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Worksheets

MesoAmerican Civ

Total questions: 75

Worksheet time: 40mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Which of these choices was the earliest Mesoamerican civilization?
a)
Inca
b)
Maya
c)
Aztec
2.
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.
3.
The Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan was created in the center of a...
a)
Marsh
b)
River
c)
Ocean
d)
Lake
4.
How did the Mayans end?
a)
the Spaniards conquered
b)
It is a mystery
c)
Olmecs took their land
d)
hurricane destroyed their civilization
5.
The Mayans were among the first people with a symbol for which number?
a)
0
b)
5
c)
10
d)
100
6.

The Inca used this farming method which allowed them to farm on the steep mountainsides

a)

Crop rotation

b)

Terrace farming

c)

Drip irrigation

d)

Permanent crops

7.

________ was an important part of both Aztec and Mayan religions

a)

Blood Letting/ Human Sacrifices

b)

Prayers

c)

Giving Money to Priests

d)

Sports

8.

All Mesoamerican religions were....

a)

Monotheistic

b)

Polytheistic

c)

Ditheistic

9.

Which best describes the famous Aztec ball game?

a)

It was a combination of basketball and soccer, where the ball had to go through a sideways hoop.

b)

It was a combination of basketball and football, where the ball had to go through a sideways net.

c)

It was a combination of hockey and football, where the ball had to go through a sideways hoops.

d)

It was a combination of hockey and basketball, where the ball had to go through a sideways net.

10.

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

11.

Many of these civilizations were the first to have a calendar with how many days?

a)

180

b)

200

c)

326

d)

365

12.

The Maya writing system was _____________.

a)

Hieroglyphics

b)

Cuneiform

c)

Demotic

13.

The Maya and Aztecs used what to carry goods along trade routes

a)

Cows

b)

Horses

c)

Humans

d)

Llamas

14.

The Mayan Empire was centered in what area?

a)

south America

b)

Europe

c)

Southern North America & Central America

d)

Southern Africa

15.

The Aztec Empire was in what area?

a)

Southern North America

b)

Northern Europe

c)

Central Asia

d)

South America

16.

The Inca Empire was in what area?

a)

Europe

b)

North America

c)

Europe

d)

South America

17.

What did the people of Mesoamerica use astronomy for?

a)

their calendars

b)

their cars

c)

their animals

d)

their computers

18.

The Incan Empire was linked together by -

a)

rivers

b)

qanats

c)

roads

d)

canals

19.

What did the Maya, Aztec and Incas all have in common?

a)

They established large empires.

b)

They were conquered by the French.

c)

They believed in polytheism

d)

They traded with China and India.

20.

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.

21.

The purpose of the ritual shown in the picture at right was to -

a)

take power and control away from the king.

b)

show the common peoples' dedication to the king.

c)

inspire younger warriors and prepare them for battle.

d)

have the gods provide good crops and successful wars.

22.

This type of agriculture was practiced by the Incas.

a)

slash and burn

b)

chinampas

c)

3-field rotation

d)

terrace farming

23.

The economies of the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas were based primarily on -

a)

gold.

b)

agriculture.

c)

slavery.

d)

sea trade.

24.

The Aztecs collected _________ from the peoples they conquered, which became a large part of their economy.

a)

Fees

b)

Tolls

c)

Tributes

d)

Bribes

25.

The Aztecs were eventually conquered by __________, and the Inca were conquered by __________.

a)

Francisco Pizarro, Vasco Balboa

b)

Hernando Cortez, Juan Ponce de Leon

c)

Juan Ponce de Leon, Vasco Balboa

d)

Hernando Cortez, Francisco Pizarro

26.

Where were the Maya located?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

27.

Where were the Incas located?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

28.

Where are the Andes Mountains?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

29.

Where is the Yucatan Peninsula?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

30.
Who used terrace farming?
a)
Inca
b)
Aztec
c)
Mayan
31.
When did the Aztecs live?
a)
700-900
b)
1700-1900
c)
1000-1100
d)
1400-1500
32.
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
33.
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
34.
Grand emperor retreat complex built by the Inca
a)
Machu Picchu
b)
Chichen Itza
c)
Pueblo Bonita
d)
Cahokia
35.
Because of the lack of available farmland, the Aztecs built
a)
causeways.
b)
chinampas.
c)
irrigation canals.
d)
terraces.
36.
The Maya civilization was after the Aztec civilization.
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
37.
What was quipu used for?
a)
Fishing
b)
Climbing
c)
Running
d)
Counting
38.
*terrace farming
* quipu (knots on strings)
* road system
* Machu Piccu
a)
Maya
b)
Aztec
c)
Inca
39.
• 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
40.

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

41.

What was one of the requirements of Inca citizens?

a)

They had to breed llamas

b)

They had to pay gold for taxes

c)

They had to run messages through out the empire

d)

They had to work part of the year for the government

42.

The Inca used this farming method which allowed them to farm on the steep mountainsides

a)

Crop rotation

b)

Terrace farming

c)

Drip irrigation

d)

Permanent crops

43.

The Maya system of glyphs looks more like _____________than____________.

a)

Pictures/Words

b)

Numbers/Letters

c)

Numbers/Words

d)

Words/Letters

44.

How did the Inca learn about their history and legends?

a)

It was passed down in texts

b)

There was one person who recorded all of it

c)

It was passed down by song and poems

d)

It was passed down by griots

45.

Why was the main purpose of Mayan calendars? For planting crops and planning _____________________________.

a)

Work schedules

b)

school schedules

c)

Religious events

d)

Weddings

46.

What was the capital of the Inca Empire?

a)

Tenochtitlan

b)

Santiago

c)

Palenque

d)

Cuzco

47.

Which of the following best describes the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan?

a)

A desert oasis

b)

The Yucatan Peninsula

c)

A city high in the Andes Mountains

d)

A swampy island in a lake

48.

What was the main purpose of Aztec warriors in battle?

a)

To kill the enemy

b)

Capture prisoners for sacrifice

c)

Conquer new territory

d)

Steal gold

49.

What happened to people conquered by the Aztecs?

a)

They had to leave their land

b)

They had to pay tribute

c)

They had to join the Aztecs

d)

They had to give gold to the Aztecs

50.

Where was the Aztec empire located?

a)

Central Mexico

b)

Yucatan Peninsula

c)

Modern day California

d)

Chile and Peru

51.

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

52.

What best describes the Inca government?

a)

It allowed people to vote

b)

It allowed for upward movement in the social structure

c)

It collected money for taxes

d)

It controlled most aspects of social and economic life. Citizens had to work and give food to the government

53.

Why did the Maya follow 3 calendars?

a)

It was a new idea they weren't sure which was correct

b)

They were comparing each one to see which was the most accurate

c)

Each one served a different purpose, predicting eclipses, farming seasons and other events

d)

To plan events to please the 3 main gods

54.

What is the correct order of the Mayan social structure?

a)

peasants, nobles/priests, merchants/artisans

b)

nobles/priests, merchants/artisans, peasants

c)

nobles/priests, peasants, merchants/artisans

d)

nobles/priests, peasants, slaves

55.

What group of people did the giant stone heads belong to?

a)

Mexica

b)

Aztec

c)

Olmec

d)

Maya

56.

Where were the advanced agriculturists and city-states located?

a)

Yucatan

b)

Peru

c)

Machu Pichu

d)

California

57.

Which civilization was located around Lake Texcoco?

a)

the Aztec civilization

b)

the Mayan civilization

c)

the Inca civilization

d)

the Chumash civilization

58.

What was the unusual activity kids learned in school under the Aztecs?

a)

karate

b)

fighting

c)

the pledge of allegiance

d)

technology

59.

What was the central city of the Incas?

a)

Teotihuacan

b)

Rio De Janiero

c)

Cuzco, Peru

d)

San Diego

60.

What did the Incas use to link the various tribes?

a)

the internet

b)

money

c)

roads

d)

cellular phone technology

61.

What city was known as the city of the clouds?

a)

Los Angeles

b)

Bolivia

c)

North America

d)

Machu Picchu

62.

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

63.

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

64.

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

65.

What do historians think Machu Picchu was mostly likely used for?

a)

a school

b)

a sacrificial altar

c)

a marketplace

d)

an astronomic observatory

66.

Which kingdom was the biggest in the Americas, based in the Andes Mountains of Peru?

a)

the Olmec

b)

the Inca

c)

the Maya

d)

the Aztec

67.

Which of the following is a false statement?

a)

The Aztecs performed human sacrifice.

b)

Nobody knows why the Aztec civilization disappeared in 869.

c)

Aztec children attended school.

d)

The Aztec people held slaves.

68.

Which of the following is a false statement?

a)

The ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu was destroyed by the Spanish

b)

The Incan city of Machu Picchu was built on a 9,000-foot mountain top.

c)

The Incan kingdom contained over 20,000 miles of roads.

d)

The Incas built aqueducts.

69.

The losers of the Mayan ball games were ________.

a)

forced into slavery

b)

killed in a ritual

c)

exiled from the kingdom

d)

shunned for a year

70.

Which civilization used this type of agriculture?

a)

Mayan

b)

Aztec

c)

Incan

d)

Pueblo

71.

What type of farming did the Mayans use?

a)

terraced farming

b)

slash and burn farming

c)

chimapas or floating gardens

d)

circular crop formations

72.

Which civilization used this type of agriculture?

a)

Mayan

b)

Aztec

c)

Inca

d)

Hopewell

73.

Where was the Inca civilization located?

a)

Great Lakes Region

b)

Valley of Mexico

c)

Andes Mountains

d)

Yucatan Peninsula

74.

-Smallpox Outbreak Kills Millions

-Spanish Conquistadors Welcomed as gods

-Advanced Weapons Easily Defeat Mighty Native Warriors


What event are the headlines describing?

a)

the decline of the Germanic barbarians

b)

the decline of the Roman Empire

c)

the decline of the Aztec and Inca Empires

d)

the decline of the West African Kingdoms

75.

How were the Mayan and Aztec civilizations similar to each other?

a)

both practiced a religion based on monotheism

b)

both lacked a strong central government

c)

both developed complex calendar systems

d)

both had military weapons superior to that of the Europeans