Deck 4: Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania

Question 1

The Olmec ceremonial centers of San Lorenzo and La Venta were destroyed by

A)earthquakes.
B)the Maya.
C)the Teotihuacan.
D)the Olmecs themselves.
E)volcanic eruptions that trapped the survivors and left distinctive archaeological records.

Answer 1

the Olmecs themselves.

Question 2

According to the Popol Vuh,the gods created the first successful version of humans out of

A)wood.
B)clay.
C)the flesh of the gods.
D)maize.
E)blood.

Answer 2

maize.

Question 3

The Olmec common people

A)labored regularly on behalf of the Olmec elite.
B)were exclusively the subject of human sacrifice.
C)lived alongside the elite in the major ceremonial centers.
D)lived a much more privileged life than their European counterparts did.
E)enjoyed a basic democracy.

Answer 3

labored regularly on behalf of the Olmec elite.

Question 4

Later Mesoamerican societies used calendars derived ultimately from the model created by the

A)Maya.
B)Mochica.
C)Olmecs.
D)Aztecs.
E)Incas.

Question 5

What product was such a precious commodity that the Maya used it as money?

A)maize
B)cotton
C)silt
D)cacao beans
E)potatoes

Question 6

Ritual bloodletting was crucial to Maya rituals because

A)it pleased their god Indra.
B)the flow of blood terrified their enemies.
C)it was associated with rain and agriculture.
D)they had copied the technique from the earlier Aztecs.
E)blood was considered taboo.

Question 7

The first society of Mesoamerica,which founded traditions followed by all later societies,was the

A)Maya.
B)Olmec.
C)Teotihuacan.
D)Mochica.
E)Aztec.

Question 8

The Maya attributed great significance to the amount of time it took the solar and ritual calendars to simultaneously return to their respective starting points.This event took place every ________ solar years.

A)10
B)26
C)52
D)76
E)88

Question 9

How much written material survives from the Maya?

A)a massive library at Tikal
B)four books
C)none
D)a small library at the ceremonial center of Kaminaljuyu
E)roughly a thousand books captured by the Aztecs

Question 10

The Maya calendar interwove a solar year of 365 days and a ritual calendar of ________ days.

A)100
B)260
C)730
D)1,000
E)1,243

Question 11

Which of the following mathematical concepts,essential for positional notation and the manipulation of large numbers,was invented by Maya mathematicians?

A)infinity
B)zero
C)long division
D)exponential notation
E)negative numerals

Question 12

The most characteristic artistic creations of the Olmecs were

A)pyramids.
B)elaborate murals.
C)temples.
D)ziggurats covered with a limestone finish.
E)colossal human heads sculpted from basalt.

Question 13

The Olmecs traded extensively in all of the following items EXCEPT

A)horses.
B)jade.
C)obsidian.
D)small works of art.
E)animal skins.

Question 14

The first ceremonial center of the Olmecs was

A)San Lorenzo.
B)La Venta.
C)Teotihuacan.
D)Kaminaljuyu.
E)Tikal.

Question 15

The Pyramid of the Sun was located in

A)Tikal.
B)La Venta.
C)San Lorenzo.
D)Cuzco.
E)Teotihuacan.

Question 16

The term Olmec means

A)"lords."
B)"masters of the middle earth."
C)"rubber people."
D)"wanderers."
E)"noble people."

Question 17

The most flexible and sophisticated system of writing found in the ancient Americas was created by the

A)Olmecs.
B)Maya.
C)Teotihuacan society.
D)Chavín cult.
E)Incas.

Question 18

Which of the following devices did the ancient Maya build in order to trap silt carried by the numerous rivers passing through the Mesoamerican lowlands?

A)dams
B)massive irrigation tunnels
C)terraces
D)primitive water purification filters
E)moats

Question 19

The most important political center of the Maya realm at its height was

A)Kaminaljuyu.
B)Teotihuacan.
C)Tikal.
D)Chavín.
E)San Lorenzo.

Question 20

The Popol Vuh was the

A)most important of the Maya gods.
B)largest Olmec ceremonial center.
C)Maya creation myth.
D)greatest Austronesian epic.
E)Olmec law code.

Question 21

The population of Teotihuacan rose to

A)5,000.
B)7,500.
C)10,000.
D)12,500.
E)200,000.

Question 22

The political center of the Maya between the fourth and ninth centuriesC.E.was Tikal.

Question 23

The Pyramid of the Moon was a Teotihuacan temple and largest in Mesoamerica.

Question 24

Obsidian is the material out of which the Olmec fashioned tools.

Question 25

The largest single building in Mesoamerica was the

A)Maya Temple of the Giant Jaguar.
B)Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun.
C)Olmec Temple of the Sun.
D)Maya Imperial Palace.
E)Olmec Temple of the Moon.

Question 26

Malayan,Indonesian,Filipino,Polynesian,and other Oceanic languages are derived from what language?

A)aboriginal Australian
B)Chinese
C)Hindi
D)Indo-European
E)Austronesian

Question 27

The first Mesoamerican society was the Maya.

Question 28

One of the earliest Andean states,which left a remarkable artistic legacy through its ceramics,was

A)Chavín.
B)Teotihuacan.
C)San Lorenzo.
D)Mochica.
E)Maya.

Question 29

The Maya were a Mesoamerican society that developed writing and made advancements in math.

Question 30

Which statement correctly describes the relationship between the aboriginal peoples of Australia and New Guinea?

A)The aboriginal peoples of Australia maintained hunting and gathering societies,while in New Guinea they turned to agriculture.
B)The two fought a centuries-long civil war.
C)The aboriginal peoples of New Guinea maintained hunting and gathering societies,while in Australia they turned to agriculture.
D)The aboriginal peoples of Australia learned their written language from New Guinea.
E)The aboriginal peoples of New Guinea learned their written language from Australia.

Question 31

The Chavín cult was a new religion that appeared in the central Andes around 1000B.C.E.

Question 32

The Chavín cult

A)was the Teotihuacan worship of an earth god and rain god.
B)was the primary Olmec religion.
C)existed in the area occupied by modern Peru.
D)was practiced in the Maya Temple of the Giant Jaguar.
E)is the best known religion of the Americas.

Question 33

Mochica was one of the earliest Andean states that left a remarkable artistic legacy.

Question 34

The Lapita peoples

A)spread the concept of the wheeled chariot.
B)worshipped the Chavín cult.
C)traded with the Mesopotamians.
D)introduced bronze technology to China.
E)were the earliest Austronesian migrants to establish human settlements in the Pacific islands.

Question 35

Mochica was one of the Olmec ceremonial centers.

Question 36

The state of Teotihuacan was famous for its orange pottery,and it built on the Olmec calendar and graphic symbols.

Question 37

Austronesians brought human settlement to islands of the Pacific Ocean.

Question 38

In the Popol Vuh,humans were created from maize and water.Why would this explanation have made sense to the Maya? What did the gods want from their human creations? What were the earlier attempts?

Question 39

The Austronesian-speaking peoples became the first human settlers on which large island off the east African coast?

A)Madagascar
B)Sri Lanka
C)Sicily
D)Easter Island
E)New Guinea

Question 40

The Popol Vuh is the Maya creation myth.

Question 41

How did a changing climate affect the earliest inhabitants of Mesoamerica?

Question 42

Compare and contrast the political,social,and religious diversity of Mesoamerica and South America.How did government,social structure,and religion differ from region to region?

Question 43

Examine the relationship between Mesoamerica and South America.Why was there not more contact between the two areas?

Question 44

What factors help to explain the relative scarcity of information about the early history of the Americas and Oceania? What tools do historians use to study these societies?

Question 45

Explore the political and social diversity of Oceania.What factors allowed for these differences?

Question 46

Look at Map 4.2,Early societies of Andean South America,1000B.C.E.-700C.E.Discuss the relationship to water of these early South American societies.Discuss the problems of communications between Mesoamerica and South America as well as within South America itself.

Question 47

Examine the Popol Vuh.What can this work tell us about the religious world of the Maya? Compare it to other creation stories studied so far in the class.

Question 48

Explore the influence of the Olmecs on Mesoamerican society.What were the major foundations of Olmec civilization? How did they influence other societies?

Question 49

What factors allowed for the exploration and settlement of Oceania? Did these societies change over time?

Question 50

Examine Map 4.3,Early societies of Oceania,1500B.C.E.-700C.E.How were the inspirations for exploration and colonization linked to the geography of the area? Discuss the role played by the Austronesians in this process.

Question 51

Discuss the richness and complexity of Maya culture,centering on their accomplishments in writing,astronomy,and math.

Question 52

What factors might explain the decline and collapse of Mesoamerican societies such as the Olmecs and the Maya? Why is the decline of these two societies so mysterious?

Question 53

Compare and contrast the political and social structures of the Americas and Oceania.Were these societies shaped differently by isolation?

Question 54

What would have caused the societies of the Americas and Oceania to be so different from other societies studied so far? What areas did they have in common?

Question 55

Examine the influences of the Austronesians in the history of Oceania.What factors might have driven the Austronesians to explore and colonize the Pacific Ocean?

Question 56

Describe Olmec societal structures.What cultural and societal traditions did the Olmecs pass on to later Mesoamerican societies?

Question 57

In what fundamental ways did the Mesoamerican and South American societies differ from those of Oceania? What did they have in common?

Question 58

How did the state of Chichén Itzá change Mesoamerican society? How did its strategy for expansion differ from other states and kingdoms?

Question 59

Look at the picture of Teotihuacan on page 71.How populous and powerful was this city? Discuss the importance of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Question 60

Look at Map 4.1,Early Mesoamerican societies,1200B.C.E.-1100C.E.What was the geographical relationship between the Olmecs,Maya,and Teotihuacan? Were the contributions of these societies influenced by geography?

Question 61

Although there is little direct evidence left of the form of government of Teotihuacan,how do scholars believe the huge population of the city was managed? What role did priests likely play?

Question 62

Describe the Maya ball game.Why did the Maya play it? What role did it serve in society?

Question 63

Read the section drawn from the Popol Vuh .Compare this creation story to others studied in the class.Why did the gods create humans in the first place? Why would it make sense for humans to be made of maize?

Question 64

Examine the picture of Mochica pottery on page 73.Why would pottery like this be important to scholars as they study South America?

Question 65

Describe the origins,development,and decline of the Lapita society.

Question 66

Describe Maya religious beliefs and practices.What was the purpose of their bloodletting rituals?

Question 67

Compare and contrast the societies that existed under the Chavín cult and the Mochica State.

Question 68

Look at the representation of mariners on page 76.What part did these mariners and their double hulled voyaging canoes play in the exploration and colonization of Oceania? What lands did they colonize?