Question 1

Between 1346 and 1350 the Black Death ravaged Europe, killing about how many people?
A) 1 million people (1.5 percent of population)
B) 3 million people (4 percent of population)
C) 18 million people (25 percent of population)
D) 36 million people (50 percent of population)

Accepted Answer

The Black Death, which struck Europe between 1346 and 1350, is estimated to have killed about 36 million people, accounting for roughly 50 percent of the continent's population at the time. This catastrophic event significantly reduced the population, leading to profound social, economic, and cultural changes.

Question 2

What conditions enabled the cultural Renaissance to emerge in the wake of the Black Death?
A) An end to the century-long war between France and England, decreased trade with Asia, and steady birthrates
B) An improved climate, a higher standard of living for the surviving populations, and rising birthrates
C) A decreased emphasis on agricultural commerce, the consolidation of smaller city-states into larger territories, and religious toleration
D) A dry climate, the Middle Eastern slave trade, and a decreased reliance on other cultures for scientific knowledge

Accepted Answer

The cultural Renaissance emerged after the Black Death partly because the population decrease led to a higher standard of living for survivors, improved agricultural conditions due to a more favorable climate, and subsequently rising birthrates. These factors contributed to the economic and cultural conditions necessary for the Renaissance.

Question 3

What forces brought about the decline of the Mayan Civilization?
A) Flood
B) Drought
C) War
D) Lack of innovation

Accepted Answer

Drought caused the decline of the Mayan Civilization.

Question 4

As slaves to Mexica merchants, what kind of work did many young Indian women spend their time doing?
A) Agricultural work
B) Factory work
C) Housecleaning
D) Child care

Accepted Answer

The answer of As slaves to Mexica merchants, what kind...

Question 5

What was the key to Incan survival in the Andes Mountains along the Pacific coast?
A) Advanced fishing techniques
B) Invention of the wheel
C) Cultivation of valleys
D) Diversity of people

Accepted Answer

The Incas were able to survive and thrive in the Andes Mountains primarily through the cultivation of valleys. They developed advanced agricultural techniques, including terrace farming, which allowed them to grow crops on the steep slopes of the mountains. This innovation was crucial for supporting their large population and complex society.

Question 6

What region had the most extensive network of slave-trading centers in the medieval period?
A) West Africa
B) Europe
C) Middle East
D) Caribbean

Accepted Answer

The Middle East had a very extensive network of slave-trading centers during the medieval period, serving as a hub for the trade of slaves from various regions including Africa, Europe, and Asia. This network was part of a broader pattern of trade and cultural exchange that spanned the Islamic world and beyond.

Question 7

Starting in the sixteenth century, Europeans formed an image of Africa based on captives from which region of the continent?
A) West
B) North
C) South
D) Central

Accepted Answer

Europeans formed their initial image of Africa largely based on captives taken from the West region of the continent, particularly due to the transatlantic slave trade which heavily involved West African peoples.

Question 8

How did the Aztecs', Mayans', and Incas' commercial practices influence the development of their transportation systems?
A) Because they lacked horses, their trading caravans were drawn by other humans.
B) They did not trade with communities outside of their respective civilizations, which made it unnecessary to develop small boats for river travel.
C) Because they carried out most of their commerce overland or along rivers and coastlines, they did not need to build seagoing boats.
D) They did not have settlements outside of their major cities, which made it unnecessary to build complex roadways.

Accepted Answer

The Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas primarily conducted trade overland and along rivers and coastlines, which reduced the need for seagoing vessels. Their transportation systems were adapted to their geographical and commercial needs.

Question 9

Why did the first American settlers cross the Bering Strait into the North American continent?
A) They tracked the migratory patterns of birds.
B) They sought a freshwater supply.
C) They were driven from their own land.
D) They were following herds of oxen and rhinoceroses.

Accepted Answer

The first American settlers crossed the Bering Strait into North America primarily because they were following large herds of animals, such as mammoths and other megafauna, which they hunted for food.

Question 10

How many people lived in North America when European explorers landed there in the sixteenth century?
A) Fewer than 6,000
B) About 60,000
C) Over 6 million
D) About 60 million

Accepted Answer

Estimates vary, but most scholars agree that the population of North America was over 6 million when European explorers arrived in the sixteenth century.

Question 11

What crop enabled the expansion of the Hopewell people, an advanced Native American culture that developed around the Mississippi River?
A) Tobacco
B) Corn
C) Rice
D) Wheat

Accepted Answer

Corn, also known as maize, was a fundamental crop that supported the expansion of the Hopewell culture by providing a reliable and storable source of food, which allowed for population growth and the development of complex societies.

Question 12

How did the Universalis Cosmographia, by Martin Waldseemüller and Mathias Ringmann, differ from previous maps of the world? 
A) It depicted Earth as round.
B) It was the first map to use Latin geographical terms.
C) It provided the first reliable sailing directions to the Americas.
D) It was the first European map to depict the Americas and Asia as separate.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How did the Universalis Cosmographia, by Martin...

Question 13

In their 1507 map and globe entitled Universalis Cosmographia, Martin Waldseemüller and Mathias Ringmann had a body of land between the African and Asian continents estimating the geography of what we know know to be 
A) India.
B) The Americas.
C) Europe.
D) Hawaii.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In their 1507 map and globe entitled...

Question 14

Mayan astronomers were known for the development of a system for
A) determining the rise and fall of the tides.
B) predicting eclipses of the sun and moon.
C) calculating the distance between Earth and moon.
D) measuring distance between stars.

Accepted Answer

Mayan astronomers were highly skilled and developed a sophisticated understanding of celestial events, including the ability to predict solar and lunar eclipses. This was part of their broader interest in astronomy and calendar systems.

Question 15

Why did the diet of the first North Americans change about 10,000 years ago?
A) The animals they hunted in Asia did not follow them to North America, so they needed to find new sources of food.
B) North Americans adopted agricultural systems, allowing them to replace meat with vegetables as the main foods in their diet.
C) North Americans were unable to migrate far enough inland to find hunting grounds, so they adapted to the resources available at the coast.
D) Mammoths and other large game disappeared from their habitat, causing North Americans to rely on smaller game, fish, and plant foods to survive.

Accepted Answer

The extinction of mammoths and other large game around 10,000 years ago led early North Americans to adapt their diet to include smaller game, fish, and plant foods.

Question 16

Where was Beringia, the land bridge that enabled the settlement of the Americas between 16,000 and 14,000 b.c.e.?
A) Between Siberia and Alaska
B) Between North America and South America
C) Between Canada and Iceland
D) Between Mexico and the Caribbean

Accepted Answer

Beringia was the land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska, allowing early humans to migrate from Asia to the Americas during the last Ice Age.

Question 17

Which European explorer introduced coal and spices to Europe after traveling to China in the 1270s?
A) Marco Polo
B) Henry the Navigator
C) Bartolomeu Dias
D) Vasco da Gama

Accepted Answer

Marco Polo is credited with introducing coal and various spices to Europe after his travels to China in the 1270s, where he spent over two decades.

Question 18

What materials did the Mayans use to protect themselves from Spanish invaders in the 1500s?
A) Animal-hide armor and rocks
B) Cotton armor and wooden arrows
C) Wooden armor and steel swords
D) Steel armor and guns

Accepted Answer

The Mayans used cotton armor, which was surprisingly effective against the Spanish firearms and swords, and wooden arrows as part of their weaponry. Cotton armor could be quilted to a thickness that would stop or slow down the projectiles from early firearms.

Question 19

What Native American people built the capital Tenochtitlán on the site of present-day Mexico City?
A) Aztecs
B) Incas
C) Mayans
D) Iroquois

Accepted Answer

The Aztecs built their capital, Tenochtitlán, on the site of present-day Mexico City.

Question 20

Who first migrated to and populated the Americas over 13,000 years ago?
A) Africans
B) Europeans
C) Australians
D) Asians

Accepted Answer

The first people to migrate to and populate the Americas over 13,000 years ago were from Asia. This migration is believed to have occurred via the Bering Land Bridge that once connected Siberia to Alaska.

Quiz 1: Mapping Global Frontiers

Between 1346 and 1350 the Black Death ravaged Europe, killing about how many people?

What conditions enabled the cultural Renaissance to emerge in the wake of the Black Death?

What forces brought about the decline of the Mayan Civilization?

As slaves to Mexica merchants, what kind of work did many young Indian women spend their time doing?

What was the key to Incan survival in the Andes Mountains along the Pacific coast?

What region had the most extensive network of slave-trading centers in the medieval period?

Starting in the sixteenth century, Europeans formed an image of Africa based on captives from which region of the continent?

How did the Aztecs', Mayans', and Incas' commercial practices influence the development of their transportation systems?

Why did the first American settlers cross the Bering Strait into the North American continent?

How many people lived in North America when European explorers landed there in the sixteenth century?

What crop enabled the expansion of the Hopewell people, an advanced Native American culture that developed around the Mississippi River?

How did the Universalis Cosmographia, by Martin Waldseemüller and Mathias Ringmann, differ from previous maps of the world?

In their 1507 map and globe entitled Universalis Cosmographia, Martin Waldseemüller and Mathias Ringmann had a body of land between the African and Asian continents estimating the geography of what we know know to be

Mayan astronomers were known for the development of a system for

Why did the diet of the first North Americans change about 10,000 years ago?

Where was Beringia, the land bridge that enabled the settlement of the Americas between 16,000 and 14,000 b.c.e.?

Which European explorer introduced coal and spices to Europe after traveling to China in the 1270s?

What materials did the Mayans use to protect themselves from Spanish invaders in the 1500s?

What Native American people built the capital Tenochtitlán on the site of present-day Mexico City?

Who first migrated to and populated the Americas over 13,000 years ago?