Investigating the Past

Social scientists are scholars who study

• animal behavior

• dinosaur skeletons

• human society

• astronomy

Which of these activities would an archaeologist most likely do?

• make maps

• examine objects

• read old newspapers

• study Earth's features

People who study the past are most like

• artists

• builders

• detectives

• teachers

An object made or used by people in the past is called

• an artifact

• a document

• a ritual

• a theory

Why do historians read diaries and letters from the past?

• to agree on plans for the future

• to compare their ideas of history

• to learn to speak an ancient language

• to find out what happened and why

Which of these is a human-made feature that a geographer might study?

• a cave

• a road

• a spear

• a volcano

What unique challenge does the study of prehistoric history present?

• written records that cannot be read

• conflicting views in ancient diaries

• lack of evidence from the period

• huge amounts of artifacts to analyze

What is the evidence that prehistoric cave artists built wood structures (scaffolding) to stand on?

• Many trees grew in the area.

• The ancient planks are still there.

• Pictures of the scaffolding have been found.

• Some paintings are too high to be reached from the floor.

If ancient paintings were found in a cave, which of these questions would be the hardest to answer?

• Why did people paint in caves?

• What type of paint did people use?

• What did people paint pictures of?

• What did people use for paintbrushes?

Which clue to the past has been found near the artwork displayed in parts of caves?

• maps of the land nearby

• masks in the shape of birds

• prayer books for ceremonies

• lamps for burning animal fat