Modules 1.1, 1.2, and 13.1-13.7
Question 1
Choose one of the following questions to answer after reading the excerpt
How do archaeologists use artifacts and bones to understand the culture of early humans, and what specific discoveries from the 1970s contributed to this understanding?
Compare and contrast the advancements made by Homo habilis and Homo erectus during the Stone Age. What were the implications of these advancements on their lifestyle and survival?
Based on the text, what reasons might explain the disappearance of Neanderthals and the survival of Cro-Magnons? Provide evidence from the text to support your analysis.
Who were the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons?
Many scientists believe that Homo erectus eventually developed into humans, or Homo sapiens. Scientists once thought that Neanderthals were ancestors of modern humans but no longer do. These hominids appeared 200,000 years ago. They lived in caves or built shelters of wood or animal skins. At one time, they were thought to be rough and wild people. Now scientists think that they may have held religious beliefs. These people found ways to survive the freezing cold of the Ice Age. About 30,000 years ago, though, the Neanderthals strangely disappeared.
About 10,000 years before these people vanished, the Cro-Magnons appeared. Their bodies were just like those of modern people. Scientists think that these people worked with one another in planning large-scale hunts of animals. They may have also had more skill at speaking than did the Neanderthals. Because they had these skills, the Cro-Magnons were better at finding food. That may explain why Cro-Magnons survived and Neanderthals did not.
Scientists are continuing to work on many sites in Africa. New discoveries continually add to what we know about human origins.
Question 2
Comprehension Question: What characteristics define nomadic groups like the hunter-gatherers mentioned in the text? Provide specific examples from the text to support your answer.
Analysis Question: How did the invention of tools contribute to the survival and lifestyle of prehistoric hunter-gatherers? Use evidence from the text to explain the impact of these tools on their food supply.
Analysis Question: In what ways did the technological revolution described in the text change the daily lives of early modern humans? Discuss at least two types of tools mentioned and their purposes.
Tools Needed to Survive
For tens of thousands of years, men and women of the Old Stone Age were nomads. Nomads were highly mobile people who moved from place to place foraging, or searching, for new sources of food. Nomadic groups whose food supply depends on hunting animals and collecting plant foods are called hunter-gatherers. Prehistoric hunter-gatherers, such as roving bands of Cro-Magnons, increased their food supply by inventing tools. For example, hunters crafted special spears that enabled them to kill game at greater distances. Digging sticks helped food gatherers pry plants loose at the roots.
Early modern humans had launched a technological revolution. They used stone, bone, and wood to fashion more than 100 different tools. These expanded tool kits included knives to kill and butcher game, and fish hooks and harpoons to catch fish. A chisel-like cutter was designed to make other tools. Cro-Magnons used bone needles to sew clothing made of animal hides.
Question 3
Comprehension Question: What roles did men and women play in the survival of early human bands before the advent of agriculture, and how did these roles change with the introduction of farming?
Analysis Question: How did the Neolithic Revolution represent a breakthrough in human history, and what were some of the positive and negative impacts of this shift on early human settlements?
Analysis Question: In what ways did permanent settlements lead to the development of more complex cultures, and what factors contributed to both the growth and challenges of these early urban centers?
The Beginnings of Agriculture
For thousands upon thousands of years, humans survived by hunting game and gathering edible plants. They lived in bands of 25 to 70 people. The men almost certainly did the hunting. The women gathered fruits, berries, roots, and grasses. They usually migrated to areas where they could find the resources that they needed to survive. Then about 10,000 years ago, some of the women may have scattered seeds near a regular campsite. When they returned the next season, they may have found new crops growing. This discovery would usher in the Neolithic Revolution, or the agricultural revolution—the far-reaching changes in human life resulting from the beginnings of farming. The shift from food-gathering to food-producing culture represents one of the great breakthroughs in history.
The new settled way of life also had its drawbacks—some of the same ones that had affected hunter-gatherer settlements. Floods, fire, drought, and other natural disasters could destroy a village. Diseases, such as malaria, spread easily among people living closely together. Jealous neigh-bors and roving nomadic bands might attack and loot a wealthy village like Catal Huyuk.
Despite problems, these permanent settlements provided their residents with opportunities for fulfillment— in work, in artistic pursuits, and in leisure time. Some early villages expanded into cities. These urban centers would become the setting for more complex cultures in which new tools, art, and crafts were created.
Question 4
Which word best describes pre-civilization cultures?
complex
defenseless
isolated
nomadic
Question 5a
How did pre-civilization cultures likely have contact with others?
through warfare
via advanced communication technology
by trade
through religious pilgrimages
Question 5b
What was a significant development during the Neolithic Age?
invention of writing
ability to grow crops
development of sea travel
discovery of electricity
Question 5c
What type of scientists primarily study prehistoric human remains?
biologists
geologists
paleontologists
meteorologists
Question 5d
What is the term for the period before the invention of writing?
ancient history
dark ages
prehistory
renaissance
Question 5e
What do archaeologists primarily study to learn about prehistoric peoples?
written records
oral traditions
artifacts and bones
modern cultural practices
Question 5f
What recent technological advancement has greatly aided the study of human origins?
space exploration
DNA sequencing
nuclear power
internet communication
Question 5g
What was a major benefit of the development of agriculture?
It eliminated the need for tools
It provided a stable food source
It prevented all natural disasters
It instantly created large cities
Question 5h
What was the primary purpose of early human tool development?
To create art
To build monuments
To increase food supply
To make jewelry
Question 5i
Which of the following was NOT a major civilization in the Americas before European arrival?
Maya
Aztec
Olmec
Roman
Question 5j
The land bridge that connected Asia to North America during the last Ice Age is called:
Beringia
Pangaea
Gondwana
Laurasia
Question 5k
What was the staple crop that became widespread in Mesoamerica around 3400 BC?
wheat
rice
potatoes
maize
Question 5l
The Olmec civilization is often referred to as the "mother culture" of:
North America
South America
Mesoamerica
The Caribbean
Question 5m
Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of Olmec civilization?
Massive stone head sculptures
Development of a writing system
Trade networks
Worship of nature gods
Question 5n
The Zapotec civilization is known for building:
Tenochtitlán
Monte Albán
Machu Picchu
Cahokia
Question 5o
Which early South American culture is associated with the mysterious geoglyphs, like the spider image in the field?
Chavín
Moche
Nazca
Inca
Question 5p
In the Pacific Northwest, the ceremony where wealthy people gave away possessions to demonstrate status was called:
potlatch
powwow
sun dance
ghost dance
Question 5q
The Anasazi people of the Southwest are known for building:
Longhouses
Igloos
Pueblos
Wigwams
Question 5r
Which Native American alliance in the eastern woodlands consisted of five tribes?
Algonquin
Sioux
Iriquois
Cherokee
Question 5s
What was the name of the Mayan’s famous creation story codex?
Chilam Balam
Dresden Codex
Popul Vuh
Madrid Codex
Question 5t
Which of the following was NOT a major Aztec city-state?
Tenochtitlán
Texcoco
Tlacopan
Tikal
Question 5u
The Aztec practice of acquiring captives for human sacrifice was primarily associated with their worship of:
Quetzalcoatl
Tlaloc
Huitzilopochtli
Xipe Totec
Question 5v
What was the name of the Inca's official language?
Aymara
Quechua
Nahuatl
Maya
Question 5w
The Inca used a system of knotted strings for record-keeping called:
quipu
codex
glyph
hieroglyph
Question 5x
Which Inca emperor is credited with greatly expanding the empire in the 15th century?
Atahualpa
Huascar
Huayna Capac
Pachacuti
Question 5y
The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán was built on:
a mountaintop
a desert plain
an island in a lake
a coastal beach
Question 5z
What natural disaster is thought to have contributed to the decline of some Mesoamerican civilizations?
earthquakes
volcanic eruptions
tsunamis
hurricanes
Question 5aa
The Inca Empire was weakened just before the arrival of the Spanish due to:
A severe drought
A civil war
A plague
An invasion from the north
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