Topic 6 Test : Civilizations of the Americans

The first Mesoamerican civilizations began

• right after people crossed the Bering Land Bridge.
• when nomadic hunters settled in the Valley of Mexico.
• once people learned how to farm in the tropical forest.
• when the Maya built the first cities in Central America.

The building and use of observatories allowed the Maya to develop

• complex calendars.
• hieroglyphic writing.
• slash-and-burn agriculture.
• stone pyramids and temples.

Look at the map. Which conclusion is best supported by this map?

• The Aztec empire conquered the Olmec civilization.
• The Olmec civilization depended on slash-and-burn agriculture.
• The Aztec empire expanded across a variety of landforms.
• Food production was easier for the Aztecs than it was for the Olmecs.

Why were the Aztecs able to take control of the basin known as the Valley of Mexico?

• They were the first people to settle in the area.
• They built a strong defense that protected Lake Texcoco from invasion.
• They had a powerful army that allowed them to conquer their neighbors.
• They produced trade goods that made them wealthy.

Which of the following was a major achievement of Incan engineering?

• chinampas connected by causeways
• a vast system of roads and bridges
• stone temples in the tropical forest
• a capital city built over a lake

Look at the photograph. These three crops were central to the diet of which of the following groups of people?

• Incas
• Iroquois
• Ojibwas
• Inuit

Look at the photograph. Which of the following is a way that the Incas used objects like the one pictured?

• to show that the wearer was a member of the nobility
• to track the movements of the stars and planets
• to predict the best time to plant crops
• to keep records of goods traded

In what North American culture area did the people who formed the Iroquois League live?

• Northwest
• Northeast
• Southeast
• Southwest

Look at the diagram about Incan civilization. Which statement identifies a major effect of the causes shown in the diagram?

• Conquest of Central America
• Unification of the empire
• Rise of first Andean cultures
• Devastating civil wars

At its peak, the Aztec empire controlled

• all of present-day Mexico.
• an area extending from central Mexico to Guatemala.
• several isolated cities in the forests of Central America.
• a vast region connected by roads in the Andes.