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L27+28 Practice Test: Aztecs + Tenochtitlán

Total questions: 33

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which description best fits the Valley of Mexico, where the Aztec (Mexica/Tenochca) Empire arose?

a)
dry and barren
b)
fertile and high
c)
cold and mountainous
d)
low and covered with rainforest
2.

The Nahuatl word "chichimeca" was used by the Mexica/Aztecs with pride to talk about their past heritage. What did it mean?

a)

"mercenaries" or hired warriors

b)

wild, nomadic, seen as "barbarians"

c)

"left-footed like a hummingbird"

d)

people of the sun, worshipers of Nanahuatzin

3.

A pilgrimage site for Mexica (Aztecs), was the ruins of a city built by the ________________.

a)
Maya.
b)
Toltecs.
c)
Spanish.
d)
Teotihuacán.
4.
What does the picture on the Mexican flag symbolize?
a)
a struggle between the powers of the earth and sky
b)
the joining of different peoples to make one nation
c)

the strength of Mexica (Aztec) armies to conquer their neighbors

d)

a legend about how Mexica (Aztecs) knew where to build their city

5.

Before establishing the city of Tenochtitlán, the Mexica/Aztecs...______________________

a)

had been a humble farming people living to the south of Lake Texcoco

b)

had already built an impressive empire to the north, based in the city of Tollán

c)

had created a triple alliance with their neighbors, then betrayed them for more power

d)

had lived as nomads, relying on hunting and gathering for foodhad lived as nomads, relying on hunting and gathering for food

6.

Before the Mexica (Aztecs) controlled an powerful empire, they established themselves in the Valley of Mexico by...____________

a)

working as mercenaries (hired soldiers) for other neighboring groups like the Tepanecs

b)

becoming corn farmers and selling their corn to others to eventually become wealthy

c)

working as merchants, controlling trade between the various city-states in the area

d)

asking nicely if they could live with the Acolhuas until they had more money and power to build their own city-state

7.
What was one benefit of settling on land surrounded by Lake Texcoco?
a)
It had dense forests.
b)
It had a deep harbor.
c)
It was easy to defend.
d)
It was made of volcanic rock.
8.
By forming the Triple Alliance, the Aztec leader Itzcoatl was able to
a)
get his men hired as mercenaries.
b)
move to southern Mexico.
c)
free his people from Tepanec rule.
d)
start constructing a new city-state.
9.

How did the Triple Alliance lead to the Mexica/Aztecs building a powerful empire?

a)

The Mexica/Aztecs betrayed Texcoco and Tlacopan after their victory over Maxtla and took over their lands too, becoming the only power

b)

Once the Triple Alliance was formed, all the neighboring city-states volunteered to be ruled by the Mexica/Aztecs, impressed by their idea for the Triple Alliance

c)

The Mexica/Aztecs got the largest share as the 3 city-states continued to conquer neighboring lands together

d)

Once the Triple Alliance was formed, that was already the height of Aztex/Mexica power, and they did not continue to grow into an empire

10.

Why did the Aztecs/Mexica of Tenochtitlán build chinampas?

a)
to keep invaders away
b)
to enlarge their land area
c)
to get a fresh water supply
d)
to catch fish for special meals
11.

What did the Aztecs/Mexica build in the center of Tenochtitlán?

a)
a large plaza where they held special festivals
b)
a royal palace where government officials lived
c)
wooden causeways leading in four different directions
d)
a marketplace where thousands of people came to trade
12.

At the Great Temple, the Aztecs/Mexica built a shrine to Tlaloc, the rain god. What does this suggest about the Aztecs/Mexica?

a)
They believed that their leaders were gods.
b)

They now depended on rain for planting.

c)
Their trade routes ran along rivers.
d)
They needed resources from the rainforest.
13.

Why did the Aztecs/Mexica in Tenochtitlán need the technologies listed below that they created?

- aqueduct

- dike

- causeways

- canals

a)
because they lived on islands
b)
because they traveled frequently
c)
because they ruled a large empire
d)
because they followed the seasons
14.

The Aztec/Mexica/Tenochca Empire was based on tribute. This means that the people who lived in the empire __________.

a)

worshipped Aztec/Mexica gods like Huitzilipotchtli and Tlaloc.

b)

had to speak the Aztec/Mexica language of Nahuatl.

c)

rebelled against the Aztec/Mexica leaders.

d)

paid goods to the Aztec/Mexica government, like paying taxes.

15.

Which of these facts best shows that war was at the center of life in the Aztec/Tenochca Empire?

a)

Some Aztec/Tenochca people grew wealthy.

b)

Aztec/Tenochca culture spread over a wide area.

c)

The Aztec/Tenochca Empire lasted hundreds of years.

d)

All Aztec/Tenochca men were trained as soldiers.

16.

The following pattern of events happened with a number of city-states:

- The Aztecs/Mexica invited them to be an ally.

- They had 60 days to respond.

- If they refused, the Aztecs/Mexica declared war.

This process enabled the Aztecs/Mexica to __________.

a)
make new alliances.
b)
experience long periods of peace.
c)
expand their empire.
d)
explore different regions.
17.

What problem in the Aztec/Tenochca Empire led to its collapse during the invasion by Spanish conquistadores?

a)

The empire was very small, just a little island, so it was easily surrounded by the invaders

b)

A large percentage of people in Tenochtitlán died of smallpox, a disease that had been unknown in the Americas, but brought by the Europeans

c)

Because the empire had grown so large and its citizens had grown so rich, they had stopped being warriors and didn't remember how to fight

d)

The various city-states under Aztec/Tenochca control decided they liked the idea of paying tribute to the Spanish better than paying it to Tenochtitlán.

18.

What was the usual way to buy and sell goods in an Aztec/Tenochca market?

a)
money, or using gold and silver coins
b)
barter, or trading one good for another
c)
donation, or freely giving goods to others
d)
credit, or agreeing to make a later payment
19.

How might someone become the leader of the Aztec empire (the "huey tlatoani")?

a)
by replacing his emperor father when he turned 16
b)
by inheriting the position from his mother's father
c)

by seizing the position after his army killed the previous emperor

d)

by being chosen by a group of advisers, considering his lineage and personality

20.
Which group of nobles belongs in the empty oval?
a)
traders
b)
foreigners
c)
military leaders
d)
skilled craftsmen
21.
Who within Aztec society would this checklist belong to?
a)
a priest
b)
a judge
c)
a peasant
d)
a commoner
22.

The pochteca, or professional traders, had many privileges. This suggests that the Aztecs/Mexica ____________.

a)
valued rare goods from faraway places.
b)

believed that merchants were semi-divine.

c)
respected people who made a lot of money.
d)
honored people who spoke many languages.
23.

What was the difference between Aztec/Tenochca farmers and peasants?

a)
Farmers lived together in large stone lodges; peasants had separate mud huts.
b)
Farmers belonged to a ward that lent them land to farm; peasants worked for nobles.
c)
Farmers were free from paying tax or tribute; peasants had to pay half their earnings.
d)
Farmers gave equal status to men and women; peasants respected women more than men.
24.

Which statement is true of Aztec/Mexica marriages in the 15th century?

a)
Weddings were usually secret.
b)
A man could have only one wife.
c)
A woman could ask for a divorce.
d)
The couple chose the matchmaker.
25.

Which of these was a task typically left for Aztec/Mexica men?

a)
weaving cloth
b)
preparing meals
c)
tending the garden
d)
building the house
26.

What would an Aztec/Tenochca commoner boy be most likely to study at school?

a)
how to be a soldier
b)
how to build pyramids
c)
the movements of the planets
d)
the arts of neighboring cultures
27.

What was an Aztec/Tenochca farmer most likely to eat?

a)
winged ants
b)
oat porridge
c)
corn tortillas
d)
fresh peaches
28.

What animals did some Aztec /Mexica families raise?

a)
goats
b)
sheep
c)
horses
d)
turkeys
29.

According to the textbook, why did the Aztecs/Mexica call themselves the “people of the sun”?

a)
The peasants often got sunburned.
b)
Their chief god was the sun god.
c)
The sun dried out their crops.
d)
The nobles could relax in the sun.
30.

Why did Aztec/Tenochca markets have guards and judges?

a)
to collect taxes on every purchase
b)
to make sure sellers behaved honestly
c)
to prevent foreign goods from being sold
d)
to keep the best goods for the royal family
31.

The Aztecs/Mexica in the 15th century sacrificed birds and humans because they believed the god Huitzilopochtli _____________.

a)
required suffering.
b)
hated most living things.
c)
built with bones and feathers.
d)
needed blood for nourishment
32.
The game "patolli" involved beans, colored stones, and a board with 52 squares. Moving five times around the board symbolized 260 days, a reference to ___________.
a)

the Aztec/Mexica calendar.

b)

a famous Aztec/Mexica battle.

c)

the origin of the Aztec/Mexica people.

d)

a journey throughout Aztec/Mexica lands

33.
The ball game "tlachtli," which served a religious purpose, was played mostly by ____________.
a)
prisoners of war.
b)
professional athletes.
c)
members of the nobility.
d)
children of farmers.