Chapter 15 Self-Assessment

. The following is the correct chronological order:

End of Teotihuacán; Late Maya kingdoms in Yucatán Peninsula; Chichén Itzá; Inca Empire.

Chichén Itzá; End of Teotihuacán; Inca Empire; Late Maya kingdoms in Yucatán Peninsula.

Inca Empire; Late Maya kingdoms in the Yucatán Peninsula; End of Teotihuacán; Chichén Itzá.

Late Maya kingdoms in Yucatán Peninsula; Chichén Itzá; End of Teotihuacán; Inca Empire.

. All of the following societies occupied parts of Mesoamerica EXCEPT:

Teotihuacán

Wari

Toltec

Maya

. The city of Tula, originally formed by craftsmen and farmers fleeing the collapsed state of Teotihuacán:

Developed advanced military techniques and renamed themselves "the Nahuatl."

Were able to maintain their independence despite repeated invasions by Toltec and Aztec war parties.

Developed a reputation for producing high quality scrapers, knives, and spear points.

Were the earliest ironworkers in the Americas.

. The Toltec state introduced all of the following military innovations EXCEPT:

Short wooden swords with inlaid obsidian edges.

Obsidian daggers with wooden handles.

Establishing colonies and having troops accompany traders.

Wheeled chariots that were used to terrify the enemy.

. The large trade network in which the Toltecs participated can be characterized by the following:

It was based on the exchange of goods, such as gemstones, obsidian, cacao, vanilla, and bird feathers.

It led to the diffusion of silk weaving techniques.

It facilitated the transmission of agricultural techniques, for instance, the cultivation of rice producing two or more crops per year.

It was based on the use of military might to protect merchants and to force other societies to enter into formal trading agreements with the Toltec.

. Features of the late Maya States in the Yucatán included all of the following EXCEPT:

Maya culture's final period was about 650-900.

There were massive attempts at agricultural expansion, involving terracing and other innovations.

Surprisingly, there was little if any centralization of political authority.

In some, the population density was greater than that of any contemporary European states.

. The problems identified in the textbook as leading to the deterioration of the late Mayan states included all of the following EXCEPT:

Torrential downpours washed away the topsoil from the newly built hillside terraces.

The area experienced uncontrollable population growth, as was true in China.

The fertility of many fields decreased due to the depletion of nutrients in the topsoil.

Malnutrition began to reduce the labor force.

. All of the following is true of Chichén Itzá EXCEPT:

It was the most prominent of the small Maya states that survived the central collapse.

In many places, the only viable economic pursuit was the production of salt.

There were no rivers, so water had to be transported from sinkholes.

Because of the dearth of available resources, Chichén Itzá could not develop merchant groups or participate in regional trade.

. Around 600, two groups arrived in the Peruvian Andes as conquerors:

The Inca and the Wari.

The Tiwanaku and the Inca.

The Tiwanaku and the Wari.

The Chontal and the Inca.

. Resources of the Andean region around Lake Titicaca included all of the following EXCEPT:

Freshwater fish for food.

Reeds for the construction of boats and roofs.

Food staples such as potatoes and quinoa.

Rich fields of corn at the highest elevations.

. All of the following are true of the state of Wari EXCEPT:

It seems to have had less control over elites than most other empires in the Americas.

It was centered on the Ayacucho Valley in the highlands of northern Peru.

The valley's relatively low elevation (about 8000 feet as opposed to an Andean average of about 13,000 feet) allowed for the cultivation of potatoes, cotton, and corn.

The state employed architects for the construction of new towns.

. Wari and Tiwanaku had certain similarities, such as all of the following EXCEPT:

They were both expanding states governed by elite clans.

Despite obvious signs of rebellion, it is clear that the commoners respected and protected temples and temple sculptures.

Leaders derived their strength from reciprocal patron-client relationships.

After the year 950, there are signs of intense class tensions in both states.

. The Aztec and Inca empires which developed in the early fifteenth century were different from the earlier expanding states in that:

Previous expansionistic states had to maintain much larger armies to control the surrounding states.

The Aztec and Incan empires were states with capitals and ceremonial centers, and vastly larger tributary hinterlands.

The Aztecs and Incas imposed their language and religions on the conquered states, creating a more homogeneous population than seen before.

The empires of the Americas developed patterns vastly different from any appearing in Eurasia.

. The Aztec foundation myth has all of the following elements EXCEPT:

Their hunter/warrior patron god ordered them to show their gratitude by the sacrifice of virgin maidens at the beginning of each lunar cycle.

The first Aztec was one of seven brothers born on an island or in a mountain cave.

Their putative ancestors left their mythical homeland as foragers dressed in skins, lacking agriculture and urban civilization.

The patron god Huitzilpochtli guided them to a land of plenty, signaling their arrival by an eagle perched on a cactus.

. All of the following are true EXCEPT:

The Aztec city-state of Tenochtitlán and two others successfully rebelled against the reigning city-state in the Mexican Basin in 1428.

An Aztec leader Izcóatl, together with his successors as well as the rulers of the allied states, began an expansion that eventually resulted in a full-fledged empire.

The local elites of states conquered by the Aztecs were left in place, but they were required to leave their sons as hostages for good behavior.

Aztec warrior elite males were forbidden to marry local women, but they took many concubines.

. Important weapons in the Aztec arsenal included:

Bows and arrows, three-foot obsidian-spiked broadswords, thrusting spears, dart throwers, and slings.

Clubs, maces, axes, and four-foot obsidian-spiked broadswords.

Slingshots, clubs, rapiers, and dart throwers.

Four-foot obsidian-spiked rapiers, broadswords, darts, and slings.

. All of the following were true of the Incan empire EXCEPT:

It emerged in the southern Peruvian city-state of Cuzco, as a highly militaristic society.

The name of the empire, "Tawantinsuyu," means "Land of Warriors."

It extended into the tropical upper Amazon region as well as the western Argentinean steppes.

Its foundation myth is similar to that of the Aztecs.

. All of the following are true of political organization under the Incan empire EXCEPT:

It was divided into four regions, which were subdivided into 80 provinces, each of which had an Inca subgovernor.

Local elites retained some power, subordinate to the Incan governors and subgovernors.

Care was taken not to disturb local practices, such as burial rituals.

Local elites oversaw recruiting for the mit'a, or the service obligation of the subjects.

. All of the following are true of Incan military organization EXCEPT:

Armies ranged in size from about 10,000 men to about 25,000 men.

All young, able-bodied men were expected to serve.

Married men 25-30 years old were foot soldiers, often accompanied by their wives and children.

Unmarried men age 18-25 years of age were used as porters or messengers.

. Inca weaponry:

Was much less sophisticated than that of the Aztecs.

Used all the same techniques, including identical technology in affixing obsidian cutting edges for broadswords and arrow points.

Was metallurgically superior to Aztec, often including the use of very hard bronze.

Did not include the use of protective armor, although it appears that some of their enemies did.

. During the second half of the fifteenth century, the Incas:

Turned from conquest to consolidation.

Increased the scope of their military draft, using people who would otherwise have been left in their own villages.

Pulled back toward the administrative center to avoid the costs of constant warfare on the borderlands.

Faced foreign armies, often as well armed as the Incas, which led to a greater cohesion among the Incan elite aristocracy.

. All of the following is true of communications in the Inca empire EXCEPT:

The rugged, mountainous terrain prevented the construction of roads of the same quality as those in the Aztec empire.

The Incas systematically improved road networks that had been built by their predecessors, particularly the Tiwanaku and Wari.

The transportation system sometimes relied on suspension bridges and rafts.

The roads measured from three to twelve feet in width, often requiring extensive grounding, paving, and tunneling.

. The imperial capitals of Mesoamerica and the Andes had all of the following in common EXCEPT:

Monumental ceremonial centers and palaces.

Public acts of contrition by rulers designed to appease deities and atone for sins, known or unknown.

Almost daily ceremonies and rituals to underscore the power of the ruling elite.

Shamanic and polytheistic heritage, modified to underscore the might of the empire.

. Another commonality between the Aztec and Inca capitals of the fifteenth century is:

That they were ruled by direct decrees from rulers and elites, and neither had a system of appeal

That they were ceremonial centers with little or no economic activity to interfere with religion.

That they were among the largest cities of the world.

That their monumental architecture followed identical artistic traditions.

. All of the following were true of Tenochtitlán EXCEPT:

Aqueducts piped freshwater directly to all citizens.

The primary market day could attract as many as 40,000 people.

A number of causeways crossed it and linked it with the lake shore.

Professional water carriers took fresh water to commoners in various quarters of the city.

. In "Patterns Up Close," the author believes all of the following to be true about ritual human sacrifice EXCEPT:

The survival of traditional blood rituals within polytheism was a pattern that distinguished the early American empires from their Eurasian counterparts.

126 skeletons of human sacrificial victims have been excavated at the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlán.

From first-hand reports and archaeological evidence, we can ascertain the exact extent it was practiced by Aztec and Inca societies.

It is possible that imperial propaganda machines worked in the Aztec and Inca empires to intimidate enemies.

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