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Mayan Review Quiz

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 2hrs 9mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Where was the Maya civilization located?

a)

In and around the Andes Mountains

b)

In present-day Brazil

c)

Mesoamerica

d)

Central Mexico

2.

The Maya had advanced scientific knowledge, but they DID NOT develop______.

a)

an accurate calendar

b)

roadways

c)

a system of numbers including zero.

d)

a system of writing (hieroglyphs)

3.

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

a)

ball courts

b)

pyramids

c)

churches

d)

dwellings

4.

What might happen to you if you lost a game of Pok-ta-pok (Mayan Basketball)?

a)

Your team earned gold and other valuable minerals.

b)

You received the prized quetzal.

c)

You could potentially become a sacrifice to the gods.

5.
The Mayans were able to create a detailed calendar because of their advancements in:
a)
astronomy and physics
b)
astronomy and agriculture
c)
astronomy and mathematics
d)
mathematics and art
6.
The largest city-state of the Mayans was: 
a)
Tikal
b)
Copan
c)
San Jose
d)
Calakul
7.

True or False: Mayan Civilization's religion consisted of only one God.

a)

True

b)

False

8.

Human caravans carried trading goods.

a)

True

b)

False

9.

Identify crops that the Mayans grew. Check all that apply.

a)

Corn

b)

Squash

c)

Beans

d)

Cocoa

10.

If you climbed the stairs to the top of a Mayan pyramid, you would find a ___________

a)

Tomb

b)

Temple

c)

Garden

d)

Market

11.

When they wrote, the Mayans used picture-symbols called _______________

a)

inscriptions

b)

rounds

c)

glyphs

d)

codices

12.

The Mayans, who were great mathematicians, invented _________.

a)

fractions

b)

the number zero

c)

the decimal system

d)

geometry

13.

In Mayan culture, many celebrations were held in the plazas in the city-states. A plaza is a ____________.

a)

tent

b)

public square

c)

temple

d)

market

14.

In Mayan mathematics, what represented the number zero?

a)

a dot

b)

a line

c)

a shell

d)

corn

15.
What was the name of the peninsula where the Mayans largely lived?
a)
Baja California Peninsula
b)
Iberian Peninsula
c)
Florida Peninsula
d)
Yucatan Peninsula
16.

What was the social structure of the Mayans?

a)

Farmers on top; warriors and nobles on bottom

b)

President on top; farmers and priests on bottom

c)

Powerful kings and nobles on top; poor peasants and slaves on bottom

d)

Elected officials on top; priests and traders on bottom

17.

What was true about one of the Mayan calendars?

a)

The calendar was inaccurate

b)

The calendar had 365 days, 18 months consisting of 20 days per month with 5 additional lucky days.

c)

The Mayans used the wrong stars to calculate their calendar

d)

The calendar had 365 days, 18 months consisting of 20 days per month with 5 additional unlucky days.

18.

Here is an example of Mayan hieroglyphics. Both the Egyptians and the Mayans used hieroglyphics as a type of writing to represent _______________________.

a)

birds and other animals.

b)

sounds, words, and ideas.

c)

their gods.

d)

prayers from the gods.

19.

The Mayans had a great civilization that lasted 700 years. They made advances in what three areas? Select all three.

a)

Astronomy

b)

Writing

c)

Mathematics

d)

Biology

20.

Which of these best describes the Maya civilization?

a)

Monotheistic

b)

Polytheistic

c)

Not religious

21.

"They also studied the movements of the stars."

Which scientific field studies the stars?

a)

Biology

b)

Chemistry

c)

Astronomy

d)

Zoology

22.

Exchanging goods without using money is called:

a)

transporting

b)

seasoning

c)

bartering

d)

borrowing

23.

The people who traveled around the region trading good were known as _________________

a)

slaves

b)

merchants

c)

peasants

d)

artisans

24.

Mayan astronomers used these structure to view the stars, moon, and planets?

a)
Walls
b)
Roads
c)
Observatories
d)
Ball-courts
25.

True or False: The Maya used cacao beans as a form of currency.

a)

True

b)

False

26.

Where was the Mayan civilization located?

a)

Northern America

b)

Southern Mexico

c)

Central America

d)

Europe

27.

The Mayan barter system did not use money.

a)

False

b)

True

28.

The Mayans used these routes for trading. Check all that apply.

a)

roads

b)

small pathways

c)

mountains

d)

rivers

29.

True or False: The Maya had a class system that divided people into different levels of society

a)

True

b)

False

30.
Which of the following Mayan social class had the most population and did the hardest work?
a)
King
b)
Farmers and Slaves
c)
Priests 
d)
Merchants and Artisans
31.
Which sentence below most accurately describes Mayan religion?
a)
Religion was central to Mayan culture as they worshiped many gods and made many sacrifices, including human sacrifices. 
b)
The Mayans were largely catholic because of the Spanish influence. 
c)
Religion was central to the Mayan culture as Mayans had a single god that they worshipped. 
d)
Mayans were Christians that made many sacrifices, including human scarifices. 
32.

Each Mayan city was ruled by ____________________

a)

a committee of elected officials

b)

a king, halach uinic

c)

a single elected official

d)

priests

33.

Every Mayan city-state had a king. How did someone become king of a Mayan

city-state?

a)

by being chosen by the priests

b)

by inheriting the position from his father

c)

by being elected by the people

d)

by defeating the old king in battle

34.
What is the type of farming used in the rainforest where the vegetation was cut away then started on fire to clear the land for planting crops?
a)
slash and burn
b)
terraced farming
c)
raised platform farming
35.

True or False. The soil on the Mayan land was ideal for growing crops.

a)

True

b)

False

36.

Which accurately described the Mayan religious belief system?

a)

They believed in one god

b)

They believed in many gods (polytheistic)

c)

They didn't believe in any gods, atheism.

37.

What was the name of a Mayan book?

a)

codex

b)

Histories of Herodotus

c)

The Iliad

d)

The odyssey

38.

What’s the translation of Mesoamerica?

a)

Middle America

b)

Beringia

c)

Pangea

39.
Tikal, Chichten Itza, Palenque and Tulum are all examples of Mayan:
a)
Bodies of Water
b)
Temples
c)

Countries

d)
City-States
40.

Which letter best represents the area where the Maya people lived?

a)

A

b)

C

c)

D

d)

G

41.

What material was utilized to build Mayan structures?

a)

wood

b)

stone

c)

brick

d)

mud-brick

42.

How many days were in the Mayan calendar?

a)

800

b)

563

c)

683

d)

365

43.

How did the Mayans survive?

a)

Growing crops

b)

Hunting

c)

Gathering

44.

Performed manual labor for their owners.  Could be born into this social class or become part of it as a prisoner of war, committing serious crimes, or sold for money. The following describes ​ (a)   .

Choose from the below words
peasants
slaves
artisans
merchants
kings
priests
45.

Highest authority in the state.  Ruled the state with help from his top advisors.  Commonly, men held this title but scholars believe that women had considerable influence. The following describes​ (a)   .

Choose from the below words
peasants
slaves
artisans
merchants
kings
priests
46.

They worked on the land, growing maize, squash, beans, and other crops to feed the population.  Most of the day was spent in the fields.  Also spent time building pyramids and temples. The following describes ​ (a)   .

Choose from the below words
peasants
slaves
artisans
merchants
priests
47.

Only members that knew how to read and write.  Served as officials and oversaw administration for the states.  Maintained favor with the gods.  Led rituals, offered sacrifices, and foretold the future. The following describes (a)   .

Choose from the below words
nobles and priests
slaves
artisans
merchants
48.

The Mayans used weapons and tools made out…

a)

Obsidian

b)

Silver

c)

Wood and Stone

d)

Bronze

49.

The last 5 days of the Mayan calendar were deemed lucky.

a)

True

b)

False

50.

Mayans traded many non-food items such as (check all that apply)

a)

obsidian

b)

jade

c)

shells

d)

feathers