Archaeology Final Exam

Americanist archaeology developed out of the (racist) study of indigenous peoples of North and South America. Early archaeologists suggested that living Native Americans were related to

a. All of the answers are correct b. Atlantis c. Egyptians d. The Phoenicians e. The Lost Tribes of Isreal (a)

The interpretations that result from hands-on archaeological work is called:

a. Assumptions b. Reconstruction c. High level theories d. Low level theories e. Middle range theories (d)

___________________ is based on the counting, measurement, and patterning of annual growth rings in known species of trees

a. Botanical dating b. Varve analysis c. Dendrochronology d. Radiocarbon e. Amino acid racemization (c)

The branch of archaeology that specifically with sites that are endangered by construction and development projects, and arose as a direct response to heritage protection legislation, is called "CRM". CRM stands for:

a. Cultural Resource Management b. none of the answers are correct c. Cultural Research Management d. Contemporary Resource Management e. Cultural Response Management (a)

Contradicting the prevailing wisdom of the time, excavations led by ____________ at Great Zimbabwe (1929) confirmed that the site was of indigenous African origin.

a. Flinders Petrie b. Kathleen Kenyon c. Louis Leakey d. Gertrude Caton-Thompson e. none of the answers are correct (d)

A method the uses laser scans from either satellites or planes is called

a. GPS b. LiDAR c. Imagery d. SLAR e. GIS (b)

The authors argue that _____________ , a Danish citizen, was the first professional archaeologist:

a. Lewis Binford b. Ian Hodder c. Giovanni Belzoni d. Alfred Kidder e. Jens Worsaae (e)

Landscape archaeology, like settlement pattern analysis, records human behavior at a regional scale, but also takes into account

a. LiDAR surveys b. none of the answers are correct c. intensive, small-scale surveys d. GPR reflection profiles e. human interpretation, meaning, and modification of the environment (e)

At the age of 25, ___________ published a foundational text on paleoindian archaeology, which provided a comprehensive overview of technology, subsistence, and migration of peoples of North America.

a. Lynn Meskell b. Gertrude Caton-Thompson c. none of the answers are correct d. Marie Wormington e. Christian Thomsen (d)

GPS, which stands for ______________, is a significant development in archaeological mapping

a. None of the answers are correct b. Geographic Positioning Services c. Geological Positioning Systems d. Global Positioning Systems e. Geological Provenience Systems (d)

_____________ was an American archaeologist, who in the 1960s, coined the term "new archaeology" (an approach now commonly called "processual archaeology"

a. None of the answers are correct b. Lewis Binford c. Thomas Jefferson d. Alfred Kidder e. Ian Hodder (b)

Giovanni Belzoni was an Italian antiquarian who dedicated much of his career to looting archaeological sites and procuring artifacts for the British Museum. Many of the sites he "recovered" antiquities from were located in

a. North America b. China c. Mexico d. England e. Egypt (e)

Archaeologists find artifacts in their original place of discard:

a. Only when excavating in North America b. almost never c. only in marshes d. 100% of the time e. none of the answers are correct (b)

The so-called founder of anthropological archaeology in North America was ______________. He argued that archaeology should be considered a branch of anthropology that concerns itself with prehistoric peoples and the past.

a. Sire Flinders Petrie b. Alfred Kidder c. Lewis Binford d. Christian Thomsen e. none of the answers are correct (b)

A______________ is a unit of measure of time and space, smaller than an archaeological period, which is marked by unique assemblages of artifacts.

a. Stratum b. Component c. Phase d. Geologic epoch e. Typology (c)

An archaeological site is

a. Where archaeologists once worked b. Where humans once lived c. Where humans once farmed d. where there exists any material traces of significant human activity e. none of the answers are correct (d)

After the process of survey, excavation, recording, mapping, and post-excavation analysis, all these efforts are largely wasted unless

a. a video or film is made b. a museum is founded c. the site is completely excavated d. a large party is held e. the results are published (e)

Although the creation of a typology may enable an archaeologist to understand gradual changes in design or decoration, the rate of change must be deduced from

a. absolute dating methods b. parallels to other artifact typologies c. none of the answers are correct d. relative dating methods e. stratigraphy (a)

The anthropological approach which views culture as a system of technology, ecology, economics, and demography is called the

a. adaptive perspective b. none of the answers are correct c. ideational perspective d. technological approach e. mechanistic approach (a)

Frequency seriation relies upon measuring

a. aligning radiocarbon dates from earliest to latest b. the width of tree growth rings c. changes in the proportional abundance of artifact attributes d. all of the answers are correct e. pollen zone sequences (c)

An example of inductive reasoning might include the following

a. all of the answers are correct b. hypotheses are not able to be accurately tested c. The theory of gravity postulates that if I drop an apple from a building, then it will fall. d. none of the answers are correct e. The sun always rises in the east every morning. Therefore, the sun will rise in the east tomorrow. (e)

Cultural anthropologists employ a range of methods in order to collect their data, including

a. all of the answers are correct b. participant observation c. ethnography d. ethnology e. none of the answers are correct (a)

The scientific method entails

a. all of the answers are correct b. determining the empirical implications of the hypothesis c. establishing a hypothesis d. collecting data e. defining a problem (a)

Kelly and Thomas argue that contemporary archaeologists serve in a variety of job positions and places of work. These include

a. all of the answers are correct b. federal government c. CRM firms d. museums e. universities (a)

Proponents of postprocessual archaeology argue that

a. all of the answers are correct b. ideational approaches are more important than systemic views of culture c. archaeology cannot develop universal laws and we should focus on the individual d. none of the answers are correct e. knowledge is historically situated (a)

Which of the following is an example of "original human behavior" at an archaeological site?

a. all of these reflect "original human behavior" at the archaeological site b. the excavation of the site by archaeologists c. the plowing of a field that is located over the archaeological site d. the disposal of the debris produced from making a tool at the site e. the pillaging of the archaeological site by looter (d)

Layers of sediments resulting from flowing water are called

a. alluvial sediments b. ice cores c. tree rings d. pollen e. contextual seriation (a)

A hypothesis is

a. an educated guess or explanation b. a proposed explanation of some phenomenon c. an example misguided reasoning d. an inductive pronouncement e. none of the answers are correct (b)

In 1841 Jacques Boucher de Perthes proposed the great antiquity of humankind, based on his discovery of

a. ancient metal axes b. human skeletal remains below those of the biblical flood layers c. none of the answers are correct d. metal axes with human remains e. stone hand axes with the remains of extinct animals (e)

Archaeological survey refers the the general process by which

a. archaeologists look for sites b. archaeologists question other professionals c. all of the answers are correct d. archaeologists excavate sites e. archaeologists record sites (a)

________________ is the study of politics, religion, kinship, art, and medical practices of contemporary cultural groups.

a. archaeology b. cultural anthropology c. none of the answers are correct d. ethnology e. lingsuitics (b)

A discipline in anthropology that concentrates on the biological aspects of humans (also called physical anthropology) is

a. archaeology b. linguistics c. biological anthropology d. cultural anthropology e. clinical medicine (c)

Early predecessors to archaeologists are commonly referred to as "antiquarians". Antiquarianism is a practice whereby individuals:

a. are all dead, and are thus irrelevant b. none of the answers are correct c. collect ancient artifacts as objects of fascination and curiosity d. conduct research-driven science e. used objects to reconstruct the past (c)

In order to obtain absolute dates from very early contexts (over 1 million years ago), you would probably choose to use either _________ or possibly _________ , depending upon the rock material

a. argon-argon, optically stimulated luminescence b. tree rings, varves c. radiocarbon, pollen sequencing d. fission track, dendrochronology e. potassium-argon, tree rings (a)

Charred plant remains from archaeological contexts, such as seeds and pits, may have entered the archaeological record and thus been preserved in the following ways

a. as human fecal material b. as food waste c. as dung or fuel d. accidentally e. all of the answers are correct (e)

A _________ is the broadest way of dividing archaeological time based on the presence of particular items of material culture such as lithics, pottery, paintings, etc.

a. assemblage b. organization c. phase d. period e. type (d)

This tool measures the strength of magnetism between the earth's core and the sensor that is controlled by the archaeologist

a. auger b. proton magenetometer c. resistivity meter d. total station e. remote sensor (b)

Sending short pulses of electromagnetic waves into the ground and then receiving reflections of these waves to detect underground changes in soil or archaeological features is known as

a. bosing b. ground penetrating radar (GPR) c. thermography d. standing wave technique e. electrical resistivity (b)

The rounded, bulbous shape that is produced on a flake at the location where the rock was intentionally struck is called the

a. bulb of percussion b. fissure c. ripple d. cut mark e. none of the answers are correct (a)

Systemic context refers to

a. caching behaviors b. objects which have been discarded c. biological processes d. ritual use of objects e. objects that are in a state of use, manufacture, or discard (e)

Although generally less precise than radiocarbon, thermoluminescence (TL) dating has two advantages over radiocarbon dating. First, in principle, it can date materials beyond 50,000 years ago and second, it can date

a. carbonized botanical remains b. volcanic rock c. animal bone d. teeth e. pottery (b)

Some survey techniques use squares when conducting regional surveys, but ________ are easier to locate and walk along, in order to record artifact densities across the landscape

a. circles b. parabolas c. transects d. none of the answers are correct e. triangles (c)

Proponents of the New Archaeology argued that archaeology should do which of the following?

a. design research to answer specific questions b. be deductive rather than inductive c. test hypotheses d. all of the answers are correct e. explain rather than describe (d)

The piece of stone from which material is removed to make stone tools (flakes, blades) is known as the

a. eolith b. matrix c. tablet d. hand axe e. core (e)

__________________ refer to similarities, or analogies, based on close proximities between archaeological and ethnographic cases

a. ethnoarchaeologies b. ethnographic present c. formal analogies d. feedback loops e. relational analogies (e)

The study of the form and development of the sediments and soil deposits on a particular landscape is known as:

a. ethnoarchaeology b. taphonomy c. geomorphology d. palynology e. archaeozoology (c)

____________ is the study of living cultural groups as an analogy for past human behaviors

a. ethnoarchaeology b. experimental archaeology c. ethnology d. anthropology e. archaeology (a)

The material immediately surrounding an artifact, usually a sediment such as gravel, sand, or clay, is known as the

a. find spot b. site c. matrix d. dirt (c)

Flotation is a method of using water to separate excavated soil from

a. fish scales b. small bones c. all of the answers are correct d. small shells e. burned plant remains (c)

________________ refers to plant and tree-based disturbances to the archaeological record, while_____________ refers to disturbances caused by animals.

a. floralturbation, faunalturbation b. none of the answers are correct c. faunalturbation, floralturbation d. reuse processes, floralturbation e. cryoturbation, graviturbation (a)

The theory that the same processes that affect the earth's surface today are the same as in the past is called

a. geochronology b. stratigraphy c. principle of uniformitarianism d. analogy e. geomorphology (c)

Formation processes affect the way in which finds came to be buried and what happened to them after their burial. A good example of a natural transformation process would be

a. gradual burial of an artifact by sand b. slow accumulation of river sediment over a feature c. gradual burial of a feature by wind-borne soil d. all of the answers are correct e. the sudden fall of ash over Pompeii (d)

Beneficial climates for preservation typically include

a. grassland b. oceanic c. anaerobic d. it makes little difference e. tropical (c)

The underlying premise of _____________ is that particular kinds of archaeological sites tend to occur in the same kinds of place

a. hypothetical models b. raster models c. futuristic models d. predictive models e. imaginative models (d)

An anthropological perspective that focuses on culture as a system of ideas symbols, and mental structures is called the

a. ideational perspective b. adaptive perspective c. symbolic structure d. systemic approach e. culture concept (a)

_______________ is a process which is objective, systematic, logical, predictive, and public

a. ideology b. dogmatism c. pseudo-science d. science e. political preference (d)

When artifacts or features are described as in situ, archaeologists mean that they are left

a. in the same square where discovered b. derived from the local environment c. originally from the same city under excavation d. none of the answers are correct e. in place, where they were originally used or discarded (e)

The technique of argon-argon dating requires what kind of sample?

a. inorganic material b. volcanic rock c. any rock type d. carbonized botanical remains only e. human remains (b)

A method in which data is collected from an individual(s) via questioning and observation is called

a. interrogation b. covert observation c. archaeological fieldwork d. participant observation e. survey (d)

The act of making a stone tool using a percussion technique is known as

a. knapping b. transport c. replication d. refitting e. none of the answers are correct (a)

The law of superposition means that

a. layers on top are unlikely to have reliable, datable artifacts b. when one layer overlies another, the one on the bottom is more recent c. layers below are less likely to yield reliable dates d. when one layer overlies another, the one on top is usually more recent e. layers on top are more important than those below (d)

__________________ focuses on human language, to include grammar structure, syntax, and lexicon and their relation to a culture's perceptions of the world.

a. linguistic anthropology b. bio anthropology c. archaeology d. none of the answers are correct e. ethnography (a)

One of the most common ways of recovering charred plants remains from archaeological sites is via

a. magnetism b. flotation c. winnowing d. dry screening e. none of the answers are correct (b)

_________________ is a field of study that combines methods and theory from archaeology and geology

a. matrix sorting b. none of the answers are correct c. geomorphology d. goearchaeology e. technoscience (d)

Hypotheses that serve to link archaeological observations with patterns of human behavior (or natural processes) are called

a. middle level or range theories b. paradigms c. high level theories d. low level theories e. none of the answers are correct (a)

_______________ was a pioneering archaeologist who worked in Egypt, and later Zimbabwe. Unlike her contemporaries, she argued that indigenous African people were responsible for the creation of Great Zimbabwe

a. none of the answers are correct b. Gertrude Caton-Thompson c. Gertrude Bell d. Louis Leakey e. Marie Wormington (b)

An artifact is generally defined as

a. none of the answers are correct b. a sacred object c. any object that exists in the world d. any movable object that has been used, modified, or manufactured by humans e. any object that has intrinsic value to archaeologists (d)

To an archaeologist, the term provenience refers to the

a. none of the answers are correct b. history of an artifact's owners c. vertical and horizontal position of an artifact at a site d. origin of an idea or innovation e. origin of an artistic technique or motif (c)

Christian Thomsen, a well-known Danish scholar, developed the well-known typological scheme consisting of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages. This system is called

a. none of the answers are correct b. postprocessual archaeology c. the Three Age System d. anthropological archaeology e. New Archaeology (c)

Study of the patterns of wear or damage on the edges of stone tools that can provide useful information on a particular tool's function is known as

a. none of the answers are correct b. scanning electron analysis c. taphonomy d. microwear analysis e. plating (d)

______________ is a relative dating method based on grouping frequencies of artifact styles or types through time.

a. none of the answers are correct b. technology c. seriation d. typology e. stratigraphy (c)

Archaeological sites may be defined quite simply as

a. places where butchering and food preparation took place b. any place where significant traces of human activity are identified c. none of the answers are correct d. any place that shows no traces of human activity e. places where people once lived (b)

To an archaeologist, examples of relative dating methods include

a. pollen dating b. faunal dating c. all of the answers are correct d. linguistic dating e. seriation (c)

Features, essentially non-portable artifacts, include such things as

a. postholes, hearths, floors and ditches b. hammers, chisels, and arrowheads c. small villages, houses, and ceramic pots d. ceramic pots, arrowheads, basketry, and flint tools e. advertisements (a)

Before radiometric methods were developed after World War II, the most accurate means of dating involved the analysis of tree ring growth, called

a. potassium-argon b. pollen c. dendrochronology d. potassium-argon e. varves (c)

Absolute dates include

a. radiocarbon dates b. all of the answers are correct c. calendar years d. argon-argon dates e. dendrochronology sequences (b)

An integrated system of beliefs, practices, a traditions that are shared, learned, and influence a person's behavior is called

a. religion b. government c. culture d. brainwashing e. ideology (c)

The branch of archaeology that seeks to explain differences or changes in time by arguing that change is instigated by migration of people or the diffusion of ideas is called

a. science b. culture history c. postprocessualism d. New Archaeology e. postmodernism (b)

"Self-critical" means that

a. scientists acquire understanding and knowledge not by proving a theory or idea as right, but by demonstrating that competing ideas are incorrect or wrong. b. science is typically irrational c. none of the answers are correct d. science is a way of demonstrating that one's theory or concept is always correct e. scientific theories and ideas are always incorrect (a)

The study of all aspects of human life-ways by employing a holistic, comparative approach is called

a. sociology b. culture history c. archaeology d. participant observation e. anthropology (e)

Non-artifactual organic and environmental remains, or ecofacts, include items such as:

a. soils sediments, animal bones, stone tools, weapons, pottery b. soils, sediments, animal bones, plant remains c. stone tools, weapons, pottery d. animal bones, plant remains, pottery fragments e. none of the answers are correct (b)

Inorganic materials that frequently survive well archaeologically are

a. stone tools b. none of the answers are correct c. animal bones d. plant fibers e. wood tools (a)

_________________ is a survey area that is divided into several sub-categories and then sampled at different intervals

a. stratified random sample b. even sample c. random sample d. unstratified sample e. subsample (a)

_______________ refers to the relationship of an artifact, feature, or ecofact to other objects and strata at a site.

a. stratigraphy b. provenience c. in situ d. matrix e. context (e)

An ______________ is a characteristic, such as size, shape, color, form, that distinguishes one artifact from another.

a. style b. none of the answers are correct c. alignment d. attribute e. form (d)

Systematic surface survey tends to be preferred to unsystematic for a number of reasons, primarily because in unsystematic surveys there is a tendency for

a. survey walkers to walk in circles b. survey walkers to concentrate on areas where artifacts are concentrated c. survey walkers to veer off the survey grid d. survey walkers to get tired and hide under bushes (b)

Anaerobic conditions preserve organic materials well and such conditions are often present in

a. swamps b. marshes c. fens d. bogs e. all of the answers are correct (e)

Culture is

a. symbolic b. none of the answers are correct c. shared d. all of the answers are correct e. learned (d)

A term borrowed from paleontology, but refers to the study of all of the processes that produce certain patterns in the archaeological record is

a. taphonomy b. analogy c. uniformitarianism d. ethnoarchaeology e. predictive modeling (a)

The idea that archaeologists must observe living, systemic cultures in order to better understand human behavior in the past, and the processes that created the archaeological record, is called

a. taphonomy b. mid-level theory c. uniformitarianism d. high level theory e. low-level theory (b)

Results of surveys conducted over longer periods of time, covering the area repeatedly, tend to be more reliable because

a. the accuracy of field crew observations may change through time b. the visibility of sites and artifacts can vary widely from year to year c. all of the answers are correct d. the visibility of sites and artifacts may vary according to seasonal variation e. none of the answers are correct (c)

A sample universe is

a. the sample units b. the region that contains the population to be sampled c. the sample fraction d. the sampling strategy e. none of the answers are correct (b)

All of the following are absolute dating methods except

a. the use of historical chronologies b. radiocarbon dating c. frequency seriation d. tree-ring dating e. the use of calendars (c)

By exposing a sample of fired clay to radiation (energy) in the laboratory, so-called electron traps are opened and the energy that is emitted in the form of light can be accurately measured. This radiation dose can be combined with an estimate for the annual dose the sample received prior to testing and the susceptibility of the sample to radiation in order to determine the precise age of the fired clay. This dating technique is called

a. thermoluminescence b. optically stimulated luminescence c. electron spin resonance d. geomancy e. fission track dating (a)

Differences in plant use, consumption, and processing throughout different parts of the year is referred to as

a. threshing b. winnowing c. processing d. ethnobiology e. seasonality (e)

The idea that similar artifacts found in similar strata are of the same age is called the

a. time-markers b. absolute dating c. the three age system d. law of superposition e. index fossil concept (e)

Radiocarbon dates obtained from __________ showed that before about 1000 BC dates expressed in radiocarbon years are increasingly "too young" thus radiocarbon dates must be calibrated

a. tree rings b. Maya calendars c. obsidian d. varves e. tephra from the Thera eruption (a)

A____________ is the systematic arrangement of artifacts based on decoration, style, and/or morphology.

a. typology b. class c. catalog number d. arrangement e. grouping (a)

Observing the wear patterns on ancient stone tools is an aspect of microwear analysis; experimental archaeology provides added information on the specific activities the tools might have been used for by

a. using modern copies of stone tools in a variety of specific tasks b. all of the answers are correct c. studying the traces of polish on modern copies of tools after use d. none of the answers are correct e. creating categories of tool use according to wear patterns created on modern copies (b)

____________________ is a simple, fast way to survey for buried sites by digging shallow, evenly space pits:

a. vertical excavations b. shovel testing c. magnetometry d. probing e. horizontal excavations (b)