Chapter 1, Lesson 1

What was the main reason that the first humans came to the Americas from Asia?

• They were seeking more plants to gather.

• They were following the animals they hunted.

• They were trying to reach the tip of South America.

• They were fleeing overcrowded conditions in Siberia.

What is the meaning of the term hieroglyphs?

• structures that honor ancient gods

• modern versions of ancient languages

• people who study ancient cultures

• symbols used in picture writing

What happened to make hunter-gatherers in the Americas stop hunting and begin growing their own plants?

• Several kinds of animals they hunted had died off.

• People decided they wanted more variety in their diet.

• Some of the people began to focus on arts and religion.

• The climate grew so hot that hunting became too difficult.

Which sentence best supports why hunter-gatherers stopped hunting and began growing their own plants?

• “About 11,500 years ago, the last Ice Age ended.”

• “The climate of the Western Hemisphere slowly grew warmer and drier.”

• “Many of the Ice Age animals that the early Native Americans had hunted became extinct.”

• “Instead of gathering wild plants, they began to grow their own food.”

• “One of the most important effects of farming is that a community can raise more food than it needs to feed itself.”

What was the main reason that the Ancestral Pueblo lived high up on steep slopes?

• to help keep them safe from attacks

• to catch the rainwater needed to grow crops

• to imitate the building style of their ancestors

• to keep them warm in summer and cool in winter

What was the main reason that Native Americans of the Mississippian culture were able to establish sizable living centers?

• They grew a great deal of food.

• They used labor from areas nearby.

• They traded for strong building materials.

• They conquered many neighboring peoples.

DIRECTIONS: Matching Number the events from 1 to 4 in the order in which they happened. Use 1 for the event that happened first.

• 2

• The “Classic Period” of Maya civilization ended.

• 4

• Farming began in the Americas.

• 3

• Mound Builders of the Adena culture began establishing sites in the Ohio Valley.

• 1

• The Hohokam moved from Mexico to the Southwest.

The origin of the “Mound Builders” name and three specific Mound Builder cultures are summarized in the text. Which of the following is NOT one of the Mound Builder cultures?

• Adena

• Hopewell

• Mississippian

• Anasazi

The most widely accepted theory of the earliest human migration to the Americas is that people

• crossed the polar ice cap from Norway to Canada.

• walked across a land bridge from Asia to Alaska.

• used seagoing vessels to sail from Africa to Central America.

• traveled in rafts and small boats from Pacific Islands to South America.

How did the first Americans get here?

• By Ship

• By Plane

• Land Bridge

• They were always here