Module 8: Olmec and Maya Pre-Assessment

How did geography affect lives of the early Maya?

• It required them to clear areas to farm
• It required them to live in one large city
• It required them to build houses with obsidian
• It required them to trade to have enough food

Why was there sometimes fighting among Maya cities during the Classic Age?

• because of the theft of valuable sculptures and paintings
• because of disagreements over how to select of single ruler
• because of competition over the control of land and resources
• because of disagreements over how to conduct religious ceremonies

4. Why were the Maya able to measure time accurately?

• They had clear skies
• They had two calendars
• They were deeply religious
• They were skilled mathematicians

How might the Maya kings contributed to the decline of Maya civilization?

• by taking power away from religious leaders
• by storing food surpluses for use by the upper class
• by forcing farmers to sell their land to their land to the government
• by forcing people to perform labor for the government

How did trade help the Olmec?

• It enabled them to evelop a writing system
• It enabled them to develop a class structure
• It enabled them to plan their settlements
• It enabled them to build stone buildings