Assignment Twenty - Solutions

File name: 8ss20

Marks: /60 marks

Section A: Multiple choice - ______/25 marks
Section B: Definitions - ______/10 marks
Section C: Short Answer - ______/15 marks
Section D: Paragraph Response - ____10 marks
ASSIGNMENT TOTAL: ______/60 marks

Section A - Multiple Choice (25 marks)

Read each of the following questions below and then choose the best answer by highlighting your choice. Each question is worth one mark.

1.  Which Aztec leader was known as The Great Speaker?

·  Calipolli

·  Moctezuma (pages 170 and 171)

·  Huitzilopochtli

·  Tenochtitlan

2.  Which of the following displays the correct Aztec hierarchy from lowest to highest status?

·  Emperor – nobility/priests – merchants/artisans/soldiers – farmers/fishers/women - slaves

·  slaves – farmers/fishers/women – merchants/artisans/soldiers – nobility/priests – Emperor (page 172)

·  nobility/priests – Emperor – merchants/artisans/soldiers – slaves – farmers/fishers/women

·  slaves – merchants/artisans/soldiers – farmers/fishers/women – nobility/priests - Emperor

3.  What were the chinampas that were important to Aztec agriculture?

·  They were extended floating islands that were plots of farmland for crops. (page 154)

·  They were Aztec migrant workers who farmed the lands throughout the regions.

·  They were newly invented farm machinery that increased crop production.

·  They were aqueducts made from mud and reed mats that purified waters.

4.  What two closely connected worlds did the Aztecs believe made up human landscapes?

·  religious and spiritual worlds

·  agricultural and technological worlds

·  European and North American worlds

·  physical and sacred worlds (page 152)

5.  What present-day Mexican city is built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan?

·  Cancun

·  Mexico City (page 157)

·  Acapulco

·  Baja

6.  What are the two existing worlds, according to the Aztec beliefs and values system?

·  The physical world and the sacred world (page 158)

·  The holy world and the people world

·  The land masses and the oceans of the world

·  The religious world and the world of the gods

7.  Which of the following statements is true about the Aztec people’s beliefs about their gods?

·  All the Aztec gods ruled only the sacred landscape of the Aztec culture.

·  All the Aztec gods ruled everything except a person’s individual decisions.

·  All the Aztec gods influenced every aspect of their world. (page 158)

·  All the Aztec gods were equal and had similar strong powers.

8.  Which of the following is the best example of a tribute?

·  “We have conquered you, so now we control every aspect of your government and your economy.”

·  “We have conquered you, so now we control the aqueducts that supply you with clean water.

·  “We have conquered you, so now we demand that you pay us 200 pieces of gold before every lunar moon.” (page 168)

·  “We have conquered you, so now we demand that you send all your children to Aztec schools.

9.  Why were the codices so important in Aztec culture?

·  They were dedicated to the idols that the Aztec people worshipped.

·  They provided the people with a constant supply of clean water.

·  They helped the people adjust to living in Tenochtitlan.

·  They were primary sources for understanding the Aztec society. (page 160)

10. Aztec society was focused on producing citizens who would

·  be the fiercest warriors against possible enemies in battle

·  contribute all they could for the improvement of the community

·  promote a healthy lifestyle by working together

·  attempt to have a ‘stone heart and a stronger face’

11. Which of the following statements about Aztec slavery is false?

·  Aztecs thought slavery was simply a matter of bad luck that could be changed.

·  Aztecs looked down upon slaves because their miserable situation was permanent.

·  Aztec slaves provided the majority of the necessary labour for work to get done.

·  Children born to Aztec slaves were not considered slaves – they were born free.

12. What were the five virtues of the ideal Aztec citizen?

·  Ruthlessness, cleanliness, selfishness, worldliness, and intelligence

·  Bravery, generosity, leadership, kindness, responsibility, and modesty

·  Courage, self-sacrifice, modesty, clean-living, and obedience

·  Intelligence, accountability, honesty, grace, and attractiveness

13. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, almost everyone in Spain, as in the rest of Europe, was ______.

·  Muslim

·  Buddhist

·  Christian (page 196)

·  Jewish

14. During the Renaissance, Spain was interested in becoming the richest and most powerful nation in the world. Some say that Spain wholeheartedly pursued the ‘three G’s.’ What were the three G’s?

·  God, Glory, and Geography

·  Glory, Gold, and Gratitude

·  Gold, Greatness, and Glory

·  Gold, God, and Glory

15. Which of these factors was the best motivation for Spain’s drive to explore the American continents?

·  desire for international recognition

·  desire for loyalty to its monarchs

·  desire for religious conversions

·  desire for trade and income (page 208)

16. Which of the following is the best example of a primary source?

·  A Spanish historian’s 300-page book written about El Cid and his glory

·  A bumper sticker that encourages people to know about their nation’s history

·  The museum exhibit where Columbus’ personal daily diary entries are displayed (page 208 and previous knowledge)

·  A traditional Spanish bedtime story that is told from generation to generation

17. Moctezuma spent a restless night trying to decide what to do about the strangers who had arrived in the tall ships. What was Moctezuma’s decision?

·  He ordered that all Aztecs throughout the territory prepare themselves for battle.

·  He ordered his scouts to continue watching the strangers carefully from afar.

·  He allowed his council of advisors to vote on the issue because he was undecided.

·  He sent a welcoming party with valuable gifts to meet and greet the strangers. (page 215)

18. Which young conquistador was responsible for the invasion of the Aztecs?

·  Julio Juanes

·  Christopher Columbus

·  Hernan Cortes (page 216)

·  Carlos Velazquez

19. When you show a relationship between something that happens and the result of what happens, you are discussing a ______relationship.

·  cause and effect (page 220)

·  reason and impact

·  hypothesis and result

·  beginning and ending

20. Which of the following statements about Spanish and Aztec weapons is true?

·  Both the Spanish and the Aztecs used skilled horsemen in their armies.

·  The Spanish used the war clubs while the Aztecs used steel swords.

·  The Aztecs used the war clubs while the Spanish used steel swords. (page 223)

·  Both the Spanish and the Aztecs used the dreaded atlatl skilfully.

21.  To get his soldiers to think of long-term goals rather than short-term goals after the Aztecs had been defeated, Cortes

·  promised them gold and riches although all the treasure had been sent to Spain

·  gave them land grants and required them to marry

·  convinced them to start building a new city near the site of Technoctitlan

·  told them it was their religious duty to stay and help establish the colony of New Spain

22.  Which of the following statements about the encomienda system is true?

·  King Carlos approved of the system because it would make Spain richer.

·  King Carlos agreed with the system but worried that the Spanish conquistadors would not be satisfied with it.

·  Disapproved of the system on the moral grounds that it was abusive to the indigenous peoples.

·  Disapproved of the system because he did not want Cortes to get credit for the idea.

23.  Why did King Carlos appoint a viceroy to New Spain?

·  He did not trust Cortes to run the colony.

·  He needed a royal representative in Mexico to look after the interests of the crown.

·  He was concerned that Cortes would declare himself king of the colony and separate from Spain.

·  All of the above are true.

24.  The population of modern Mexico is composed mostly of

·  peasants

·  Mestizos

·  Creoles

·  Spaniards

25.  A good way to observe the fusion of Aztec and Spanish cultures in modern Mexico is to

·  Visit the Aztec ruins

·  Study the government system

·  Study the work of the country’s artists and writers

·  Visit Spanish museums in Mexico city

Section B - Terms and Definitions (10 marks)

Using your own words, write definitions for the terms and phrases below in the spaces provided. Each definition is worth one mark. An example has been given to help you begin.

Example:

Aztecs – the civilization created by the Mexica nomadic tribe during the fifteenth century

1. Creoles - descendants of Spanish settlers in Mexico

2. encomienda system - an economic system that Spain imposed in New Spain in which each Spanish settler was given land grants when they arrived in a colony

3. Mestizos - the mixed race people, descendents of Spanish and indigenous peoples, who now form the largest part of Mexico’s population>

4. viceroy - the representative of a government leader, such as a king, living in a foreign area (The viceroy to the King of Spain lived in New Spain.)

5. indigenous peoples - < groups who were the original inhabitants of the land each with its own distinct identity >

6. Frida Kahlo - a skilled Latin American painter who dressed in the style of the indigenous or peasant Mexicans, and whose Self-Portrait was the first painting by a Latin American artist to hang in the Louvre Museum in Paris

7. governor general - the member of the Canadian government who represents the Queen in Canada

8. biodiversity - a vast number of plant species in an ecosystem

9. Don Antonio de Mendoza - the first viceroy of New Spain

10. Diego Rivera - a Mexican painter who preferred to paint subjects from pre-conquest and modern Mexico

Section C – Short Answer (15 marks)

Answer the questions below using complete sentences (Half marks will be deducted for each question that uses incomplete sentences). The value for each question is in parentheses at the end of the questions.

1.  In what ways did the structure of Aztec society change because of contact with the Spanish? (3 marks)

<The Aztec people no longer belonged to a class in their hierarchy, but all became the slaves of the Spanish colonists. The Aztec people lost the ability to practice their own religion, run their own schools, or participate in any form of government. The Aztec concepts of being good citizens and of serving in the military to defend the empire were lost. In the past, the Aztecs were part of the most powerful empire and social hierarchy in the country, but after the conquest they were at the bottom of an empire that took all of their treasure and exploited their skills and abilities for its own gain. >

2.  What impact did the Spanish conquest have on the religion of the Aztec people? (2 marks)

<The Spanish believed that all men should believe in one and the same God and made it their goal to convert everyone to Catholicism. The Aztec people were forced to give up their own gods and religious practices and submit to religious teachings under the Catholic monks sent to Mexico from Spain. >

3.  How did the Aztec economy change as a result of the Spanish conquest? (3 marks)

< The Aztec economy worked as a wheel with all members of society contributing in their way as merchants, artisans, workers, traders, or leaders. They traded with neighbouring peoples to obtain goods they could not produce themselves and invented ways to grow crops efficiently to produce the staples of their diet. They did have slaves, but they allowed their slaves dignity and the chance to obtain freedom when they had paid their debts to society. After the conquest, the working wheel was replaced by a hierarchy with the Spanish Crown and Spanish officials such as the governor and viceroy at the top. Those at the top received the greatest amount of income from treasure and collected taxes. The Spanish conquistadors and colonists filled the middle of the hierarchy. They owned the land and received the profits from it after paying their taxes. The Aztec people all filled the bottom level of the hierarchy doing all the work on the land to produce the goods and support those above and getting only the basic necessities for themselves and their families in return. >

4.  What is the Day of the Dead and why is it an important celebration? (2 marks)

<The Day of the Dead is a celebration held on November 2 after All Souls’ Day on November 1. It is part of the Catholic tradition in modern-day Mexico, but it is important because it reflects Aztec religious beliefs. The Aztecs kept shrines and gave offerings of food and incense to their dead relatives. Although the Aztec religion was replaced by Catholicism during the Spanish conquest, religious traditions such as this have been integrated into the modern religion as a way of preserving a part of the past. >

5.  What led to discontent and eventual separation from Spain in the colony of New Spain? (3 marks)

<Both the Aztec people and the Spanish settlers could see that what was best for the king of Spain was not necessarily best for them. While they worked hard to produce gold, silver, and farm products, their tributes were sent to Spain to help pay for the wars in Europe rather than kept in the colony to build its economy. While Spain became wealthier, New Spain had a serious shortage of good roads, schools, and housing. People in every class of society were unhappy, and their discontent led to warfare and confrontation in the nineteen century. >

6.  Who is Octavio Paz and what is important about him? (2 marks)

<Octavio Paz is the best-known Mexican writer of the 20th century. He believed it was necessary to study the history of Mexico’s indigenous peoples to understand what was going on in the present day in his country. He took much inspiration from Aztec culture and imagery for his poetry. In his essays, he wrote about the way Aztec art and traditions have survived in the present-day Mexican worldview. >