Sei sulla pagina 1di 7

APUSH

Mr. Kaiser
Reading Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1 The World Before 1492


Introduction
1. Make a comparison between the Native American stories (in the introduction) and
your understanding of western civilization. (Explain a similarity or difference)
In western civilization they believed in one god which is known as monotheism, and
in the Native American stories they include multiple gods in which they believe in
which is known as polytheism.
2. Describe a piece of information that was familiar to you in regards to migration to
the Americas. Describe a revelation you experienced about the earliest Americans
from the introduction.
I was familiar that humans came into the Americas by tracking land animals.
Although what I didnt know was that there was such a thing called the Bering land
bridge which allowed them to come into the Americas by tracking mammoths.
Section 1.1 The Peopling of North America
The Land Bridge, Clovis Culture, and Recent Discoveries
3. How did archaeological discoveries in Texas change our understanding of the
earliest Native Americans?
It let scientists know that at the beginning of the time the people where new
inhabitants (clovis) they continued to slowly adapt to the new habitat, and they
knew that due to the spears that they had found in Texas that where about 15,000
years old and where also found in other parts of America as well.
4. Explain the message the author might be trying to convey by pointing out that no
Clovis like spear points have ever been found in Siberia.
The author is trying to convey that the Clovis people had adapted to the new niche
they where inhabiting at the time which is why they did not find similar spears in
Siberia which is a completely different niche, but yet they where able to find 15,000
year old spears that where found in Siberia which did indeed lead them to believe
that the Clovis people did more than likely come from Siberia but due to the
different environments and long period of time living in the new world they adapted
and created their own cultures.

American Voices, The Natchez Tradition, ca. 800


5. From the information provided (clues) can you identify the possible ancients of
the country?
Given the information provided in the section you can identify the possible ancients
of the country because it lets us know that the inhabitants where war like, they built
pyramids and was around 800 ac. Due to the time frame you can conclude that the
ancients where probably the Mayans.

Changing Climate and CulturesAnasazi and Cahokia


6. Describe the climactic impact on the Anasazis history.
The climate had a very big impact on the Anasazis survival because since they
where located in New Mexico the temperatures would rise since the suns rays
would hit it and would heat the the surface of the Earth which would eventually lead
to a drought that caused the Anasazis leaving their communities in the 1100s.
Since they moved and began their agricultural practices again in Mesa Verde
Colorado they where once again hit with an unfortunate drought in 1300 t which
caused them to disperse again into different tribes.
7. What similarities can be seen in the settlements of the Anasazi, the Mound
Builders, and those more familiar to you like the Aztecs or Incas?
One similarities between the Anasazi and Mound Builders is that they both had an
intricate agricultural system. Their life revolved in growing crops to maintain
produce since hunting was very practiced do to not many animals in the area. The
second similarity is that both settlements where somewhat useful when it came to
enemy attacks. For instance, the Anasazi settlements where found on the side of
the canyon wall in Chaco Canyon and for the Mound Builders they had strong
wooden walls which would help keep unwanted guests out of the settlement.
Section 1.2 The Diverse Communities of the Americans in the 1400s
8. What is interesting about the footnote on identity that helps us to understand the
diversity that existed in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans.
What I found interesting in the footnote is that Native American tribes prefer
different names. For example, tribes that where in the US are called Native
Americans while Tribes in Mexico prefer the term indigenous.
9. What common cultural characteristic among Native American groups helps us
understand the future conflicts between Native groups and Europeans?

We understand that even before the Europeans had set foot onto the Americas the
Native Americans had their own conflicts with each other. They where constantly at
war with each other when their paths met. Which can lead us to understand that
they would want as much people to help them defeat other enemy tribes.
10. Compare the population figures of the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
We know that at the time Asia was possibly the most populated Continent at the
time. It had a population of about 200 million. Next in line you had Europes
population which was about up to possibly 70 million, the thins is that the Americas
had an estimated amount of 100 million which was possibly as largeor slightly
larger than the population in both Africa and Europe.
The Pueblo People of the Southwest
11. How did the Pueblo and Hopi manipulate their environment?
The Pueblo Hopi people manipulated their environment by digging canals and dams
that would allow water to flourish in the dry climate that they inhabited which
allowed for irrigation of enough crops to to be grown.
The Tribes of the Mississippi Valley
12. Describe two similarities among tribes that spread out over the eastern United
States after the decline of Cahokia.
After the decline among the tribes that spread out over the eastern United states is
that their settle ments where much reduced and only about 500 and 2,000 people
where part of the tribes. The second similarity between all of the tribes is that due
to the climate it became harder to grow crops and even more dangerous to hunt do
to enemy tribes.
The Pacific CoastFrom Shasta to the California Indians
13. Despite their large numbers what difference was noted between the Pacific
Coast tribes and those of similar size south of the Rio Grande?
One difference that was noted is that both tribes, because of their geographical
location did not have to worry about cultivating crops because there was a diversity
of resources to their advantage in the location there-fore their economy consisted of
fishing, gathering wild plants and hunting.
The Iroquois Confederacy and the Tribes of the Atlantic Coast
14. Describe two characteristics noted about the Iroquois that were not common
among the tribes already mentioned.

One characteristic that was not heard of by the other tribes is that the Iroquois
where mainly ruled by women who chose the male leaders which would choose the
Sachems which would lead in war and where accountable to clans. The second
characteristic is that the Iroquois had a peacemaker called Dekanawida which would
convince enemy tribes to live in peace with them under a law called Great Law of
Peace.
The Aztec, Mayan, and Inca Empires
15. Compare the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas. Identify at least one similarity and one
difference.
One similarity is between the Aztecs, Mayas, and the Incas is that all three practiced
human sacrifice for the cause of their religion. One difference is that the Mayas
where the oldest Indians at the time, they existed before the Aztecs and the Incas,
and where the only culture to develop a written language and mathematics at the
time and Calendar which would tell them about the future.
American Indian Cultures, Trade, and Initial Encounters with Europeans
16. Explain the general understanding of historians that explains why there was no
unified Native resistance to Europeans.
There was not any unified resistance toward the Europeans because the Native
Americans did not see them as a threat. They thought that the Europeans where
more of an ally which they could use to fight against other enemy Native American
tribes.

Section 1.3 A Changing Europe in the 1400s


17. According to the reading where did the Norse settlements that preceded the
first Spanish settlements exist?
The Norse where from Denmark and Norway, and eventually settled in Iceland in
the late 800s. Later in 980 they expanded to Greenland and in 1001 they created
Vineland which historians say was located in Newfoundland or even Maine.
18. What were the two biggest influences on European culture and way of life that
explain the European world of the 1400s?
One of the biggest influences on the European culture would be the Black Death
which is a bubonic plague that hit Europe in which killed almost half of the
population then that had arrived in 1348 which was carried by rats that where from
the trading going on in the Black Sea. Thus caused them to have to recover which

would take years to do since it left devastating issues such as fields and homes that
where abandoned. The second biggest influence was the Catholic Christian church
in which the people had to abide by. The church for them was both their
government and religion.
The Ottoman Empire Changes Eastern Europe
19. Support this statement, The Ottomans were responsible for the age of
discovery.
The Ottomans were responsible for the age of discovery because when they arrived
and conquered Constantinople in 1453 they prohibited trade across the
Mediterranean which caused people to think of ways in which they would be able to
trade with other countries and not get into any trouble with the Ottomans. Thus the
people crossed the oceans looking for new routes to trade with Asia.
The Rise of Portuguese Exploration
20. What was ironic about Prince Henrys title as The Navigator?
What was ironic about Prince Henrys title as The Navigator is that he only
commanded a Portuguese fleet but for the majority of his life he stayed in his castle.
What he did do was organized a series of expeditions in 1424 which he did not
travel on to sail down to Africa.

England and France


21. What handicapped the efforts of England and France to establish themselves as
explorers in the 1400s? How were the other parts of Europe handi-capped.
In the years 1337-1453 England and France where in the Hundred Years War which
caused much destruction. Later France had a civil war that lasted till 1477. In
England there was also a civil war that was occurring called the War of the Roses.
The wars and plague that had come there way left them with very little to non
resourced which is why they could not continue their exploration across the oceans.
Parts of Europe where handi-capped because the Holy Roman Empire was a loose
confederation divided into smaller entities.
22. Explain the series of events that led to Spains efforts at exploration.
Spain unified in the late 1400s the unification was called the Reconquista, and with
Spain becoming a stronger country even though it was divided it brought a beautiful
culture and architecture and did allow and where open to more possibilities such as
allowing Jews to live in peace and other people as well. Until 1469 when Isabella de
Castile married Ferdinand of Argon and continued to finish Spainss conquest. In
January of 1492 in they defeated the Muslim Granada and later that year expelled

all Jews from Spain for uniformity and hired Columbus to try to find a new route to
Asia that would different from the African and Portugal routes.

Section 1.4 Africa in the 1400s


Ancient Ties Between Africa and Europe
23. Identify one tie between Africa and Europe.
One tie between Africa and Europe was trade. For many years Africa and Europe
would trade materials even when Arab armies took over Northern Africa and Islam
replaces Christianity in the process.
The Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay
24. What do you believe was the authors purpose in describing the power and
riches of the African kingdoms?
I believe the Authors purpose for describing Africans riches and kingdoms is to let
us know that thats why Arabs and Europeans where interested in travelling and
trading with Africans, since they had slaves, iron, silk and gold to sell.
Kongo, Benin, and Central Africa
25. What was the key component of West African kingdoms that allowed them to
resist Portuguese attempts at conquest?
What allowed them to resist Portuguese attempts for conquest is that Africa had a
centralized government and they had a great amount of wealth which came from
their powerful military.
Slavery in Africa
26. What misconception is prevalent when we use the term African to describe
people from Africa. (would they identify the same way?)
It is not a good identifying name, because all of the tribes where different. They
where all a specific tribe in their own right and that had their own identity such as
the Ashanti, Yoruba and Kru.
Section 1.5 Asia in the 1400s
27. How did Chinas foreign policy near the end of the 1400s hamper their
contribution to the age of discovery?
Between the years of 1402 and 1424 Chinas Emperor Zhu Di sent out Chinese ships
to sail to south and east Africa and India to bring back goods that destroyed much

of the resources they had since building ships that would constantly be lost or
wrecked took up too much wood which cleared a lot of land. Thus, in 1424 the New
Emperor Zhu Gaozhi hindered the voyages to focus on their culture and to grow and
prosper from what they had. Consequently, thats why they where not part of the
age of discovery.

Potrebbero piacerti anche