Investigating the Past

Which of the following is a topic that would be included in the study of ancient history?

• the causes of World War II

• where early humans lived

• the first American president

• where the airplane was invented

People who study ancient history make educated guesses called

• interpretations.

• solutions.

• investigations.

• hypotheses.

What important discovery did four teenagers make at Lascaux, France in 1940

• clay sculptures of an army of soldiers

• a cave filled with paintings of animals

• the stone wall of an ancient storage shed

• a wooden stick used for throwing a spear

Archaeologists study the past by

• examining objects that people have left behind.

• studying natural features of Earth.

• studying human-made features of Earth.

• examining diaries and letters made in the past.

What is a geographer?

• a person who creates artifacts for other scientists to study

• an expert who studies and records the past

• a person who builds human-made features such as roads

• an expert who studies Earth's natural and human-made features

Which of the following is an example of an artifact?

• a mountain

• a plant

• a rock

• a sculpture

What type of social scientist would be most interested in an artifact with writing on it?

• archaeologist

• geographer

• historian

• detective

What type of social scientist would be most interested in how prehistoric people used their environment to survive?

• archaeologist

• geographer

• historian

• detective

Archaeologist is to artifact as historian is to

• detective.

• diary.

• landform.

• laboratory.

A prehistoric object is one that comes from a time

• before history was written.

• after people lived in caves.

• before humans hunted animals.

• after electricity was discovered.