CHAPTER THIRTEEN, ART OF THE AMERICAS BEFORE 1300
Multiple Choice
1. What was discovered at Olmec sites that is evidence of long-distance trade with other parts of Mesoamerica?
A. jade
B. textiles
C. basalt
D. limestone
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 13.c Relate artists and art of early cultures in the Americas to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Olmec
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
2. Which of the following is true about Mayan writing?
A. Logographs represented individual letters.
B. Writing was closely related to the production of painted imagery.
C. Inscriptions typically recorded astrological events.
D. Extant codices provided information about Mayan religious practice.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 13.b Interpret the meaning of works of art of early cultures in the Americas based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
3. How does the Mayan site of Tikal conform to the uneven terrain of the rainforest?
A. the use of a grid plan around a central pyramid
B. the buildings are terraced into the mountains
C. structures placed on high ground connected by causeways
D. the use of temporary structures made of impermanent materials
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
4. Which Mesoamerican culture’s architecture is characterized by talud-tablero construction, where a sloping base supports a flat entablature?
A. Olmec
B. Teotihuacan
C. Mayan
D. Aztec
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 13.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to the art, artists, and art history of early cultures in the Americas.
Topic: Teotihuacan
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
5. The Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque (Fig. 13-11) is built above a corbel-vaulted stairway that leads to
A. a natural spring, which may have been the original focus of worship.
B. the subterranean tomb of Pakal the Great, a powerful ruler.
C. a chamber with extensive reliefs and inscriptions that give the temple its name.
D. the hill thought to house mythological animals and earth deities.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
6. How many levels do Mayan temples have, which set atop steep pyramids and probably reflected the culture’s concept of the underworld?
A. three
B. six
C. nine
D. ten
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
7. Which city demonstrates the influence of Central Mexico on the Maya in the post-classic period through art emphasizing military conquests?
A. Chichen Itza
B. Yaxchilan
C. Palenque
D. Tikal
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 13.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to the art, artists, and art history of early cultures in the Americas.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
8. Mayan inscriptions on architecture and stelae commonly
A. offer prayers to the gods.
B. record specific historical events.
C. serve an ornamental function.
D. provide instruction for ritual practice.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 13.b Interpret the meaning of works of art of early cultures in the Americas based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
9. How does the architecture of Chavin de Huantar reflect its position as an important religious center in the Andean highlands on a trade route between the coast and the Amazon basin?
A. the U-shaped Old Temple
B. the sunken circular courtyards
C. the synthesis of architectural forms
D. mountain-sized, step pyramids
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 13.c Relate artists and art of early cultures in the Americas to their distinct cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Chavin de Huantar
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
10. How did the discovery of an offering of carefully arranged figures in La Venta (Fig. 13-1) contribute to art history’s knowledge of the Olmec?
A. It demonstrated their skills at carving.
B. It provided a context for similar figures found elsewhere.
C. It explained Olmec ritual practice and belief.
D. It proved that the Olmec interacted with other cultures.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 13.c Relate artists and art of early cultures in the Americas to their distinct cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: Chapter Introduction
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
11. How is the relief carving Shield Jaguar and Lady Xok(Lintel 24) (Fig. 13-14) characteristic of Mayan sculpture?
A. The relief is very high.
B. It depicts a scene of courtly life.
C. The key figures shown are human.
D. The composition is static.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 13.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of art of the early Americas.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
12. Which animals were revered in the Diquis culture because they represented a higher world?
A. crocodiles
B. jaguars
C. serpents
D. birds
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 13.b Interpret the meaning of works of art of early cultures in the Americas based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: Central America
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
13. Textiles produced by the Paracas culture are characterized by
A. the predominance of female artists.
B. the use of monochromatic color.
C. large, inconsistent stitching.
D. repeated embroidered figures.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 13.b Interpret the meaning of works of art of early cultures in the Americas based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Paracas and Nazca Cultures
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
14.The woodhenges found at the Mississippian site of Cahokia seem related to
A. astronomical observation.
B. a ritual ball game.
C. domestic tasks.
D. defending the city.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 13.b Interpret the meaning of works of art of early cultures in the Americas based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Mississippi Period
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
15. Which of the following was a characteristic of Pueblo kivas?
A. They were sites for astronomical observations.
B. They were arranged along a central avenue.
C. They had a central hole in the roof that admitted a shaft of light.
D. They had a floor indentation that recalled the culture’s mythic origins.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 13.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of art of the early Americas.
Topic: The Southwest
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
16. What feature of southwestern pictographs is shared by the prehistoric cave paintings found in Europe?
A. They depict both animals and human figures.
B. They record recognizable rituals and ceremonies.
C. They were made by scraping bacteria off the canyon wall.
D. They represent realistic space and time.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 13.e Interpret a work of art of the early Americas using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: The Southwest
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
17. What was a distinguishing feature of “Pueblo Bonito” (Fig. 13-28) in Chaco Canyon?
A. It had multiple stories and many rooms.
B. It was the hub of a network of roads to other communities.
C. It was a site of low-fired pottery production.
D. It was built on ledges under sheltering cliffs.
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 13.e Interpret a work of art of the early Americas using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: The Southwest
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
18. Much of what we know about Mayan courtly life comes from paintings on
A. cylindrical vessels.
B. burial masks.
C. wall reliefs.
D. wood statues.
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 13.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to the art, artists, and art history of early cultures in the Americas.
Topic: Mesoamerica and Central America
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
19. Which structure at Teotihuacan was built over a multi-chambered cave with a spring, which may have been the original focus of worship at the site?
A. the Pyramid of the Sun
B. the Pyramid of the Moon
C. the Temple of the Inscriptions
D. the Avenue of the Dead
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 13.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to the art, artists, and art history of early cultures in the Americas.
Topic: Teotihuacan
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
20. The Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent (Fig. 13-8) includes high-relief carvings depicting a serpent with the goggle-eyed headdress associated with the
A. Lightning God.
B. Sun God.
C. Storm God.
D. Thunder God.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 13.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to the art, artists, and art history of early cultures in the Americas.
Topic: Teotihuacan
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
21. Used in recording the accomplishments of their rulers, the Maya perfected a more sophisticated version of the Mesoamerican
A. burial site.
B. temple.
C. ballgame.
D. calendar.
Answer: D
Learning Objective: 13.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to the art, artists, and art history of early cultures in the Americas.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
22. What items made from gold and turquoise are evidence of the Moche culture’s sophisticated metallurgy skills?
A. earspools
B. headdresses
C. belts
D. necklaces
Answer: A
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Moche Culture
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
23. The Beaver Effigy Platform Pipe (Fig. 13-21), which would have been used by a smoker in such a way that the smoker would be face to face with the beaver figure’s eyes, is made from
A. wood.
B. jade.
C. bone
D. stone.
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Woodland Period
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
24. Where is the Great Serpent Mound (Fig. 13-23), which was created by the Mississippian culture, located?
A. Louisiana
B. Ohio
C. Mississippi
D. Indiana
Answer: B
Learning Objective: 13.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of art of the early Americas.
Topic: The Mississippian Period
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
25. What did the people of the Moche culture develop that allowed them to mass-produce some of their pottery forms?
A. lost-wax technique
B. low-fire glazes
C. ceramic molds
D. hand-building
Answer: C
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Moche Culture
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Short Answer
1. What effect did the arrival of Europeans have on Native American populations?
Answer: Europeans introduced diseases to which Native Americans had had no previous exposure and so had no immunity. One of these, smallpox, killed as many as 80 percent of the native population.
Learning Objective: 13.c Relate artists and art of early cultures in the Americas to their distinct cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Mississippian Period
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2. What features were shared by the different civilizations of Mesoamerica?
Answer: Monumental architecture, agriculture, a calendar system, a writing system, astronomy, and mathematics were developed by different civilizations.
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Rise of Civilizations in the Americas
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
3. What was the appearance and possible purpose of the colossal Olmec heads found in Mexico?
Answer: Olmec heads are thought to represent rulers because of their individualized features; however, they share formal commonalities, such as broad faces, helmets, and flat noses.
Learning Objective: 13.b Interpret the meaning of works of art of early cultures in the Americas based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Olmec
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
4. Describe the cosmic ballgame.
Answer: Players had to keep a rubber ball in the air using elbows, knees, or hips, but not hands. The ball court included goals in a variety of forms.
Learning Objective: 13.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to the art, artists, and art history of early cultures in the Americas.
Topic: Mesoamerica and Central America
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
5. What are the characteristics of the Mayan ideal of beauty?
Answer: As seen in the Burial Mask of Pakal the Great (Fig. 13-13), the skull has been elongated and a long, curved nose, compact chin, and protruding lower lip show the ideals of beauty.
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
6. How were sculptural features of Chichen Itza different from those of earlier sites?
Answer: Sturdy forms and proportions, angularity, and reclining figures show a deviation from earlier complexity and modeling.
Learning Objective: 13.e Interpret a work of art of the early Americas using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
7. What did the Paracas culture use textiles for?
Answer: For the Paracas culture, textiles were a source of wealth and prestige and were used for ceremonial purposes as well as burials.
Learning Objective: 13.b Interpret the meaning of works of art of early cultures in the Americas based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
Topic: The Paracas and Nazca Cultures
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
8. What are the Nazca geoglyphs, and what might have been their use?
Answer: The geoglyphs were colossal earthworks, large representational and nonrepresentational drawings that may have been used as ceremonial pathways.
Learning Objective: 13.d Apply the vocabulary and concepts relevant to the art, artists, and art history of early cultures in the Americas.
Topic: The Paracas and Nazca Cultures
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
9. What was the lifestyle of early North American people?
Answer: Early North Americans lived as hunter-gatherers and fished in coastal areas. They erected burial and ceremonial earthworks.
Learning Objective: 13.c Relate artists and art of early cultures in the Americas to their distinct cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: North America
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
10. What works have been found from the Florida Glades culture?
Answer: Large mounds and painted wooden objects that depict naturalistic animals have been found on the west coast of Florida.
Learning Objective: 13.c Relate artists and art of early cultures in the Americas to their distinct cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Topic: The Mississippian Period
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Essay
1. What monumental structures were built in the ancient Americas?
Answer:
1. Large pyramid structures were built across the North and South American continents.
2. Ball courts, plazas, temples, and palaces were common in Central American architecture.
3. Large housing complexes were built by the Pueblo cultures in Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde.
4. Earthworks and mounds were built for ceremonial purposes in South, Central, and North America.
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: Mesoamerica and Central America
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2. Discuss the similarities and differences characterizing the major cultures of Mesoamerica.
Answer:
1. Large ceremonial centers were built throughout the Americas.
2. Inspiration from the natural world can be seen in paintings, ceramics, and sculpture created by early cultures throughout the Americas.
3. A complex system of writing developed in Central American cultures but was not present in North or South America.
4. Agriculture consisting of crops, such as corn, squash, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco, developed throughout the Americas.
Learning Objective: 13.e Interpret a work of art of the early Americas using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: Mesoamerica and Central America
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
3. Discuss the cultures of North America and their various works of art.
Answer:
1. The artwork and architecture from North America varies greatly, depending on region and climate.
2. The most commonly found small sculptures come from the Woodland period and the Mississippian period; these sculptures have animal iconography.
3. Petroglyphs in the southwestern areas of North America depict animals and human figures.
4. Ceramics from the Southwest show patterned decorations and abstract animal figures.
Learning Objective: 13.a Identify the visual hallmarks of the art of early cultures in the Americas for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
Topic: North America
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
4. Compare and contrast the ceramics and works of metal from cultures of the Americas.
Answer:
1. Ceramics and metallurgy developed throughout the Americas at different times; however, Andean peoples developed monumental architecture and textiles long before developing ceramics.
2. The Moche were known for naturalistic, portrait vessels that record mythological narratives and ritual scenes in fine-line painting.
3. Gold was a powerful medium and was symbolic of energy, power, and status.
4. Southwestern cultures created intricately designed pottery with paintings of lively, imaginative, abstract designs of humans and animals.
Learning Objective: 13.e Interpret a work of art of the early Americas using the art historical methods of observation, comparison, and inductive reasoning.
Topic: The Moche Culture; The Southwest
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
5. Describe the aesthetics, style, and purpose of Maya relief sculpture and wall painting.
Answer:
1. Bright colors and complex compositions were common in Maya relief sculpture and wall painting.
2. Individual rulers, royalty, and gods were the usual subjects of Maya art.
3. Inscriptions were often incorporated into the design of relief sculpture and wall painting.
4. Figures were most commonly depicted in profile and accompanied by religious iconography.
Learning Objective: 13.f Select visual and textual evidence in various media to support an argument or an interpretation of a work of art of the early Americas.
Topic: The Maya
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It
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