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The Maya (Lesson 26)

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Mayan culture flourished in the region known as

a)

Mesopotamia.

b)

Caribbean.

c)

Mesoamerica.

d)

the Midlands.

2.

The first Mesoamericans to use a solar calendar were the

a)

Aztecs.

b)

Incas

c)

Maya

d)

Olmecs

3.

The Maya developed their own system of hieroglyphic writing during the

a)

Anti-Classic period.

b)

Classic period.

c)

Post-Classic period.

d)

Pre-Classic period.

4.

Tikal, Copan, Chichén Itzá, and Palenque are four major Maya

a)

cities.

b)

dishes.

c)

gods.

d)

rulers.

5.

Around what year did the Classic period end?

a)

2000 B.C.E.

b)

900 C.E.

c)

500 C.E.

d)

300 C.E.

6.

Who was at the top of the social pyramid in each Maya city-state?

a)

the nobles

b)

the peasants

c)

the priests

d)

the ruler

7.

Which members of Maya society knew how to read and write?

a)

the merchants and artisans

b)

the peasants

c)

the ruler, nobles, and priests

d)

the slaves

8.

Which statement is true?

a)

Maya traders traveled by sea, river, and well-constructed roads to trade with other city-states.

b)

Maya artisans never painted images of people because they believed that would displease the gods.

c)

Maya traders in the lowlands sold products such as silk and spices to people in the highlands.

d)

all of the above

9.

Who were considered the backbone of Maya society because they grew most of the food?

a)

artisans

b)

nobles

c)

peasants

d)

priests

10.

When might slaves be sacrificed to the gods?

a)

after being captured in war

b)

upon the deaths of their owners

c)

when the priests required it

d)

whenever their owners wished

11.

Which statement about daily life is true?

a)

Women and girls prepared the food and cared for the home.

b)

Men and boys cared for the small children and animals.

c)

Women and girls worked hard tending the crops in the fields.

d)

Men and boys gathered cotton, which they spun and wove into cloth.

12.

What happened at the ceremony that marked the birth of a child?

a)

The priest forecast the baby's future.

b)

The priest gave the baby to another family to raise for four years.

c)

The priest sacrificed the baby if it was a peasant.

d)

The priest revealed who the baby's spouse would be.

13.

Why did boys wear a white bead in their hair and girls wear a string of red shells around their waists?

a)

They reminded children of their duty to their parents.

b)

They were believed to protect children from danger.

c)

They showed which clan the children belonged to.

d)

They were symbols of children's innocence.

14.

When arranging a marriage of their children, the families had to agree on

a)

how much food and clothing would be given to the groom's family.

b)

which set of parents the new bride and groom would live with.

c)

how many years a young man would work for his new wife's family.

d)

whether or not to use the services of the village matchmaker.

15.

The Maya built their cities around religious and ceremonial centers because

a)

religion was very important to the Maya.

b)

these centers kept the Maya safe from enemies.

c)

these were the only buildable sites in Mesoamerica.

d)

all of the above

16.

Why did the Maya 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.

17.

Priests used the Sacred Round to

a)

assign duties, such as spinning, weaving, and cooking, to young men and women.

b)

determine the best days to plant, hunt, cure, do battle, and perform religious ceremonies.

c)

identify which families should be joined together through the marriages of their children.

d)

sacrifice the captain and members of the losing team after a game of pok-a-tok.

18.

The primary Maya food was

a)

berries.

b)

corn

c)

fish

d)

wheat

19.

How did Maya farmers adapt to the environment of the mountainous highlands?

a)

They built terraces to make more land available for planting.

b)

They constructed raised-earth platforms surrounded by canals to drain off rainwater.

c)

They spread chemical fertilizers on their fields to maximize their crop yields.

d)

They used slash-and-burn agriculture to clear new land for planting.

20.

What happened that marked the end of the Classic period of Mayan history?

a)

A meteor had destroyed the entire city of Chichén Itzá.

b)

Europeans had arrived and conquered Maya civilization.

c)

Maya had abandoned their large cities to the jungle.

d)

The last of the Maya had died after a generation of warfare.