Unit 6 Chapter 1 The Maya

Use the map to answer the following question.

On which geographic feature did the Maya civilization grow?

• • Amazon River

• • South America

• • Atlantic Ocean

• • Yucatán Peninsula

How did Maya farmers adapt to the mountainous terrain of Mesoamerica? Select the two correct answers.

• • They only farmed in the lowlands.

• • They cut flat terraces into the hillsides.

• • They raised grazing animals like sheep.

• • They developed ways to store rainwater.

• • They grew more vegetables and less fruits.

Use the image to answer the following question.

What does this sculpture represent?

• • a human sacrifice to the Maya’s gods

• • the Maya story about the creation of humans

• • the importance of the cacao bean to the Maya

• • a Maya child’s initiation ceremony into adulthood

Use the image to answer the following question.

What is the game depicted in the image called?

• • pok-ta-pok

• • wall-by-wall

• • slap-ne-slap

• • hand-to-hand

Use the image to answer the following question.

What was the most dangerous part of the game?

• • Players on the losing team were sometimes sacrificed to the gods.

• • Players were not allowed to use their hands or feet to throw or kick the ball.

• • Players were awarded points based on how much they hurt the other team.

• • Players who performed poorly would be kicked out of Maya society for weakness.

According to Maya religious tradition, from what did the gods successfully make humans?

• • fire

• • clay

• • corn

• • wood

Use the image to answer the following question.

Historians know equinoxes were important to the Maya because of the pyramid at Chichén Itzá and its ___________________________.

• • decorations honoring the Maya gods of sunlight and darkness, which turn golden exactly at noon on the equinox

• • decorative fountains, which turn crystal clear on the equinox and become cloudy before the sun sets again

• • mountaintop location, which receives the light of the equinox before anywhere else in Mesoamerica

• • statue of a snake, which casts a shadow that slithers down the pyramid steps only on the equinox

Use the image to answer the following question.

How were pyramids used in Maya culture?

• • They were places of worship.

• • They were marketplaces.

• • They were burial sites.

• • They were palaces.

Use the image to answer the following question.

What type of writing system did the Maya use?

• • pictographs

• • dots and dashes

• • hieroglyphic symbols

• • hieroglyphic symbols

Which conclusion about the ancient Maya is best shown by their calendar system?

• • They created new styles of art.

• • They designed cities to look the same.

• • They had great understanding of geography.

• • They had advanced knowledge of mathematics.