Learning Curve Chapter 1 Quiz

What made the Hopewell culture that emerged in 2100 BP more elaborate than the Adena culture that preceded it several hundred years earlier? A) Hopewell people built larger burial mounds and filled them with more magnificent goods. B) Hopewell people practiced more sophisticated irrigation that included complex canal grids. C) Hopewell people developed an economic system that used gemstones as currency. D) Hopewell people adopted a more complicated political system that included taxation.

A) Hopewell people built larger burial mounds and filled them with more magnificent goods.

How was the influence of the earlier Mississippian culture demonstrated by the Natchez of the Muskogean region around the year 1500? A) In their worship of the sun and construction of temple mounds B) Through their construction of massive burial mounds C) Through their warlike practices and sacrifice of human victims D) In their practices of infant baptism and cremation of the dead

A) In their worship of the sun and construction of temple mounds

What was one of the cultural differences between Mesoamerica and North America in the 1490s? A) Mesoamerica contained huge cities while North America did not. B) North American cultures displayed sophisticated political structures while Mesoamerican cultures did not. C) North American cultures were much more diverse than Mesoamerican ones. D) Mesoamerican cultures had a system of writing while North American cultures did not.

A) Mesoamerica contained huge cities while North America did not.

Archaeologists believe that pottery likely originated in A) Mexico. B) the Pacific Northwest. C) Central America. D) the Atlantic coast of North America.

A) Mexico.

Cahokians built large plazas for which purpose? A) Religious and political ceremonies B) Educational speeches C) Entertainment D) Sacrifice

A) Religious and political ceremonies

What did the Archaic Folsom hunters of the Great Plains have in common with their Paleo-Indian predecessors? A) The Folsom hunters lived as nomads. B) They farmed for much of the year. C) Folsom hunters used horses to hunt. D) Their Folsom points were nearly identical to Paleo-Indians' Clovis points.

A) The Folsom hunters lived as nomads.

What allowed Iroquoian tribes to live in permanent settlements? A) The Iroquoian tribes successfully cultivated corn and other crops. B) They lived along the Atlantic coast, where the climate was suitable for permanent settlements. C) The Iroquois men who owned all property distributed it evenly to their tribes. D) They captured lands from enemy Seneca and Onondaga tribes.

A) The Iroquoian tribes successfully cultivated corn and other crops.

Where did permanent agricultural settlements first emerge in North America? A) The Southwest B) The Woodland region C) The Great Basin D) The Pacific Northwest

A) The Southwest

Why did southwestern peoples develop systems of agriculture? A) The availability of wild plants was unreliable. B) The animals they hunted became extinct. C) They were tired of moving. D) There was plenty of rain to grow crops.

A) The availability of wild plants was unreliable

What enabled southwestern hunter-gatherers to establish permanent settlements? A) They developed irrigation systems. B) They moved to an area with steady rainfall for crops. C) They learned how to insulate their dwellings from the extreme cold. D) They found a location that featured steady supplies of wild plant food.

A) They developed irrigation systems.

Why did Paleo-Indians migrate south into the interior of North America after 13,000 BP? A) They were continuing their search for game. B) They could not locate the land bridge to return to Siberia. C) They sought a warmer, more hospitable climate to establish agriculture. D) They were forced further south due to expanding glaciers.

A) They were continuing their search for game.

Why did native North Americans intentionally start large fires and burn large areas of land? A) To burn off shrubby undergrowth B) To repel their enemies C) To eradicate fungi that destroyed their crops D) To show respect to their gods

A) To burn off shrubby undergrowth

Beginning around AD 1000, the Anasazi moved from pit houses on mesa tops to A) multistory cliff dwellings. B) open farmland. C) large earthworks. D) river valleys with more water.

A) multistory cliff dwellings.

Once large mammals became extinct, Paleo-Indians began to A) prey more intensively on smaller animals. B) quickly die of starvation. C) form villages based on agriculture. D) fish and hunt aquatic mammals.

A) prey more intensively on smaller animals.

The introduction of corn encouraged southwestern hunter-gatherers to A) restrict their migratory habits. B) stop hunting entirely. C) quit gathering wild food. D) travel constantly in search of fresh land.

A) restrict their migratory habits.

Why were human beings unable to live in the Western Hemisphere for hundreds of thousands of years? A) The climate was generally uninhabitable compared to the climate in the Eastern Hemisphere. B) Humans were unable to physically reach North and South America after the Americas detached from the supercontinent called Pangaea. C) Food was scarce in the Western Hemisphere so humans didn't have any reason to travel there. D) They lacked the hunting skills and weapon-making techniques they would need to survive in a new environment.

B) Humans were unable to physically reach North and South America after the Americas detached from the supercontinent called Pangaea.

Why did some Great Basin Indians rely primarily on plants as their most important food source, despite the occasional abundance of animals in the region? A) Artifacts suggest that some Great Basin Indian religions defined animals as sacred and prohibited killing them. B) Plant foods could be stored for long periods. C) The presence of animals in the region was unpredictable, so Great Basin Indians could not count on them as a food source. D) Animal diseases ran rampant in the Great Basin, and it could be very dangerous to eat animals.

B) Plant foods could be stored for long periods.

Which factor enables archaeologists to study those who inhabited North America in 1492? A) Native North Americans by 1492 had begun recording their oral traditions. B) The inhabitants of North America in 1492 had many forms of symbolic representation. C) Native North Americans had developed a sophisticated system of writing by 1492. D) The inhabitants of North America in 1492 spoke a uniform language.

B) The inhabitants of North America in 1492 had many forms of symbolic representation.

Which statement describes the migration of Siberian hunters across Beringia to the Western Hemisphere? A) The hunters made use of boats to cross Beringia. B) The migrations took place over the course of hundreds of years. C) They followed the migration patterns of more ancient peoples. D) Famine and extinction of animals prompted the migration.

B) The migrations took place over the course of hundreds of years.

How was the central value of war reflected in Mexican society? A) Priests, who sacrificed captives to honor the war god Huitzilopochtli, held the highest rank in the Mexican social hierarchy. B) Warriors held the highest rank in Mexican society because of their central role in warfare. C) Gods were excluded from Mexican society because war was more important that religion. D) Warriors refused to take prisoners when fighting, believing that they must kill all of their enemies.

B) Warriors held the highest rank in Mexican society because of their central role in warfare.

How did climate influence how the northern Algonquian tribes acquired food? A) Winter blizzards made fishing impossible. B) Hot summers forced northern Algonquians to abandon hunting. C) Cool summers and severe winters made agriculture impractical. D) The temperate climate allowed for the growing of corn.

C) Cool summers and severe winters made agriculture impractical.

What was the weakness of the Mexican empire? A) High rate of attrition among warriors B) High rate of infant mortality C) Discontent among subject peoples D) Short life spans of its subjects

C) Discontent among subject peoples

What does the distinctively shaped Clovis point suggest to archaeologists about Paleo-Indians? A) Paleo-Indians were more intelligent than their contemporaries in Africa. B) Paleo-Indians hunted only large mammals. C) Paleo-Indians shared a common ancestry and way of life. D) Paleo-Indians caused the extinction of American mammoths.

C) Paleo-Indians shared a common ancestry and way of life.

Why were ancient people in the Pacific Northwest able to develop sophisticated woodworking skills around 5500 BP? A) The forests of the Pacific Northwest provided a particularly rich source of soft woods. B) Their ability to fashion sharp stone tools provided them with the means to carve wood. C) Plentiful and easily obtained fish gave Northwest peoples time to devote to woodworking. D) Complex trade networks provided Northwest peoples with inspiration and new tools.

C) Plentiful and easily obtained fish gave Northwest peoples time to devote to woodworking.

What do the burial mounds constructed by Woodland cultures suggest? A) Profound religious beliefs B) An extreme fear of the dead C) The existence of a social and political hierarchy D) The Asian origins of American native peoples

C) The existence of a social and political hierarchy

What was the primary purpose of establishing the League of Five Nations? A) To create a stronghold against the Europeans who were anticipated to arrive B) To give the Iroquois women a group in which they could debate who would make the best chief C) To align the Iroquoian tribes for purposes of war and diplomacy D) To ensure work on crops would be distributed equally among the various Iroquoian tribes

C) To align the Iroquoian tribes for purposes of war and diplomacy

Ancient Americans and their descendants created societies that A) worshipped the same god. B) all spoke a similar language. C) were diverse and complex. D) were homogeneous and simple.

C) were diverse and complex.

Which two tribes are the principal examples of Athapascan tribe culture? A) Mandan and Pawnee B) Natchez and Comanche C) Creek and Chickasaw D) Apache and Navajo

D) Apache and Navajo

When did North and South America become isolated from the world's other continents? A) Once the Beringia land bridge became submerged underwater B) After the earth's climate cooled, from about 25,000 BP to 15,000 BP C) About one million years before the appearance of the first human beings in Africa D) Approximately 240 million years before humans existed

D) Approximately 240 million years before humans existed

How did Archaic peoples differ from their Paleo-Indian ancestors? A) Archaic peoples practiced agriculture. B) Archaic peoples did not eat any meat. C) Archaic peoples hunted animals with wooden spears. D) Archaic peoples used stone tools to prepare food from plants.

D) Archaic peoples used stone tools to prepare food from plants.

How did Paleo-Indian hunters preserve the meat from the animals they hunted? A) By salting it heavily before storing it in clay containers B) By cutting it into thin strips and laying it out in the heat to dry C) By burying it in clay pots to keep it cool D) By filling carcasses with stones and submerging them in icy lakes

D) By filling carcasses with stones and submerging them in icy lakes

What did the Mexica do to prove their bravery as warriors? A) Endure pain B) Sacrifice themselves for others C) Die in battle D) Capture prisoners

D) Capture prisoners

How did the richness of the natural environment in present-day California shape the pattern of settlement in the region around 5000 BP? A) The region's fertile soil and plentiful rainfall led to the emergence of permanent agricultural settlements. B) The rich environment promoted the growth of large villages with a uniform Chumash culture. C) Plentiful natural resources on the California coast promoted coastal settlements that depended exclusively on seafood. D) Environmental richness and diversity supported both high population density and cultural diversity.

D) Environmental richness and diversity supported both high population density and cultural diversity.

What allowed the Chumash people of California to establish relatively permanent villages? A) Peaceful relations with neighbors B) A prosperous economy based on fishing C) A culture based on written word. D) Plentiful food resources

D) Plentiful food resources

What evidence suggests that the Anasazi studied the sky carefully? A) They built observation towers on top of burial mounds. B) They created an early form of the telescope for lunar observation. C) They left behind detailed written descriptions of stars and constellations. D) They aligned their buildings at Chaco Canyon with solar and lunar events.

D) They aligned their buildings at Chaco Canyon with solar and lunar events.

How were human beings able to adapt to and become permanent residents of frigid climates? A) They learned to insulate their dwellings. B) They learned how to grow food in the colder climate. C) They built up a tolerance for cold weather. D) They learned how to sew animal skins into warm clothing.

D) They learned how to sew animal skins into warm clothing.

How did Great Basin Indians adapt to the severe environmental challenges of the region? A) Great Basin people used the region's plentiful salt to preserve meat and fish. B) They favored animal food sources, which were more plentiful during periods of drought. C) Great Basin Indians developed pottery to store rainwater for use during droughts. D) They relied primarily on plants as their most important source of food.

D) They relied primarily on plants as their most important source of food.

How did women become responsible for cultivating crops among the Eastern Woodland peoples around 4000 BP? A) Women performed crop cultivation because they had long been responsible for food preparation. B) Men believed that crop cultivation was unimportant work, and they left it for the women. C) Men took on the heavy work of pottery making and left the lighter agricultural work for women. D) Women performed crop cultivation as an outgrowth of their work gathering edible wild plants.

D) Women performed crop cultivation as an outgrowth of their work gathering edible wild plants.

Which ancient peoples were among those responsible for the development of writing? A) Germanic peoples B) Cahokians C) Celtic peoples D)The Chinese

D)The Chinese