Mayan's Comparing Two Texts

1. Select two pieces of information that appear in both passages

• A. The Mayans rotated their crops many times during the year

• B. The Mayans use cocoa beans to trade for goods

• C. A farming method known as slash and burn was used by the Mayans to add nutrients to the soil

• D. The Mayans raised animals for food

• E. They studied stars to create calendars

2. This sentence supports which claim..."Because of the inconsistent rainfall, the Maya developed ways of redirecting and reusing rainwater."

• A Mayans borrowed farming practices from other cultures

• B. Mayans adapted to the challenges of growing food in the lowlands

• C. The Mayan civilization was very organized

• D. Mayan farmers had more rainwater than they could use

3. Which information is included in “Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans – The Mayans” that is not included in the excerpt from “Golden Age of the Maya”?

• A. Turkeys were raised as a food source on Mayan farms

• B. Mayan farmers worked hard to provide their crops to feed the city

• C. Possible reasons why the Mayan society eventually failed

• D. Mayans invented creative ways to farm and provide food for their society

4. Which is a similarity between the two authors?

• A. They both believe that the Mayans invented the calendar

• B. They both agree that the Mayans refused to share their crops with the nobles

• C. They both believe that the Mayans were the oldest recorded example of an advanced civilization

• D. They both admire the Mayans for their ability to learn, invent, and solve problems

5. Read this sentence from paragraph 7 of “Golden Age of the Maya. “It is important to remember that the Maya were not the first civilization to live in Mesoamerica”

The author uses this sentence to help support which point?

• A. Mayans were the oldest civilization to settle in Mesoamerica

• B. Mayans copied and improved ideas from other cultures

• C. Mayans were the only civilization to ever settle Mesoamerica

• D. Mayans were the greatest Mesoamerican society

6. Which two sentences in “Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans – The Mayans” best represent the author’s point of view about the Mayans?

• A. “For example, an ancient Mayan man could be a stonecutter or a noble” (Paragraph 4)

• B. “By the time Europeans arrived in the New World, their civilization had already crumbled.” (Paragraph 6)

• C. “While Europeans were in the midst of the Dark Ages, Mayans never stopped learning” (Paragraph 2)

• D. “In its height, the empire was active and full of the spirit of learning that many other countries in Europe experienced hundreds of years later” (Paragraph 6).

• E. “Turkeys and ducks were tamed and kept on Mayan farms.” (Paragraph 2)

7. Select three things that both passages have in common.

• A. Both passages include ways that the Mayans used creative thinking to solve problems

• B. Both passages show that the Mayans were the first civilization to settle Mesoamerica

• C. Both passages give details to show that Mayans raised animals for food

• D. Both passages show that Mayans were expert farmers who rotated their crops

• E. Both passages outline the way Mayan hunted for food

8. Which of the following is described in “Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans – The Mayans” that is not in the excerpt from “Golden Age of the Maya?

• A. The Mayans used the bark from trees to make paper

• B. Ground the seeds from breadnut trees were used to make flour

• C. Mayans hunted animals and raised them for food

• D. Mayans had to solve problems involved in lowland, highland, and forested areas.