Americas before Columbus

Which of the following Amerindian groups went into decline many centuries prior to contact with Europeans?

• Mississippian

• Mayan

• Aztec

• Inca

• Toltec

The enormous earthen mounds constructed circa 8th to 16th century C.E. is most closely associated with which of the following regions

• societies on and east of the Mississippi River

• societies on and around the Rio Grande

• societies in present-day Central America

• societies in and around the Andes

The main crops of the Mississippian people were

• mango, papaya, rice, and beans

• rice, beans, squash and tomato

• corn, beans, squash, and tobacco

• maize, kimchi, rice, and sweet potato

Most North American indigenous peoples prior to contact with European civilization practiced which of the following

• Christianity

• animism

• little is known about their belief systems

• North American indigenous peoples were wholly secular

"Legend has it that when the creation of the world finished, the gods and humans lived in harmony, everyone was happy, except for the god Quetzalcoatl, who observed in anger as humans were subjugated by the other gods. So he decided to adopt the human condition to share the knowledge and art that the deities possessed.

Upon his arrival in the world of the humans, he wandered through many lands until he came upon Tollan in Mexico.

When he arrived, they were offering a sacrifice in honor of his brother, Tezcatlipoca, and, angered by this barbarity, Quetzalcoatl halted the execution.

The priest who performed the sacrifice shouted angrily and the sky turned gray with clouds that heralded a major storm with lightning and thunder. Quetzalcoatl calmed them and assured them that while he was in the city, Tollan would flourish like no other. He then raised his hands to the sky and the winds began to blow, clearing away the clouds."

A historian analyzing the primary source above from the 12th century could conclude which of the following about the society?

• observations and motivations of the gods were viewed with dispassion

• natural phenomena was attributed to actions of deities

• the people of Tollan lacked an ethical system in which to guide human conduct and behavior

• Quetzalcoatl culture and legends were completely independent of other Amerindian influences

The Aztec Empire was in modern-day

• North America

• Central America

• South America

• Caribbean

"Before I beam to describe this great city and the others already mentioned, it may be well for the better understanding of the subject to say something of the configuration of Mexico, in which they are situated, it being the principal seat of Moctezuma's power. This Province is in the form of a circle, surrounded on all sides by lofty and rugged mountains'; its level surface comprises an area of about seventy leagues in circumference, including two lakes, that overspread nearly the whole valley, being navigated by boats more than fifty leagues round. One of these lakes contains fresh, and the other, which is the larger of the two, salt water. On one side of the lakes, in the middle of the valley, a range of highlands divides them from one another, with the exception of a narrow strait which lies between the highlands and the lofty sierras. This strait is a bow-shot wide, and connects the two lakes; and by this means a trade is carried on between the cities and other settlements on the lakes in canoes without the necessity of traveling by land. As the salt lake rises and falls with its tides like the sea, during the time of high water it pours into the other lake with the rapidity of a powerful stream; and on the other hand, when the tide has ebbed, the water runs from the fresh into the salt lake.

This great city of Tenochtitlan [Mexico] is situated in this salt lake, and from the main land to the denser parts of it, by whichever route one chooses to enter, the distance is two leagues. There are four avenues or entrances to the city, all of which are formed by artificial causeways, two spears' length in width. The city is as large as Seville or Cordova; its streets, I speak of the principal ones, are very wide and straight; some of these, and all the inferior ones, are half land and half water, and are navigated by canoes. All the streets at intervals have openings, through which the water flows, crossing from one street to another; and at these openings, some of which are very wide, there are also very wide bridges, composed of large pieces of timber, of great strength and well put together; on many of these bridges ten horses can go abreast."

A historian reading the following letter from Hernan Cortés in the 16th century could conclude which of the following?

• the Aztecs lacked knowledge of science and engineering and allowed the natural landscape to dominate their urban planning

• the Aztecs manipulated their environment, both natural and human-constructed, to suit their society's needs

• the Aztec were a peace-loving people who saw no need for military spending

• the Aztec borrowed much from European civilizations to construct a city of nearly 200,000 people

"This city has many public squares, in which are situated the markets and other places for buying and selling. There is one square twice as large as that of the city of Salamanca, surrounded by porticoes, where are daily assembled more than sixty thousand souls, engaged in buying, and selling; and where are found all kinds of merchandise that the world affords, embracing the necessaries of life, as for instance articles of food, as well as jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, tin, precious stones, bones, shells, snails, and feathers. There are also exposed for sale wrought and unwrought stone, bricks burnt and unburnt, timber hewn and unhewn, of different sorts. There is a street for game, where every variety of' birds found in the country are sold, as fowls, partridges, quails, wild ducks, fly-catchers, widgeons, turtle-doves, pigeons, reedbirds, parrots, sparrows, eagles, hawks, owls, and kestrels they sell likewise the skins of some birds of prey, with their feathers, head, beak, and claws. There are also sold rabbits, hares, deer, and little dogs, which are raised for eating and castrated. There is also an herb street, where may be obtained all sorts of roots and medicinal herbs that the country affords. There are apothecaries' shops, where prepared medicines, liquids, ointments, and plasters are sold; barbers' shops, where they wash and shave the head; and restaurateurs, that furnish food and drink at a certain price."

--Hernan Cortés in a letter to Spain

The author's purpose for writing the letter could most logically be to

• dazzle the Spanish monarchy with the complexity and richness of newfound civilizations

• press the Spanish monarchy to adopt new, foreign customs found in Amerindian civilization

• inform the Spanish monarchy that Amerindian peoples lack markets and commerce, opening up a role for the British and Dutch merchant class

• relay the need for urban planning in Spanish cities like Salamanca

The tribute system in the Aztec civilization could most easily be compared with which of the following

• China

• Egypt

• Harappa

• Norte Chico

Which of the following would be the best evidence for a historian arguing that levels of patriarchy in Central America were less than in European civilization during the 13th - 16th centuries?

• Aztec women could have two or more husbands simultaneously

• Aztec women could become scribes, priestesses, midwives, healers, or merchants

• Aztec women lacked any connection to either noble or royal families

• Aztec women generally worked in the home