wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Meso America!

Total questions: 30

Worksheet time: 19mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Where did the Maya settle?

a)

high in the Himalaya Mountains

b)

Mesopotamia

c)

Yucatan Peninsula

d)

Andes Mountains of modern day Peru

2.
In which ecological zone did the Maya live?
a)
desert
b)
mountains
c)
rainforest
d)
savanna
3.
Religious worship was led by priest-kings but all Mayans worshiped many Gods.  This type of religion is known as
a)
monotheism
b)
polytheism
4.

Which were the tallest and most important buildings in Maya cities?

a)

houses

b)

observatories to study the stars

c)

pyramids

d)

ball courts

5.
The game played at Mayan ball courts was called
a)
stellas
b)
pok-a-tok
c)
glyph
6.
The pictures and symbols used in Mayan writing are called
a)
numbers
b)
letters
c)
hieroglyphics
d)
lines
7.
The Ruler of the Mayans was seen as a...
a)
War-Leader
b)
God-King
c)
Weak-Man
d)
Priest
8.
Choose the correct order of the Mayan Social Pyramid
a)
slaves, ruler, peasants, merchants/artisans, nobles/priests
b)
nobles/priests, slaves, ruler, peasants, artisans/merchants
c)
Ruler, nobles/priests, merchants/artisans, peasants, slaves
d)
Rich dudes, poor dudes, average dudes
9.
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
10.
What led to the demise of the Maya
a)
possible drought
b)
possible invasion
c)
possible overuse of the land
d)
possibly all of the above
11.
Were considered the backbone of Mayan society because they grew  most of the food.
a)
artisans
b)
slaves
c)
merchants
d)
peasants
12.
A farming technique in which vegetation is cut away and burned to clear land  for growing crops
a)
slash and burn agriculture
b)
earth platforms
c)
terraces
d)
plowing
13.

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

14.

Which was the primary Maya food?

a)

corn

b)

beans

c)

squash

d)

chili peppers

15.

Where did Aztec nomads settle around a.d. 1300?

a)

Copan

b)

Yucatan

c)

Tenochtitlán

d)

Valley of México

16.

What did the city-states under Aztec control get in return for the tribute they paid?

a)

protection

b)

the right to govern themselves

c)

temples to worship Aztec gods

d)

better farmland

17.

How did Aztec nobles get their positions?

a)

They made sacrifices at the temples.

b)

They bought them from the king.

c)

They inherited them

d)

The people elected them.

18.

What shows that the Aztec were polytheistic?

a)

The Aztec worshipped up to 1,000 gods.

b)

Religion was central at all levels of society.

c)

Religion was central at all levels of society.

d)

Sometimes the Aztec sacrificed humans in religious ceremonies.

19.

What were the Warrior Schools?

a)

Military training schools from a young age. At these schools, boys learned read and build weapons.

b)

Military training schools from as teenagers. At these schools, boys learned to fight in formation and use weapons.

c)

Military training schools from a young age. At these schools, boys learned to fight in formation and use weapons.

20.

What's the name of the Aztec Capital?

a)

Texcoco

b)

Chinapa

c)

Templo Mayor

d)

Tenochtitlan

21.

A city with its surrounding territory forms an independent state is

a)

a city state

b)

a chinapas

c)

a temple

d)

a city capital

22.

Which color represents where the Aztec civilization was?

a)

blue

b)

red

c)

gray

d)

green

23.

Which best describes how the Aztecs spread their power?

a)

Conquest

b)

Trade

c)

Diplomacy

d)

Alliances

24.

The __ god seemed to be most important to the Aztec.

a)

Sun

b)

Jaguar

c)

Serpent

d)

Quetzal

25.

Where was the Inca Empire located?

a)

The Yucatán Peninsula

b)

The Valley of Cuzco

c)

The Sierra Madre Mountains

d)

The Amazon Basin

26.

Whats the name of the stone city built high up in the Andes including religious temples, royal residences, and houses for workers?

a)

Andes

b)

Cusco

c)

Machu Picchu

d)

Nahuatl

27.

Cutting flat steps or terraces into the side of a mountain to have more land to cultivate is known as

a)

tribute

b)

quechua

c)

terrace farming

d)

chinampas farming

28.

Their bridges built of wood, stone, and thick rope, as well as their extensive network and roads, plus their entire cities built out of stone show us that the Inca were

a)

lazy

b)

gifted engineers and builders

c)

using a lot of help from the Maya

d)

skilled readers and writers

29.

In the Inca Empire, commoners

a)

carved terraces and planted crops

b)

farmed communal lands and worked on state-owned farms

c)

served in the army and on building projects

d)

all of the above

30.
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