52

What is the significance of thunderclouds and feathers on a Kachina mask?

Question 53

How were the Aztecs regarded by their neighbors?

Question 54

How is a Chilkat blanket designed and made?

Question 55

What do paired hands on Eskimo masks represent?

Question 56

How did the stone disk of Coyolxauhqui become a political symbol for the Aztecs?

Question 57

What is superimposition?

Question 58

What was the reaction of Cortés to the shrine of Huitzilopochtli?

Question 59

What is the origin of Hopi Katsinas?

Question 60

How does the puma factor into the description of the Inka city of Cuzco?

Question 61

Explain the ideas of sacrifice that lay behind this image.

Question 62

Explain the role of agricultural deities in Southwest culture. How did these deities impact artistic production and society in general? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 63

Describe the architecture of the Inka. Consider the political and social environment. How did the architecture define the Inka? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 64

How does this figure represent the Hopi?

Question 65

Contrast the masks of Eskimo with the Katsinas of the Hopi. Consider the functionality of the objects and their respective environments.

Question 66

From what area of what country did this warrior come? What do the various parts of his costume symbolize?

Question 67

Contrast the empires of the Aztecs and the Inka. Consider the purpose and function of each. How did they use art and architecture to define themselves? Use examples to support your argument.

Question 68

Assess the impact of European contact on the art and architecture of Mexico and Colombia. Consider the political and social implications. Use specific examples to support your essay.

Question 69

Explain the development of Aztec art forms. Consider the political and social implications. Use examples to support your essay.

Question 70

Evaluate the impact of European contact on the native arts of the United States. Consider the social implications and the changes that occurred as a result of the contact. Use specific examples to support your essay.

Question 71

What do totem poles symbolize, and why were they significant?

Question 72

What type of object is this. and how does it deviate from earlier examples?

Question 73

Contrast the architecture and the role it played in Aztec and Inka societies. How did it reflect the nature and character of each group? Use examples to support your essay.

Question 74

How would this mask be used?

Question 75

How did this artist energize the tradition of Southwest pottery making?

Question 76

How does this figure represent savagery and tenderness?

Question 77

Explain the purpose and symbols of Haida totem poles and how they represented the Haida.

Question 78

What do these works symbolically represent?

Question 79

What symbols are represented on this figure?

Question 80

Explain the use of art to indicate social status in Inka culture. Use examples to support your essay.