Aztecs
This civilization was known for strong armies and for performing religious ceremonies that sometimes included human sacrifice. What is the civilization?
The Aztec civilization
The Maya used a type of writing made of pictures and symbols. What is this kind of writing called?
Hieroglyphics
A group of people in a place who share religion, jobs, and technology and live in organized ways is called a what?
A civilization.
Which theory says early people traveled from Siberia to Alaska across a land bridge during the Ice Age?
The Bering land bridge theory
The Aztecs grew crops on small, man-made islands in lakes called chinampas. Why were chinampas important? (Give one reason.)
Chinampas provided extra farmland, were very productive, and allowed crops to grow near the city.
The Maya were advanced in two areas of learning. Name one of them.
Mathematics and astronomy
List three common features of civilizations from the list: religion, job specialization, social hierarchy, technology and writing systems. (Name any three.)
Any three of: religion, job specialization, social hierarchy, technology and writing systems.
The coastal migration theory suggests the first people traveled by what mode of transportation down the Pacific coast?
By boat (coastal travel by boat).
Name one way the Aztecs adapted or changed their environment to grow food.
Built chinampas (floating gardens), irrigated fields, terraced land, or raised beds in wetlands.
The Maya built large cities in the rainforest. Describe one way they adapted to or modified the rainforest environment for farming or building.
Examples: cleared areas for farming, built raised fields or terraces, created reservoirs or roads, used slash-and-burn carefully, or built cities on higher ground.
What is a city-state? Give a short definition.
A city that controls the surrounding land (a city and the land it controls).
Which theory claims that the earliest human migration to the Americas occurred from European Solutreans who moved along packed ice across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Solutrean hypothesis
The Aztecs built large cities and had an organized society with strict classes. Give two features that show they were a civilization.
Examples: organized social classes, religion with ceremonies, job specialization, writing/record keeping, large cities with public buildings.
Pick one of the Maya’s achievements (writing system, mathematics, or astronomy) and describe how it helped their civilization.
Examples: Writing allowed records and history; mathematics helped with calendars and building; astronomy helped predict seasons and plan planting and ceremonies.
What is an empire? Give a short definition.
An empire is when one authority or ruler conquers and controls many regions or peoples.
The Solutrean hypothesis suggests early people might have come from which continent across the Atlantic?
Europe
Explain how chinampas worked and how this method helped the Aztecs support large populations in their cities
Chinampas were made by piling mud and vegetation on small plots anchored in shallow lake areas; they stayed moist and fertile, producing multiple crops per year and supporting many people.
Explain how the Maya could track time and seasons. Name one tool or system they used and why it was important for farming or religious events.
The Maya used a complex calendar system (e.g., the Long Count and other calendars), observations of the sun, moon, and planets to track time and seasons — important for planting and for religious festivals.
Choose a civilization (Aztec or Maya). Explain how at least two features of civilization (from the common features list) worked together to help people live and organize in big cities.
Example response: The Aztecs had religion and social hierarchy; priests used writing and records to run ceremonies while rulers and nobles organized labor and collected food to support the city.
What is the Bering Strait?
A stretch of water that separates Asia from Alaska