ANTH PRACTICE EXAM

1. This place near St. Louis, Missouri was an important center during the Mississippian Period:
A. Uruk
B. Moundville
C. Monte Albán
D. Cahokia

D. Cahokia

2. Which law established protections for American Indian burials?
A. NAGPRA
B. ACRA
C. FEDSA
D. TATT

A. NAGPRA

3. The Law of ___________________ states that, all other things being equal, the materials from the bottom of an excavation are older than those found on top.
A. Superposition
B. Eternity
C. Positraction
D. Provenience

A. Superposition

4. The myth of __________________ states that Native Americans were incapable of building monuments.
A. The Pristine Primitive
B. The Participant Observer
C. The Mound Builders
D. The Alien Covenant

C. The Mound Builders

5. Which of these is not true of the Eastern Agricultural Complex?
A. It refers to the development of irrigation in China
B. It is the process of domesticating indigenous plants in the Eastern US
C. It includes crops like chenopodium, sunflower, squash, and amaranth
D. It began during the Late Archaic Period

A. It refers to the development of irrigation in China

6. This notation system was the likely inspiration for cuneiform writing:
A. Runestones
B. Clay bulla and tokens
C. Cylinder seals
D. Osteomancy tablets

B. Clay bulla and tokens

7. The study of human societies and cultures and their development is known as:
A. Archaeology
B. Anthropology
C. Zooarchaeology
D. Ethnobotany

B. Anthropology

8. The exact location where an artifact is found is known as its:
A. Association
B. Stratigraphy
C. Provenience
D. Ecofact

C. Provenience

9. Which of the following is not a characteristic of states?
A. Surplus production
B. Complex social organization
C. Nomadic subsistence
D. Centralized government

C. Nomadic subsistence

10. This extinct hominin species left fossilized footprints at Laetoli:
A. Neanderthals
B. Homo erectus
C. Australopithecus afarensis
D. Denisovans

C. Australopithecus afarensis

11. What is the primary method for dating organic archaeological materials?
A. Stratigraphy
B. Dendrochronology
C. Radiocarbon Dating
D. Typology

C. Radiocarbon Dating

12. The “Presentation Theme” is associated with which ancient South American culture?
A. Inca
B. Chavin
C. Moche
D. Nazca

C. Moche

13. What type of archaeological remain is a feature?
A. A tree used for dendrochronology
B. A stone tool
C. A non-portable structure like a hearth
D. A decorative pottery shard

C. A non-portable structure like a hearth

14. Which site in Chile provided evidence of pre-Clovis occupation in the Americas?
A. Monte Verde
B. Stallings Island
C. Poverty Point
D. Laetoli

A. Monte Verde

15. Çatalhöyük is best known as:
A. An Inca road system
B. A Chaco Canyon outpost
C. A Neolithic settlement in Turkey
D. A Mesopotamian ziggurat

C. A Neolithic settlement in Turkey

16. This prehistoric monument in England is known for its standing stones arranged in a circle:
A. Stonehenge
B. Chaco Canyon
C. Templo Mayor
D. Teotihuacan

A. Stonehenge

17. Which culture is associated with irrigation systems in the American Southwest?
A. Hopewell
B. Hohokam
C. Natufians
D. Ancestral Pueblo

B. Hohokam

18. A heap of domestic waste, often used to study human settlement patterns, is called a:
A. Midden
B. Platform mound
C. Ecofact
D. Provenience

A. Midden

19. The main Aztec temple in Tenochtitlan was called:
A. Great House
B. Templo Mayor
C. Monks Mound
D. Ziggurat

B. Templo Mayor

20. The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is associated with:
A. Mesoamerican pyramids
B. Neolithic agriculture in Europe
C. Interconnected Native cultures of the Eastern Woodlands
D. Inca road systems

C. Interconnected Native cultures of the Eastern Woodlands

21. What is the primary crop domesticated from teosinte?
A. Barley
B. Squash
C. Maize
D. Potato

C. Maize

22. The large stepped temples found in Mesopotamia were called:
A. Pyramids
B. Ziggurats
C. Great Houses
D. Obelisks

B. Ziggurats

23. The Hopewell culture is most strongly associated with:
A. The American Southwest
B. The Levant
C. The Ohio River Valley
D. Mesoamerica

C. The Ohio River Valley

24. The study of animal remains from archaeological sites is called:
A. Archaeobotany
B. Anthropology
C. Stratigraphy
D. Zooarchaeology

D. Zooarchaeology

25. A cultural stage between the Paleolithic and Neolithic, marked by environmental adaptation and new technologies, is the:
A. Upper Paleolithic
B. Mesolithic/Archaic
C. Neolithic Revolution
D. Anthropocene

B. Mesolithic/Archaic

26. Which early culture in the Levant is known for transitioning to sedentary life before the use of pottery?
A. Natufians
B. Ancestral Pueblo
C. Hopewell
D. Mississippians

A. Natufians

27. Which archaeological method analyzes the order and position of layers of remains?
A. Dendrochronology
B. Stratigraphy
C. Radiocarbon dating
D. Garbology

B. Stratigraphy

28. What does the term archaeological record refer to?
A. A database of artifact catalogs
B. Written histories of ancient civilizations
C. All material evidence recovered from archaeological investigations
D. Radiocarbon dating results

C. All material evidence recovered from archaeological investigations

29. What type of object is an artifact?
A. A natural object with no human interaction
B. A plant used for food
C. An object made or modified by humans
D. A soil sample

C. An object made or modified by humans

30. Which group of early humans lived in Eurasia and went extinct around 40,000 years ago?
A. Denisovans
B. Homo habilis
C. Homo erectus
D. Neanderthals

D. Neanderthals

31. The Clovis First hypothesis suggests:
A. The Clovis people were the first to use fire
B. The Clovis culture was the earliest human presence in the Americas
C. Clovis tools were used to domesticate dogs
D. The Clovis culture began in Europe

B. The Clovis culture was the earliest human presence in the Americas

32. What does the field of paleoethnobotany study?
A. Bones of ancient humans
B. Animal migrations
C. Plant use by past human populations
D. Burial practices

C. Plant use by past human populations

33. Which archaeological site in Georgia is famous for early pottery use?
A. Monte Verde
B. Poverty Point
C. Stallings Island
D. Monks Mound

C. Stallings Island

34. What is a platform mound typically used for?
A. Burial of leaders
B. Ceremonial geoglyph creation
C. Foundation for buildings or temples
D. Observation of celestial bodies

C. Foundation for buildings or temples

35. What distinguishes an ecofact from an artifact?
A. It is made from metal
B. It is a naturally occurring material with archaeological significance
C. It is always portable
D. It is only found underwater

B. It is a naturally occurring material with archaeological significance

36. Which site is associated with hominin footprints preserved in volcanic ash?
A. Laetoli
B. Çatalhöyük
C. Ur
D. Monte Verde

A. Laetoli

37. Zooarchaeology primarily involves the study of:
A. Ancient seeds and grains
B. Human skeletal remains
C. Ancient animal remains
D. Prehistoric art

C. Ancient animal remains

38. Which large Neolithic site is known for dense occupation and wall paintings?
A. Snaketown
B. Chaco Canyon
C. Çatalhöyük
D. Cahokia

C. Çatalhöyük

39. The Chaco Phenomenon is associated with:
A. Large ceremonial centers in Mesoamerica
B. A network of Great Houses and roads in the American Southwest
C. Early agricultural sites in the Eastern U.S.
D. Mesopotamian ziggurats

B. A network of Great Houses and roads in the American Southwest

40. What is the term for a system that organizes time and dates events?
A. Provenience
B. Calendar
C. Context
D. Timeline

B. Calendar

41. The Mississippian culture is known for:
A. Early stone tool use
B. Complex mound-building societies in the Southeastern U.S.
C. Geoglyph creation in South America
D. Early horse domestication

B. Complex mound-building societies in the Southeastern U.S

42. The city of Teotihuacan is famous for:
A. Obsidian blade workshops
B. Hanging gardens
C. Giant cliff dwellings
D. Underground tombs only

A. Obsidian blade workshops

43. Which of the following best defines context in archaeology?
A. A museum setting
B. The physical surroundings and associations of an artifact
C. The country where an artifact is stored
D. A written interpretation of a site

B. The physical surroundings and associations of an artifact

44. Which ancient culture in Peru built Huaca de la Luna?
A. Chavin
B. Inca
C. Nazca
D. Moche

D. Moche

45. Obsidian was used by ancient cultures for:
A. Decorative painting
B. Construction of homes
C. Making sharp tools and weapons
D. Fuel

C. Making sharp tools and weapons

46. What does garbology study?
A. Pottery designs
B. Modern trash and refuse
C. Underwater shipwrecks
D. Sacred texts

B. Modern trash and refuse

47. Dendrochronology is used for:
A. Interpreting religious symbolism
B. Mapping trade routes
C. Dating wood through growth rings
D. Measuring pollen density

C. Dating wood through growth rings

48. The Staff God is a deity most associated with:
A. The Natufians
B. Mesopotamian ziggurats
C. Andean cultures
D. Mayan creation myths

C. Andean cultures

49. The Templo Mayor was part of which ancient city?
A. Cahokia
B. Tenochtitlan
C. Ur
D. Monte Albán

B. Tenochtitlan

50. Which term refers to the proposed geological epoch shaped by human impact?
A. Anthropocene
B. Holocene
C. Pleistocene
D. Neolithic

A. Anthropocene

51. What is the exact location where an artifact is found called?
A. Context
B. Association
C. Provenience
D. Feature

C. Provenience

52. What term describes a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place?
A. Artifact record
B. Archaeological context
C. Archaeological culture
D. Cultural layer

C. Archaeological culture

53. Which early American site is located in Chile and provides pre-Clovis evidence of human settlement?
A. Laetoli
B. Monte Verde
C. Poverty Point
D. Snaketown

B. Monte Verde

54. What kind of archaeological remain is a hearth or wall that cannot be moved?
A. Artifact
B. Ecofact
C. Feature
D. Midden

C. Feature

55. What term is used for the transition from hunting and gathering to farming and permanent settlements?
A. Neolithic Revolution
B. Archaic Shift
C. Urbanization
D. Agricultural Age

A. Neolithic Revolution

56. Which Native American culture is known for building irrigation systems in the Southwest U.S.?
A. Mississippian
B. Hopewell
C. Hohokam
D. Natufians

C. Hohokam

57. Which early hominin species lived in Africa between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago?
A. Homo erectus
B. Homo habilis
C. Australopithecus afarensis
D. Neanderthals

C. Australopithecus afarensis

58. What does NAGPRA protect?
A. Historic battlefields
B. European artifacts
C. Native American graves and cultural items
D. Endangered archaeological sites

C. Native American graves and cultural items

59. Which Native American site in Louisiana is known for its massive earthworks?
A. Poverty Point
B. Cahokia
C. Monks Mound
D. Hopewell

A. Poverty Point

60. The Younger-Dryas period was marked by:
A. An increase in agriculture
B. A sudden and temporary return to glacial conditions
C. The collapse of Mesopotamian states
D. The invention of writing

B. A sudden and temporary return to glacial conditions

61. What is context in archaeology?
A. The weight of an object
B. The date of discovery
C. The artifact's surroundings and relationships
D. The cleaning process

C. The artifact's surroundings and relationships

62. What is the ancestor of modern maize?
A. Amaranth
B. Teosinte
C. Millet
D. Sorghum

B. Teosinte

63. Which Native American culture was centered in the Ohio River valley and is known for elaborate earthworks?
A. Hopewell
B. Hohokam
C. Natufian
D. Inca

A. Hopewell

64. What is the term for organic materials that are archaeologically significant, like seeds or bones?
A. Ecofact
B. Artifact
C. Midden
D. Provenience

A. Ecofact

65. What is the Chavin Cult known for?
A. Inventing pottery
B. Geoglyph creation
C. Developing complex civilization through agriculture
D. Building floating cities

C. Developing complex civilization through agriculture

66. What are the large, multi-storied buildings found in Chaco Canyon called?
A. Platform mounds
B. Kivas
C. Great Houses
D. Megastructures

C. Great Houses

67. Which monumental structure is located in England and consists of large standing stones?
A. Çatalhöyük
B. Stonehenge
C. Monks Mound
D. Templo Mayor

B. Stonehenge

68. What is association in an archaeological context?
A. The agency funding the dig
B. The personal connection of an artifact to its owner
C. The relationship between artifacts and other materials found nearby
D. The grouping of fossils by age

C. The relationship between artifacts and other materials found nearby

69. Which site is the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico?
A. Cahokia
B. Snaketown
C. Tenochtitlan
D. Monte Verde

A. Cahokia

70. What is the “Presentation Theme” associated with?
A. Inca military ceremonies
B. Moche ritual iconography
C. Hopewell burial customs
D. Nazca religious texts

B. Moche ritual iconography

71. What is the archaeological significance of Sipan?
A. Location of the first maize cultivation
B. Home of the first irrigation systems
C. Discovery of royal Moche tombs
D. Site of Neanderthal remains

C. Discovery of royal Moche tombs

72. Which type of mound served as a base for temples or structures?
A. Burial mound
B. Effigy mound
C. Platform mound
D. Trash mound

C. Platform mound

73. What ancient city in Mesopotamia is known for its ziggurat and royal tombs?
A. Ur
B. Babylon
C. Teotihuacan
D. Nineveh

A. Ur

74. What does the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex represent?
A. A trade alliance
B. A religious network and shared ideology in the Eastern Woodlands
C. A pottery tradition
D. An architectural style

B. A religious network and shared ideology in the Eastern Woodlands

75. What is a midden?
A. A ceremonial platform
B. A farming tool
C. A heap of domestic waste from human settlement
D. A type of obsidian

C. A heap of domestic waste from human settlement