AP World History Vocab Test #3

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Astrolabe

an ancient astronomical instrument used for calculating time, measuring the positions of stars and planets, and for navigation.

Caravel

A small, fast, and highly maneuverable ship developed by the Portuguese in the 15th century; used for long-distance ocean travel.

Age Grade

A social organization system in many African societies where people of the same age group share responsibilities and stages of life together.

Bantu Speaking

Refers to peoples in sub-Saharan Africa who speak Bantu languages; they spread agriculture, ironworking, and culture across much of Africa.

Middle Kingdom

Term used by both Egyptians (for their stable era of government and culture) and Chinese (to describe China as the center of civilization).

Griots

West African oral historians, storytellers, and musicians who preserved genealogies, traditions, and history through spoken word.

Sultan

A Muslim ruler, especially in the Ottoman Empire or other Islamic states.

Mita

The Inca labor system requiring citizens to work on public projects (like roads or temples) as a form of tax.

Quipis

A system of knotted strings used by the Inca to record information such as census data and resources (since they had no written language).

Inca

A powerful South American civilization (1200s–1500s CE) in the Andes Mountains; known for road systems, terrace farming, and centralized rule.

Calpulli

Basic social and political units of Aztec society; groups of families that worked communal land and paid tribute together.

Toltec

A Mesoamerican civilization that preceded the Aztecs; known for its influence on Aztec culture and its capital at Tula.

Mound Builders

North American peoples (like the Hopewell and Mississippians) who built large earth mounds for religious and burial purposes.

Allyus

Traditional Incan kin-based communities that farmed and worked land collectively.

Parallel Descent

Andean social system where inheritance and responsibilities were passed down through both male and female family lines.

Chinampas

“Floating gardens” built by the Aztecs in shallow lakes to increase agricultural productivity near Tenochtitlan.

Chimor

Pre-Inca civilization on the Peruvian coast; known for irrigation and monumental architecture like the city of Chan Chan.

Anasazi

Ancient Native American civilization in the southwestern U.S. (Four Corners region); built cliff dwellings and complex trade networks.

Tenocha

The main ethnic group that founded the Aztec Empire; established Tenochtitlan as their capital.

Quechua

refers to both the indigenous language and the people of the Andes, most famously associated with the Inca Empire

Mississippians

a complex, mound-building Native American civilization that flourished in the southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1600 CE