Archaeology Quiz Questions for Final
******True or False? When there is evidence of monumental public architecture, craft specialization, cities, and long-distance trade of prestige goods, it is reasonable to infer that you are examining a state society.
True
****Prikayi - True or False? According to the author, archaeology that does not resonate with the public, including local and descendant communities, is irrelevant.
True
****True or False? A common criticism of the early New Archaeology (functional-processual archaeology) was that the importance of ideological and symbolic aspects of societies was ignored or undervalued.
True
Deetz (extra credit) - True or False? Historical archaeology is the archaeology of the spread of European cultures throughout the world since the fifteenth century, and their impact on and interaction with the cultures of indigenous peoples.
True
Prikayi - True or False? During the 20th century, Lake Chad shrunk by up to 95%.
True
True or False? In most segmentary societies, craft production is organized at the household level. In chiefdoms and states, craft production is often organized at a higher, more centralized level.
True
True or False? Paleolithic cave art is made in a variety of ways, including simple finger tracings, hand stencils and painting in several colors.
True
True or False? Reconstructions of ancient faces based on information from skulls have achieved a greater degree of accuracy in recent years.
True
True or False? The introduction of pottery in an area tends to correspond with the adoption of a sedentary way of life.
True
******Archaeologists can usually identify the minimum number of individuals in a multiple burial from... a. the part of the body that is most abundant b. the number of skulls present c. the depth of the burial d. none of these
a
******Archaeologists can usually identify the minimum number of individuals in a multiple burial from... a. the most frequently occurring (non repeating) element b. the number of skulls present c. the depth of the burial d. none of these
a
*****The quest for food is also known as... a. subsistence b. pallonology c. domestication d. taphonomy
a
*****The theoretical position in archaeology that nearly all archaeologists believe in and commands widespread respect is... a. no theoretical position commands widespread respect b. post-Processualism c. The New Archaeology d. neo-Marxism
a
****Religious rituals usually contain four main components. Which of these is not one of those components? a. the practice of human burial b. the belief in the presence of a deity c. the delineation of a boundary zone between this world and the next d. the focusing of attention, such as through visiting a sacred location
a
****The purpose of the well-known cave paintings from such sites as Chauvet, Lascaux and Altamira is... a. we do not know the purpose of these cave paintings b. was purely artistic c. was part of coming-of-age rites of passage d. was to serve in fertility rituals
a
***Pollen grains are... a. the tiny male reproductive bodies of flowering plants b. the minute particles of silica derived from the cells of plants c. the outermost protective layer of the skin of leaves or blades of grass d. fossilized unicellular algae
a
At the Early Paleolithic site of Koobi Fora, Kenya, Glynn Isaac's team recorded the exact coordinates of all artifacts and was able to fit some fragments of bone and stone back together. From this they were able to identify _____________ or parts of the site where specific tasks were performed. a. activity areas b. kill sites c. villages d. secondary deposits
a
Deetz (extra credit) - In seventeenth-century English, the term "looking glass" was a common vernacular term for __________. a. chamber pot b. drinking glass c. mirror d. wine bottle
a
Deetz (extra credit) - Tobacco pipes are a particularly useful for dating archaeological sites in English colonies because... a. the width of the pipe stem bore diameter decreases through time b. the width of the pipe stem bore diameter increases through time c. pipe stems became longer after 1800 d. none of the above
a
Deetz (extra credit) - __________ or post-in-ground construction is based on the placement of wooden house foundation posts directly in the ground. a. Earthfast b. Brick c. Wattle and daub d. Stone
a
Much of the portable art from the Ice Age is of animals, but the most famous pieces are the so-called _____________, such as the example from Willendorf, Austria. a. Venus figurines b. birthing figurines c. action figurines d. grotesque figurines
a
Prikayi - The Lake Chad Basin is located on which continent? a. Africa b. North America c. Europe d. South America
a
Relying on a single dominant explanatory factor to account for a cultural change is known as a(n) a. monocausal explanation b. multivariate explanation c. idealist explanation d. postprocessual explanation
a
The Classic Maya kings portrayed themselves as great guarantors of prosperity and stability, but during the critical 8th and 9th centuries leading up to the Maya collapse they were unable to deliver on these promises because of... a. the degradation of an ecosystem already pushed beyond its limits by overpopulation b. the superior technology of the conquering Aztec c. the superior technology of the conquering Spanish d. the introduction of new diseases causing massive depopulation of the region
a
This method used in archaeological investigations separates organic material from soil based on the general principle that the lighter organic material floats in water. a. flotation b. submersion c. irrigation d. inundation
a
______________ archaeologists stress that human actions are guided by beliefs and symbolic concepts, and that the proper object of study is the structures of thought—the ideas—of the human actors who made the artifacts and created the archaeological record. a. Structuralist b. Marxist c. Historiographic d. Processual
a
******Although ice core analysis suggests that the next ice age should be 15,000 years in the future, _________ appears to be having an effect on the normal cycle of the earth's temperature a. changes in the orbit of the earth b. human activity c. continental drift d. solar flares
b
*****Isotopic analysis of human tooth enamel or bone collagen is based on... a. how much sugar and carbohydrates a person ate b. reading the chemical signature left in the body by different foods and water sources c. the amount of calcium a person consumed in later life d. how well an individual cared for their teeth
b
*****Mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA) can be used to address an individual's origins. This is because... a. MtDNA does not mutate b. MtDNA is inherited only from the mother, and is passed down to children largely unaltered c. MtDNA mutates at a much faster rate than nuclear DNA d. MtDNA is inherited from the father and is passed down through the male line unaltered
b
*****Prikayi - Which of the following resources has Lake Chad not historically provided to local populations? a. a good environment for hunting b. water for industrial uranium processing plants c. aquatic resources like fish d. water for crop farming, animals, and humans
b
*****The most effective system ever devised by humans to describe the world around them is... a. mobiliary art b. writing c. pictorial representation d. cave art
b
****Humankind's ability to use __________ is generally agreed to be what most clearly distinguishes our species from other animals. a. currency b. symbols c. technology d. our thumbs
b
***The use of the site of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey predates the development of_________ in the area. a. religion b. farming c. symbols d. stone tools
b
Deetz (extra credit) - __________ are listings of the contents of a person's houses and properties, taken for tax purposes after their death. a. death records b. probate records c. land deeds d. court records
b
Excavations at the Boarding School site in northern Montana, carried out with help from the local Blackfoot tribe, found evidence of a typical hunting practice used for thousands of years in North America, with three layers of bones, each representing one episode. This site was a... a. quail snare b. bison drive site c. moose corral d. antelope kill site
b
Insect exoskeletons are resistant to decomposition and can be considered likely indicators of past climactic conditions. The study of ancient insects is called a. phytolythology b. paleoentomology c. geomorphology d. palonology
b
The earliest well-dated example of _____________ made by Homo sapiens is a piece of incised red ochre from Blombos Cave, South Africa, dated to 77,000 years ago. a. money b. art c. medicine d. trade
b
The study of human remains from sites is called... a. Paleoethnobotany b. Bioarchaeology c. Zooarchaeology d. Anthropology
b
The study of the past human use of animals is called... a. faunology b. zooarchaeology c. paleontology d. archaeobotany
b
The technique of mixing two or more metals to create a new material, such as copper and tin to make bronze, is known as... a. ascribing b. alloying c. conjoining d. bifurcating
b
Using a traditional migrationist approach, it is argued that each archaeological culture is the manifestation, in material terms, of a specific... a. distribution of resource b. people or ethnic group c. environmental event d. religious tradition
b
******So-called Harris lines, detected by X-rays on bones, indicate... a. malnutrition b. disease c. arrested growth development d. all of the above
c
*****Deetz (extra credit) - Ceramic/pottery classification typologies in historical archaeology are most often based on... a. random determinations by archaeologists b. physical similarity in form or function c. historical records of pottery production in England and Europe d. the analysis of common ceramic vessel forms from archaeological sites
c
*****Which of the following is not an example of macrobotanical remains? a. a piece of charcoal b. a grape seed c. a phytolith d. a charred pumpkin seed
c
****In Elman Service's typology of human societies, mobile hunter-gatherer groups are also called... a. segmentary societies (tribes) b. states c. bands d. chiefdoms
c
****This archaeological paradigm emphasized the importance of establishing chronologies and defining bounded "archaeological cultures." a. Processualism b. Cultural materialism c. Culture history d. Post-processualism
c
***For archaeologists trying to understand social ranking, the individual burial of a child with rich burial goods and a well-built funerary monument would suggest that... a. there may have been an egalitarian system with no ranking b. the child had achieved a high social status through his or her own actions c. there may have been a system of hereditary ranking d. there was a high rate of infant mortality
c
Although variable according to population, a number of skeletal attributes can be used for differentiation of the sexes. The best indicator of sex is the... a. shape of the femur and tibia b. shape of the mandible c. shape of the pelvis d. shape of the cranial vault
c
Around the 12th century BCE, the Phoenicians developed a simplified phonetic script to write their Semitic language. By the early 1st millennium BCE, the script was adapted by the Greeks to write their language, and the Greek alphabet was later modified in Italy to write Etruscan and Latin. It was through Latin that our own alphabet (known as the Roman alphabet) came to much of Europe, and later the rest of the world. This is a positive example of ____________. a. environmentalism b. postmodernism c. diffusion d. Marxism
c
Most stone tools are made by removing _________ from a __________. a. cores from a flake b. megaliths from a quarry c. flakes from a core d. hand-axes from a chopper
c
Prikayi - How have human actions impacted the Lake Chad environment through time? a. The intensification of human hunting practices led to the transition from forest to Savannah b. Human agricultural practices led to the transition from forest to Savannah c. Both a and b d. None of the above
c
The intentional use and control of fire by humans is known as... a. smelting b. pyromania c. pyrotechnology d. pyroxia
c
The most obvious and conspicuous traces of Neolithic farmers in the Wessex area of Britain are... a. village settlements b. early field systems c. long barrows d. individual farmsteadsc
c
The sheer number of man hours required to build Stonehenge (estimated at 30,000,000 hours of work) indicated that at that time the Wessex area of Britain... a. was overpopulated b. was in contact with ancient Egypt c. was centrally organized d. was populated by bands of hunter-gatherers
c
The study of ancient disease is called... a. historiopathology b. osteopathology c. paleopathology d. dendropathology
c
******Microfauna (small animals) tend to be better indicators of climate and environmental change because... a. they are sensitive to oscillations in climate and adapt relatively quickly b. they accumulate naturally, so they reflect the immediate environment c. they are accumulated at a site through human or animal predation d. a and b are correct
d
*****Through the best efforts of experts, the chances of identifying the right sex of a child based only on skeletal remains are... a. 100% b. one in a hundred c. 75% d. 50:50
d
****Deetz (extra credit) - Radiocarbon dating is not especially useful in historical archaeology because... a. the date range produced by carbon dates is too broad to be of much use b. dates of manufacture for English pottery types are more precise c. organic materials are rare at more recent archaeological sites d. both a and b
d
****Which human ancestor was associated with Oldowan tools? a. Homo erectus b. Homo neanderthalensis c. Homo habilis d. a and c
d
At the site of Mohenjodaro in the Indus Valley, a series of carefully worked cubes of colored stone is recognized as a system of weights. This discovery allows us to infer that... a. they had developed a concept equivalent to our own about weight b. there was a system of numeration involving hierarchical numerical categories c. the weight system was probably used for practical purposes d. all of the above
d
Change in the archaeological record is sometimes attributed to struggles between social classes, a result of contradictions that arise between the forces of production and the relations of production (mainly the social organization). Such an approach to understanding the past would be considered... a. processual archaeology b. culture-historical archaeology c. postprocessual archaeology d. Marxist archaeology
d
Deetz (extra credit) - Historical archaeology is most closely associated with which field of study? a. material culture studies b. natural sciences c. history d. both a and c
d
From about 3.3 million years ago until 20,000 BCE at the earliest, the archaeological record is dominated by artifacts made out of... a. metal b. ceramic c. bone d. stone
d
In order to interpret the evidence from Middle Paleolithic sites in France, Lewis Binford studied the use and discard of bones and tools at a seasonal hunting camp used by the... a. Maya of Guatemala b. Pokot of Kenya c. Maori of New Zealand d. Nunamiut of Alaska
d
Inclusions in the clay used to make pottery that act as a filler, creating strength and counteracting cracking and shrinkage during firing, are known as... a. slag b. debitage c. microliths d. temper
d
Most human remains recovered by archaeologists are in the form of ________. a. mummies b. impressions of decayed burials c. bog bodies d. skeletons or bones
d
Prikayi - According to the author, which of the following factors contributed to the desertification of the Sahara? a. Climate change around 5000 years ago b. Feedback loops within the climate and vegetation systems, amplifying the effects of shifts in the Earth'sorbit c. Human land use practices (including forest clearance for cultivation and for livestock grazing) d. All of the above
d
Prikayi - What role can archaeology play in present-day questions of sustainability? a. Archaeology can show that sleep and self care is really important. b. Archaeology is not relevant to present-day issues. c. Archaeology can provide evidence that the rise and fall of ancient societies was unrelated to climate change. d. Archaeology can provide long-term evidence of human experience in order to confront present-day issues such as environmental degradation and climate change.
d
Small fragments of bone may be examined for bone microstructure. With increasing age, circular structures called _________ become more frequent. a. osteoliths b. fairy rings c. otoliths d. osteons
d
Unlike sex, which is biologically determined, __________ is a social construct involving the roles of individuals in society. a. sedentism b. matrilineal descent c. DNA d. gender
d
Volcanic glass which is used to make chipped stone tools is a particularly good material to perform trace-element analysis on. Another word for Volcanic glass is... a. mineral glass b. temper c. petroglyph d. obsidian
d
When a thin-section of an object is prepared for study, it is made thin enough to ______________ so that specific minerals can be seen in it through the use of a light microscope. a. allow water to pass through it b. fold and bend c. block light d. transmit light
d
Written records may supply an incomplete picture of the society that produced them because a. records written on perishable materials may not have survived over time b. only certain types of activity, such as business transactions, may have been recorded in writing c. not everyone in a society may have been able to read or write d. all of the above
d
______________ is a theoretical approach developed by the "Frankfurt School" of German social thinkers. This approach stresses that all knowledge is historical, biased communication, and thus all claims to objective knowledge are illusory. a. Conjunctivist Theory b. Structuration Theory c. Catastrophe Theory d. Critical Theory
d
*****Deetz (extra credit) - True or False? In historical archaeology, culture is seen as an adaptive device that has a close relationship with the natural environment.
False
*****Deetz (extra credit) - True or False? The physical methods for excavating archaeological sites are very different in prehistoric and historical archaeology.
False
*****True or False? Although taking different amounts of time according to region, environmental conditions, and technological innovations, all societies eventually progress from bands to state societies.
False
*****True or False? Available evidence suggests that the Grauballe Man died by drowning in the bog.
False
*****True or False? The development of units of measurement was not a fundamental cognitive step. Even our earliest hominin ancestors measured things: we do it naturally.
False
****True or False? Ancient Mesopotamia relied on the cultivation of rice and millet, and shows evidence of urban architecture around 2000-1200 BC.
False
****True or False? Like ancient earthen mounds in the United States, the architecture at Great Zimbabwe was built by an unidentified ancient civilization, not indigenous people.
False
****True or False? Radiocarbon dating is always the best choice for an absolute dating method.
False
Prikayi - True or False? According to the author, the emergence and spread of agriculture in the Near East and North Africa was completely unrelated to increasing aridity and forest depletion.
False
Prikayi - True or False? Sustainability played no role in determining whether past societies survived or collapsed/became less socially complex.
False
Prikayi - True or False? The Sahara and Arabian Peninsula have always been desert environments.
False
True or False? Archaeologists know for sure that stone was the most important material to people of the Paleolithic; they never made wood or bone implements.
False
True or False? Despite its name, evolutionary archaeology has very little to do with the ideas of biological evolution.
False
True or False? It is impossible to study any form of trade or exchange in non-literate societies.
False
True or False? No domesticated plants were cultivated in North America until they were introduced soon after the arrival of colonists from the Old World.
False
True or False? Once a piece of wood is burnt and becomes charcoal it is impossible for archaeologists to even guess what type of tree it came from.
False
True or False? Warfare is always undertaken with the objective of permanently occupying the lands of the vanquished in a process of territorial expansion.
False
