OCN EXAM 3

Match the area with its description. A. Southern Highlands B. Northern Lowlands C. Southern Lowlands

1. Rainfall was strongly seasonal, abundant limestone, shallow water table (B) 2. Consistent rainfall with some seasonal variability, abundant limestone, deep water table (C) 3. Higher rainfall than the other regions, volcanic and metamorphic rock, deepest water table (A)

Why has the Nile River remained in the same place for 30 million years?

A magma hot spot in Earth's interior creates a slope from Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea.

What contributed to the desertification of the Sahara?

A. A shift in Earth's natural orbital cycles B. Cooling of the northern hemisphere C. A southward shift of the monsoons

Check all that apply. What were the limitations of Maya agriculture according to Diamond?

A. In some areas, there were water shortages resulting from the local geological features (low water table and limestone) and occasional droughts B. Corn agriculture was less productive C. The humid climate made it difficult to store corn E. The Maya had no animal-powered transport or plows F. The dominant crop, corn, yielded little protein

Ancient Egyptian jobs and religion were based around the seasons. Match the ancient Egyptian seasons with the modern calendar months.

A. January through April B. June through August C. September through December 1. Agriculture Season (Beret) A 2. Harvest Season (Shomu) B 3. Flood Season (Akht) C

What happened during the "4.2k event"?

A. There was a shift in climate that led to aridification of the region B. There was a decline in rainfall C. The amount of water flowing in the rivers declined.

Check all that apply. What were the consequences of the agricultural limitations according to Diamond?

A. There was limited duration and distance possible for their military campaigns. B. A Maya farmer could produce only twice the needs of himself and his family, so at least 70% of Maya society consisted of peasant farmers to supply enough food for their entire society. C. Maya cities remained small, mostly less than one square mile in area and with populations less than 50,000 people. D. Maya society remained politically divided among small kingdoms that would go in and out of conflict with each other.

How did civilizations adapt to the unpredictable floodings of the rivers?

A. They built large reservoir dams to store water. B. They used water lifts to transport water to flood furrowed fields. C. They used sluices and diversion ditches to drain fields.

Times when the summer monsoons were less intense at the Blue Nile in Ethiopia (upstream river that flows into the Nile) led to:

B. famine and instability C. civil unrest and political turnover E. a lack of fertile black silt in the soil

What allowed for sedentary behavior?

Dependable access to wild game and plants A warmer, more stable climate

Ancient Egyptian farmers experienced the same soil salinization problems as the Sumerians.

False

Cenotes were abundant in the rainy Southern Highlands where limestone is abundant.

False

Cuneiform is a type of building structure.

False

Mesopotamia is a Greek term that means "the land between rivers". The two rivers were the Nile River and Euphrates River.

False

Over 80% of the water in the Nile River comes from the White Nile River originating at Lake Victoria 3,000 miles away

False

Sedentism, or staying in one place rather than moving with the seasons, was the result of the development of agriculture.

False

The African Humid Period, or Green Sahara, ~11,000 to 5,000 years ago, was an isolated event that occurred only once in the past 8 million years.

False

The Maya had a centralized ruling authority comprised of subordinate regional kingdoms.

False

The Uruk model of city-states included houses that were spread out throughout the city. Each house had its own garden that they harvested. This model lacked walls that provided protection against enemies.

False

The benefits of farming were so abundant and apparent that HFGs switched to farming immediately when the technology was developed.

False

The relative scale of environmental manipulation was equivalent for HFGs and farming/herding communities.

False

The transition to sedentism led to more community or tribe-oriented societies with less social hierarchy.

False

There was an area within the Fertile Crescent where most of the technological advancements occurred called the Garden Square

False

What is the paradox of farming/food production?

Farming communities were less well nourished than HFGs because human population densities rose slightly more steeply than did the availability of food.

What is the correct sequence of events?

Hunter-Fisher-Gatherer, Sedentism, Farming

Studies of mouse molars from wild versus house mice revealed that:

Hunter-gatherers alternated between nomadic and sedentary lifestyles for thousands of years before settling into agriculture.

What was NOT an impact of the Agricultural Revolution?

More diverse diets

What are the Milankovitch cycles?

The cycle of changes in Earth's wobble, tilt, and orbit

Check all that apply. What are the advantages of raised bed agriculture?

The fertile soil from the canals can be put on the beds to replenish nutrients The aquatic animals living in the canals can also be collected for food The beds are self-watering

Check all that apply. What are the advantages of terraced agriculture?

They work in mountain areas with rocky soil and steep slopes The terracing helps retain soil

An agricultural society dependent on the rivers made them vulnerable to enemies who were situated upstream.

True

Deforestation can lead to hillside erosion, reduced soil fertility, and a man-made drought.

True

Please check all that apply. Why is it important to understand the cause and impacts of the Younger Dryas?

A. To understand the transition to agriculture in our ancestral history B. To predict the impact of current continental ice melt C. To know that climate changes can occur quickly D. To understand the sustainability and survival of human civilization

Which statement is false?

Ancient Maya culture was lost entirely with its collapse

Which statement is false?

Around the world, beer was discovered accidentally while people were collecting grains to make bread.

Lake sediment cores were used to identify drought conditions from gypsum and oxygen isotope measurements as well as deforestation from pollen records.

True

Large volcanic eruptions cause droughts in monsoon areas by releasing sulfurous gases and aerosols into the stratosphere which reflect solar radiation.

True

What is the correct sequence of events that contributed to the Younger Dryas?

1. The melting of the Laurentide ice sheet 2. The melting of glacial dams containing Agassiz Lake 3. A mega flood of fresh water running into the Arctic Ocean 4. Partially fresh water from the Arctic mixing with the Atlantic Ocean 5. The slowing or stopping of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) which transports heat from the tropics 6. A 1,000 year long drought

What evidence is there for the Green Sahara?

A. A mega lake in the Sahara larger than the great lakes combined B. Saharan dust flux from deep-sea sediment cores C. Pollen from grasses and sedges in sediment core records D. Detailed ancient artwork depicting hippos and giraffes

Check all that apply. What limited trade and transportation?

A. lack of large population of slaves B. lack of transport technology such as wheels C. lack of large animals D. lack of abundant navigable riverways connecting major cities

Check ALL that apply; The Natufians

A. were egalitarian hunter-gatherers B. developed the first sedentary society C. lived in the Levant region D. lived 13,000 - 10,500 years ago in the Mesolithic

Check all that apply. According to Diamond, what factors contributed to the Maya collapse?

A. Maya kings and nobles failing to recognize and solve the long-term problems undermining their society B. Warfare over fewer resources which further reduced land available for farming C. Population growth outstripping available resources D. Deforestation and hillside erosion reducing the amount of useable farmland E. The most severe drought the Maya civilization had experienced

Check all that apply. What are the advantages of the milpa-forest garden agriculture?

A. About two-thirds of the farmland is actually maintained as forest B. The cycle of slash and burn, growing mixed crops, and then allowing the forest to regrow helps recycle and retain soil nutrients C. This type of farming supports biodiversity including wild animal life D. There are few issues with erosion since the soil is not plowed E. It provides additional valuable goods and services such as building supplies and medicines

Check all that apply. What nuances complicate the story of Maya collapse?

A. Cities in different areas where the Maya lived rose and fell at different times. B. There were smaller collapses before and after the larger "Classic" collapse that occurred in ~ A.D. 800. C. Many cities experienced "power cycling" where the leadership changed hands but the population itself remained the same. D. There were hundreds of thousands of Maya who survived the collapse and lived to fight the Spaniards. E. Population collapse was slow in some areas and faster in others.

Match the Maya class with its description

A. Common people B. Priests C.Nobility D. Slaves 1. Ruled based on the claim they had a direct connection with the spirit world (C) 2. The scientist, engineers, alchemist, and astronomers of the day (B) 3. Primarily farmers (A) 4. Individuals that owed debt or were captured in conflicts from neighboring states (D)

Check all that apply. What technology was developed and natural features were used to access and store water?

A. Drilled wells (up to 90 ft deep) B. Aguadas C. Chultuns D. Cenotes E. Lakes and freshwater lagoons F. Water seals such as impermeable clay, stone, or plaster to help retain water. G. Cities with infrastructure built to channel, collect, and sometimes get rid of water.

What new technologies helped to support ancient Egypt's agriculture?

A. New ways of record-keeping, such as calendars and the use of papyrus B. The nilometer to measure the depth of the Nile C. Water-lifting devices such as the shadoof and the noria D. Irrigation canals, dams, dikes, and water storage facilities

Please check all that apply. How did the advent of agriculture radically change human cultural evolution?

A. People began to see themselves as caretakers of the world rather than part of nature. B. A food surplus allowed for advancements in technology, arts, and trade. C. People began to value and take ownership of objects and property.

Why is Göbekli Tepe so important?

It shows collaboration between different HFG groups as a communal ritual site. It may provide a connection to the development of written language. The artwork features the human form rather than just animals.

The Younger Dryas was a small ice age that occured 13,000 years ago and lasted for 1,000 years.

True

The milpa-forest garden technique is highly productive and sustainable; therefore, it seems unlikely that environmental degradation was a driver of Maya collapse.

True

The south-easterly winds during the summer monsoon bring moist air from the ocean towards East Africa, thus causing heavy rainfall in Ethiopia from June to September.

True

The three Intermediate Periods in the history of ancient Egypt mark the collapse of Egyptian governments (the Old, Middle, and then New Kingdom) caused by natural cycles of drought.

True