Chapter 11 Multiple Choice
One of the most permanent features of Aztec society was its organization into clans or Select one: a. calpulli. b. ayllus. c. chinampas. d. quipus. e. pipiltin.
a
What city did the Aztecs establish circa 1325 on a marshy island in Lake Texcoco? Select one: a. Chinampa b. Tenochtitlan c. Culhuacan d. Texcoco e. Teotihuacan
b
What was the Andean principle of inheritance? Select one: a. Everything passing to the monarch b. Parallel descent: women passed rights and property to daughters, men to sons c. Extended family split inheritances evenly d. Matrilineal, inheritance passing in the female line e. Patrilineal, inheritance passing in the male line
b
Although later civilizations in Mesoamerica borrowed and built on the previous accomplishments of the Olmecs and Maya, later civilizations (A) were not as war-like as their predecessors had been. (B) rarely surpassed their intellectual predecessors. (C) failed to improve on the political institutions and types of Olmec and Maya states. (D) abandoned polytheism in favor of monotheism. (E) abandoned trade.
b
Because of their level of technological development, Aztec work and production (A) relied heavily on tools and machines. (B) relied heavily on the physical labor of humans. (C) utilized domesticated beasts of burden extensively. (D) richly rewarded intellectual invention and innovation. (E) were performed by slaves and conquered or tributary states.
b
The Aztec awaited the appearance of an eagle landing on a cactus with a serpent in its mouth. When this appeared Select one: a. the sun would not shine. b. their wanderings would end. c. Lake Texcoco would dry up. d. a strong female ruler would emerge. e. their capitol would be destroyed.
b
Which of the following did NOT occur as a result of the Aztec rise to power? Select one: a. The emergence of a ruler with supreme powers b. The abandonment of human sacrifice c. A highly urbanized society d. The increasing dominance of the nobility e. The subsequent expansion of power and the boundaries of Aztec control
b
Which of the following represents a cultural difference between the Incas and Aztecs? Select one: a. Relative isolation b. Lack of a writing system c. Monumental architecture d. Practice of human sacrifice e. Lack of a priest class
b
What was the relationship between the Toltecs and their predecessors in central Mexico? Select one: a. The former residents of central Mexico were wiped out during the Toltec invasions. b. The Toltec rejected all economic and social practices but did use similar religious practices. c. The Toltecs adopted many cultural features from their predecessors to which they added a strong military ethic and human sacrifice. d. The Toltecs adopted the animistic religion of their predecessors, but failed to develop cities or ceremonial centers. e. The entry of the Toltecs into central Mexico marks an abrupt break in the cultural development of the region.
c
Around 1500 C.E., membership in Aztec society was hierarchically defined by all of these methods EXCEPT: (A) social classes. (B) gender. (C) clans or tribes. (D) ethnicity. (E) occupational groups.
d
In order to supply food to Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs (A) obtained food through tribute from conquered city-states. (B) relied largely on trade for foodstuffs. (C) used slave labor. (D) built floating agricultural islands on the lake. (E) filled in Lake Texcoco to obtain agricultural lands.
d
In the period shortly after the arrival of the Aztecs in the valley of Mexico, what was the nature of the political organization of the region? Select one: a. A large confederation b. Regional kingdoms c. Hunting and gathering groups d. City-states e. Imperial
d
The modern image of the Inca empire as a carefully organized system in which every community collectively contributed to the whole and the state regulated the distribution of resources on the basis of need is referred to as Select one: a. utopian positivism. b. Mesoamerican capitalism. c. Inca despotism. d. Inca socialism. e. Indian utilitarianism.
d
The most powerful of the Andean states between 900 and 1465 following the decline of Tihuanaco and Huari was Select one: a. Chavin. b. Texcoco. c. Titicaca. d. Chimor. e. Chichen Itza.
d
Which of the following existed in the Aztec empire, but NOT in the Inca empire? Select one: a. A tribute system b. Redistribution of tribute by the state c. Recognition of local groups and leaders d. An extensive merchant class e. Extraction of labor for use on temple projects
d
For the Mesoamericans of the Aztec period, religion (A) was increasingly monotheistic. (B) developed into idealistic philosophies and intellectual discussions. (C) taught that humans should live ethical, moral lives. (D) declined and atheism began to spread widely. (E) was oppressive and made little distinction between the sacred and secular.
e
The Toltec empire lasted until about what date? Select one: a. 1236 b. 1521 c. 1000 d. 1434 e. 1150
e
Around what year did the Aztecs migrate to the central valley of Mexico? Select one: a. 1434 b. 1000 c. 1325 d. 932 e. 1150
c
One reason offered for the expansion of the Inca state was (A) a need for humans to sacrifice to the state gods. (B) overpopulation and the need for new crop land. (C) each new Inca ruler had to secure new land and wealth for himself. (D) changing environment and climate that drove the Incas from their homeland. (E) superior technologies made it easy for the Incas to conquer other peoples.
c
Religious practices of the Incas included all of these attributes EXCEPT: (A) animism. (B) ancestor worship. (C) monotheism. (D) sun worship. (E) theocratic government.
c
The religious practice most closely associated with the state and the person of the Inca in Andean civilization was the cult of Select one: a. Twantinsuyu. b. Quetzalcoatl. c. the sun. d. human sacrifice. e. the rain god.
c
All land in the Inca state (A) belonged to the priests. (B) was owned by merchants and traders. (C) belonged to the oldest woman of the family. (D) was owned by those who worked the land. (E) was owned by the state but assigned and redistributed to others.
e
Tambos were Select one: a. way stations along roads in the Inca empire. b. knotted strings used for record keeping. c. labor turns exacted by the Inca authorities. d. the Aztec term for local rulers. e. mountain passes found in the Andes.
a
What was the primary difference in the political situation between the Mesoamerican and Andean zones following the breakup of the classical states? Select one: a. In the Andean zones a number of relatively large states continued to be important, rather than the breakdown of power that was typical of Mesoamerica. b. The transition of power that took place in the Andean zone was accomplished by invasion from outside the region. c. The Andean region was more compact and therefore quickly reunited under the leadership of the Inca. d. In Mesoamerica there was no real political decline as new peoples simply took over the institutions of their predecessors. e. The Andean political experience lacked the militaristic overtones that accompanied the breakdown of power in Mesoamerica.
a
Which of the following statements concerning Aztec religion is most accurate? Select one: a. Aztec deities were numerous and had different forms or manifestations somewhat like the avatars of the Hindu deities. b. There was little or no animism in the religious world of the Aztecs. c. Tonatiuh and Tezcatlipoca became the paramount gods along with Nezhualcoyotl. d. Shortly after establishing their empire, the Aztecs abandoned all gods other than their patron, Huitzilopochtli. e. Aztec deities were normally associated only with male forms.
a
What was the nature of the Aztec administration of subject territories? Select one: a. All territories conquered by the Aztecs became part of a singular administration run by a trained bureaucracy located in Tenochtitlan, much like the Byzantine Empire. b. Aztecs rarely collected tribute from subject territories but did take hostages for human sacrifice. c. The Aztecs placed members of the Aztec nobility as rulers over subject peoples. d. The Aztecs established a military administration with subject territories controlled by regional generals. e. Conquered territories were often left relatively unchanged under their old rulers as long as they recognized Aztec supremacy and paid tribute.
e
Which of the following statements about the population of the Americas is most true? Select one: a. Most estimates are approximately the same. b. The early 20th-century estimate of 8.4 million still seems the most accurate. c. The population of the Americas is easy to calculate. d. North America was more densely populated than Mesoamerica or the Andes. e. The population estimates of the Americas continue to be revised upward.
e
The central figure of the cult of human sacrifice and the most sacred deity of the Aztecs was Select one: a. Huitzilopochtli. b. Tlaloc. c. Chac. d. Quetzalcoatl. e. Tonatiuh.
a
What was the nature of the Aztec economy? Select one: a. The Aztec state redistributed many goods received as tribute and there was a specialized merchant class. b. The Aztecs developed a free-market economy in which all trade was in the hands of specialized merchants. c. The Aztecs failed to develop a merchant class, so all distribution of goods was carried out by the state. d. The Aztec traded the entire length of the inhabited Pacific coast as far south as the Inca empire. e. There was little trade within Aztec society, as almost all communities were self-sufficient.
a
What was the Aztec view of history? Select one: a. Because they lacked a calendar system, the Aztecs had no formal historical viewpoint. b. They believed in a linear view of history dedicated to the premise of Aztec superiority for eternity. c. They believed in a linear history ending with their total destruction at the hands of the people from the East. d. Like other Mesoamerican peoples, the Aztecs believed in a cyclical pattern of repetitive destructions of the world. e. Unlike other Mesoamerican peoples, the Aztecs rejected the cyclical view of history for a more modern historical view based on the history of their empire.
d
What was the Inca practice of split inheritance? Select one: a. All power and wealth was inherited by the eldest son but religious leadership fell to the youngest daughter. b. All political power and titles went to the ruler's successor, but his wealth was kept in the hands of the male descendants to support the cult of the dead Inca's mummy. c. On the death of the previous ruler, the family's wealth was equally divided among all male heirs. d. On the death of the previous ruler, the inheritance passed through the family of the senior wife to her oldest brother. e. On the death of the previous ruler, the throne passed to two descendants from the ruler's family.
b
Which of the following represents a significant difference between the Andean and Mesoamerican civilizations? Select one: a. Kin-based social groups b. Climate and geography c. Tribute systems d. The existence of a nobility e. Sedentary agricultural systems
b
At the time of their migration to the shores of Lake Texcoco, the Aztec numbered about Select one: a. 1,000. b. 150,000 c. 10,000 d. 100,000 e. 50,000
c
By 1500, agriculture was Select one: a. practiced in sedentary communities and by nomadic pastoralists throughout the Americas. b. virtually unknown outside of the Andean and Mesoamerican civilization zones. c. largely diffused throughout the Americas, although not always in sedentary agricultural communities. d. practiced in sedentary communities throughout the Americas. e. practiced sparingly inside Mesoamerica but was used extensively in regions such as the Mississippi.
c
Closely identified with the cult of sacrifice and the military, the Aztec social hierarchy developed a nobility referred to as the Select one: a. calpulli. b. quipus. c. pipiltin. d. pochteca. e. chinampas.
c
How did the Aztecs view the cultural achievements of the Toltecs? Select one: a. As heretics, who practiced a forbidden religion b. As slaves, fit only for conquest c. As the givers of civilization d. As barbarians who lacked culture e. The Toltec culture was unknown to the Aztecs
c
In terms of the integration of a centralized empire, how did the Incas and Aztecs compare? Select one: a. To create their empires both allowed little variation from region to region and city to city. b. Both the Incas and the Aztecs created fully integrated empires complete with central bureaucracies and military administrative units that controlled all conquered regions. c. The Incas attempted to create an over-arching political state and made conscious attempts to integrate their empire as a unit, while the Aztecs did less in this regard. d. The Aztecs were more advanced than the Incas in consolidating their government into an integrated unit. e. The Aztecs and Incas both made little attempt to integrate conquered territories and permitted self-rule in return for loyalty and tribute.
c
The Inca nobility were Select one: a. drawn from the noble ayllus of the conquered population. b. not distinguished from the commoners by appearance or dress. c. drawn from 10 royal ayllus and the city of Cuzco. d. often commoners who distinguished themselves in battle. e. lower in status to the yanas and the priest class.
c
The Inca ruler associated with the first creation of the Inca empire in 1438 was Select one: a. Moctezuma II. b. Nezhualcoyotl. c. Pachacuti. d. Ahuitzotl. e. Topac Yupanqui.
c
What do the authors suggest was the principal reason for Inca conquest and expansion? Select one: a. The existence of long-distance trade merchants within the imperial administration b. The absence of irrigation systems within the Inca empire c. The practice of split inheritance d. The cult of the sun e. Their need for human sacrificial victims
c
Which of the following does NOT represent a characteristic of most Indian societies other than the Andean and Mesoamerican civilizations? Select one: a. Highly urbanized populations b. Important social and political roles for women c. Wealth as the basis of social ranking d. Strongly kin-based societies e. Communal action and ownership of resources
c
Which of the following is NOT true of the Aztec view of marriage and the family? Select one: a. Virginity at marriage was highly regarded for young women. b. Mayeques rarely married into noble families. c. Polygamy was common throughout society. d. Marriages were often arranged between lineages. e. Young girls were often trained by the older women of the calpulli.
c
Which of the following was utilized in the Inca empire, but NOT by the Aztecs? Select one: a. Elaborate road systems b. Use of local rulers in exchange for recognition of sovereignty c. Extensive use of colonization d. Identification of the nobility with the administrative and military functions of the state e. A semi-divine emperor
c
The Toltec capital was established at Select one: a. Tlotelolco. b. Tenochtitlan. c. Twantinsuyu. d. Tula. e. Teotihuacan.
d
What was the impact of expansion and conquest on the Aztec social system? Select one: a. Conquest opened up Aztec society to incursions by the indigenous peoples who began to form a trained bureaucracy. b. Aztec social institutions became more inclusive leading to a more equalitarian society. c. Aztec society was transformed in the sense that the Mexicans adopted the social patterns of the Maya. d. From a loose association of clans, Aztec society became a highly stratified society. e. Despite the stress of warfare and invasion, the Aztec society remained remarkably unchanged by the process.
d
Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of American civilizations during the post classical period? Select one: a. Large cities based on elaborate political and economic organization b. Diverse civilizations c. Elaborate cultural systems d. Monotheistic practices e. Highly developed agriculture
d
After the sack of Tula, the center of population and political power in Mexico shifted to Select one: a. Yucatan peninsula. b. Teotihuacan and the area west of the Pacific. c. the southern Pacific coast. d. Chimor. e. the valley of Mexico and the shores of a chain of lakes in that basin.
e
Demographic evidence of the Aztec Empire around 1500 C.E. indicates (A) a falling population base when the Europeans arrived. (B) decreasing birthrates. (C) women outnumbered men due to the loses during the frequent wars. (D) most Aztecs lived in cities. (E) an extremely high population density
e
During the post classical period, societies in the Americas Select one: a. were united under a single government. b. experienced the initial contacts that led to the European invasion of the New World. c. abandoned Central America and migrated northward. d. failed to develop imperial forms of government similar to European society. e. remained entirely separate from those of the Old World.
e
The Aztec innovation in intensive agriculture in the aquatic environments of the lakes of central Mexico was the development of Select one: a. Pochteca. b. pipiltin. c. quipus. d. calpulli. e. chinampas.
e
The Aztecs rose to power through all of the following means EXCEPT: (A) control of water and irrigation. (B) political alliances with neighboring cities. (C) marriage alliances. (D) warfare. (E) trade.
e
The capital of the Inca empire was Select one: a. Chan Chan. b. Cajamarca. c. Chichen Itza. d. Tihuanaco. e. Cuzco.
e
The northern nomadic peoples who entered central Mexico following the decline of Teotihuacan were the Select one: a. Aztecs. b. Incas. c. Maya. d. Olmecs. e. Toltecs.
e
The people who succeeded the Toltecs as the rulers of central Mexico were the Select one: a. Maya. b. Olmecs. c. Incas. d. Quechua. e. Aztecs.
e
Which of the following statements concerning the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan is NOT accurate? Select one: a. It was built on an island in the middle of a lake. b. It and Cuzco shared a similar geography in that both cities were located on a lake. c. The city was divided into more than 60 wards controlled by kinship groups. d. By 1519 it probably had a population of about 150,000. e. Unlike other Mesoamerican cities it lacked a temple complex.
e
Which of the following views of the Aztec practice of human sacrifice can be associated with Marvin Harris's interpretation of the "cannibal kingdom"? Select one: a. It was immoral and unnecessary and was a waste of economic resources. b. It was an essentially religious act central to their belief that humans must sacrifice that which was most precious to them in order to receive the sun, rain, and other blessings. c. The incidence of human sacrifice was grossly exaggerated by the Spanish for political purposes. d. It was the intentional manipulation of a traditional practice to terrorize their neighbors and to keep the lower classes subordinate. e. It was a response to the lack of available protein in the form of large mammals.
e
Which of the following was NOT a function of the Aztec kinship groups? Select one: a. Organizing military units for warfare b. Maintaining temples and schools c. Distributing land to household heads d. Organizing labor units for state service e. Assignment of people to cult groups
e
Which of the following was NOT one of the major themes or cults of Aztec religion? Select one: a. Creator deities b. Gods of fertility c. The agricultural cycle d. Gods of warfare and sacrifice e. Deities devoted to contemplation and salvation
e
While the position of Aztec women in many ways paralleled that of women in other civilizations at a similar stage of development, what was the significant difference between the lives of women in Mesoamerica and in the Mediterranean world? Select one: a. Women in Mesoamerica participated fully in the military. b. There was no polygamy practiced in Mesoamerica. c. Peasant women were more highly educated in Mesoamerica. d. Aztec women were unable to inherit or to pass property on to heirs. e. Aztec women had to spend many more hours grinding grain for food.
e
