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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Which of the following is a theory that explains the collapse of the Maya civilization?
Overpopulation.
All of the other answers.
Environmental disaster.
Foreign invasion.
Epidemic disease.
All of the other answers.
There are many theories of why the Maya civilization collapsed which are debated by historians today. Great Maya centers like Palenque, Tikal and Copan saw decline in the 8th and 9th centuries, however this did not mean the end of the Maya civilization. Nevertheless, there is no universally accepted theory that explains the decline.
Example Question #1 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Which was NOT a center of the Mayan civilization?
Tikal
Monte Alban
Copan
Chichen Itza
Uxmal
Monte Alban
Monte Alban, one of the first great cities of Mesoamerica, was the center of the Zapotec civilization. It is located in present-day Oaxaca, Mexico. Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Tikal and Copan were important Maya centers.
Example Question #2 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Which of the following was NOT characteristic of many Mesoamerican cultures?
Hieroglyphic writing
A ritual ball game played in a court
A high regard to the preparation of the afterlife
Cultivation of the bean plant
Numerous states that vied for regional supremacy
A high regard to the preparation of the afterlife
A high regard for preparing for the afterlife was more characteristic of the Egyptians, rather than cultures of Mesoamerica. Mesoamerican cultures were more characteristic of the cosmos and religion. The other answers are correct characteristics of Mesoamerican cultures.
Example Question #2 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Which aquaculture technique was used by the Aztecs to grow crops in shallow bodies of fresh water?
Trajinera
Xochimilco
Algaculture
Chinampa
Multi-trophic aquaculture
Chinampa
The chinampa was an extension of land into a fresh body of water that the Aztecs built to grow crops. They were built of lake sediments formed in rectangular shapes and were used to grow crops like tomatoes, maize, squash, beans and chili peppers. At the time of the Spanish conquest, an extensive system of chinampas was found in Lake Texcoco and Lake Xochimilco, which is presently Mexico City. Today both tourists and Mexicans alike enjoy rides in brightly colored boats called trajineras through Xochimilco's chinampas and canals.
Example Question #3 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Which is a correct statement about Quetzalcoatl?
The name of Quetzalcoatl comes from the Maya language
Quetzalcoatl was an Olmec deity of rain, also known as Tlaloc
Depictions of Quetzalcoatl were mysteriously absent from large Mesoamerican centers such as Teotihuacan, Xochicalco and Chichén Itzá
Quetzalcoatl was a Mesoamerican deity of wind and wisdom, represented as a "feathered serpent"
Quetzalcoatl was strictly revered by the Aztec
Quetzalcoatl was a Mesoamerican deity of wind and wisdom, represented as a "feathered serpent"
Quetzalcoatl was a deity revered by many Mesoamerican cultures including the Aztec, Toltec and Olmec. His name in Maya language is Kukulcán, but the name "Quetzalcoatl" is from the Nahuatl language, meaning "feathered serpent. " Depictions and imagery of Quetzalcoatl appear in many sites in Mesoamerica.
Example Question #3 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Which of the following crops were NOT typical of pre-Colombian agriculture in Mesoamerica?
Chili peppers
Beans
Squash
Wheat
Corn
Wheat
Grains like wheat and barley were brought over by the Spaniards in times of colonization. The other choices were common crops in Mesoamerica. Chinampa, sediment formations, were used to produce the crops of the other choices.
Example Question #6 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Moctezuma II was ruler of which culture during the Spanish conquest of modern-day Mexico?
The Algonquin
The Inca
The Aztec
The Maya
The Olmec
The Aztec
Moctezuma was the leader of the Aztec Empire when the Spanish arrived, so that would be the best answer. The Mayan Empire also existed during that time but they did no have a leader by that name, so they would not be a good choice. The Olmec civilization had declined and been subsumed into the Aztec Empire by then, so they too would not be a good choice. The Inca were not based in modern-day Mexico, so they would not be the best answer here. And the Algonquin were in North America, so they too would not be a good answer.
Example Question #7 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Which of the following was a Mesoamerican culture renowned for its astronomy and mathematics?
The Maya
None of these
The Inca
The Olmecs
The Aztecs
The Maya
The Inca were not mesoamerican, they were based firmly in South America, and so they would not be the best choice. The Aztecs were based in modern Central America but they were not known for their astronomy or mathematics, so they would not be the best choice. The Olmecs arguably invented zero before the Mayans, however they were not known for their astronomy, so they would not be the best choice. Lastly, the Mayans were known for the accuracy of their astrological calendars and their calculations concerning celestial bodies, so they would be the best answer here.
Example Question #1 : Mesoamerican Cultures
Which of the following was the earliest of the major Mesoamerican cultures, and who laid the groundwork for common social features such as long-count calendars, bloodletting rituals, and ballgames?
The Maya
The Aztec
The Olmec
The Incan
None of these
The Olmec
The Olmecs are among the earliest cultures of Mesoamerica and predated all of the other answers - as well as developing the salient social features - so they would be the best answer. The Maya appear to follow the Olmec by approximately five centuries, so while they were an early and influential civilization, they would not be the best answer. The Aztec came to power in the 14th century, so they too would not be a good answer. Lastly, the Inca were a long-lasting civilization, but they were not Mesoamerican, so they would not be the best answer.
Example Question #10 : Mesoamerican Cultures
What material was commonly used by the Aztecs as a substitute for metal weapons?
Animal claws and teeth
Human bone
Obsidian
Thorns from native plants
Obsidian
The macuahuitl is a common Aztec weapon consisting of a wooden blade with obsidian shards as a cutting surface.
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