Assessment Questions 8.18

1. What characterized the organization of societies that relied on foraging for food, according to the passage?

Simple organization revolving around age and sex categories, likely egalitarian with equivalent rights, status, and access to resources.

2. What is carrying capacity, and how does it relate to human population growth?

Carrying capacity is the maximum population an area can sustain within a given subsistence system. Human population growth, like a runaway train, is difficult to control once it picks up speed.

3. What is one possible response to surpassing the carrying capacity of a region, as mentioned in the passage?

Exploiting adjoining land or shifting and intensifying the food quest in the same territory.