Question 1

Which of the following is not a true statement about the practice of slavery in Africa?
A) Africans of Lower Guinea owned slaves who were also other Africans.
B) Slaves were usually captives from wars.
C) Slaves were not denied access to education.
D) The children of slaves were not predestined to become slaves themselves.
E) Slavery was a lifelong condition.

Accepted Answer

Slavery in Africa often differed from the chattel slavery that developed in the Americas. In many African societies, slavery was not necessarily a lifelong condition. Slaves could sometimes integrate into the master's clan, earn their freedom, or their children might not inherit their slave status.

Question 2

Chaco Canyon is noted for being
A) the largest pre-Columbian culture in North America.
B) home to more than a dozen Anasazi "Great Houses."
C) the site of the largest Mississippian-shaped mound.
D) the main agricultural stronghold in the West.
E) viewed by the Anasazi as the source of all life.

Accepted Answer

Chaco Canyon is known for its numerous "Great Houses," which were large, multistory buildings built by the Anasazi people between 850-1150 AD. These impressive structures were used for a variety of purposes, including housing, ceremonial events, and storage of food and goods.

Question 3

The Olmec people of Mexico are important because
A) they were masters of rice production and cultivation.
B) their society was known for its sophisticated mound-building.
C) they were the first to abandon the tribal practice of human sacrifice.
D) they established networks of trade based on fishing.
E) they were a precursor to the many maize-based societies that would later develop in North America.

Accepted Answer

The Olmec civilization, often considered a foundational culture in Mesoamerica, significantly influenced subsequent societies through their developments in agriculture, particularly in the cultivation of maize. This agricultural innovation was crucial for the rise of later civilizations in the region.

Question 4

A contemporary revaluation of carbon dating evidence of more recent archeological evidence suggests that the first settlers may have reached North America in all of the following ways except A) on boats following whales across the Pacific from Asia. B) across a land bridge called Beringia following large mammals. C) following the Pacific Coast of today's Alaska. D) much earlier than 12,000 years ago. E) coming from Scandinavia across Greenland in search of fish.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A contemporary revaluation of carbon dating evidence...

Question 5

What was the relationship between Africans of the Lower Guinea - many of whom would later be forcibly brought to America - and the religion of Islam?
A) After Islam was introduced, it was widely embraced and practiced.
B) Islam was the national religion.
C) Some Africans practiced Islam, but most adhered to their traditional religions
D) All of these choices.
E) None of these choices.

Accepted Answer

While there were some Africans in Lower Guinea who practiced Islam, the majority adhered to their traditional religions. It was not the national religion and it was not widely embraced by all Africans in the region.

Question 6

The significance of Kennewick Man was that
A) his remains showed a European presence in North America from about 9,000 BCE
B) it was proof that Europeans were some of the earliest peoples to arrive.
C) his remains proved that Europeans and Asians evolved from a similar background.
D) his discovery proved that the first peoples arrived on the West Coast in what is now Washington.
E) his discovery called into question several assumptions that scientists had long held about the physical characteristics of early settlers in the Paleo-Indians era.

Accepted Answer

Kennewick Man's discovery challenged assumptions about the physical characteristics of early Paleo-Indian settlers, particularly the idea that they were uniformly mongoloid in appearance. This discovery led to further research and questioning about the history of early human settlement in North America.

Question 7

Mercantilism is an economic theory that suggests that
A) a nation or a state's prosperity was determined by the total volume of its trade.
B) prosperity depended on business investment, not on consumer demand.
C) consumer demand was central to economic growth.
D) free markets were a natural order that should not be disturbed by state interference with international trade.
E) gold was the basis of all value.

Accepted Answer

Mercantilism emphasized on the importance of accumulating wealth, particularly gold and silver, through a favorable balance of trade. This meant that a country should export more than it imports in order to accumulate monetary reserves. Therefore, a nation or a state's prosperity was determined by the total volume of its trade.

Question 8

One thing that we know for certain about the earliest people is that
A) the largest influx of people took place between 9500 and 8000 BCE.
B) most arrived about 15,000 years ago.
C) the greatest influx of people in the early period came between 20,000 and 10,000 BCE.
D) they brought with them their skills in fur-trapping.
E) they were already skilled in agriculture when they arrived.

Accepted Answer

Archaeological evidence suggests that the greatest influx of people during the early period of human migration into the Americas occurred between 20,000 and 10,000 BCE.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true of the empires of West Africa?
A) Mali's principal city, Timbuktu, became the cultural and artistic capital of Africa.
B) The kingdom of Ghana absorbed the kingdom of Mali by the thirteenth century.
C) Around 1500, the ruler of Songhay converted to Christianity.
D) Ghana was eventually conquered by the Muslim kingdom of Kongo.
E) The city of Timbuktu was an important center for the religion of Islam.

Accepted Answer

Mali's principal city, Timbuktu, became a center of Islamic scholarship, trade, and culture, particularly in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was known for its libraries, mosques, and scholars.

Question 10

The Pueblo people of the Southwest
A) were famous for their basket weaving and ceramics.
B) constructed multistoried buildings in canyons and river valleys.
C) held major buffalo hunts each year for food to preserve for the winter.
D) usually had tobacco as their main trade crop.
E) carved elaborate totem poles and masks for special occasions.

Accepted Answer

The Pueblo people of the Southwest constructed multistoried buildings in canyons and river valleys, such as the famous cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park. While they also had a tradition of basket weaving and ceramics, they did not carve totem poles or masks, and did not primarily rely on buffalo hunts or tobacco farming for their livelihood.

Question 11

Religion as practiced in Lower Guinea by the 1500s
A) was mainly that of Islam.
B) consisted of one major god and several lesser gods with specific capacities.
C) was monotheistic.
D) had one major demigod the people prayed to as a direct connection between them and their major god.
E) was based almost completely on animal worship.

Accepted Answer

By the 1500s, the religions practiced in Lower Guinea, which encompasses present-day Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast, were diverse and typically involved one major god and several lesser gods with specific roles or capacities. These religions often involved ancestor worship, as well as beliefs in spirits and magic. Islam did exist in the region, but it was not the predominant religion by the 1500s. Animal worship was not a defining characteristic of religion in Lower Guinea at this time. Monotheism was not a common feature of the religions practiced in this region.

Question 12

Which of the following is the most accurate statement regarding Africans and the North American slave trade from the 16ᵗʰ to the 18ᵗʰ century?
A) Africans traveled to North America in a variety of ways, only one of which was the forced transportation as slaves.
B) The enslavement of Africans for the purpose of selling them in North America depopulated large sections of West Africa.
C) Although African slaves did not make up a huge percentage of new arrivals in colonial North America, they profoundly changed labor, social, and cultural relations.
D) African slaves came from all parts and corners of the continent.
E) Although the number of slaves imported to North America was small, they made up a very large proportion of immigrants to colonial North America.

Accepted Answer

While African slaves did not make up the majority of immigrants to colonial North America, they still had a profound impact on labor, social, and cultural relations. The transatlantic slave trade had a devastating impact on West Africa, but it did not completely depopulate large sections of the region. While African slaves came from a variety of regions and ethnic groups, they were primarily taken from areas along the western coast of the continent. Option A is incorrect, as the vast majority of Africans who arrived in North America during this time period were brought over as slaves. Option B exaggerates the impact of the slave trade on West Africa, while option D is too general and does not provide accurate information about where the majority of African slaves came from. Option E is also incorrect, as the number of slaves imported to North America was significant and not small.

Question 13

Which of the following was not a Northeastern tribe?
A) Wampanoag
B) Massachusetts
C) Narragansett
D) Mohawk
E) Cheyenne

Accepted Answer

The Cheyenne tribe was not located in the Northeastern region, but rather in the Great Plains region. The Wampanoag, Massachusetts, Narragansett, and Mohawk tribes were all located in the Northeastern region.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about pre-Columbian civilizations is true?
A) Most of these civilizations were based on broad networks of trade.
B) Only the Incas and Maya built sophisticated and complex cities and urban societies.
C) Economies based on agriculture allowed extended settlement in one area and the development of a broad trade network.
D) Most of these societies had been decimated by internal wars even before Europeans arrived.
E) Several of their great cities probably reached populations of about one quarter of a million residents each.

Accepted Answer

Pre-Columbian civilizations such as the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas, had economies based on agriculture which allowed them to settle in one area and develop trade networks. This is evident in the extensive trade routes maintained by the Incas, and the use of cacao beans as currency among the Aztecs.

Question 15

The most important change in the archaic era in the Americas was
A) the rise of the Mayan Empire.
B) the end of the Ice Age.
C) the expansion of agriculture and establishment of sedentary communities.
D) the formation of tribes.
E) the extinction of the Mammoth.

Accepted Answer

The expansion of agriculture and establishment of sedentary communities was the most important change in the archaic era in the Americas. This allowed for the development of complex societies and the rise of civilizations such as the Mayan Empire later on. The end of the Ice Age and the extinction of the Mammoth were also significant events, but they occurred earlier in the Paleo-Indian era. The formation of tribes was a gradual process that occurred throughout the archaic era and was not as significant as the development of agriculture.

Question 16

Most Indian religions were
A) polytheistic and animistic.
B) sentimental.
C) hedonistic.
D) egalitarian.
E) monotheistic.

Accepted Answer

Polytheism, the belief in multiple gods and goddesses, was common in most Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Animism, the belief in spirits and supernatural forces in nature, also played a significant role in Indian religions.

Question 17

Which of the following claims is the only one that we now know was not true of early American civilizations? A) Civilizations outgrew their capacity to grow food for their people. B) Battles with enemy tribes forced certain groups to abandon the central parts of their civilizations. C) The Americas were virgin land before contact with Europeans. D) North and South America had perhaps as many as 100 million inhabitants. E) Major droughts brought an end to some civilizations.

Accepted Answer

We now know that the Americas were not virgin land before contact with Europeans, as indigenous peoples had been living there for thousands of years before European arrival.

Question 18

The Iroquois Confederacy was formed in part for the purpose of
A) defending themselves against attacks from other tribes in the northeast region.
B) sharing resources.
C) wiping out European settlements.
D) controlling the best hunting lands.
E) allowing intermarriage between the tribes.

Accepted Answer

The Iroquois Confederacy was formed by five tribes (later six) for the purpose of mutual defense against attacks from other tribes in the region, particularly the Algonquin tribes.

Question 19

For subsistence,native tribes of the High Plains relied in large part on
A) maize.
B) trade with Western and Southern tribes.
C) gathering.
D) bison herds.
E) fishing.

Accepted Answer

Native tribes of the High Plains relied heavily on bison herds for subsistence, using almost every part of the animal for food, clothing, and tools. Maize was not a primary crop in this region, and trade with Western and Southern tribes was not the main source of sustenance. Gathering and fishing may have been supplementary food sources, but not the primary one.

Question 20

Most Native Americans believed that property
A) should never be sold.
B) could not be privately owned, but could be used by everyone when needed.
C) belonged to the spirits.
D) was given to them by the gods.
E) belonged to the people using it at the time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Most Native Americans believed that property
A) should...

Quiz 1: Three Societies on the Verge of Contact

Which of the following is not a true statement about the practice of slavery in Africa?

Chaco Canyon is noted for being

The Olmec people of Mexico are important because

A contemporary revaluation of carbon dating evidence of more recent archeological evidence suggests that the first settlers may have reached North America in all of the following ways except

What was the relationship between Africans of the Lower Guinea - many of whom would later be forcibly brought to America - and the religion of Islam?

The significance of Kennewick Man was that

Mercantilism is an economic theory that suggests that

One thing that we know for certain about the earliest people is that

Which of the following statements is true of the empires of West Africa?

The Pueblo people of the Southwest

Religion as practiced in Lower Guinea by the 1500s

Which of the following is the most accurate statement regarding Africans and the North American slave trade from the 16ᵗʰ to the 18ᵗʰ century?

Which of the following was not a Northeastern tribe?

Which of the following statements about pre-Columbian civilizations is true?

The most important change in the archaic era in the Americas was

Most Indian religions were

Which of the following claims is the only one that we now know was not true of early American civilizations?

The Iroquois Confederacy was formed in part for the purpose of

For subsistence,native tribes of the High Plains relied in large part on

Most Native Americans believed that property