HSS6 Test Chapter 15

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Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

The region known as the Americas is made up of

a.	Mesoamerica and North America.	c.	North America and South America.
b.	South America and Mesoamerica.	d.	Central America and Mesoamerica.

The first farmers in the Americas domesticated plants in a region called

a.	North America.	c.	Central America.
b.	South America.	d.	Mesoamerica.

Mesoamerica is a good place for farming because

a.	it has many steamy rain forests.
b.	its native plants can be easily domesticated.
c.	the Andes Mountains form fertile valleys for farming.
d.	it has fertile soil and a warm climate.

What was the most important way geography affected the development of early societies in the Americas?

a.	It affected the routes early people used for trade.
b.	It influenced the types and amount of food available to early societies.
c.	It affected the types of clothing early people needed.
d.	It determined which materials early people used to build shelters.

What can you infer about why the first people might have come to the Americas?

a.	They were farmers looking for new land.
b.	They were looking for a river.
c.	They were looking for sources of food.
d.	They were farmers searching for new types of plants to grow.

Which of the following is not true according to scientists?

a.	Early people traveled by sea.
b.	Early people crossed a land bridge.
c.	Early people traveled by 12,000 BC or before.
d.	Early people came from South America.

The first people to arrive in the Americas were

a.	farmers and traders.	c.	hunters and gatherers.
b.	hunters and farmers.	d.	traders and hunters.

Early people did not settle in one place for very long because

a.	they wanted to find places with better climates.
b.	they were always looking for better farmland.
c.	they did not have materials to construct homes.
d.	they were always looking for food.

What was the most important outcome of the early people learning to farm?

a.	They had more time to trade.
b.	They learned to carve massive stone heads.
c.	They could permanently settle in one place.
d.	They developed crops suitable to their climate.

10.

The Olmec founded the first urban civilization in Mesoamerica around

a.	3500 BC.	c.	400 BC.
b.	1200 BC.	d.	AD 200.

11.

Which of the following did not mark the Olmec as a complex civilization?

a.	They had a large trading network.	c.	They developed an organized religion.
b.	They constructed temples and plazas.	d.	They learned to grow new crops.

12.

Which of the following best describes how the Olmec trading network affected other people in Mesoamerica?

a.	It spread Olmec influence to other areas in Mesoamerica.
b.	It spread black pottery art to other areas in Mesoamerica.
c.	It gave the Olmec opportunities to conquer other people in Mesoamerica.
d.	It spread Olmec architecture to other areas in Mesoamerica.

13.

Which of the following crops was most important to the development of early societies in the Americas?

a.	potatoes	c.	maize
b.	beans	d.	squash

14.

Which of the following best summarizes how the forests affected the early Maya?

a.	They had to be cleared to make farmland.
b.	They made farming hard but provided valuable resources.
c.	They supplied the materials the Maya used to build homes.
d.	They blocked some of the Maya trade routes.

15.

What was the name of the glasslike volcanic rock traded by the Maya?

a.	obsidian	c.	jade
b.	stucco	d.	limestone

16.

The early Maya used wood poles, vines, and mud to build their homes because

a.	these materials were easy to get through trade.
b.	other materials such as obsidian were difficult to get.
c.	other materials such as limestone were too heavy to use.
d.	these materials were readily available in the nearby forests.

17.

Which of the following happened after AD 250?

a.	The Maya civilization developed in Mesoamerica.
b.	The Maya began growing crops such as maize.
c.	The Maya villages began trading with one another.
d.	The Maya spread to the Yucatán Peninsula.

18.

Which is the best prediction of what might have happened if Maya cities had stopped warring with one another?

a.	Maya civilization might not have collapsed in the 900s.
b.	The region where the Maya lived might not have suffered from a drought.
c.	The Maya might have overthrown their kings.
d.	Maya society might have produced less art.

19.

The development of architecture in both Olmec and Maya societies was important because

a.	it provided shelter for the upper classes.
b.	it allowed them each to settle in one place.
c.	it gave them places to hold large public gatherings.
d.	it showed that they were complex civilizations.

20.

Which of the following did the Maya use as money?

a.	obsidian	c.	maize
b.	cacao beans	d.	pieces of jade

21.

Maya cities

a.	were composed mostly of grass huts.
b.	had many large buildings but few temples.
c.	included canals to control water.
d.	included large stone pyramids and temples.

22.

The popular Maya ball game was similar to today’s basketball because both sports

a.	ban the use of hands and feet.
b.	are played with teams of five players.
c.	allow players to bounce the balls off their heads.
d.	are based on getting a ball through a ring.

23.

Maya cities battled one another to gain

a.	control of the trade routes.	c.	access to the temples.
b.	approval of the gods.	d.	control of the land.

24.

What can you infer about the natural resources used in Maya warfare?

a.	Cacao was an important resource used in Maya warfare.
b.	Rubber trees were an important resource used in Maya warfare.
c.	Jade was an important resource used in Maya warfare.
d.	Obsidian was an important resource used in Maya warfare.

25.

In the town of Palenque, a temple was built to honor a king named

a.	Pacal.	c.	Calakmul.
b.	Tikal.	d.	Popol Vuh.

26.

Which factor in the decline of Maya civilization was completely beyond the control of the Maya?

a.	The increasing warfare destroyed crops.
b.	Demanding kings caused rebellions.
c.	Competition for land caused more warfare.
d.	Drought made it difficult for farmers to grow crops.

27.

The Maya believed their rulers

a.	lived forever.	c.	descended from fierce animals.
b.	were related to the gods.	d.	had to be men.

28.

What did the Maya rulers and priests have in common?

a.	They both led battles.
b.	They both were related to the gods.
c.	They both were born into their roles.
d.	They both organized the distribution of goods.

29.

Which is the best summary of Maya society?

a.	The upper class included farming families and priests and the lower classes included warriors.
b.	The upper and lower classes provided food and goods for each other.
c.	The lower classes provided food and labor and the upper class led religious ceremonies.
d.	The lower classes provided religious ceremonies and the upper class controlled the economy.

30.

Most of the Maya population

a.	became professional warriors.	c.	worked as merchants.
b.	served in the army.	d.	belonged to the lower classes.

31.

The lowest positions in society were held by

a.	farmers.	c.	hunters.
b.	warriors.	d.	slaves.

32.

What can you infer about Maya farmers?

a.	They could become priests through special training.
b.	They received a good education from the Maya upper classes.
c.	They held the lowest position in Maya society.
d.	They were not able to move up in Maya society.

33.

What happened to soldiers after the Maya captured them in battle?

a.	They became slaves.	c.	They were released.
b.	They became farmers.	d.	They became laborers.

34.

The most important Mayan god was

a.	the sun god.	c.	the creator.
b.	the moon goddess.	d.	the maize god.

35.

Which of the following was the most important factor in Maya religious sacrifices?

a.	Prisoners captured in battle were sacrificed.
b.	Blood was offered to please the gods.
c.	Every person offered blood to the gods.
d.	The moon goddess was always pleased.

36.

After the Spanish arrived,

a.	the Maya began passing down their stories and poetry orally.
b.	the Mayan records were carved into large stone tablets.
c.	the Maya developed a writing system similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics.
d.	Mayan history and legends were written down in the Popol Vuh.

37.

In terms of importance, which factor makes the architecture of Maya buildings most outstanding?

a.	The Maya did not have access to many raw materials.
b.	The grand structures were built without any modern tools.
c.	Obsidian tools were used to cut the limestone into blocks.
d.	Many workers were needed for the construction.

38.

The Maya built observatories so that

a.	they could develop calendars.
b.	farmers would know when to plant and harvest.
c.	they could create number systems.
d.	priests could study astronomy.

39.

The Maya used two different calendars for

a.	worshipping and farming.	c.	trading and farming.
b.	planting and harvesting.	d.	farming and hunting.

40.

Which of the following is the best prediction of what might have happened if the Popol Vuh had not been written?

a.	People today would know nothing about Maya culture.
b.	People today would not have known the Maya ever existed.
c.	People today would be less interested in the Maya civilization.
d.	People today would know less about Maya culture.

Completion
Complete each statement.

41.

____________________ was the name of the glasslike volcanic rock traded by the Maya. (Obsidian/Jade)