Ancient Civilizations and Cultures

How do scientists commonly refer to events that occurred in the distant past or on a geological time-scale?

• In the year of the Lord

• Before Christ

• Before the Common Era

• Circa

What is the abbreviation for 'circa' when the exact date is not known?

• AD

• BC

• C

• CE

According to the text, how did the first human beings arrive in the Americas?

• By boat from Europe

• By crossing a land bridge from Asia

• By boat from Asia

• Riding mammoths from Africa

When did the most recent Ice Age begin, according to scientists?

• 12,000 years ago

• 50,000 years ago

• 100,000 years ago

• 9,000 years ago

What is the theory about how the first Americans reached the Americas during the last Ice Age?

• Crossing a land bridge called Atlantis

• Boating from Europe

• Crossing over Beringia from Asia

• Riding mammoths across the Atlantic

What did the early Americans primarily depend on for food?

• Agriculture

• Fishing

• Hunting

• Gathering wild grains

What discovery in present-day Mexico shaped the lives of Native Americans for thousands of years?

• Domesticating animals

• Inventing pottery

• Planting and raising maize (corn)

• Developing complex forms of government

How did farming impact the lives of early Americans in Mexico?

• They became nomadic hunters

• They developed common customs and beliefs

• They continued to move in search of food

• They no longer had to move frequently to find food

What method do scientists use to estimate the age of artifacts like bones or pieces of wood?

• Carbon dating

• Radiocarbon dating

• Tree-ring dating

• Ice core dating

Which group of Amerindians were known for living in villages, carving wood, making pottery, and practicing a religion based on respect for nature?

• Tupi people

• Arawaks

• Caribs

• Lucayans