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100
The structures found by archaeologists in Maya cities like Tikal, built more than 1,000 years ago, are made of
A. mud.
B. stone.
C. wood.
D. thatch.
B. stone.
100
The children of most commoners
A. had tutors to teach them religion, history, and geometry.
B. attended local schools until they learned to read.
C. were sent to noble households to work as servants.
D. learned the skills they needed from their elders.
D. learned the skills they needed from their elders.
100
Two people who belonged to the same ayllu might often
A. obey different leaders.
B. work at different tasks.
C. live in different regions.
D. speak different languages.
B. work at different tasks.
100
Which describes the solar year calculated by the Maya?
A. the year of 260 days on the sacred calendar
B. the number of days in a single Calendar Round
C. the ?time it takes Earth to go once around the sun
D. the period from one full moon to the next
C. the ?time it takes Earth to go once around the sun
100
The city that the Aztecs built on an island in Lake Texcoco was called
A. Tenochtitlán.
B. Aztlán.
C. Teotihuacán.
D. Quetzalcoatl.
A. Tenochtitlán.
100
The pochteca, or professional traders, had many privileges. This suggests that the Aztecs
A. valued rare goods from faraway places.
B. believed that merchants were semidivine.
C. respected people who made a lot of money.
D. honored people who spoke many languages.
A. valued rare goods from faraway places.
200
Why did the leader Itzcoatl destroy records of his people’s history?
A. so he could tell a different story of their past
B. so he could have more control over his people
C. to improve his people's productivity and wealth
D. to ensure that no one would challenge his authority
A. so he could tell a different story of their past
200
One skill that the Maya adapted from the Olmecs was a way to
A. make tools out of metal.
B. build carts that had wheels.
C. use horses or oxen to pull plows.
D. write by using pictures as symbols.
D. write by using pictures as symbols.
200
Why did boys wear a white bead in their hair and girls wear a string of red shells around their waists?
A. They reminded children of their duty to their parents.
B. They were believed to protect children from danger.
C. They showed which clan the children belonged to.
D. They were symbols of children's innocence.
D. They were symbols of children's innocence.
200
What were the responsibilities of Aztec emperors?
A. to maintain the empire and wage war
B. to judge and govern the city's districts
C. to collect tribute and fund construction
D. to appoint war leaders and form wards
A. to maintain the empire and wage war
200
Which statement is true of Aztec marriages?
A. Weddings were usually secret.
B. A man could have only one wife.
C. A woman could ask for a divorce.
D. The couple chose the matchmaker.
C. A woman could ask for a divorce.
200
According to Incan legend, the Inca tribe began when the sun god’s son
A. rose out of Lake Titicaca.
B. crossed the Pacific Ocean.
C. saw an eagle on top of a cactus.
D. stepped out from the eastern sky.
A. rose out of Lake Titicaca.
300
The main food of the Aztec's diet was
A. maize.
B. chili.
C. sage.
D. squash.
A. maize.
300
Why did the Aztecs of Tenochtitlán build chinampas?
A. to keep invaders away
B. to enlarge their land area
C. to get a fresh water supply
D. to catch fish for special meals
B. to enlarge their land area
300
Maya priests led rituals and offered sacrifices. What was another role of the priests?
A. to foretell the future
B. to lead peasant armies
C. to carve temple sculptures
D. to conduct long-distance trade
A. to foretell the future
300
Why did the Aztecs call themselves the “people of the sun”?
A. The peasants often got sunburned.
B. Their chief god was the sun god.
C. The sun dried out their crops.
D. The nobles could relax in the sun.
B. Their chief god was the sun god.
300
The Incas lived for hundreds of years without spreading their civilization. What set off the expansion of their empire?
A. a need for more trading partners
B. a priestly message from the gods
C. a sudden need for more farmland
D. an attack by a neighboring people
D. an attack by a neighboring people
300
What happened that marked the end of the Classic period of Mayan history?
A. A meteor had destroyed the entire city of Chichén Itzá.
B. Europeans had arrived and conquered Maya civilization.
C. Maya had abandoned their large cities to the jungle.
D. The last of the Maya had died after a generation of warfare.
C. Maya had abandoned their large cities to the jungle
400
Which of these sources best helps scholars learn about the cultures of the Maya, Aztec, and Incan people?
A. paintings by recent Spanish painters
B. artifacts from the sites of modern cities
C. accounts written by English authors
D. traditions found among descendants
D. traditions found among descendants
400
Which of the following is evidence of the Incas skill in engineering?
A. trephination
B. roads
C. textiles
D. music
B. roads
400
At the Great Temple, the Aztecs built a shrine to Tlaloc, the rain god. What does this suggest about the Aztecs?
A. They believed that their leaders were gods.
B. They depended on rain for planning.
C. Their trade routes ran along rivers.
D. They needed resources from the rainforest.
B. They depended on rain for planning.
400
When did the Maya first give a girl tools for spinning and weaving?
A. when she was three-months old
B. at her coming-of-age ceremony
C. when she was ready to marry
D. about a month after her wedding
A. when she was three-months old
400
Which of the following civilizations is the oldest?
A. Aztec
B. Classic
C. Incan
D. Mayan
D. Mayan
400
What was one way the Maya system of numbers differs from ours?
A. It lacked a way to show zero.
B. It was based on 20 rather than 10.
C. It could not be used to do subtraction.
D. It used symbols to represent different amounts.
B. It was based on 20 rather than 10.
500
How can tourists in Mexico observe Aztec technology still in use?
A. ride to the top of a skyscraper built with steel
B. walk into the lobby of a typical downtown hotel
C. take a boat to see flowers grown on artificial islands
D. hire a horse-drawn carriage for a ride through the park
C. take a boat to see flowers grown on artificial islands
500
The Aztecs sacrificed birds and humans because they believed the god Huitzilopochtli
A. required suffering.
B. hated most living things.
C. built with bones and feathers.
D. needed blood for nourishment.
D. needed blood for nourishment.
500
Why did the Aztecs build chinampas?
A. to establish a habitat for parrots, quetzals, and other exotic birds
B. to please the chief god Huitzilopochtli and rain god Tlaloc
C. to create more land for the expansion of Tenochtitlán
D. to provide a means of transportation across Lake Texcoco
C. to create more land for the expansion of Tenochtitlán
500
Which of these facts best shows that war was at the center of Aztec life?
A. Some Aztec people grew wealthy.
B. Aztec culture spread over a wide area.
C. The Aztec Empire lasted many years.
D. All Aztec men were trained as soldiers.
D. All Aztec men were trained as soldiers.
500
What was an important use of the Sacred Round?
A. to choose a bride or groom
B. to visit other cities for trade
C. to get water for the community
D. to determine when to plant crops
D. to determine when to plant crops
500
Around 1200 C.E., the Incas first settled their capital city, which they called
A. Yupanqui.
B. Chancas.
C. Pachacuti.
D. Cuzco.
D. Cuzco.
600
A set of strings tied into knots, called a quipu, was an aid for
A. finding the best route.
B. remembering information.
C. catching fish in the river.
D. understanding the calendar.
B. remembering information.
600
What challenge did the Incas face to a much larger extent than other peoples in the Americas?
A. speaking many dialects
B. surviving a severe climate
C. building homes in wetlands
D. controlling a very large empire
D. controlling a very large empire
600
How would an Incan priest most likely use an oracle?
A. to collect taxes for the temple
B. to ask advice about the future
C. to study how to perform rituals
D. to sacrifice animals to the gods
B. to ask advice about the future
600
A scientist studying the Aztec calendar would be most interested in
A. a chinampa.
B. a causeway.
C. the Sun Stone.
D. a feathered headdress.
C. the Sun Stone.
600
How might someone become the Aztec emperor?
A. by replacing his emperor father when he turned 16
B. by inheriting the position from his mother's father
C. by seizing the position after his army killed the emperor
D. by being chosen by a group of advisers after his uncle died
D. by being chosen by a group of advisers after his uncle died
600
A pilgrimage site for Aztecs, was the ruins of a city built by the
A. Maya.
B. Toltecs.
C. Spanish.
D. Teotihuacán.
D. Teotihuacán.