Chapter 16 The Early Americas

Maya cities...........

• were composed mostly of grass huts.

• had many large buildings but few temples.

• were important for government but not religion.

• included large stone pyramids and temples.

The popular Mayan ball game was similar to today's basketball because both sports........

• ban the use of hands and feet.

• are played with teams of five players.

• allow players to bounce the balls off their heads.

• are based on getting a ball through a ring.

Which of the following best summarizes how the forests affected the early Maya?

• They had to be cleared to make farmland.
• They made farming hard but provided valuable resources.
• They supplied the materials the Maya used to build homes.
• They blocked some of the Maya trade routes.

Which is the best prediction of what might have happened if Maya cities had stopped warring with one another?

• Maya civilization might not have collapsed in the 900s.
• The region where the Maya lived might not have suffered from a drought.
• The Maya might have overthrown their kings.
• Maya society might have produced less art.

Maya cities battled one another to gain.......

• control of the trade routes.

• approval of the gods.

• access to the temples.

• control of the land.

Which natural resource can you infer was used in Maya warfare?

• Cacao

• Rubber trees

• Jade

• Obsidian

Which factor in the decline of Maya civilization was completely beyond the control of the Maya?

• The increasing warfare destroyed crops.
• Demanding kings caused rebellions.
• Competition for land caused more warfare.
• Drought made it difficult for farmers to grow crops.

Which factor makes the architecture of Maya buildings most outstanding?

• The Maya did not have access to many raw materials.
• The grand structures were built without modern tools.
• Obsidian tools were used to cut the limestone into blocks.
• Many workers were needed for construction.

A tribute was............

• a payment to a more powerful ruler or country.

• a special musical ceremony performed by the citizens of conquered cities.

• the name given to the ruler of the Aztec Empire.

• an animal sacrifice made to a leader.

Other than trading their goods, what key role did many merchants perform for the Aztec emperors?

• They were spiritual advisers.
• They were spies, alerting the emperors to possible troubles in other regions.
• They controlled the distribution of all money in the empire.
• They were the official scribes, or historians, for the empire.