Deck 7: Why Did Humans Settle Down, Build Cities, and Establish States

Question 1

Human interference with the reproduction of another species, with the result that specific plants and animals become more useful to people and dependent on them is called

A) domestication.
B) sedentism.
C) niche construction.
D) dependency.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The space a species occupies and what it eats is called its

A) constructed niche.
B) environment.
C) ecological niche.
D) evolutionary niche.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The sum of all the natural selection pressures to which a population is exposed is referred to as a(n)

A) constructed niche.
B) environment.
C) ecological niche.
D) evolutionary niche.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The systematic modification of the environments of plants and animals to increase their productivity and usefulness is called

A) agriculture.
B) agronomy.
C) agroecology.
D) humanization.

Question 5

The systematically modified environment (or constructed niche) which becomes the only environment within which domesticated plants can flourish is referred to as

A) agriculture.
B) agronomy.
C) agroecology.
D) humanization.

Question 6

The process of increasingly permanent human habitation in one place is called

A) agriculture.
B) niche construction.
C) sedentism.
D) domestication.

Question 7

The stage in human-animal relationships that is characterized by selective hunting of herds is called

A) random hunting.
B) controlled hunting.
C) herd following.
D) loose herding.

Question 8

In Mesoamerica, which of the following appeared together?

A) squash, maize
B) beans, squash
C) peppers, maize
D) squash, potatoes

Question 9

The subsistence strategy based on collecting a wide range of plants and animals by hunting, fishing, and gathering is

A) broad spectrum foraging theory.
B) conflict theory.
C) resource base transformation theory.
D) population pressure theory.

Question 10

Social relations in which no great differences in wealth, power, or prestige divide members from one another are called

A) egalitarian social relations.
B) simple social relations.
C) even social relations.
D) complex social relations.

Question 11

The production of amounts of food that exceed the basic subsistence needs of the population is called

A) surplus production.
B) agriculture.
C) pastoralism.
D) occupational specialization.

Question 12

Particular dedication to various occupations or social roles usually found in socially complex societies is called

A) surplus production.
B) occupational specialization.
C) social stratification.
D) social class.

Question 13

A ranked group within a hierarchically stratified society whose membership is defined primarily in terms of wealth, occupation, or other economic criteria is referred to

A) complex society.
B) caste.
C) class.
D) occupational specialization.

Question 14

Societies with large populations, an extensive division of labor, and occupational specialization are known as

A) complex societies.
B) modern societies.
C) egalitarian societies.
D) states.

Question 15

A society in which one person and his relatives have privileged access to wealth, power, and prestige is called a

A) band.
B) chiefdom.
C) rank society.
D) tribe.

Question 16

In bands, labor is usually divided by

A) age and sex.
B) occupation.
C) location.
D) family.

Question 17

Objects buried with a corpse are known as

A) grave goods.
B) memorials.
C) funeral objects.
D) surplus production.

Question 18

Sherds are pieces of broken

A) bones.
B) promises.
C) tools.
D) pots.

Question 19

Material goods paid by perpetrators to compensate their victims for their loss are referred to as

A) guilt money.
B) bloodwealth.
C) bridewealth.
D) loss prevention.

Question 20

When an organism actively perturbs the environment or when it actively moves into a different environment, it is engaging in

A) domestication.
B) niche construction.
C) sedentism.
D) habitat realignment.

Question 21

To be dispersed successfully in its wild state, wheat requires

A) a brittle rachis.
B) a soft glume.
C) a large seed head.
D) seeds that mature at the same time.

Question 22

Why is the discovery of remains of many immature male herd animals at a site taken as evidence of human involvement with a herd?

A) Hunters kill animals they find; they do not go out of their way to kill only young males.
B) Only a small number of males are required for reproduction in a managed herd.
C) Hunters are likely to kill leave the animals easiest to hunt.
D) Mature wild male herd animals are always on the outskirts of the herd.

Question 23

The earliest evidence for goat herding is about

A) 7,0000 years ago.
B) 11,000 years ago.
C) 15,000 years ago.
D) 21,000 years ago.

Question 24

Richard Meadow argues that herding represents a complete change in human attitudes toward and relationships with animals. Why?

A) Animals are no longer for eating, they are for herding.
B) The focus shifts from the hunted animal to their offspring.
C) The focus shifts from meat to animal byproducts, especially milk and hides.
D) Animals become the objects of affection rather than fear.

Question 25

The first evidence of the cultural tradition called the Natufian is found at about how many years before the present?

A) 8,000
B) 10,300
C) 12,500
D) 15,500

Question 26

Which of the following is evidence that the Natufians lived in relatively permanent settlements?

A) There are bones of young gazelles and migratory birds at the sites.
B) There are no permanent buildings at settlement sites.
C) There are no cemeteries.
D) There is no evidence that they did not live in permanent settlements.

Question 27

The appearance of domesticated plants is taken to be the end of one great cultural period and the beginning of another. The period that ENDS with the beginning of domestication is called the

A) Neolithic.
B) Natufian.
C) Paleolithic.
D) Premodern.

Question 28

Archaeologists are coming to agree that domestication was everywhere invented by

A) simple foragers living in marginal environments.
B) complex foragers living in areas of relatively abundant resources.
C) herders who decided to settle down.
D) aliens from outer space.

Question 29

Which period of history began with the domestication of plants 10,300 years ago, and is referred to as the "New Stone Age"?

A) Paleolithic
B) Neolithic
C) Mesolithic
D) Holocene

Question 30

Which of the following is archaeological evidence for social complexity?

A) Burials
B) Monumental architecture
C) Permanent settlements
D) Tools

Question 31

Archaeologists digging at a site in southwest Asia find a series of burials that differ in size, construction, and the quantity of objects found in each. The archaeologists might conclude that the society responsible for the burials was

A) egalitarian.
B) stratified.
C) unspecialized.
D) subjective.

Question 32

In a rank society, a chief is given greater

A) prestige than other people, but not greater power or wealth.
B) prestige and wealth than other people, but not greater power.
C) wealth and power than other people, but not greater prestige.
D) wealth than other people, but not greater prestige and power.

Question 33

When archaeologists find unique styles in architecture, pottery, textiles, and other artifacts distributed uniformly over a wide area, they call this a

A) cultural horizon.
B) imperial vista.
C) state.
D) stratified society.

Question 34

Sociocultural features that have been suggested as leading to the rise of social complexity include

A) the presence of chiefdoms in the areas in which social complexity first began.
B) ineffective patterns of conflict resolution within the original social organization.
C) the innate human need to control others.
D) population decreases.

Question 35

Which of the following describes the Early Horizon of Andean culture?

A) It was the first time that many communities had adopted a single cultural tradition.
B) It was the first known cultural tradition of the Chavín Horizon.
C) It was associated with the sixteenth-century cult of Pachacamac.
D) It was the first time a cultural tradition had been spread by conquest.

Question 36

The rise of the Inka state dates to about

A) 375 B.C.E.
B) 1035 C.E.
C) 1476 C.E.
D) 1525 C.E.

Question 37

The distinctive Andean pattern of integrating economic resources from a variety of environments is called the

A) horizontal integration system.
B) late intermediate period.
C) local option system.
D) vertical archipelago system.

Question 38

Compared with wild wheat, domesticated wheat has a larger seed head.

Question 39

The term "transegalitarian society" is designed to describe all societies that are neither egalitarian nor stratified.

Question 40

A conflict among scholars concerning domestication centers on

A) whether were people were aware of what they were doing in intervening in the gene pool of wild plants.
B) how plants could have evolved to meet the needs of the people who were eating them.
C) how specialized plants could have been made to thrive in disturbed environments.
D) how people were able to domesticate plants and animals at the same time.

Question 41

According to Bruce Smith, the ancestors of domesticated seed plants were

A) weedy generalists that thrived in disturbed environments.
B) specialized plants with dietary appeal that required careful tending.
C) preferred plants that attracted wild animals that fed on them.
D) third choice plants that human beings ate only when necessary.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT evidence for animal domestication?

A) Abrupt population increase of some species relative to others
B) Morphological changes in animal populations
C) Absence of animal species outside its natural range
D) Remains of juvenile animals at a site

Question 43

Which of the following characteristics is NOT desirable in an animal if domestication is the goal?

A) Suitable for food
B) Multiple uses for human beings
C) Herd animal
D) Difficult to control

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a theory for the cause of domestication?

A) Broad spectrum foraging
B) Climatic changes
C) Independent invention
D) Population pressure

Question 45

A population is living off a secure subsistence base, eating plants and animals caught by hunting, fishing, and gathering. The population expands, and as it does, it puts pressure on the resource base, forcing people to eat "third-choice" foods, especially grains. They discovered that the grain responded to human efforts to increase yields, and came to rely increasingly on it. This scenario would fit best with which of the following theories of agricultural development?

A) Broad spectrum foraging theory
B) Conflict theory
C) Resource base transformation theory
D) Population pressure theory

Question 46

According to the text, both Belfer-Cohen and Henry argue that extensive Natufian artistic activity was connected with

A) burial activities.
B) handling social tensions.
C) hunting magic.
D) trade.

Question 47

How do sedentism and domestication represent a change in worldview?

A) People are more aware of the value of the natural environment.
B) Land is transformed into owned territories.
C) Plants and animals become objects of worship.
D) Animal worship increases.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT a form of monumental architecture?

A) Farmhouse
B) Palace
C) Royal tomb
D) Temple

Question 49

Michael Hoffman suggested that the massive expenditure of resources by early elites on luxury goods was a

A) motor for trade.
B) tribute to their leadership offered by the "ordinary people" of the society.
C) way of consolidating power by forcing possible enemies to work for them.
D) way of demonstrating the superior power of the rulers.

Question 50

The Inka Empire differed from the earlier Chimú culture because it was based in

A) great cities.
B) the Pacific coast.
C) rural villages.
D) centralized power.

Question 51

A modern multiple strand theory of domestication will include the local effects of climate, environment, and social organization.

Question 52

A consequence of domestication us a decline in quality of diet.

Question 53

Define the differences between sedentism, domestication, and agriculture? Provide examples of each, and explain why each is important.

Question 54

Using the Natufians as an example, discuss the multiple strands that led them to domestication.

Question 55

Describe three of the explanations offered for the rise of social complexity. Describe how each accounts for the development of social complexity. What are the limitations of each theory?

Question 56

Describe three of the human-plant relationships discussed in the text. Include an example for each relationship, indicate the significance of each, and articulate the energy balance of each.

Question 57

Choose two or three explanations for the transition to domestication. What are the major points of each? What are the problems with each? Explain the importance of each explanation.

Question 58

Compare and contrast foraging and agriculture in terms of the relationship of people to the food supply. Compare and contrast tribes and chiefdoms with reference to stratification. How do these patterns interact with each other through time?