TOPIC 13: CIVILIZATIONS OF THE AMERICAS

According to their religion, the Maya believed that

• kings and priests could communicate with the gods.

• their kings should be worshiped as living gods.

• priests and nobles should not mix together.

• human sacrifice was forbidden by the gods.

In what North American culture area did the people who formed the Iroquois League live?

• Northwest

• Northeast

• Southeast

• Southwest

The Olmec civilization began "slash-and-burn" farming

• right after people crossed the Bering Land Bridge.

• when nomadic hunters settled in the Valley of Mexico.

• when the Maya built the first cities in Central America.

• in a tropical rainforest.

At its peak, the Aztec empire controlled

• a vast region connected by roads in the Andes.

• several isolated cities in the forests of Central America.

• an area extending from central Mexico to Guatemala.

• all of present-day Mexico.

Which Native American culture celebrated with a potlatch?

• Great Plains

• Northwest

• Southeast

• Eastern Woodlands

Why were the Aztecs able to take control of the basin known as the Valley of Mexico?

• They produced trade goods that made them wealthy.

• They had a powerful army that allowed them to conquer their neighbors.

• they built a strong defense that protected Lake Texcoco from invasion.

• They were the first people to settle in that area.

Why was the mita system important to the Incan empire?

• It helped keep order by forming a strict social hierarchy.

• It helped the emperor keep strict control over faraway lands.

• It allowed the government to collect taxes in the form of physical labor.

• It helped Incan astsronomers calculate the movements of the stars.

The Maya were excellent astronomers and developed

• a complex system of calendars.

• English writing.

• slash-and-burn agriculture.

• stone pyramids and temples.

What archaeological evidence taught scholars about the culture of the Mississippians?

• totem poles decorated with animal symbols.

• large earthen mounds built for religious purposes.

• kayaks designed to hunt animals over long distances.

• housing complexes built into the side of cliffs.

In what way did Incas use knot-tying (quipu)?

• to show that the wearer was s member of the nobility

• to track the movements of the stars and planets

• to predict the best time to plant crops

• to keep records of goods traded