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Early America - Native Americans to European Americans

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 13mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why was the mita system important to the Inca Empire?

a)

It helped Incan astronomers calculate movement of planets & stars

b)

It allowed the government to collected taxes in the form of physical labor

c)

It helped the emperor keep control over faraway lands in the empire.

d)

It kept order by forming a strict (rigid) social hierarchy.

2.

Incan architects and engineers are famous for building what?

a)

thousands of miles of roads to connect distant parts of the empire

b)

deep mountain wells to irrigate crops

c)

aqueducts to carry water from distant lakes

d)

stone bridges crossing deep mountain gorges

3.

What methods did the Incans use to connect and unify their empire? Check all that apply.

a)

They required all people to learn their language, Quechuan.

b)

They provided food and clothing to villages and cities in times of crisis.

c)

They built thousands of miles of roads to connect villages

d)

They prayed to the gods.

4.

Which of the following EVENTUALLY led to Brazil's independence from Portugal?

a)

the liberation of enslaved Africans

b)

Simon Bolivar's uprising

c)

Napoleon's invasion of Portugal

d)

Getuilo Vargas's overthrow of the government

5.

Which factors were MOST responsible for the decline in population of American Indians as a result of Spanish conquest? Check the TWO (2) best answers.

a)

forced labor in silver mines and on plantations.

b)

warfare between the Spanish and the Indians

c)

diseases introduced from the Spanish like small pox and measles

d)

famine (hunger) caused by disruption of the Indians' traditional agriculture

6.

Once Latin American countries gained independence from Spanish and Portuguese colonization, they continued to face this problem of economic inequality:

a)

they extended voting rights to all men

b)

they established communist (or command) economies

c)

Creoles, the wealthy social class that owned all of the land, had to maintain power over new governments in order to protect their great wealth. The poor remained poor.

d)

they shifted from the Creole plantation system of agriculture to small farms that the poor peasants could own

7.

What is the majority NATIVE language in Mexico, Central and South America?

a)

Portuguese

b)

English

c)

French

d)

Spanish

8.

How did the development of agriculture change the lives of early South American peoples?

a)

More groups moved near the coasts.

b)

Groups started to settle (to stay) in certain places

c)

Civilizations developed really quickly.

d)

Many groups developed a social hierarchy

9.

In what ways were Spanish and Portuguese colonization of South American regions similar? Select the two (2) best answers.

a)

They both exported large amounts of silver

b)

They both conquered earlier empires

c)

The both brought Catholicism to the native peoples in an effort to convert their religions.

d)

They both had a policy of mercantilism (each colony could only trade with its colonizing country).

10.

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

a)

A Halloween treat for Spanish and Portuguese settlers

b)

An agreement to divide the eastern and western hemispheres of the world between Portugal and Spain.

c)

It stopped a war between Spain and Portugal.

d)

It stopped colonization South America, thanks to the Pope.

11.

Which of the following best describes the transportation of newly enslaved Africans to the English colonies?

a)

Enslaved African families were allowed to remain together

b)

Enslaved Africans were allowed to leave the hold and go up on deck freely.

c)

Enslaved Africans were forced aboard ships and chained together to prevent mutinies.

d)

Enslaved Africans could choose to make the journey or return to their native homelands.

12.

How does Canada's climate affect where people choose to live?

a)

Most Canadians live in the southern part of the country, where temperatures are warmer than up north..

b)

Most Canadians live near the U.S. border where the rainfall allows for farming.

c)

Canadians prefer regions with colder climates, where winter sports such as hockey can be played outdoors.

d)

Most Canadians live along the coasts, where abundant rainfall allows farming.

13.

Which of the following American Indian culture groups was most likely to use canoes?

a)

Northwestern peoples

b)

Southwestern peoples

c)

Great Plains peoples

d)

Puebloan Peoples

14.

According to the map, how did people first arrive in North America?

a)

The sailed across the Atlantic

b)

They sailed across the Arctic

c)

They migrated by land and sea from South America to North America.

d)

They walked or paddled along the shoreline from Asia to North America.

15.

Using the information in the table, which statement BEST explains why the Sioux used tepees as housing?

a)

Because the Sioux lived in the Great Plains, they did not have access to cliffs to build their houses

b)

Because the Sioux hunted buffalo, their hide was the main source of building material.

c)

Because the Sioux were nomadic, they needed to use materials that could be easily packed and moved.

d)

Because the Sioux were not farmers, they did not need sturdy houses made out of adobe.

16.

What natural resource most attracted French traders to the lands that later became Canada?

a)

gold

b)

animal furs

c)

water

d)

corn

17.

Which statement about the experiences of American Indians on Spanish missions does this image best support?

a)

American Indians were forced to endure long hours of manual labor.

b)

American Indians often died from diseases that had been brought from Europe.

c)

American Indians were treated cruelly by Spanish missionaries (priests).

d)

American Indians were expected to convert to Christianity (Catholicism).

18.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”


—United States Declaration of Independence


Based on this excerpt, which of the following ideas most contributed to inspiring the American Revolution?

a)

ideas about equality and individual rights

b)

a desire for greater happiness

c)

a desire to free people from slavery

d)

ideas about property rights

19.

What aspect of Caribbean society does this image show us?

a)

how the encomienda system functioned under Spanish rule in the Caribbean

b)

how Europeans exercised control over Caribbean colonies

c)

how U.S. investment in the 1900s changed the sugar industry in the Caribbean

d)

how the legacy of slavery shaped the economy of the Caribbean

20.

What archaeological evidence taught scholars about the culture of the Mississippians?

a)

housing complexes built into the sides of canyon cliffs

b)

kayaks designed to hunt animals over long distances

c)

large earthen mounds built for religious purposes

d)

totem poles decorated with animal symbols

21.

How did the environment and geography of the land influence the American Indians of the Northwest and Northeast of what is now the United States?

a)

They both build houses into the sides of canyon cliffs

b)

They both built houses out of reeds and branches

c)

They both built longhouses or wigwams out of young trees called saplings and tree bark from birch trees.

d)

They both built tepees to transport across the Great Plains as they hunted bison.

22.

Many achievements of Aztec engineering were made necessary by Tenochtitlán’s location

a)

in the middle of a harsh desert

b)

in the tropical rainforest of the Amazon

c)

in the high mountains on the coast

d)

on a small island in the middle of a huge lake

23.

Which of the following statements best describes Mayan cities?

a)

They were built on islands and lakes

b)

They grew up mainly in the highlands and mountains

c)

They had only a few buildings

d)

They had pyramids and palaces in their centers.

24.

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

a)

They were the first people to settle in the area.

b)

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

c)

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

d)

They produced goods that made them wealthy.

25.

The ancient Puebloan peoples adapted to a climate in what is now the southwest region of the United States. This climate was

a)

cold and wet

b)

tropical

c)

arctic

d)

hot and dry