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Quiz for Analyzing Historical Evidence: Daily Life in Chaco Canyon

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Analyzing Historical Evidence: Artifacts of Daily Life in Chaco Canyon

Choose the best answer to each question.

Question

1. The aerial view of Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, reveals the foundation of a large structure that once contained more than 600 rooms and 35 kivas centered on two large plazas. What does this image suggest about the social organization of the people who lived in this pueblo?

The nuclear family was the most important unit of Chaco society.

Chaco Canyon society valued men more highly than women.

Community life was at the center of Chaco Canyon society.

The Chaco Canyon society was organized around a rigid hierarchy.

Correct. The answer is C. The image of the pueblo, with its small spaces for families and much larger communal spaces, suggests that the Chaco society was organized in a communal way, and that the group placed a high value on the collective.

Incorrect. The correct answer is C. The image of the pueblo, with its small spaces for families and much larger communal spaces, suggests that the Chaco society was organized in a communal way and that the group placed a high value on the collective.

Question

2. Chacoans made daily use of a variety of manufactured objects, including the sandal, digging stick, ladle, mano and metate, and fire-starter kit shown here. What does the collection of objects pictured here suggest about the way the Chaco people organized the production of such goods?

Men produced goods made of stone while women produced goods made of plants.

Chaco products were manufactured by individuals who specialized in their craft.

Tool production was more important to the Chaco people than food production.

Each family unit devoted itself to the production of a variety of tools and objects.

Correct. The answer is B. The variety of objects and tools shown here suggest that the Chaco people relied on specialists to produce particular types of objects. The specialized skills needed to weave sandals or sculpt and paint ladles, for example, suggest that certain individuals focused on producing one type of tool.

Incorrect. The correct answer is B. The variety of objects and tools shown here suggest that the Chaco people relied on specialists to produce particular types of objects. The specialized skills needed to weave sandals or sculpt and paint ladles, for example, suggest that certain individuals focused on producing one type of tool.

Question

3. The Chaco people lived in a hot and dry climate at the intersection of present-day Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. What do the objects shown here suggest about how they took advantage of the region’s harsh environment to maximize food production?

They relied solely on foraging among the region’s sparse vegetation.

They depended on hunting for their primary food sources.

They survived by devoting nearly all of their time to the production of food.

They relied on hunting, gathering, and agriculture to feed themselves.

Correct. The answer is D. The variety of objects shown here—particularly the digging stick and mano and metate—suggest that the Chaco people relied on hunting, gathering, and agriculture to feed themselves. The digging stick and mano and metate point to the importance of the cultivation and production of corn. The digging stick’s use of an animal horn also indicates that the group practiced hunting.

Incorrect. The correct answer is D. The variety of objects shown here—particularly the digging stick and mano and metate—suggest that the Chaco people relied on hunting, gathering, and agriculture to feed themselves. The digging stick and mano and metate point to the importance of the cultivation and production of corn. The digging stick’s use of an animal horn also indicates that the group practiced hunting.

Question

4. The objects shown in this feature reveal many details about the utilitarian aspects of Chaco life. What do they suggest about the Chaco people’s ability to spend time on loftier concerns, such as religion and art?

The Chaco had time to pursue artistic and religious interests in addition to food production.

Chaco people needed to devote themselves exclusively to the production of food and tools.

Art and craftsmanship were a high priority for the Chaco people, but they were not religious.

Religion played a central role in Chaco life, but they did not engage in artistic pursuits.

Correct. The answer is A. The sum total of the objects shown here suggests that the Chaco people had time to pursue artistic and religious interests in addition to food production. The kivas in Pueblo Bonito were used for ceremonial rituals. The high quality and beauty of both the ladle and the sandal reveal the importance of art and craftsmanship for the group.

Incorrect. The correct answer is A. The sum total of the objects shown here suggests that the Chaco people had time to pursue artistic and religious interests in addition to food production. The kivas in Pueblo Bonito were used for ceremonial rituals. The high quality and beauty of both the ladle and the sandal reveal the importance of art and craftsmanship for the group.

Question

5. The objects presented here tell historians a great deal about the daily lives of Chaco people. What can historians NOT learn about from a collection of artifacts like these?

How the Chaco people organized work

Which other Native American groups they encountered

The degree to which they engaged in warfare with other cultures

The relationship of their language to that of other Native Americans

Correct. The answer is D. Physical objects like these and other artifacts that historians and archeologists use to understand Native American societies do not reveal anything about their language or its relationship to that of other Native American groups. To learn about language, historians would need evidence that made use of writing, which Native Americans did not.

Incorrect. The correct answer is D. Physical objects like these and other artifacts that historians and archeologists use to understand Native American societies do not reveal anything about their language or its relationship to that of other Native American groups. To learn about language, historians would need evidence that made use of writing, which Native Americans did not.

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