Final Project - Test Key

Name: KEY _____/85
Date: _____________________
Period: ______
Unit Test: The Olmec Civilization
Multiple Choice (1 point each)

Directions: Circle the letter in front of the correct choice.
1. What were the famously large heads called that archaeologists found from the Olmecs?
a. Jade Mask
b. Face Boulders
c. Colossal Heads
d. Ancient Sculptures
2. The Olmec Civilization lasted from _______ to _______.
a. 200 CE; 700 CE
b. 1000 BCE; 500 CE
c. 600 BCE; 600CE
d. 1200 BCE; 400 BCE
3. What is maize another name for?
a. Peas
b. Corn
c. Squash
d. Chocolate
4. What was the natural resource the Olemcs had in surplus?
a. Rubber
b. Slit
c. Clay
d. Limestone
5. What country is currently located where the Olmec civilization once thrived?
a. Guatemala
b. El Salvador
c. Honduras
d. Mexico
6. What was the most precious jewel in Olmec society?
a. Jade
b. Gold
c. Silver
d. Diamonds
7. What animal spirit did the Olemcs worship?
a. Tiger
b. Lion
c. Jaguar
d. Cheeta
True/ False (1 point each):

Directions: Circle the correct answer— true or false.
8. True or False: The Olmecs were the last Mesoamerican society.
9. True or False: The Olmecs moved their famously large heads by placing them on logs and
rolling them to river banks.
10. True or False: BCE stands for before the common era.
11. True or False: The Olmecs would bury their sculptures because they thought they were
cursed.
12. True or False: The Olmecs used clay to make the ball used for their religious ballgame.
13. True or False: The term “Olmec” meant Rubber People.
14. True or False: The Olmecs lived in a desert.
15. True or False: The Olmecs did not have a writing system.
16. True or False: The date 900BCE is earlier than 400BCE.
17. True or False: The Olmecs grew and ate a crop that was similar to chocolate.
Short Answer Questions:

Note: If you run out of room, please continue writing on the back of the page.
18. List three crops the Olmecs grew (3 pts.):
1. Maize
2. Squash
3. Beans
19. List three types of gods the Olmecs worshipped (3 pts):
1. Bird Monster
2. Rain
3. Fish/ Shark Monster
20. How did the Olmec civilization affect the civilizations that followed them (3 pts.)?
The Olmecs affected the civilizations that followed them because they were looked at as the “Mother
Culture,” so many of the civilizations that came after them looked to the Olmecs to provide a guide for
their way of life. They also passed down many of the religious beliefs and gods to the civilizations to
come.
21. Explain the ballgame the Olmecs would play. Make sure to include why the game was
played. (5 pts.)
The ballgame was played by two teams. The game would be played until the shadow would set past the
edge of the court. The small rubber ball would be passed back and forth between teammates trying to
score by having the ball go through a small vertical hoop attached to the side of the court. They could not
use their hand or feet to pass the ball; they had to use other parts of their bodies, like the hip. At the end of
the game, the captain of the losing team would take the captain of the winning team to the top of a temple
and sacri ce the winning captain to the gods. After this sacri ce, the losing captain would rip the heart out
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of the winning captain’s chest, take a bite of it, then push the corpse down the stairs of the temple. This
was a classic way of honoring the gods in Olmec culture.
22. Explain one of the two theories of how the Olmec Civilization fell. (3 pts.)
One of the theories is the theory of self-destruction. Because the Olmecs would burry their sculptures as a
sign of respect, historians theorized that maybe they actually buried themselves, as well. They believed
that the after some of the Olmec leaders died, some of the Olmecs would also kill themselves or bury
themselves alongside of the dead leader as a sign of respect. Over time, this would have caused the
downfall of a society.
Map Questions:
23. Circle the area of the world that the Olmecs were located (1 pt.):
24. Label the major cities of the Olmec Civilization (4 pts. with possible 3 pt. bonus):
Word Bank (Regular):

Tres Cobata La Venta Laguna de los Cerros
Zapatos San Martín
Pajapan Tres Zapotes San Lorenzo
San Andrés
Langua de los Cerros La Venta Word Bank (Bonus— 0.5 each):
San Lorenzo Tenochititlán Arroyo Sonso San Andrés Las Limas Cobata
Tenochtitlán Arroyo Sonso San Martín Pajapan
Las Limas
Timeline Questions:
25. Place these events on a timeline Write the number of the event on the provided line under the
timeline. (6 pts.)
1. Olmec Colossal Heads were discovered.
2. Corn was rst cultivated on the land
3. La Venta Fell.
4. La Venta became the capital.
5. San Lorenzo fell.
6. The Olmec Civilization comes about
2 6 4 5 3 1
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Essay
In a three paragraph essay write out three important aspects of the Olmec culture. Begin
with a topic sentence. The three paragraphs should each explain a different aspect of Olmec life
and/or culture, then end with a concluding sentence. (40 pts)
The Olmec Civilization was the rst Mesoamerican society, which lasted from
1200BCE-400BCE. Three of the most important aspects of Olmec culture were their religion,
their agriculture, and their art. One important aspect of Olmec culture was their religion. They
had a polytheistic religion, which means they worshipped more than one god. Some of the deities
they worshipped were the jaguar, maize, the bird monster, the sh/shark monster, the earth, and
rain. One form of worship they used frequently was human sacri ce. They believed it was an
honor to be sacri ced to the gods, so after they would play they religious ball game, the losing
captain would sacri ce the winning captain to the gods.
Another important aspect of Olmec culture is their agriculture. Because the Olmec
civilization was in a jungle, they had a surplus of rubber. This rubber was used for many different
things in their culture, such as the ball for the religious ball game. They also grew maize, squash,
tomatoes, beans, sweet potatoes, and something similar to chocolate. The maize was one of the
most important crops they grew because they worshipped it like a god.
Lastly, art was an important aspect of the Olmec culture. The most precious jewel to the
Olmecs was jade, so many of their sculptures were constructed out of jade. Many of the
sculptures depicted jaguars, because of their importance to their culture, or masks. One other
thing the Olmecs constructed were the Colossal Heads. These are very important because the
heads were the rst things historians discovered from the Olmec civilization. Because they did
not have a writing system, historians did not know that the Olmecs existed, but this discovery
lead to the uncovering of a very important culture. In conclusion, the most important aspects of
Olmec culture were their religion, agriculture, and art, all of which aided in their discovery and
gave direction to the Mesoamerican civilizations that followed them.
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Rubric for Essay:
Items Excellent (8-10pts) Satisfactory (5-7pts) Basic (0-4pts)
Historical Accuracy Each paragraph has Key points were hit, but Little to no detail about
and Detail accurate detail about the detail were missing Olmec life/culture. Key
Olmec life and/or about Olmec life/culture aspects of life/culture
culture were missing or
completely left out
Transitions Clearly used transitions Used some transitions Little to no transitions

and the essay owed and essay ow semi- were used and essay
nicely nicely did not ow nicely
Organization Paragraphs were clearly Missing a paragraph, Essay was disorganized

organized, topic and topic and concluding and topic and
concluding sentences sentences were semi- concluding sentences
were very clear clear were o -topic
Conventions No grammatical Some grammatical Many grammatical

mistakes mistakes mistakes— made the
essay hard to read
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Name: KEY _____/85

Multiple Choice (1 point each)

True/ False (1 point each):

14. True or False: The Olmecs lived in a desert.

16. True or False: The date 900BCE is earlier than 400BCE.

Short Answer Questions:

Word Bank (Regular):

Langua de los Cerros La Venta Word Bank (Bonus— 0.5 each):

Items Excellent (8-10pts) Satisfactory (5-7pts) Basic (0-4pts)

Transitions Clearly used transitions Used some transitions Little to no transitions

Organization Paragraphs were clearly Missing a paragraph, Essay was disorganized

Conventions No grammatical Some grammatical Many grammatical

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