Deck 5: Early Odysseys in the Americas, Australia, and Oceania, 8000-500 B.C.E.

Question 1

The presence of domesticated sweet potato plants in the Island Pacific well before people in the Americas had regular contact with the region suggests which of the following?

A) The sweet potato plant originated in several regions across the globe, including the Americas as well as the Island Pacific.
B) Due to continental drift, the Island Pacific and South America once lay much closer to one another than they do today.
C) Despite limited technology, early human vessels made it from the Americas to the Island Pacific.
D) Early humans likely possessed better sailing technology to traverse the Pacific Ocean than previously believed, though evidence of this technology has not yet been discovered.

Answer 1

Despite limited technology, early human vessels made it from the Americas to the Island Pacific.

Question 2

Oceania refers to

A) the collection of islands dotting the Atlantic Ocean.
B) the collection of islands dotting the Pacific Ocean.
C) an ancient civilization whose Mediterranean island nation was destroyed by a volcanic eruption.
D) an ancient continent consisting of present-day Australia and New Zealand.

Answer 2

the collection of islands dotting the Pacific Ocean.

Question 3

The majority of the world's population has continually inhabited which of the following regions?

A) Afroeurasia
B) the Island Pacific
C) China
D) the Americas

Answer 3

Afroeurasia

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a true statement about the development of agriculture in the Americas?

A) Native Americans developed agriculture independently of Afroeurasia.
B) Native Americans developed agriculture thousands of years before inhabitants of Afroeurasia.
C) Maize, beans, squash, and peppers were some of the main crops of the Americas.
D) Evidence of organized agriculture, dating back to approximately 3500 B.C.E., has been discovered in northern Peru.

Question 5

The fact that farming developed in several regions across the globe independently of one another indicates what about early humans?

A) The development of farming was an inevitable part of human evolution.
B) In all cases, farming proved to be more advantageous than foraging.
C) Humans only developed farming in regions that were ecologically similar.
D) Humans developed along similar paths despite different environmental conditions and cultural differences.

Question 6

Early Americans may have developed agriculture as a result of which of the following?

A) the invention of new technologies that made farming more efficient
B) communal leaders collectively deciding to implement farming practices
C) climatic fluctuations and the extinction of certain large mammals
D) the global warming trend known as the Holocene

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the development of farming in the Americas?

A) It occurred over several thousand years and coexisted with foraging practices.
B) It occurred in a relatively short amount of time and was adopted by all early Americans after its introduction.
C) It was a carefully planned venture only taken up after the approval of communal leaders.
D) It focused largely on the cultivation of grains, such as wheat, barley, and rice.

Question 8

Which of the following crops was unique to the Americas?

A) wheat
B) maize
C) lentils
D) rice

Question 9

Which of the following misconceptions about Amazonia have scholars revised?

A) Amazonians were the first early Americans to develop farming.
B) Amazonians introduced maize into the diet of early Americans.
C) Amazonians were the first to domesticate potatoes.
D) Amazonians did not adopt farming until modern times.

Question 10

Which of the following is an important difference between the development of agriculture in the Americas and the parallel development in Afroeurasia?

A) Men played the primary role in the development of farming in the Americas, while women were the key figures in Afroeurasia.
B) Unlike Afroeurasia, the Americas lacked large domesticated mammals that could assist in farming and in the transportation of goods.
C) Unlike Afroeurasia, farming in the Americas did not lead to more complex societies and population growth.
D) Early Americans used farming implements such as ploughs, while Afroeurasians relied largely on human strength to carry out most farming-related tasks.

Question 11

A possible advantage of the absence of large domesticated animals in the Americas is that

A) early Americans were forced to rapidly create technological innovations in order to make farming more efficient by hand.
B) early Americans were forced to eat a largely vegetarian diet, which improved their nutrition greatly.
C) early Americans were spared from contracting diseases such as small pox and chicken pox.
D) most early Americans were compelled to abandon foraging for more efficient and sustainable farming practices.

Question 12

The discoveries made at Norte Chico are important because they have led scholars to

A) believe that farming began in the Americas before it did in Afroeurasia.
B) believe that complex civilizations began in the Americas before they began in Afroeurasia.
C) revise theories about the types of farming implements used by early Americans.
D) believe that complex civilizations began in the Americas earlier than in the Indus valley and ancient Egypt.

Question 13

A similarity between the early civilizations of the Americas and Afroeurasia is that

A) complex civilizations arose in areas of great aridity in both the Americas and Afroeurasia.
B) in both the Americas and Afroeurasia, complex civilizations developed within a few centuries following the introduction of farming.
C) in both the Americas and Afroeurasia, early societies had to struggle against salt contamination in the soil.
D) the institution of slavery played important roles in the early civilizations of both the Americas and Afroeurasia.

Question 14

Which of the following best supports the idea that social hierarchies did not play an important role in the civilization of Norte Chico?

A) Visual depictions of men, women, and children do not seem to indicate any significant divisions.
B) All burial sites in Norte Chico contain large quantities of precious metals, indicating that all had access to wealth.
C) All inhabitants of Norte Chico were buried without adornment.
D) Writings found at Norte Chico suggest a classless society.

Question 15

The presence of large platform mounds and other stone constructions in Norte Chico tells us what about this early civilization?

A) Slaves were frequently used to carry out large-scale construction projects.
B) Norte Chico society was well organized and socially complex and capable of directing and coordinating large-scale labor projects.
C) Norte Chico civilization was highly stratified and controlled by a small ruling elite.
D) Norte Chico was constantly at war and in need of large and well-fortified buildings.

Question 16

Based on the reliefs carved into the façade of the U-shaped structure at Cerro Sech'n, what conclusion can we make about early Andean societies?

A) Early Andean societies engaged in warfare and glorified their victories in visual art.
B) Early Andean societies were largely peaceful and engaged in little to no warfare.
C) Early Andean societies were monotheistic and left ample evidence of their deity worship in the form of visual representations.
D) Early Andean society venerated a class of women warriors, evidence of which can be found in countless murals and stone carvings.

Question 17

The introduction of ceramic pottery to Mesoamerican society was important because it

A) provided women with crucial occupations while men farmed in the fields.
B) led to the introduction of rigid social hierarchies between those who could afford the new technology and those who could not.
C) allowed people to better cook, store, and transport food, supplies, and other goods.
D) caused communities to take up a nomadic lifestyle, as they could now better store and transport food and goods.

Question 18

The similarity in settlements throughout North and South America suggests what about the region?

A) Similar ecological conditions across the two continents promoted construction of similar dwellings.
B) One culture prevailed throughout North and South America.
C) One empire ruled across both continents.
D) Networks of exchange existed in the early Americas.

Question 19

The process of mixing maize with lime to make baked tortillas rich with the essential vitamin niacin in the early Americas is an example of which of the following?

A) careful study and analysis by early American scholars to improve communal diets
B) an innovation likely discovered by chance and adopted because of its beneficial results
C) a decision taken by a communal leader to better supervise the health of his/her community
D) an innovation likely discovered by male farmers as they became more familiar with the grain

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a true statement regarding figurines discovered from ancient Mesoamerican sites?

A) Men are frequently adorned with decorative objects and jewelry, while women figurines appear plain.
B) Women figurines are well-adorned, while figures of men are largely plain.
C) Sculptures of animals suggest the types of game early Americans hunted.
D) figurines of athletes suggest a lively culture of sports and competition.

Question 21

The term Olmec refers to which of the following?

A) an ancient civilization found in what is now Peru
B) an ancient civilization that dwelled along the Gulf of Mexico
C) an ancient civilization that ruled most of Oceania
D) a religion practiced by early Americans

Question 22

Which of the following best summarizes current theories about Olmec society?

A) The Olmec were likely peaceful and avoided battle with neighboring groups.
B) The Olmec were largely foragers and never engaged in a great deal of organized agriculture.
C) The Olmec were likely socially stratified, and a small ruling elite held a great deal of power.
D) The Olmec were likely matriarchal.

Question 23

Which of the following artifacts is unique to the Olmec?

A) a complex system of writing
B) ceramic pottery
C) raised platforms
D) large sculpted heads

Question 24

The discovery of Olmec goods in distant regions suggests what about early Mesoamerican life?

A) The Olmec were largely a merchant people.
B) Early Mesoamericans had contact with one another and exchanged goods and ideas.
C) The Olmec attempted to establish a great empire throughout the region.
D) The Olmec were frequently conquered and plundered by neighboring communities.

Question 25

The La Mojarra Stele tells us what about the society it describes?

A) Harvester Mountain Lord was a type of farmer-king.
B) Harvester Mountain Lord was successfully overthrown by his brother-in-law.
C) Harvester Mountain Lord was responsible for the first system of writing in the early Americas.
D) Harvester Mountain Lord ruled a society that was socially stratified and ritualistic.

Question 26

Clovis refers to which of the following?

A) a hardy grain cultivated by early Americans
B) a system of writing developed by the Olmec
C) the style of tools used by early North Americans
D) a family of languages spoken by early Americans

Question 27

Foraging among early North Americans led to which of the following?

A) a nomadic lifestyle and a lack of any permanent settlements
B) constant shortages of food and resources
C) on-going warfare between different communities
D) the creation of settlements in areas where hunting was bountiful

Question 28

The mounds discovered at Poverty Point tell us what about early North American life?

A) North Americans had virtually no contact with their South American counterparts.
B) Despite their foraging lifestyle, early North Americans engaged in complex social behaviors and formed permanent settlements.
C) Farming spread rapidly from Mesoamerica to North America.
D) Early North Americans lived in highly stratified societies in which a small group of individuals held a large amount of power.

Question 29

Which of the following is a true statement about farming in early North America?

A) Farming arose nowhere in early North America.
B) Farming was likely brought from Central America to North America by migrating tribes.
C) Farming developed to a degree in the Eastern Woodlands independently of outside influences.
D) Once farming developed in the Eastern Woodlands, foraging came to a rapid end among early North Americans.

Question 30

The term Aborigine refers to which of the following?

A) native Australians
B) native Americans
C) natives of the Island Pacific
D) natives of Mesoamerica

Question 31

Which of the following was a prevailing misconception about the native population of Australia?

A) Native Australians adapted to changing ecological conditions.
B) Native Australians had limited contact with individuals from the Island Pacific.
C) Native Australians developed farming despite their relative isolation from the rest of the world.
D) Native Australians changed very little from the time they first inhabited the Australian continent.

Question 32

The Holocene era led to which of the following on the continent of Australia?

A) It prompted Aborigines to take up farming.
B) It submerged the land bridges connecting Australia to New Guinea and Tasmania.
C) It forced Australians to move from inland locales to the shore.
D) It promoted greater contact between native Australians and the Island Pacific.

Question 33

The wild dog known as the dingo suggests what about native Australians?

A) Australians were successful at domesticating animals.
B) Australians used dogs to assist them in hunting and gathering.
C) Australians had contact with the outside world.
D) Because of its isolation, Australia is home to many unique forms of life including the dingo.

Question 34

The presence of skulls with elongated shapes found in Australian burial sites indicates what about native Australian communities?

A) Communities of people sought to distinguish themselves from one another through visual cues.
B) Due to their genetic isolation from the rest of the world, native Australians developed distinctive features.
C) Many native Australians died young due to genetic abnormalities.
D) Native Australians often ritually killed those individuals with genetic defects.

Question 35

Which of the following was an important part of the religious beliefs of native Australians?

A) large sculpted heads depicting divine beings
B) the rainbow serpent
C) a matriarchal creator spirit
D) human sacrifice

Question 36

Which of the following is a probable explanation for why native Australians never adopted farming?

A) The plant life native to Australia was not particularly well-suited for domestication.
B) Native Australian religious beliefs prevented tampering with the land.
C) Australian soil was nutrient-poor.
D) Ecological and climatic pressures were never great enough to require Australians to adopt farming in order to sustain their population.

Question 37

Which of the following best describes the practice of fire stick farming?

A) the process by which people offer up burnt sacrifices to divine entities in the hope of receiving a good harvest in return
B) a process by which crops are burned to prevent the spread of disease
C) a practice of burning certain areas to promote the speedy growth of new plants and flushing out game
D) an act taken by farmers to destroy the crops of their competitors

Question 38

Which of the following best summarizes Australian history before the arrival of outside forces in the late eighteenth century?

A) Though more slowly than in Afroeurasia or the Americas, native Australians were constantly innovating and exchanging ideas among one another.
B) Because of their isolation from the rest of the world, native Australians developed completely differently from the rest of the world.
C) Virtually no change can be discerned among native Australians from the time they settled the continent until the modern era.
D) Despite their isolation from the rest of the world, native Australians adopted many of the same practices as other early human civilizations in Afroeurasia and the Americas.

Question 39

When British sailors landed on the continent of Australia in the late eighteenth century C.E., what was the approximate native population?

A) 2,000,000
B) 750,000
C) 50,000
D) 10,000,000

Question 40

Scholars have recently classified the Island Pacific into which two regions?

A) Near Oceania and Remote Oceania
B) South Oceania and North Oceania
C) East Oceania and West Oceania
D) Central Oceania and Outer Oceania

Question 41

The main difference between the parts of the Island Pacific settled before 10,000 B.C.E. and those parts settled later is that

A) later settlers had an easier time creating permanent settlements because they came equipped with well-developed technologies.
B) later settlers found islands rich in plant and animal life that had not yet been touched by earlier settlers.
C) earlier settlers found islands with relatively poor soil and therefore left to seek out islands better capable of supporting life.
D) later settlers encountered smaller islands with less plant and animal diversity.

Question 42

The large number of languages found in Melanesia tells us what about the inhabitants of these islands?

A) Melanesians descended from a multitude of different settler communities.
B) Inhabitants of different islands had little contact with one another.
C) Exchange and contact between the inhabitants of different islands was virtually impossible until the modern era.
D) Written languages were extremely difficult to develop in the Island Pacific.

Question 43

In contrast to native Australians, inhabitants of nearby New Guinea

A) never adopted farming.
B) remained isolated from the rest of the Island Pacific.
C) domesticated a host of local plants.
D) never developed complex social structures.

Question 44

The term Austronesian refers to which of the following?

A) the small number of Papuans who likely had some contact with native Australians
B) a class of people originating in China and Taiwan who eventually settled much of the Island Pacific
C) the group of people who inhabited Australia before all of its land bridges were submerged following rising sea levels
D) the group of native Australians who eventually settled in parts of Indonesia

Question 45

The Lapita people are known for which of the following?

A) their military prowess
B) their religious philosophy
C) their distinctive language
D) their pottery

Question 46

After they settled on New Guinea, the Lapita people

A) likely intermarried with the native Papuan population and created a new synthetic culture over time.
B) conquered the native Papuan population with their superior technology.
C) introduced farming to native Papuans.
D) killed the native Papuan population, partially through military conquest and partially through the spread of foreign diseases.

Question 47

The discovery of Lapita pottery on Samoa and Tonga suggests which of the following?

A) The Lapita people likely originated from the remote Island Pacific.
B) The Lapita people copied their pottery style from people living in Samoa and Tonga.
C) Despite limited technology, the Lapita people traveled across much of the Island Pacific.
D) Lapita pottery was highly sought after by wealthy elites on these islands.

Question 48

Which of the following enabled Austronesians to successfully migrate to and settle the remote Pacific?

A) The islands of remote Oceania were rich in plant and animal life.
B) They were able to successfully integrate into preexisting native populations.
C) The climate of the remote Pacific was very similar to that of the near Pacific.
D) They took a large variety of tools, plants, and animals with them to compensate for the poor biodiversity of the remote Pacific.

Question 49

Which of the following best explains why sea migrants continued to explore the remote Pacific?

A) They were a military people and constantly sought to conquer other populations.
B) Population growth and shortages of resources forced migrants to settle farther and farther afield.
C) The Austronesians were a largely merchant people who constantly sought out new islands for trade.
D) Austronesians were nomadic by nature and settled in one place for only short periods of time.

Question 50

Remote Oceania and Australia are similar in which important way?

A) They were both relatively isolated from the rest of the world until modern times.
B) They were both settled by the Lapita people.
C) Their inhabitants both spoke languages in the Polynesian family.
D) They were both centers of trade and exchange.

Question 51

Explain the process by which farming developed in the Americas. Who adopted farming and why? How did farming affect the development of early people in the Americas? What were some of the critical crops that early Americans cultivated, and what do these crops tell us about early American farmers?

Question 52

Describe the Olmec civilization. What do we know about this early Mesoamerican civilization, and what types of evidence have scholars used to reconstruct Olmec history?

Question 53

Examine the network of trade and exchange that existed in the early Americas. What does archaeological evidence tell us about communication between different communities throughout North and South America? How did contact between different American peoples influence the development of early American societies?

Question 54

Compare the communities of early Americans in North and South America. In what important ways were the peoples of North and South America different and in what important ways were they similar? What do these similarities and differences tell us about life in the early Americas?

Question 55

Explain how Australia's virtual isolation from the rest of the world until modern times affected the development of Australia's native population. How did the people of Australia develop differently as a result of their isolation, and how did their developmental path parallel that of other regions of the world?

Question 56

Discuss the settlement of the Island Pacific. Who settled this region, and what compelled them to continue settlement into remote and difficult to reach islands? What do linguistic, genetic, and artifactual evidence tell us about the development of this region?

Question 57

Compare and contrast the development of people in Afroeurasia to people in the Americas, the Island Pacific, and Australia. In which important ways did their development differ and in which important ways did their paths of development converge? What do these similarities and differences tell us about the nature and character of early human societies?