Name Date Mastering the Content Circle the letter next to the best answer. Assessment: Investigating the Past 1. What important discovery did four teenagers make at Lascaux, France, in 1940? A. clay sculptures of an army of soldiers B. a cave filled with paintings of animals C. the stone wall of an ancient storage shed D. a wooden stick used for throwing a spear 2. Which of these activities would an archaeologist most likely do? A. make maps B. examine objects C. read old newspapers D. study Earth's features 3. People who study the past are most like A. artists. B. builders. C. detectives. D. teachers. 4. An object made or used by people in the past is called A. an artifact. B. a document. C. a ritual. D. a theory. 5. Why do historians read diaries and letters from the past? A. to agree on plans for the future B. to compare their ideas of history C. to learn to speak an ancient language D. to find out what happened and why
6. Which of these is a human-made feature that a geographer might study? A. a cave B. a road C. a spear D. a volcano 7. A prehistoric object is one that comes from a time A. before history was written. B. before people lived in cities. C. before humans hunted animals. D. before electricity was discovered. 8. What is the evidence that prehistoric cave artists built wood structures (scaffolding) to stand on? A. Many trees grew in the area. B. The ancient planks are still there. C. Pictures of the scaffolding have been found. D. Some paintings are too high to be reached from the floor. 9. If ancient paintings were found in a cave, which of these questions would be the hardest to answer? A. Why did people paint in caves? B. How did people make the paint? C. What did people paint pictures of? D. What did people use for paintbrushes? 10. Which clue to the past has been found near the artwork displayed in parts of caves? A. maps of the land nearby B. masks in the shape of birds C. prayer books for ceremonies D. lamps for burning animal fat 11. About how long ago were the objects and art described in this chapter created? A. about 500 800 years ago B. about 2,000 3,000 years ago C. about 10,000 18,000 years ago D. about 2 to 3 million years ago 12. Why are ancient handprints found on cave walls very small? A. The cave ceilings were very low. B. The prints were made by children. C. People long ago were not as big as people today. D. The smallest members of the group stayed home to paint.
13. What does this ancient spear thrower, with its detailed carving, indicate about the person who may have used it? A. This person was a hunter. B. This person was very strong. C. This person prayed to animals. D. This person was a skilled painter. 14. Which question about the past does cave art most help to answer? A. What did the people look like? B. What animals lived in the area? C. What language did people speak? D. What did geometric shapes mean? 15. What do scientists think may have been the reason why ancient artists made paint by grinding different minerals and mixing the powder with fat or oil? A. to find out which paint would last longest B. to make different colors of paint for their art C. to make the paint dry in different lengths of time D. to use the paint in ceremonies for hunting different animals
Applying Social Studies Skills Use the information below and your knowledge of history to answer the questions. Write the word or phrase in the space provided. In October 1912, three brothers found these clay sculptures of bison in the Tuc d'audobert cave in southern France. The cave was formed by an underground river. The room with the bison is deep inside the cave, where, even today, it is hard to get to. Footprints of children have been found nearby. Each of the two bison is about two feet long, twelve and a half inches high, and three to four inches thick. Lines made by a tool or a fingernail represent the bisons' fur. The clay of their bodies is cracked. Scientists believe that the cracks may have happened soon after the bison were made, while the clay was drying. 16. What material was used to make the bison? 17. You can see cracks in the picture of the bison. What do scientists believe explains these cracks? 18. What information about the bison sculptures would most interest a geographer? 19. What is the most likely reason these sculptures were unknown to scientists before 1912?
Exploring the Essential Question: How do scientists interpret the past? 20. Suppose that you are the host for a TV news show. A site where people lived long ago was recently discovered in South America. Your next program is a discussion about this discovery. You have invited three experts as guests on your show: an archaeologist a historian a geographer Write one interview question to ask each of your three guests. Remember that a good interview question cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" response. A good interview question encourages the guest to talk about the subject in a way that fits his or her specialty. a. Interview question to ask the archaeologist: b. Interview question to Ask the historian: c. Interview question to ask the geographer: