Vocab
Archaeologists find a bone needle and a naturally rounded rock. Which is clearly an artifact, and why?
The bone needle, because humans shaped it for a purpose.
The Bering Land Bridge connected which two places, on which two continents?
Siberia in Asia and Alaska in North America.
What type of tool helped archaeologists identify the Clovis people at sites across North America?
Distinctive stone spearpoints, known as Clovis points.
Why did farming encourage people to establish permanent settlements?
People needed to remain near their fields and herds to care for them.
Where and in what year was Ötzi discovered?
In the Alps near the border between Italy and Austria, in 1991.
A group follows animal herds and collects wild plants as it travels. Identify its way of obtaining food and the term for its movement.
Hunting and gathering; migration.
Was the Bering Land Bridge made of ice? Explain what exposed it.
No. It was land exposed by lower ocean levels during the Ice Age.
Why was finding an ancient campsite at Monte Verde important to the debate about the first Americans?
Its age suggested that people lived in the Americas before the Clovis people.
Explain two ways river valleys could support farming.
Rivers provided water, and floods could deposit silt that enriched the soil.
Name TWO objects found with Ötzi and explain what ONE suggests about the skills people had.
Examples: copper axe, bone needle, stone-bladed dagger, bow, arrows, or grass rope. A bone needle suggests sewing; a copper axe shows metalworking.
How is gathering wild wheat different from practicing agriculture?
Gathering collects naturally growing plants. Agriculture involves planting and growing crops.
According to the reading, why did reaching Alaska not mean people could immediately continue south?
Huge ice sheets blocked their path. People could move through the interior when a corridor opened.
Why did fragile materials such as wooden poles, cords, and food remains survive at Monte Verde?
A water-saturated peat bog protected them from decay.
Why could a village with a food surplus support full-time potters or builders?
Extra food could feed people who spent their time doing other jobs instead of producing food.
What TWO details about Ötzi’s bow and arrows made them poorly suited for immediate use?
His bow had no string, and 12 of his 14 arrows had no arrowheads.
What is the difference between agriculture and domestication?
Agriculture means growing crops and raising animals. Domestication changes plants and animals over generations for human use.
What are the three theories of how the first Americans arrived here?
Pacific Coastal Theory, Atlantic crossing, Bering Land Bridge theory
At Cactus Hill, archaeologists found artifacts in layers below Clovis tools. Why was their position significant?
Lower layers are generally older. The artifacts suggested human activity before the Clovis people.
Why is the Neolithic Revolution considered a major change even though it happened gradually?
It transformed how people obtained food, where they lived, and the work they did. “Revolution” describes the scale of the change, not necessarily its speed.
According to the reading, how did one scientist interpret Ötzi’s copper axe as evidence for ritual sacrifice?
The rare axe might have been an offering to the gods or an object intended for use in the afterlife. This was an interpretation, not proof.
A village grows grain and raises goats, but its people still hunt deer. Which Stone Age era best fits this community? Support your answer with two details.
Neolithic: growing grain and raising goats show agriculture. Continuing to hunt does not mean the community is Paleolithic.
Compare the Bering Land Bridge and Pacific Coastal Route theories. Include the route and proposed method of travel for each.
The land bridge theory describes people walking from Siberia to Alaska, then moving south through the interior. The coastal theory proposes travel along the Pacific coast, possibly using boats.
What discovery in the reading supports the idea that early Americans traveled by water? Identify the location and explain the connection.
Ancient human bones were found on Santa Rosa Island, off California’s coast. Finding people’s remains on an offshore island suggests they could cross water, possibly using boats.
“Permanent farming settlements improved everyone’s life.” Explain one benefit and one disadvantage that make this statement too simple.
Surplus food could support specialized jobs and trade. However, crowded settlements could allow disease to spread more easily, greed, and war.
How did the 2001 discovery change explanations of Ötzi’s death, and what OTHER injury supported the ambush explanation?
Scientists had considered cold or starvation. The arrowhead showed that he had been shot. A knife wound on his hand also suggested a possible struggle with an attacker.