Topic #6 Test Study Guide

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.

Why was the mita system important to the Incan empire?

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

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

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

  
  

• It kept order by forming a strict social hierarchy.

  
  

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

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

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

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

• They produced trade goods that made them wealthy.

At its peak, the Aztec empire controlled

• an area of present-day Mexico.

• an area extending from central Mexico to Guatemala.

• several isolated cities in the forests of Central America.

• a vast region connected by roads in the Andes.

The first Mesoamerican civilizations began

• right after people crossed the Bering Land Bridge.

• when nomadic hunters settled in the Valley of Mexico.

• once people learned how to farm in the tropical forest.

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

The building and use of observatories allowed the Maya to develop

• complex calendars.

• hieroglyphic writing.

• slash-and-burn agriculture.

• stone pyramids and temples.

Look at the photograph. Which of the following is a way that the Incas used objects like the one pictured?

• to show that the wearer was a 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

Which statement describes a features of Aztec government?

• The Aztec king formed an alliance with other kings.

• The common people enjoyed relative freedom.

• Priests made all decisions, especially relating to war.

• Members of the nobility had a say in selecting the king.

Which of the following statements best describes Mayan cities?

• They were built on islands in lakes.

• They grew up mainly in the highlands.

• They had relatively few buildings.

• They had pyramids and palaces in their centers.

Look at the diagram about Incan civilization. Which statement identifies a major effect of the causes shown in the diagram?

• Conquest of Central America

• Unification of the empire

• Rise of first Andean cultures

• Devastating civil wars