Before European contact, which Native American group developed elaborate cliff dwellings in the Southwest?

Answer: Pueblo (Anasazi/Ancestral Puebloan) The Pueblo peoples of the Southwest constructed multi-story stone and adobe dwellings, including the famous cliff complexes at Mesa Verde.

The "Three Sisters" agricultural system grown by many Eastern Woodland peoples consisted of

Answer: Corn (maize), beans, and squash These three crops grew well together: corn provides a stalk for beans, beans fix nitrogen, and squash leaves shade the soil.

Which best describes Native American societies in 1491?

Answer: Diverse societies with different languages, economies, and political structures Native societies varied widely — from urbanized agriculture (Mississippian) to nomadic hunting (Plains) to fishing/coastal (Pacific Northwest).

AP US History · Topic 1.2

Native American Societies Before European Contact Practice

Part of Period 1: 1491–1607.

Practice questions

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Sample questions

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Sample 1difficulty 2/5
$Before European contact, which Native American group developed elaborate cliff dwellings in the Southwest?$
- A
  $Iroquois (Haudenosaunee Confederacy)$
- B
  $Sioux (Lakota/Dakota Plains tribes)$
- C
  $Algonquian (Eastern Woodlands peoples)$
- D
  $Pueblo (Anasazi/Ancestral Puebloan)$
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Why
$The Pueblo peoples of the Southwest constructed multi-story stone and adobe dwellings, including the famous cliff complexes at Mesa Verde.$
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Sample 2difficulty 2/5
$The "Three Sisters" agricultural system grown by many Eastern Woodland peoples consisted of$
- A
  $Apples, pears, peaches$
- B
  $Rice, potatoes, tobacco$
- C
  $Corn (maize), beans, and squash$
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- D
  $Wheat, barley, oats$
Why
$These three crops grew well together: corn provides a stalk for beans, beans fix nitrogen, and squash leaves shade the soil.$
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Sample 3difficulty 3/5
$Which best describes Native American societies in 1491?$
- A
  $Universally nomadic tribal bands without permanent settlements$
- B
  $All practiced identical maize agriculture without regional variation$
- C
  $Diverse societies with different languages, economies, and political structures$
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- D
  $A single unified culture sharing one language across the continent$
Why
$Native societies varied widely — from urbanized agriculture (Mississippian) to nomadic hunting (Plains) to fishing/coastal (Pacific Northwest).$
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Sample 4difficulty 3/5
$Eastern Woodland peoples (Algonquian, Iroquoian) were primarily$
- A
  $Nomadic hunters who followed migrating herds across vast territories$
- B
  $Pure pastoralists relying on domesticated herds for subsistence$
- C
  $Sedentary or semi-sedentary agriculturalists who also hunted and fished$
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- D
  $Maritime traders whose economy depended chiefly on coastal shipping$
Why
$Lived in villages, cultivated corn/beans/squash, supplemented with hunting and gathering.$
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Sample 5difficulty 3/5
$Estimates of the Native population in the Americas in 1491 typically range from$
- A
  $Approximately 50-100 million$
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- B
  $Approximately 1-5 million$
- C
  $Fewer than 1 million$
- D
  $Approximately 5-15 million$
Why
$Estimates vary, but most scholars now believe pre-contact populations were tens of millions, possibly comparable to Europe.$
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