Chapter 6

Early Societies in the Americas and Oceania

MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. 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.
2. The staple food of Mesoamerica was
a. squash.
b. beans.
c. fish.
d. maize.
e. potato.
. Agriculture had spread through Mesoamerica by
a. !"!!! #.$.%.
b. 2!"!!! #.$.%.
c. 1!"!!! #.$.%.
d. 2!!! #.$.%.
e. &!! $.%.
'. The first society of Mesoamerica" which founded traditions followed by all later societies" was the
a. Maya.
b. (lmec.
c. Teotihuacan.
d. Mochica.
e. Aztec.
&. The term Olmec means
a. )lords.*
b. )masters of the middle earth.*
c. )rubber people.*
d. )wanderers.*
e. )noble people.*
+age, 11!
-. The first ceremonial center of the (lmecs was
a. .an /orenzo.
b. /a 0enta.
c. Teotihuacan.
d. 1aminal2uy3.
e. Ti4al.
5. The most characteristic artistic creations of the (lmecs were
a. pyramids.
b. elaborate murals.
c. temples.
d. ziggurats co6ered with a limestone finish.
e. colossal human heads sculpted from basalt.
7. The (lmec ceremonial centers of .an /orenzo and /a 0enta were destroyed by
a. earthqua4es.
b. the Maya.
c. the Teotihuacan.
d. the (lmecs themsel6es.
e. 6olcanic eruptions that trapped the sur6i6ors and left distincti6e archaeological records.
8. The (lmecs traded e9tensi6ely in all of the following items %:$%+T
a. horses.
b. 2ade.
c. obsidian.
d. small wor4s of art.
e. animal s4ins.
1!. All Mesoamerican societies used calendars deri6ed ultimately from the
a. Maya.
b. Mochica.
c. (lmecs.
d. Aztecs.
e. Incas.
11. The most important political center of the Maya realm at its height was
a. 1aminal2uy3.
b. Teotihuacan.
c. Ti4al.
d. $ha6;n.
e. .an /orenzo.
12. <hich of the following de6ices did the ancient Maya build in order to trap silt carried by the numerous
ri6ers passing through the Mesoamerican lowlands=
a. dams
b. massi6e irrigation pro2ects
c. terraces
d. primiti6e water purification filters
e. moats
1. In the ninth century $.%." a loose Maya empire was constructed by the state of
a. Ti4al.
b. 1aminal2uy3.
c. $ha6;n.
d. Teotihuacan.
e. $hich>n Itz?.
1'. <hich of the following mathematical concepts" essential for positional notation and the manipulation of
large numbers" was in6ented by Maya mathematicians=
a. infinity
b. zero
c. long di6ision
d. e9ponential notation
e. negati6e numerals
1&. The Maya calendar interwo6e a solar year of -& days and a ceremonial calendar of @@@@@@@@ days.
a. 1!!
b. 2-!
c. 5!
d. 1"!!!
e. 1"2'
1-. The Maya belie6ed that monumental change would occur whene6er their ceremonial and solar calendars
returned to their respecti6e starting points at the same time. This e6ent too4 place e6ery @@@@@@@@ solar
years.
a. 1!
b. 2-
c. &2
d. 5-
e. 77
15. The most fle9ible and sophisticated system of writing found in the ancient Americas was created by the
a. (lmecs.
b. Maya.
c. Teotihuacan society.
d. $ha6;n cult.
e. Incas.
17. The Popol Vuh was the
a. most important of the Maya gods.
b. largest (lmec ceremonial center.
c. Maya story of creation.
d. greatest Austronesian epic.
e. (lmec law code.
18. According to the Popol Vuh" the gods created the first successful 6ersion of humans out of
a. wood.
b. clay.
c. the flesh of the gods.
d. maize.
e. blood.
2!. Aow much written material sur6i6es from the Maya=
a. a massi6e library at Ti4al
b. four boo4s
c. none
d. a small library at the ceremonial center of 1aminal2uy3
e. roughly a thousand boo4s captured by the Aztecs
21. The +yramid of the .un was located in
a. Ti4al.
b. /a 0enta.
c. .an /orenzo.
d. $uzco.
e. Teotihuacan.
22. The largest single building in Mesoamerica was
a. the Maya Temple of the Biant Caguar.
b. the Teotihuacan +yramid of the .un.
c. the (lmec Temple of the .un.
d. the Maya Imperial +alace.
e. the (lmec Temple of the Moon.
2. The $ha6;n cult
a. was the Teotihuacan worship of an earth god and rain god.
b. was the primary (lmec religion.
c. produced deities with the features of humans and wild animals.
d. was practiced in the Maya Temple of the Biant Caguar.
e. is the best 4nown religion of the Americas.
2'. (ne of the earliest Andean states" which left a remar4able artistic legacy through its ceramics" was
a. $ha6;n.
b. Teotihuacan.
c. .an /orenzo.
d. Mochica.
e. Maya.
2&. Malayan" Indonesian" Dilipino" +olynesian" and other (ceanic languages are deri6ed from
a. aboriginal Australian.
b. $hinese.
c. Aindi.
d. IndoE%uropean.
e. Austronesian.
2-. The AustronesianEspea4ing peoples became the first human settlers on which large island off the east
African coast=
a. Madagascar
b. .ri /an4a
c. .icily
d. %aster Island
e. Few Buinea
25. The /apita peoples
a. spread the concept of the wheeled chariot.
b. worshipped the $ha6;n cult.
c. traded with the Mesopotamians.
d. introduced bronze technology to $hina.
e. were the earliest Austronesian migrants to establish human settlements in the +acific (cean.
27. Austronesian peoples established what type of political societies in the lands they settled=
a. hierarchical chiefdom
b. theocratic
c. matrilineal
d. peasantEdri6en communal
e. democratic
TRUE/ALSE
28. (bsidian is the material out of which the (lmec fashioned tools.
!. Mochica was one of the (lmec ceremonial centers.
1. The political center of the Maya between the fourth and ninth centuries $.%. was Ti4al.
2. The $ha6;n cult was a new religion that appeared in the central Andes around 1!!! #.$.%.
. The +yramid of the Moon was a Teotihuacan temple and largest in Mesoamerica.
'. Austronesians brought human settlement to islands of the +acific (cean.
&. The first Mesoamerican society was the Maya.