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Investigating the Past Through Inquiry

Total questions: 28

Worksheet time: 28mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following is a topic that would be included in the study of ancient history?

a)

A. the causes of World War II

b)

B. where early humans lived

c)

C. the first American president

d)

D. where the airplane was invented

2.

People who study ancient history make educated guesses called

a)

interpretations

b)

solutions

c)

investigations

d)

hypotheses

3.

What important discovery did four teenagers make at Lascaux, France in 1940

a)

clay sculptures of an army of soldiers

b)

a cave filled with paintings of animals

c)

the stone wall of an ancient storage shed

d)

a wooden stick used for throwing a spear

4.

What is a geographer?

a)

a person who creates artifacts for other scientists to study

b)

an expert who studies and records the past

c)

a person who builds human-made features such as roads

d)

an expert who studies Earth's natural and human-made features

5.

What type of social scientist would be most interested in an artifact with writing on it?

a)

archaeologist

b)

geographer

c)

historian

d)

detective

6.

Archaeologists study the past by

a)

examining objects that people have left behind.

b)

studying natural features of Earth.

c)

studying human-made features of Earth.

d)

examining diaries and letters made in the past.

7.

Which of the following is an example of an artifact?

a)

a mountain

b)

a plant

c)

a rock

d)

a sculpture

8.

What type of social scientist would be most interested in how prehistoric people used their environment to survive?

a)

archaeologist

b)

geographer

c)

historian

d)

detective

9.

Archaeologist is to artifact as historian is to (this is an ANALOGY)

a)

detective.

b)

diary.

c)

landform.

d)

laboratory.

10.

A prehistoric object is one that comes from a time

a)

before history was written.

b)

after people lived in caves.

c)

before humans hunted animals.

d)

after electricity was discovered.

11.

Cave paintings have been found

a)

only in Lascaux, France.

b)

all over the world.

c)

only in South America.

d)

only in Australia and Africa.

12.

Which of the following can be determined from prehistoric cave paintings of animals?

a)

types of prehistoric animals

b)

bone structure of prehistoric animals

c)

size of prehistoric animals

d)

behavior of prehistoric animals

13.

What evidence supports why scientists think prehistoric artists built scaffolding in caves?

a)

remains of scaffolding found inside caves

b)

cave paintings showing people sleeping on scaffolding

c)

cave paintings painted on high ceilings inside caves

d)

plentiful forests growing nearby the caves

14.

What type of paintings is rare in prehistoric cave art discoveries?

a)

paintings of humans

b)

paintings of shapes

c)

paintings of animals

d)

paintings of handprints

15.

What is a ritual?

a)

a decoration

b)

a ceremony

c)

a weapon

d)

a spear thrower

16.

What do many scientists believe about handprints found on cave paintings?

a)

Cave artists used handprints to make animal shapes.

b)

Cave artists left handprints accidentally as they painted.

c)

Cave artists used handprints to sign their paintings.

d)

Cave artists used handprints to show how many people lived in the cave.

17.

Scientists believe that prehistoric cave artists made different colored paints by

a)

using the blood of animals mixed with dirt.

b)

mixing ground minerals with animal fat.

c)

following a written recipe found in a cave.

d)

making a paste from ashes and vegetable oil.

18.

Prehistoric artists used engraving tools to

a)

apply paint to cave walls.

b)

build scaffolds inside caves.

c)

write in detailed diaries.

d)

carve details on sculptures.

19.

How might prehistoric artists have used hollow bird bones?

a)

as a tool to write with

b)

as a surface to record writing

c)

as a tool to blow paint through

d)

as a material to make spear throwers

20.

Why are cave paintings like the ones at Lascaux, France, valuable sources of information?

a)

They are the only evidence we have about prehistoric times.

b)

They prove how old cave artists were when they made the art.

c)

They supply written records of how early humans lived.

d)

They provide clues about life in prehistoric times.

21.

Which of these could humans make that geographers would be interested in?

a)

waterfall

b)

lunch

c)

spear

d)

road

22.
An artifact is...
a)
an object made or used by people in the past
b)
an object made or used by people now
c)
an object left here by aliens
d)
an object that doesn't exist
23.

After finding artwork in caves, there was a clue found near the artwork that tells us about the past. What was it?

a)

lamps tht burn animal fat

b)

bird masks

c)

diary pages

d)

poetry

24.
What would be important about diaries from the past? 
a)
We can speak a different language
b)
They show us plans for the future
c)
They tell us what happened and why
d)
We can compare bad ideas and good ideas
25.
How do we know that scaffolding (ladders) were built to paint inside caves? 
a)
The paintings are too low to be reached from the ground
b)
We don't know
c)
The paintings are too high to be reached from the ground
d)
We wish we knew
26.
Hand prints found in caves from long ago are very small. Why is this? 
a)
people had large hands
b)
caves were very small
c)
people were not as big as they are now
d)
people painted with their feet
27.

Who studies human societies?

a)

archaeologists

b)

geographers

c)

historians

d)

social scientists

28.

What unique challenge does the study of prehistoric history present?

a)

huge amounts of artifacts to analyze

b)

lack of evidence from the period

c)

conflicting views in ancient diaries

d)

written records that cannot be read