mesoamerica

Before the Maya developed large population centers, like those later constructed by the Inca and Aztecs, they lived scattered across the land. They developed two farming methods that allowed them to thrive in the tropical environment.

Which farming method indicated in this text was adopted by the Maya?

• They created a system of terraced farming which made efficient use of canals to water their crops.

• They built a complex irrigation system that included numerous canals for watering their crops.

• They created artificial islands made of reed mats anchored to a shallow lake-bed with willow trees.

• They built raised fields along the banks of rivers to lift crops up above the annual floodwaters.

Which culture developed an understanding of this concept?

From placeholder to the driver of calculus, zero has crossed the greatest minds and most diverse borders since it was born many centuries ago. Today, zero is perhaps the most pervasive global symbol known. In the story of zero, something can be made out of nothing.

• Inuit

• Inca

• Maya

• Mohawk

Which statement is true about "floating gardens"?

• They were artificial islands made of mud and built by the Maya.

• They floated around the lake, pushed by the wind.

• They were used to raise maize, squash, and beans.

• They were built to lift crops up above the annual floodwaters.

"It is said that when the [sun] was made, . . . there was fasting for four days. It is said that the moon would be the sun. And when four days were completed, it is said, the [sun] was made during the night . . . a very great fire was laid . . . into which was to leap, was to fall the moon—where he was to gain renown, glory: by which he would become the sun. And the moon thereupon went to leap into the fire. Then all the gods shouted, they said: "When [is this to be], O gods? Let the sun stop!" But little [Nanahuatzini] had already dared; he thereupon leaped into the fire. Thus he became the sun. —Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, in a translation of an Aztec text

According to your knowledge of Aztec society, a member of which of the following classes most likely recorded the text above?

• nobles

• traders

• priests

• serfs

The language spoken by the Aztecs was known as

• Iroquois

• Nahuatl

• Quechua

• Teotihuacán

Mesa Verde, Spanish for "green table," offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to 1300.

Which statement is true of the dwelling described in this text?

• It offered protection from intruders.

• It was built on a cliff facing the sea.

• It was a freestanding village built on the flatlands.

• It was an artificial garden created by the Ancestral Puebloans.

The Inca sheared wool from ________ to create colorful textiles to be worn as clothing or as adornments, such as belts and bags.

• goats

• sheep

• musk oxen

• alpacas

Inca religion culminated in the worship of the sun, which was presided over by the priests of the last native pre-Columbian conquerors of the Andean regions of South America.

Which statement correctly describes a feature of the religion mentioned in this text?

• People revered Huitzilopochtli as their patron god and sacrificed able-bodied slaves to him.

• People offered food, clothing, and drink to the guardian spirits of the home and the village.

• Pyramids with flat tops and compartments for religious sacrifices were constructed.

• The Inca people were monotheistic in their belief, praying only to the sun god.

Which statement correctly describes a characteristic of the Inca civilization?

• The Inca required conquered people to pay a tribute.

• The Inca emperor owned all the land and people in his empire.

• The Inca farmers worked the land as an independent enterprise.

• The Inca developed a system of writing and invented a calendar.

"In human memory, I believe that there is no account of a road as great as this, running through deep valleys, high mountains, banks of snow, torrents of water, living rocks, and wild rivers . . . In all places it was clean and swept free of refuse, with lodgings, storehouses, Sun temples, and posts along the route. Oh! Can anything similar be claimed for Alexander [the Great] or any of the [other] powerful kings who ruled the world . . .?" —Pedro Cieza de Léon, Spanish explorer admiring an ancient road system

What was significant about the roads described here?

• The Inca was the first civilization to construct and use them.

• During an uprising, they allowed ordinary people to escape rebels.

• They allowed armies and news to move rapidly throughout the empire.

• All roads led through Tenochtitlán, the Inca capital.