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Worksheets

The Maya

Total questions: 37

Worksheet time: 19mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What was the main food item the Maya used?

a)

Maize

b)

Beans

c)

Tamales

d)

Meats

2.

Mayan observatories led to a detailed....

a)

Questzal

b)

Olmec

c)

Harvest

d)

Calendar

3.

Mayan writing was called

a)

Economy

b)

Dense

c)

Hieroglyphis

d)

Drought

4.

Why use the slash-and-burn technique?

a)

Because they were bored

b)

it helped with human sacrafices

c)

It helped avoid a drought

d)

it fertilized the soil

5.

What was the most important substance to the Maya?

a)

Dirt

b)

Blood

c)

Stone

d)

jewels

6.

What is slash-and-burn farming?

a)

cutting down the crops and burning them before eating them

b)

cutting down the crops and burning the fields after

c)

using a plow to plant your crops

d)

clearing out space for planting by cutting down trees and bushes, then burning them.

7.

What was the object of the sacred ball game?

a)

to score points by kicking the ball into a goal like soccer

b)

to carry the ball into the endzone like football

c)

to hit balls through a hoop using your hips, thighs, and shoulders

d)

to shoot balls through a hoop like basketball

8.

The Maya had a class system that divided people into different levels of society

a)

True

b)

False

9.

In the Maya culture, priests were

a)

not that important

b)

the second to lowest class of society, above serfs

c)

equal to farmers because there were so many of them

d)

ranked just below the king and revered as equally as warriors

10.

The Maya priests were supposed to

a)

decide when to plant crops

b)

decide when people could marry

c)

conducted important religious rituals and ceremonies

d)

all of the above

11.

To please the gods, the Maya offered

a)

food & animals

b)

plants & precious objects

c)

human sacrifice

d)

all of the above

12.

Which proves the Maya were successful mathematicians and astronomers?

a)

They built a pyramid

b)

They played a complicated ball game

c)

They created a 365 day calendar

d)

Predicted winning lottery numbers

13.

Astronomers used observations of the stars to determine

a)

the best time for planting crops

b)

the best time for harvesting crops

c)

when to have religious celebrations

d)

all of the above

14.
What was the staple crop (most important food source) for the Maya people?
a)
Avocados
b)
Rubber
c)
Maize (corn)
d)
Bananas
15.
The Maya were the first recorded civilization to feature the concept of ________ in their number system.
a)
1
b)
- 1
c)
0
d)
Infinity
16.

Which of the following is/are possible explanation(s) for the disappearance of the Mayas?

a)

Population outgrew area to farm

b)

Invaders from Central Mexico

c)

Warfare between Maya City-states

d)

All of the above

17.

Which of these modern countries is in the area where Maya civilization developed and is home to large numbers of Maya today?

a)

Panama

b)

Venezuela

c)

Guatemala

d)

Costa Rica

18.

What made it possible for the Olmecs and the Maya to create permanent settlements?

a)

Sailing

b)

Farming

c)

Metal Tools

d)

Farm Animals

19.

Maya priests led rituals and offered sacrifices. What was another role of the priests?

a)

to foretell the future

b)

to lead peasant armies

c)

to carve temple sculptures

d)

to conduct long-distance trade

20.

How was the jaguar important to the Maya?

a)

Warriors trained it to fight.

b)

It provided meat for their diet.

c)

It was a feature of their religion.

d)

Peasants wore its fur to keep warm.

21.

What was an important use of the Sacred Round?

a)

to choose a bride or groom

b)

to visit other cities for trade

c)

to get water for the community

d)

to determine when to plant crops

22.

Which agricultural technique did the Maya use to farm in the mountains?

a)

terraces

b)

crop rotation

c)

raised-earth platforms

d)

slash-and-burn agriculture

23.

What was the biggest problem with slash-and-burn agriculture?

a)

It wore out the soil.

b)

It injured the cattle.

c)

It drained the swamps.

d)

It destroyed the temples.

24.

When the Mayan cities collapsed, what took their place?

a)

desert

b)

jungle

c)

swamp

d)

grassland

25.

Which was not a role of Maya women?

a)

cared for small children

b)

cooked meals

c)

worked in fields or hunted

26.

Who is at the top of the Mayan Social Class order?

a)

priests

b)

nobles

c)

artisans

d)

ruler

27.

Which group is at the bottom of the Mayan Social Class order?

a)

peasants

b)

merchants

c)

slaves

d)

women

28.

The Mayans were polytheistic. This means

a)

They respected nature

b)

they had social order

c)

they believed in more than one god

d)

they were successful at agriculture

29.

Which is NOT a theory why the Mayans declined

a)

the population grew fast and the farming could not feed all of the people

b)

drought

c)

a very contagious virus spread quickly and killed most of the people

d)

warfare among the city-states

e)

invaders from Central Mexico conquered them

30.

Which of these four countries did NOT make up part of the Maya lands?

a)

Venezuela

b)

Guatemala

c)

Belize

d)

Mexico

31.

Which is the correct order of the social class in Mayan society?

a)

Ruler, Priests/Nobles, Merchants/artisans, Peasants, Slaves

b)

Priests/Nobles, Merchants/artisans, Ruler, Peasants, Slaves

c)

Priests/Nobles, Ruler, Merchants/artisans, Peasants, Slaves

d)

Ruler, Priests/Nobles, Merchants/artisans, Slaves, Peasants

32.

Which agricultural technique is used in this picture?

a)

Terraces

b)

Raised Earth

c)

Slash and Burn

d)

Crop rotation

33.

Which agricultural technique is used in this picture?

a)

Terraces

b)

Raised Earth

c)

Slash and Burn

d)

Crop rotation

34.

Which agricultural technique is used in this picture?

a)

Terraces

b)

Raised Earth

c)

Slash and Burn

d)

Crop rotation

35.

The ideal Mayan Man should be able to...

a)

Hunt/ Fish

b)

Weave

c)

Play Games

d)

Write Poetry

36.

Mayan girls would marry as young as the age of...

a)

14

b)

18

c)

20

d)

25

37.

Mayan Men would typically marry around the age of...

a)

20

b)

25

c)

30

d)

35