Geography & Climate
What region stretches from southern Mexico into Central America?
A) South America
B) Mesoamerica
C) North America
D) Central Mexico
B) Mesoamerica
What are the three main crops called that grew well together?
A) The Three Brothers
B) The Three Sisters
C) The Three Friends
D) The Three Grains
B) The Three Sisters
Where did the Olmec culture begin around 1200 B.C.?
A) The Oaxaca Valley
B) Mexico's Gulf Coast
C) The Yucatán Peninsula
D) The Sierra Madre mountains
B) Mexico's Gulf Coast
What type of houses did farmers and workers live in? A) Stone palaces
B) Simple houses made of wood or mud
C) Brick apartments
D) Grass huts on stilts
B) Simple houses made of wood or mud
What valley did the Zapotec develop their society in? A) The Nile Valley
B) The Oaxaca Valley
C) The Mississippi Valley
D) The Amazon Valley
B) The Oaxaca Valley
What type of land is located between Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains?
A) Lowlands
B) Highlands
C) Valleys
D) Plains
B) Highlands
What beans were used to make chocolate and used as money?
A) Coffee beans
B) Vanilla beans
C) Cacao beans
D) Pinto beans
C) Cacao beans
What are the huge sculptures, up to 10 feet tall and 20 tons, that the Olmec carved?
A) Stone pyramids
B) Colossal stone heads
C) Giant stone hands
D) Massive stone feet
B) Colossal stone heads
What type of structures did the upper class live in?
A) Tents
B) Caves
C) Stone structures
D) Wooden cabins
C) Stone structures
What settlement became the first Zapotec center of power around 1300 B.C.?
A) Monte Albán
B) San Lorenzo
C) San José Mogote
D) La Venta
C) San José Mogote
Which geographic area has cooler and drier weather?
A) The lowlands
B) The coast
C) The highlands
D) The valleys
C) The highlands
What farming technique involved cutting down and burning trees to clear land?
A) Plow and plant
B) Slash-and-burn agriculture
C) Dig and cover
D) Cut and bury
B) Slash-and-burn agriculture
What game did the Olmec play that combined soccer and basketball?
A) The Mayan ballgame
B) The Aztec sport
C) The Mesoamerican ballgame
D) The Olmec tournament
C) The Mesoamerican ballgame
What did the upper class wear to show their status? A) Animal skins
B) Uniforms
C) Fine clothes and precious jewelry
D) Simple cotton
C) Fine clothes and precious jewelry
What city did the Zapotec build on top of a mountain around 500 B.C.?
A) Teotihuacan
B) Monte Albán
C) Tikal
D) Tenochtitlan
B) Monte Albán
What do rivers spread onto their floodplains when they flood?
A) Rocks and stones
B) Fertile silt
C) Salt water
D) Tree branches
B) Fertile silt
What did farmers do to streams in drier areas to water their crops?
A) Block them
B) Drink from them
C) Irrigate (move/redirect) them
D) Pollute them
C) Irrigate (move/redirect) them
Which three cities did the Olmec build on river floodplains?
A) Monte Albán, San José Mogote, and La Venta
B) San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes
C) Tenochtitlan, Teotihuacan, and Chichen Itza
D) Tikal, Palenque, and Copán
B) San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes
What network spread Olmec culture throughout Mesoamerica?
A) Road system
B) Extensive trade network
C) Telephone lines
D) Internet connections
B) Extensive trade network
Why did the Zapotec build their city on a mountain?
A) To be closer to the sun
B) To defend against enemies
C) To avoid paying taxes
D) To find gold
B) To defend against enemies
The Yucatán Peninsula is located between which two bodies of water?
A) Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
B) Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea
C) Hudson Bay and Atlantic Ocean
D) Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California
B) Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea
What covers the ground to block weeds in the Three Sisters system?
A) Maize
B) Beans
C) Squash
D) Cacao
C) Squash
What term describes the Olmec because they influenced later civilizations?
A) The Father Culture
B) The Mother Culture
C) The Sister Culture
D) The Brother Culture
B) The Mother Culture
When did the Olmec civilization disappear?
A) 1200 B.C.
B) 800 B.C.
C) Around 400 B.C.
D) A.D. 400
C) Around 400 B.C.
What are the stepped platforms built into the mountainside called? A) Pyramids
B) Terraces (or artificial terraces)
C) Ladders
D) Stairs B) Terraces (or artificial terraces)
600 When did Monte Albán disappear?
A) A.D. 500
B) A.D. 750
C) A.D. 900
D) A.D. 1200
C) A.D. 900
Both the Olmec and Zapotec civilizations developed in areas with specific geographic advantages, built impressive cities with monumental architecture, and eventually disappeared for unknown reasons. What is the single most important factor that allowed BOTH civilizations to develop complex societies with specialized jobs, according to your guided notes?
A) Their powerful armies that conquered neighboring tribes
B) Their development of wheeled vehicles for transportation
C) Their ability to produce food surpluses through farming
D) Their discovery of gold and precious metals
C) Their ability to produce food surpluses through farming