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mesoamerica civilizations mastery

Total questions: 88

Worksheet time: 1hrs 8mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Which of these choices was the earliest Mesoamerican civilization?
a)
Inca
b)
Maya
c)
Aztec
2.
Mesoamerican farmers had to move their farms from time to time because the ______ would wear out & couldn't support farming.
a)
cows
b)
llamas
c)
soil
d)
muscles
3.
The Mayan government was made up of independent _______________.
a)
city states
b)
armies
c)
countries
d)
men
4.
Why did the Mayas honor their gods?
a)
Their greatest concern was going to heaven after they died.
b)
They feared that the gods who created the world could also destroy it.
c)
They hoped to end the ritual sacrifice that their enemies practiced.
d)
They wanted the gods to help them drive out the Europeans.
5.
The most impressive Olmec remains are
a)
jade masks
b)
marble temples
c)
stone heads 
d)
gold jewelry
6.
Which capital city was located where an eagle was sighted holding a snake in its beak? 
a)
Cuzco
b)
Mesa Verde 
c)
Cahokia 
d)
Tenochtitlan 
7.
Which of the following was NOT a similarity of the Maya and Aztec cultures?
a)
They each developed calendars.
b)
The each had a single ruler.
c)
They each believed in many gods.
d)
The each had various social classes.
8.
The Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan was created in the center of a...
a)
Marsh
b)
River
c)
Ocean
d)
Lake
9.
How did the Mayans end?
a)
the Spaniards conquered
b)
It is a mystery
c)
Olmecs took their land
d)
hurricane destroyed their civilization
10.
What does the term "mesoamerican" mean?
a)
Middle Passage
b)
Middle America, between North and South America
c)
Middle America, including states like Texas and Oklahoma
d)
Messy America
11.
How were the Aztecs able to farm?
a)
built stone walls within the mountains to create a flat surface
b)
alternated crops to keep the soil fertilized
c)
used land outside of the island to grow crops
d)
used floating gardens called chinampas that were anchored to trees
12.
Aztec emperor
a)
Moctezuma
b)
Pachacutti
c)
Cortes
d)
Mayan
13.
Floating gardens built by the Aztecs
a)
chinampas
b)
mita
c)
masonry
d)
terraced farming
14.
Why were human sacrifices made?
a)
too many people loved in the city
b)
a punishment for not following the rules
c)
to please the gods
d)
animals were considered sacred so humans were used
15.
The Mayans were among the first people with a symbol for which number?
a)
0
b)
5
c)
10
d)
100
16.
The Aztecs were a _________ society, meaning they worshipped more than one God
a)
Monotheistic
b)
Ditheistic
c)
Polytheistic
d)
Bitheistic
17.
Who used terrace farming?
a)
Inca
b)
Aztec
c)
Mayan
18.
What two groups had two calendars, one for tracking religion and one for farming?
a)
Maya and Aztec
b)
Olmec and Toltec
c)
Hopi and Zuni
d)
Tlingit and Chinook
19.
Grand emperor retreat complex built by the Inca
a)
Machu Picchu
b)
Chichen Itza
c)
Pueblo Bonita
d)
Cahokia
20.
* Chinampas
*conquered by Spanish
*365 day calendar
*stone temples without cement
*writing
a)
Mayan
b)
Aztec
c)
Inca
21.
*terrace farming
* quipu (knots on strings)
* road system
* Machu Piccu
a)
Maya
b)
Aztec
c)
Inca
22.
• Cultivation of corn, tomatoes, and beans • pictorial writing system • Human sacrifices to the sun god • Accurate calendar of 365 days • Use of the number zero * Abandoned cities around year 900 AD
a)
Aztec
b)
Mayan
c)
Inca
23.

The Incan Empire was linked together by -

a)

rivers

b)

qanats

c)

roads

d)

canals

24.

The Maya were well known for their -

a)

knowledge of mathematics and astronomy.

b)

many conquests and warlike culture.

c)

part in the Atlantic slave trade.

d)

inability to keep written records.

25.

Where were the Maya located?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

26.

Where were the Aztecs located?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

27.

Where were the Incas located?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

28.
Maya = Maize = ____________
a)
Squash
b)
Fruit Punch
c)
Corn
d)
Beans
29.

A major reason for the end of the Aztec Empire was

a)

the refusal of the people to obey their leaders.

b)

a conflict with the Inca Empire.

c)

the technology of the Spanish conquistadors.

d)

political corruption and an unstable government.

30.

The location of the Inca civilization of South America demonstrates the

a)

importance of trade with western Europe.

b)

ability of humans to adapt to the environment.

c)

influence of cultural diversity.

d)

complexity of indigenous belief systems.

31.

Maya writing was called

a)

Hieroglyphics

b)

Mita

c)

cuneiform

d)

alphabet

32.

Which Spanish conquistador was responsible for the destruction of the Aztec?

a)

Penn and Venables

b)

Francisco Pizarro

c)

Hernan Cortez

d)

Huayna Capac

33.

Which of the following was responsible for the conquest of the Inca Empire?

a)

Hernan Cortez

b)

Ferdinand

c)

Francisco Pizarro

d)

Huayna Capac

34.

Which of the following did the Maya and Aztec share?

a)

Use of llamas for farming

b)

Use of the wheel to build structures

c)

Pyramids for religious purposes

d)

Skilled masons

35.

The Maya system of glyphs looks more like _____________than____________.

a)

Pictures/Words

b)

Numbers/Letters

c)

Numbers/Words

d)

Words/Letters

36.

How did the Mayans keep their gods satisfied?

a)

Burnt offerings

b)

Animal sacrifice

c)

Money offerings

d)

Blood offerings/sacrifice

37.

What was the capital of the Inca Empire?

a)

Tenochtitlan

b)

Santiago

c)

Palenque

d)

Cuzco

38.

Where was the Aztec empire located?

a)

Central Mexico

b)

Yucatan Peninsula

c)

Modern day California

d)

Chile and Peru

39.

What geographic feature first led people to Mesoamerica?

a)

High mountains for protection

b)

Swampy land

c)

Land with stone for building

d)

Fertile soil

40.

Where were the advanced agriculturists and city-states located?

a)

Yucatan

b)

Peru

c)

Machu Pichu

d)

California

41.

Why did the Mayan civilization disappear in 869?

a)

The Spanish came looking for gold and riches

b)

Smallpox killed off the population

c)

We don't know!

d)

The Aztecs conquered them

42.

Which civilization was located around Lake Texcoco?

a)

the Aztec civilization

b)

the Mayan civilization

c)

the Inca civilization

d)

the Chumash civilization

43.

What was the central city of the Incas?

a)

Teotihuacan

b)

Rio De Janiero

c)

Cuzco, Peru

d)

San Diego

44.

Many historians believe that people first came to the Americas by crossing the ________.

a)

Atlantic Ocean

b)

Gulf of Mexico

c)

Bering Strait

d)

Rocky Mountains

45.

Where did the Mayan civilization develop?

a)

in what is now Ecuador

b)

in what is now Mexico City

c)

in the Andes Mountains

d)

in the Yucatan Peninsula

46.

Tikal was ________.

a)

an Incan city in the Andes

b)

the first place the Spanish invaded

c)

an ancient Mayan city

d)

a floating garden

47.

Tenochtitlan was ________.

a)

a city built by the Aztecs in what is now Mexico City

b)

an Incan city built on a 9,000-foot mountain

c)

the city where the first Olmec stone heads were discovered

d)

a Mayan city with more than 3,000 structures

48.

The Mayas

a)

created metal tools.

b)

domesticated horses and oxen.

c)

invented the wheel.

d)

developed the concept of zero.

49.

The Maya writing system was _____________.

a)

Hieroglyphics

b)

Cuneiform

c)

Demotic

50.

The Mesoamericans used _____________________ to farm the rainforest.

a)

Contour plowing

b)

Silt Fences

c)

Slash-and-burn agriculture

d)

Crop Rotation

51.

What civilization left behind many artifacts like the one pictured?

a)

Olmec

b)

Maya

c)

Aztec

d)

Inca

52.

What was the first civilization in Mesoamerica?

a)

Olmec

b)

Maya

c)

Aztec

d)

Inca

53.

What Spanish explorer entered Tenochtitlàn in 1519?

a)

Castillo

b)

Pizarro

c)

Cortés

d)

Columbus

54.

What civilization had a strong influence on the Maya and the Aztec?

a)

Olmec

b)

Maya

c)

Aztec

d)

Inca

55.

What type of government did the Maya have?

a)

democracy

b)

dictatorship

c)

monarchy

d)

theocracy

56.

What did the Maya use for currency?

a)

chocolate

b)

cacao beans

c)

gold

d)

maize

57.

What civilization's sign from their god is on today's Mexican flag?

a)

Olmec

b)

Maya

c)

Aztec

d)

Inca

58.

Most people in the Mayan empire were _________. They grew corn, beans, and squash

a)

Hunters

b)

Store Sellers

c)

Farmers

d)

Hunters & Farmers

59.

Which society was considered to be the "Mother Culture"?

a)

Zapotec

b)

Inca

c)

Maya

d)

Olmec

60.

The Spanish may have destroyed many of their records when they invaded:

a)

Olmec

b)

Maya

61.

This civilization created a calendar that measured time in blocks over 5,000 years:

a)

Olmec

b)

Maya

62.

___________ is an extra supply, usually food.

a)

slash and burn

b)

surplus

c)

elite

d)

Olmec

63.

When did the Maya live?

a)

1500 BC - 300 BC

b)

AD 250 - AD 900

64.

When did the Olmec live?

a)

1200 BC - 400 BC

b)

250 AD - 900 AD

65.

When did the Inca live?

a)

1500 BC - 300 BC

b)

1200 BC - 400 BC

c)

AD 1438 - AD 1533

66.

Francisco Pizarro was the conquistador from Spain who conquered the ___________

a)

Aztecs

b)

Inca

c)

Maya

d)

Olmec

67.

Smallpox was a disease that the _________________brought that ended up killing thousands of people in the ancient civilizations.

a)

Aztecs

b)

Inca

c)

Maya

d)

Spanish

68.

Hernan Cortes was a conquistador from . . .___________________

a)

Portugal

b)

Italy

c)

Spain

d)

Greece

69.
Scientist who study the remains of past human life.
a)
ancestors
b)
archaeologist
c)
descendant
d)
architect
70.
The belief in more than one god.
a)
nomadic
b)
polytheistic
c)
temple
d)
sacrifice
71.
A large territory or group of territories under a single ruler or government.
a)
empire
b)
country
c)
city
d)
poytheistic
72.

What is a synonym for agriculture?

a)

farming

b)

food

c)

ancient

d)

happy

73.

What is a synonym for significant?

a)

fast

b)

slow

c)

important

d)

insignificant

74.
The Ruler of the Mayans was seen as a...
a)
War-Leader
b)
God-King
c)
Weak-Man
d)
Priest/Landowner
75.
Where did the Incas live?
a)
Western South America
b)
Eastern North America
c)
Eastern South America
d)
Western North America
76.
One of the Mayans' many creations that we use today is
a)
365 day calendar
b)
Human Sacrifice
c)
The Wheel
77.
What kind of farming technique did the Mayans use in the Mountains?
a)
crop rotation
b)
terraces (staircase)
c)
raised-earth platforms
d)
they didn't
78.
The Aztecs built chinampas. What were they?
a)
Mexican food
b)
walls
c)
pyramids
d)
floating gardens
79.
The Mayans had over 160 gods!  This means they were..
a)
Monotheistic
b)
Polytheistic
80.

A set of strings tied into knots, called a quipu, was an aid for

a)

finding the best route

b)

remembering information

c)

catching fish in the river

d)

understanding the calendar

81.

How did the Inca civilization come to an end?

a)

They abandoned their cities and mysteriously disappeared.

b)

They were conquered by the Aztecs.

c)

Pizarro and the Spanish army stole their gold and killed their leader.

d)

A large earthquake killed all of them.

82.

How did the Incas grow their crops?

a)

terrace farming

b)

floating gardens

c)

on top of mesas

d)

they weren't farmers

83.
Capital of the Aztec Empire... It was in modern day Mexico City.
a)
Tenochtitlan
b)
Cuzco
c)
Havana
d)
Guadalupe
84.
Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca
a)
Hernan Cortes
b)
Francisco Pizarro
c)
Ferdinand Magellan
d)
Vasco da Gama
85.
Ruler of the Incas that was captured and executed by the Pizarro and the Spanish.
a)
Atahualpa
b)
Montezuma
c)
Tomichichi
d)
Lightfoot
86.
What was the infectious disease that the Spanish transmitted to the Aztec and Inca civilizations that wiped out large numbers of their populations?
a)
small pox
b)
malaria
c)
influenza (the flu)
d)
Bubonic plague
87.
Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro were explorers from which European nation?
a)
Spain
b)
Italy
c)
Portugal
d)
France
88.
The Aztecs and Incas would have most likely had which type of economy in which it is based off customs and beliefs from the past?
a)
traditional economy
b)
market economy
c)
command economy

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