Chapter 15 Quiz A with Explanations

. The population of the Americas at the end of the fifteenth century was around

20 million.

30 million.

60 million.

100 million.

. In the Americas, shamans acted as healers and

had a prominent role in tribal metal production.

had the right to choose tribal leaders.

had the sole responsibility for enforcing law.

had special connections with the spiritual world.

. What is a major source for Aztec history other than archeological and artistic evidence?

Chronicles written down in Mayan languages

Narratives written down by scribes in the sixteenth century

Carvings found on monumental structures and palaces

Spanish accounts of Aztec oral traditions

. The center of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan was Coatepec, a temple dedicated to the main Aztec gods Huitzilopochtli and

Colhua.

Mexico.

Tlaloc.

Sapa Inca.

. What was the significance of the Aztec city of Tlatelolco?

It was the location of the ruler's palace complex.

It was the center of Aztec commercial activity.

It was built solely on chinampas.

It was used solely for ceremonial sacrifices.

. Which Mesoamerican society played an important role in developing the Aztecs' worldview in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries?

The Toltec

The Maya

The Inca

The Zapotecs

. What was the main goal of Aztec warfare?

To capture warriors for sacrifice

To expand the empire

To experiment with new weapons

To prove clan loyalties

. How was the Aztec legal system different from that of many other world empires?

Decisions were based exclusively on the visions of the priestly class.

All punishments were in the form of years of servitude.

Women played a major role in the system as judges.

The nobility often received more severe penalties than those given commoners for similar crimes.

. What was the status of merchants called pochteca in the Aztec Empire?

They were an upwardly mobile class who challenged the established social and economic systems.

They were ethnic outsiders who did little to change the nature of the tributary economy.

They were ethnic outsiders who sought to convert commercial wealth to agricultural wealth.

They were little more than slaves who supported the Aztecs vast tributary system.

. How did Aztec women view the household?

They considered it a place of matriarchy.

They saw it as a reserved space.

They regarded it as a home for warriors.

They saw it as belonging to the clan.

. The Incas arose as a group between 1000 and 1400 C.E. in

the Lake Titicaca region.

southern Chile.

south-central Peru.

the southern Andes.

. In the fifteenth century the center of the growing Inca Empire was

Tenochtitlan.

Monte Alban.

Moche.

Cuzco.

. What was the key to Inca military success in the fifteenth century?

The employment of metal weaponry.

The assembling of large numbers of soldiers.

The superior leadership of the Sapa Inca.

The cooperation of allied states.

. How did conquered peoples express submission in the Inca Empire?

They were forced to pay tribute in goods and labor.

They were forced to serve in the military.

They were forced to relocate to remote areas of the empire.

They were forced to provide sacrifices to the water gods.

. How was the Inca legal system different from that of the Aztecs?

It was based solely on consulting the Sapa Inca.

It treated all subjects as equal.

It treated commoners more harshly than it did the nobility.

It based legal status on occupation.

. The distribution of goods and services in the Inca Empire was managed by

pochteca.

preists of the sun.

local headmen.

the government.

. The Incas did not develop a writing system but did possess a record-keeping system called

cuneiform.

khipu.

hangul.

hieroglyphics.

. What food was central to the diets of people from the central Andes?

Maize

Guinea pig

Potato

Turkey

. What was the most common type of political organization in North America's eastern woodlands beginning in the fifteenth century?

Elected chiefs

Councils of elders

Divine kings

Emperors

. What was the nature of warfare among tribes in the eastern woodlands?

It was a way for men to prove their courage in battle and preserve the honor of their tribe.

It was used to conquer other tribes for land and for slaves to work the land.

It was used to expand the influence of larger political coalitions like the Powhatan Confederacy.

It was a way to control the population growth that results from the introduction of maize farming.

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