Which of the following was true of the Mesoamerican empires?
A) They had no knowledge of each other.
B) They all expanded through trade and peaceful alliances.
C) They all worshipped the same gods in the same ways.
D) They built upon each other's culture and achievements.
The answer is D) They built upon each other's culture and achievements. (The Mesoamericans built on the achievements of the Olmecs and other predecessors and developed new forms of political organization. As populations grew, new political forms were necessary because a greater number of products were traded in the region and social hierarchies became more complex. Great cities were constructed, serving as centers of political life and as arenas for religious ritual and spiritual experience. These cities were dominated by platforms and pyramids devoted to religious functions but were more impressive architecturally than earlier examples. Powerful elites controlled the cities and the nearby towns and rural peasantry. These elite gained the ability to organize and direct growing numbers of laborers and soldiers; mobilizing labor to construct raised fields, canals, reservoirs, and aqueducts increased productivity while transforming daily life. The city's role as a religious center and commercial power provided both divine approval of and a material basis for the elite's wealth and status. This elite controlled the state bureaucracy, tax collection, and commerce. New religious and artistic interests were also spawned. The power of the religious and political leaders can be measured by the scale and impressive architecture at Teotihuacan or at the Mayan cities. Linguistic developments and even recreation in the form of a game played on ball courts were all direct results of new political institutions. This game was associated with the creation myth and thus had deep religious meaning. There is evidence that some players were sacrificed. There were also negative consequences, such as more widespread warfare.
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The Pilgrim colony of Plymouth Plantation ultimately
A) was absorbed by its neighbor, Massachusetts. B) was abandoned because of hostility from Native Americans. C) became part of Connecticut. D) became one of the original thirteen states in the United States of America.
The Civil War began in
A) ?1859. B) ?1860. C) ?1861. D) ?1862. E) ?1863.
Which of the following is not correct about the pyramids?
A. They were tombs for the pharaohs. B. They were constructed during the Middle Kingdom. C. They were symbols of royal power. D. The most magnificent of the pyramids was constructed about 2500 BCE E. Pyramids were filled with boats, food, weapons, and games.
What was the result of the case of Allan Bakke against UC Davis?
a. The United States Supreme Court decided that affirmative action programs are unconstitutional. b. The California Supreme Court decided that race could be used as one criterion in university admissions. c. In its decision, the U.S. Supreme Court maintained that affirmative action programs were constitutional as long as race was not the only consideration in evaluating university applications. d. The California Supreme Court ruled against Bakke.