US History Quiz 1

The first African slaves were transported to the New World in what year? A. 1502 B. 1619 C. 1607 D. 1493

A

Which was not expressed by Bartolomé de Las Casas in A Very Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indes in 1552? A. He believed that Indians ought to be allowed to continue to practice their native faiths as a true sign of Christian love and toleration. B. He wrote that Spanish Catholics burned Native American children alive. C. He asserted that Indians should be able to keep their land. D. He suggested that African slaves be imported into the Americas. E. He described how the Spanish made forced laborers of Indians of all ages.

A

Who were the mestizos? A. persons of mixed Spanish and Indian origin B. persons of Indian origin C. persons of European birth D. persons of South American origin

A

The oldest site in the present-day United States to be continuously inhabited by Europeans is: A. Plymouth, Massachusetts. B. Manhattan, New York. C. Jamestown, Virginia. D. St. Augustine, Florida.

D

In the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish in Central and South America relied on many of which of the following groups to work fields and mines? A. Indians B. African slaves C. indentured servants D. wage laborers

A

The chief goal of fifteenth-century Portuguese expansion was: A. the establishment of a trading empire in Asia. B. sanctuary for persecuted religious sects. C. further knowledge about African and Asian culture. D. hard evidence that the world was round.

A

Which of the following was a characteristic or action of the Zuni Indians of the Southwest? A. The peak of their culture and population occurred about the years 900 to 1200. B. They traded with peoples as far away as Mexico and the Mississippi Valley. C. They diverted the Colorado River as part of their ritualistic ancestor worship. D. They developed irrigation systems for desert farming.

A

Which of the following was not a notable feature of sixteenth-century Spanish America? A. The Spanish crown took little interest in the administration of colonial affairs. B. Indians were compelled to work, either as slaves or as wage laborers, in gold and silver mines or on large haciendas. C. A blending of Indian and Spanish culture gradually took root. D. A Black Legend regarding the harshness of Spanish colonial rule spread across the Atlantic world.

A

Which was not an aspect of Native American religious beliefs? A. Their written religious text was called the Wicca. B. Most Indians held that a single-creator god created the world. C. Most Native Americans believed spiritual powers suffused the world in animals, plants, trees, water, and wind. D. Shaman and medicine men held central positions of authority. E. Participation in religious rituals helped define community membership.

A

Which of the following was not a significant motivation behind European colonization in the New World? A. the acquisition of profitable lands and precious metals B. the spread of democracy to the Americas C. the attainment of national glory D. the religious and cultural uplift of peoples Europeans considered "barbaric"

B

At the time of first contact between Europeans and Native Americans, Native Americans had not developed: A. agriculture. B. wheeled transportation. C. structures of political power and governance. D. religious beliefs and rituals.

B

In European exploration, conquest, and colonization of the New World after 1492, all of the following were true except: A. Europeans imagined the Americas as a place of golden cities and fountains of youth. B. Europeans brought with them a broad-ranging tolerance for others' viewpoints; kindness and tolerance being the mark of civilized peoples. C. Africans were enslaved and treated with great cruelty. D. Millions of Indians died from diseases brought by the Europeans.

B

In which country did the reconquista occur? A. Mexico B. Spain C. France D. Brazil

B

Prior to 1800, the largest settled community in what is now the United States was: A. New Orleans B. Cahokia C. Teotihuacan D. Machu Pichu

B

The freedom of a Christian man or woman meant/means: A. freedom to do your own thing; freedom to be who you want to be. B. subservience, submission, and servitude to God. C. freedom to follow whatever faith (or none) you choose. D. freedom of speech and assembly, and from burdensome taxes.

B

Which of the following European countries did not have a colonial presence in seventeenth-century North America? A. Spain B. Germany C. The Netherlands D. France

B

Which was not a characteristic of American Indians? A. They arrived in the Americas as early as 60,000 to 15,000 years ago. B. There were four different tribes in the Americas. C. Agriculture emerged in Mexico and the Andes about the same time it was invented in ancient Mesopotamia, about 9,000 years ago. D. There were no large domesticable animals for use as livestock or to pull plows in the Americas.

B

Which was not a means by which Cortés conquered the Aztecs? A. He was aided by thousands of Native Americans. B. He bombarded the Aztec capital from his Spanish galleons. C. He relied on superior military technology such as iron weapons and gun powder. D. He was aided by a smallpox epidemic that killed many Aztecs.

B

During the Pueblo Revolt, which of the following names were ordered to never be spoken again? A. Isabella B. Elizabeth C. Rebecca D. Mary

D

A significant outcome of the Portuguese arrival in West Africa was: A. a decline of Portuguese interest in finding a sea route to Asia. B. the abolition of slavery along the west coast of Africa. C. an expansion of Africa's internal slave trade. D. large-scale immigration from West Africa to western Europe.

C

Which of the following series of events is listed in proper sequence? A. Pizarro's conquest of the Incas; Balboa's expedition to the Pacific; Vespucci's explorations along South America B. Vasco da Gama's expedition to India; Bartolomeu Dias's arrival at the Cape of Good Hope; Portuguese traders' appearance at Benin C. Cortés's conquest of the Aztecs; Las Casas's Destruction of the Indies; Spanish abolition of Indian enslavement D. Pueblo Revolt; Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo's exploration of Pacific coast; Samuel de Champlain's founding of Quebec

C

Which of the following was not a prominent cultural belief among Indian societies of North America? A. Land was there for the use of the tribe as a whole, not for the enrichment of individuals. B. Spiritual power resided in all aspects of the natural world. C. Only holders of property should take part in tribal governance. D. Hunting and fishing were for men; farming was largely for women.

C

Who were the peninsulares? A. persons of mixed Spanish and Indian origin B. persons of Indian origin C. persons of European birth D. persons of South American origin

C

Which is not an achievement of the Indians of North America in the thousands of years before Columbus's arrival? A. In the Ohio River Valley, Indians built large earthen burial mounds. B. Near present-day St. Louis, 10,000 or more people built giant earthen mounds. C. People built a series of giant semicircular mounds in present-day Louisiana. D. People in present-day Arizona constructed a large circle of red-earthen boulders.

D

Which of the following was not a feature of Native American civilization prior to the voyages of Columbus? A. All were descended from hunters who had crossed the Bering Straits during the Ice Age. B. Agricultural, settled societies originated in modern-day Mexico approximately 9,000 years ago. C. The Aztec and Inca empires were based in modern-day Mexico and Peru, respectively. D. Large cities were unknown to the Americas.

D

Which of these crops did not form the basis of Native American agriculture? A. squash B. corn C. beans D. wheat

D

Which was not a characteristic of "coverture"? A. In marriage a wife surrendered her legal identity. B. A wife could not sign contracts in her own name. C. If a wife worked, she did not control her wages. D. A wife could not write a separate will. E. Children became the property of the state upon a husband's death.

E