Warning - Quiz Not Yet Completed - Aztec Empire
Test your knowledge of the Aztec Empire with this quiz by Danny!
- 1.
Which two civilizations combined cultures to create the Aztecs?
- A.
Toltec
- B.
Zapotec
- C.
Chichimec
- D.
Maya
Correct Answer(s)
A. Toltec
C. ChichimecExplanation
The early Aztec civilization formed from the combined cultures of the Toltec and Chichimec. Only under the rule of the later empire did the civilization reach its height.Rate this question:
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- 2.
What language did the Aztecs speak?
- A.
Tenochca
- B.
Atzl�n
- C.
Nahuatl
Correct Answer
C. NahuatlExplanation
Tenochca (tay nowsh ka) was, along with Mexica (meh shee ka), the name by which the Aztecs identified themselves. Atzl�n is the mythical homeland of the Mexica, from which we derive the name Aztec. Nahuatl, the native language of the Aztecs, is still spoken today by more than 1 million Mexicans!Rate this question:
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- 3.
The founders of the Aztec civilization believed in a legend stating that they should establish a great civilization in a marshy area where there was a cactus growing out of a rock with an eagle perched on top of the cactus.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
A. TrueExplanation
Mexica priests claimed to have seen such a sight, and so was founded the Aztec civilization.Rate this question:
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- 4.
The Aztecs were monotheistic (having one god).
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
B. FalseExplanation
The Aztecs worshipped many gods, each representing a natural force. Huitzilopochtli (hweet zil o pocht lee), the sun/war god, was the chief deity.Rate this question:
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- 5.
Where did the Aztecs perform their human sacrifices?
- A.
On an altar at the top of a giant stone pyramid.
- B.
At the top of a mountain, where the victim would freeze to death (many such sacrifices are found perfectly preserved by modern hikers).
- C.
On a wooden boat, torched and set adrift. The victim would be chained to the hull to prevent jumping overboard.
Correct Answer
A. On an altar at the top of a giant stone pyramid.Explanation
The victim would be sacrificed on a flat stone altar, much like a table, at the top of a pyramid. Here, a priest plunged a sacrificial knife (usually made of obsidian) into the victim's chest cavity, pulled out the still-beating heart, and flung it into a sacred fire. The dead, heartless victim was then rolled down the stairs of the pyramid, spurting blood all the way down.Rate this question:
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- 6.
Human sacrifice was a scheduled activity.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
A. TrueExplanation
The Aztecs scheduled their sacrifices according to the stars in order to please certain gods at certain times.Rate this question:
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- 7.
The Aztecs usually sacrificed children to the gods, except when asking for an especially large favor, when a warrior was killed instead.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
B. FalseExplanation
Sacrificial victims were usually prisoners of war. Sometimes, Aztec warriors would volunteer for more important rituals. Also, the rain god, Tlaloc, supposedly preferred child sacrifices.Rate this question:
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- 8.
The Aztec capital, Tenochtitl�n, was called the "______ of the New World" by Spanish conquistadores.
- A.
Madrid
- B.
Venice
- C.
China
Correct Answer
B. VeniceExplanation
Spanish conquistadores referred to Tenochtitl�n as the "Venice of the New World," for its many canals. According to modern estimates, the capital city contained a population of about 200,000 people at its height, making it one of the most populous cities of the ancient world.Rate this question:
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- 9.
What was the basis of the Aztec economy?
- A.
Warfare
- B.
Trade
- C.
Agriculture
Correct Answer
C. AgricultureExplanation
The Aztecs grew their crops on artificial islands called chinampas. These nutrient-rich islands took only a few days to construct, and yielded multiple crops per year. This sort of intensive farming enabled agriculture to become the basis of the Aztec economy.Rate this question:
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- 10.
The Aztecs frequently employed the wheel and draft animals when constructing their grand structures and when transporting goods.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
B. FalseExplanation
The Aztecs lacked both draft animals and the wheel, meaning that all goods were transported by canoe or on the backs of porters. All of the empire's grand building projects had to be completed with simple hand tools, entirely without the use of wheels or pulleys. Despite this, the Aztecs were expert craftspeople, as their fine sculptures and buildings can certainly attest to.Rate this question:
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- 11.
How many calendars did the Aztecs use?
- A.
Two
- B.
Three
- C.
Four
Correct Answer
A. TwoExplanation
A 260-day religious calendar told priests which days were lucky for activities such as war and baptism. The second calendar, a solar calendar of 365 days, was used to determine the dates of the ceremonies to honor the gods. The meshing of the two calendars created a 52-year cycle.Rate this question:
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- 12.
The meshing of the Aztec calendars created a __-year cycle, at the end of which the Aztecs would let their hearth fires go out. To begin the new cycle, a "New Fire Ceremony" was held.
- A.
12
- B.
33
- C.
52
Correct Answer
C. 52Explanation
The meshing of the religious and solar calendars created a 52-year cycle.Rate this question:
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- 13.
How did the Aztecs begin the next calendar cycle?
- A.
A mass sacrifice was held of up to 1,000 war captives and hundreds of Aztec infants. The people rekindled their hearths and began a public bloodletting ceremony, in which the participants drank each other's blood to signify the beginning of a new life.
- B.
Priests lit a sacred fire in the chest cavity of a sacrificial victim. The people rekindled their hearths and began feasting.
- C.
The people observed a four-day period of fasting, during which they could eat absolutely no food. Violence plagued the Aztec cities as hallucinating people walked the streets, oftentimes murdering one another and eating the flesh for their intense hunger.
Correct Answer
B. Priests lit a sacred fire in the chest cavity of a sacrificial victim. The people rekindled their hearths and began feasting.Explanation
Choices A and C were completely made-up. The Aztecs began the next 52-year cycle with priests lighting a sacred fire in the chest cavity of a sacrificial victim. The people then rekindled their hearth fires and feasted.Rate this question:
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- 14.
What best describes the Aztec writing system?
- A.
Pictographs (small pictures symbolizing objects or the sounds of syllables)
- B.
Letters
- C.
Logograms (symbols which represent entire words or morphemes)
Correct Answer
A. Pictographs (small pictures symbolizing objects or the sounds of syllables)Explanation
Pictographs were the Aztec civilization's way of writing. The Aztecs also used pictographs in their counting system.Rate this question:
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- 15.
The Aztecs were faced with inevitable doom in 1519, when the Spanish explorer/conquistador ______ ______ and more than 500 Spaniards landed on the shores of eastern Mexico, searching for land and gold.
- A.
Francisco Pizarro
- B.
Juan Ponce de Le�n
- C.
Hern�n Cort�s
Correct Answer
C. Hern�n Cort�sExplanation
Juan Ponce de Le�n was the first governor of Puerto Rico, and the first European known to have set foot on what is now the continental United States. Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca empire, and was second cousin to Hern�n Cort�s, the correct answer and the conqueror of the Aztec empire.Rate this question:
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- 16.
When did the last Aztec emperor surrender to the Spaniards?
- A.
February 1520
- B.
August 1521
- C.
July 1523
Correct Answer
B. August 1521Explanation
The last Aztec emperor, Cuauht�moc (kwah hau tay moc), surrendered to Cort�s in August 1521. On a 1525 expedition to Honduras, Cort�s tortured and hanged the former emperor.Rate this question:
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- 17.
What Spanish-brought disease decimated the Aztec population by about one-third?
- A.
Yellow Fever
- B.
Smallpox
- C.
Influenza
Correct Answer
B. SmallpoxExplanation
European explorers unwittingly spread smallpox to several civilizations on the American continents, effectively eliminating entire populations by disease alone. The same was the case with the Aztec empire, in which one infected Spanish soldier spread the disease across the entire population.Rate this question:
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- 18.
What modern-day city did the Spaniards build on the ruins of Tenochtitl�n?
- A.
Mexico City
- B.
Veracuz
- C.
Cancun
Correct Answer
A. Mexico CityExplanation
The Spaniards built Mexico City on the ruins of the old Aztec capital. They built the cathedral on top of the ruins of an Aztec temple. Mexico's president lives in a palace built over that of the Aztec emperor Montezuma. Many of the old Spanish buildings in Mexico City were built from the stones of Aztec structures.Rate this question:
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Current Version
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Mar 21, 2022Quiz Edited by
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Jan 16, 2007Quiz Created by
Bean14
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