Question 1

What animals and plants made up the staple foods in the Pacific islands?
A) chicken and yams
B) cattle and tomatoes
C) pigs and sweet potatoes
D) sheep and grain

Accepted Answer

Pigs and sweet potatoes were the staples in the Pacific islands, as they were easy to grow and provided ample protein and carbohydrates for the islanders. Other animals and plants, such as chicken and yams, may have also been consumed, but pigs and sweet potatoes were the most important.

Question 2

What evidence exists that aboriginal Australians could have chosen to develop agriculture?
A) planting and irrigating of crops
B) use of fire to control grazing areas and the watering and weeding of certain crops
C) domestication of the kangaroo
D) No such evidence exists.

Accepted Answer

There is evidence that aboriginal Australians used fire to control grazing areas and to promote growth of certain edible plant species, indicating some level of intentional cultivation. However, there is no evidence of the domestication of any animal species, and the planting and irrigating of crops does not have clear evidence in pre-colonial times.

Question 3

The expansion of agriculture can be traced across sub-Saharan Africa through the spread of what language group?
A) Swahili
B) Ndebele
C) Semitic
D) Bantu

Accepted Answer

The Bantu language group spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa and played a significant role in the expansion of agriculture in the region. The Bantu people were skilled farmers and their agricultural practices helped to transform the landscape across the region.

Question 4

Which of the following is true about early agricultural societies?
A) The food supply becomes more reliable.
B) Diet becomes more varied.
C) Social and economic inequality and exploitation grow.
D) Disease becomes less of a problem.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is true about...

Question 5

The "trinity" of crops that developed in Central American societies was
A) beans, rice, and potatoes.
B) beans, maize, and turnips.
C) rye, squash, and maize.
D) beans, maize, and squash.

Accepted Answer

The "trinity" of crops that developed in Central American societies was beans, maize, and squash. This combination provided a nutritious and sustainable diet for the population.

Question 6

A reason that New Guinea was never home to large centralized states is because of
A) the wide variety of crops grown in different locations there.
B) the few crops that can be grown there.
C) the poor soil that led to small populations.
D) the failure of the people of New Guinea to adopt agriculture.

Accepted Answer

The wide variety of crops grown in different locations in New Guinea made it difficult to centralize power and create a large state. Different regions and communities would have relied on different crops, making it difficult to unify under a centralized government.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a reason to connect the development of agriculture with religion?
A) use of animals for sacrifice
B) use of plants in religious ceremonies
C) stories of floods and natural disasters
D) use of alcohol

Accepted Answer

The development of agriculture is directly connected to religion through practices such as the use of animals for sacrifice (A), the use of plants in religious ceremonies (B), and the use of alcohol, which often had religious significance (D). However, stories of floods and natural disasters (C) are not a direct reason to connect the development of agriculture with religion, as they are more broadly related to cultural myths and legends rather than the agricultural practices themselves.

Question 8

The earliest archaeological evidence for farming in Western Africa dates to about
A) 6,000 years ago.
B) 5,000 years ago.
C) 4,000 years ago.
D) 3,500 years ago.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The earliest archaeological evidence for farming in...

Question 9

Agriculture in North America developed
A) as a result of contact and communication with communities in Central America.
B) as a result of experimentation with local plants.
C) a wide variety of domesticated animals.
D) as a result of contact and communication with South American communities.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Agriculture in North America developed
A) as a...

Question 10

Farming and herding revolutionized the place of humans in their ecosystems by
A) making human beings independent of the species we eat.
B) making human beings dependent on the species we eat.
C) making human beings interdependent with the species we eat.
D) making human beings reliant on certain species for reproduction.

Accepted Answer

Farming and herding created a relationship between humans and the species they ate. Humans became interdependent with these species because they relied on them for food, but they also had to care for and cultivate these species in order to ensure their survival. This interdependence led to the development of agricultural societies and a more stable food supply.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is most true about the diets of herding communities compared with those of agrarian communities?
A) Herders' diets are more varied but less nutritional than those of agrarians.
B) Agrarian communities have less nutritional and less varied diets than herding communities.
C) Agrarian communities have more nutritional and more varied diets than herding communities.
D) Herders' diets, although lacking in variety, are not nutritionally deficient.

Accepted Answer

Herding communities often rely on a diet that is less varied because it is heavily based on animal products such as meat, milk, and cheese. However, these foods can provide a rich source of essential nutrients, making the diet not nutritionally deficient despite its lack of variety. Agrarian diets, based on crop cultivation, can be more varied due to the different types of plants grown, but the statement specifically about herders' diets being not nutritionally deficient despite a lack of variety is most accurate.

Question 12

Archeological evidence dating from around 3000 B.C.E. from Hambledon Hill in England most likely indicates:
A) that humans of that era held enormous parties because an ice age was coming.
B) that failed attempts at herding animals and farming led people back to foraging and hunting.
C) that humans of that era combined hunting and gathering with newer practices related to farming and production.
D) that humans of that era imported most of their food because they could not find enough locally.

Accepted Answer

The combination of hunting and gathering with new practices related to farming and production is known as the Neolithic Revolution, which occurred around 10,000 B.C.E. in various parts of the world. The archeological evidence from Hambledon Hill dating from around 3000 B.C.E. supports the idea that this revolution was continuing in England during this time. The other answer choices are not supported by the evidence.

Question 13

Domestication of crops and animals
A) had no effect on the evolution of species.
B) caused what might be called an "unnatural selection" that interfered with the evolutionary process.
C) had an effect only on the evolution of animals.
D) had an effect only on the evolution of plants.

Accepted Answer

Domestication of crops and animals involved intentional and controlled breeding to select for specific traits, which interfered with the natural process of evolution. This led to changes in the genetic makeup of these species, but not necessarily in a way that would have occurred naturally. Therefore, domestication can be seen as an example of "unnatural selection".

Question 14

Some of the earliest archaeological evidence for agriculture in Southern Asia includes
A) cotton threads.
B) potato skins.
C) fossilized grape vines.
D) chicken bones.

Accepted Answer

Cotton threads are among the earliest archaeological evidence for agriculture in Southern Asia, indicating the cultivation of cotton plants for textile production.

Question 15

The earliest permanent settlements arose about
A) 15,000 to 14,000 years ago.
B) 11,000 to 10,000 years ago.
C) 9,000 to 8,000 years ago.
D) 7,000 to 6,000 years ago.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The earliest permanent settlements arose about
A) 15,000...

Question 16

People first began to cultivate foods in the Nile Valley about
A) 12,000 years ago.
B) 9,000 years ago.
C) 7,000 years ago.
D) 2,000 years ago.

Accepted Answer

The Nile Valley is believed to have been a site for early agriculture around 9,000 years ago, with evidence for the cultivation of wheat, barley, and legumes. This was during the Neolithic period, a time when humans first began to transition from hunting and gathering to settling and farming. Agriculture in the Nile Valley was supported by the predictable flooding of the Nile River, which provided fertile sediment for crops.

Question 17

An objection to abundance theory is that
A) agriculture was more likely the consequence of an accident.
B) people would not take on an unnecessarily labor-intensive practice.
C) agriculture was more a cause than a consequence.
D) agriculture was more a consequence than a cause.

Accepted Answer

The objection to abundance theory is that people would not take on an unnecessarily labor-intensive practice. The argument is that hunting and gathering provided sufficient resources for human survival and that the adoption of agriculture would have required a significant increase in labor without a clear benefit. Therefore, people would have been unlikely to choose agriculture unless they were forced to do so by environmental or social pressures.

Question 18

What three types of land were best suited for agriculture?
A) tundra, alluvial plains, lowlands
B) swampland, alluvial plain, uplands
C) swampland, forests, steppe
D) alluvial plain, prairies, uplands

Accepted Answer

The answer of What three types of land were best...

Question 19

African grasslands are called
A) prairie.
B) pampa.
C) sahel.
D) steppe.

Accepted Answer

The term "sahel" specifically refers to the semi-arid region of Africa that stretches from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, acting as a transitional zone between the Sahara Desert in the north and the savannas in the south. It is characterized by grasslands and sparse vegetation.

Question 20

From where did the earliest agriculturalists enter Europe?
A) Asia
B) Africa
C) Europe
D) the Americas

Accepted Answer

The earliest agriculturalists entered Europe from Asia, specifically from the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East. Archaeological evidence shows that agriculture spread westward across Europe from this region around 8,000-7,000 BCE.

Quiz 2: Out of the Mud: Farming and Herding After the Ice Age

What animals and plants made up the staple foods in the Pacific islands?

What evidence exists that aboriginal Australians could have chosen to develop agriculture?

The expansion of agriculture can be traced across sub-Saharan Africa through the spread of what language group?

Which of the following is true about early agricultural societies?

The "trinity" of crops that developed in Central American societies was

A reason that New Guinea was never home to large centralized states is because of

Which of the following is NOT a reason to connect the development of agriculture with religion?

The earliest archaeological evidence for farming in Western Africa dates to about

Agriculture in North America developed

Farming and herding revolutionized the place of humans in their ecosystems by

Which of the following statements is most true about the diets of herding communities compared with those of agrarian communities?

Archeological evidence dating from around 3000 B.C.E. from Hambledon Hill in England most likely indicates:

Domestication of crops and animals

Some of the earliest archaeological evidence for agriculture in Southern Asia includes

The earliest permanent settlements arose about

People first began to cultivate foods in the Nile Valley about

An objection to abundance theory is that

What three types of land were best suited for agriculture?

African grasslands are called

From where did the earliest agriculturalists enter Europe?