Practice questions

1. Which of the following geological processes will contribute to burial of an archaeological site? a) Faulting. b) Erosion. c) Deposition. d) Superposition. 2. Human skeletal remains can tell us about which of the following? a) Occupation. b) Health and disease. c) Diet. d) All of the above. 3. Which of the following describes the shared set of beliefs, morals, laws, customs, and knowledge of a group of people? a) Culture. b) Processualism. c) Theory. d) Ideology. 4. Which of the following is NOT a technique that could be used to find archaeological sites? a) Ground penetrating radar (GPR). b) X-ray diffraction. c) Aerial photography. d) Light detection and ranging (LIDAR). 5. In which of the following cases would conducting an excavation of a site be unethical? a) The site is about to be destroyed by construction. b) The site has previously been excavated using modern techniques and results published in detail. c) It is located in a World Heritage Site. d) All of the above. 6. The observation of superimposed sedimentary layers at an archaeological site is known as: a) superposition. b) stratigraphy. c) geology. d) chronology. 7. The Pompeii Premise is the idea that: a) archaeological sites represent a single snapshot of human activities frozen in time. b) burial by volcanic ash can lead to excellent preservation of organic remains. c) there are natural and cultural processes that contribute to formation of archaeological sites. d) all of the above 8. By studying the size of an archaeological site, the number of buildings, and human remains in combination, it is possible for archaeologists to reconstruct:

A. ancient disease loads. B. ancient trade routes. C. approximate population sizes. D. exact population sizes. 9. Analysis of isotopes plays a role in: A. radiometric dating. B. reconstructing past climate. C. reconstructing human diet. D. all of the above. 10. Which renowned archaeologist is known for providing the first synthesis of world prehistory? A. Grahame Clark. B. Lewis Binford. C. Mary Leakey. D. Ian Hodder. 11. Which of the following geological processes will uncover a buried archaeological site? A. Deposition. B. Superposition. C. Volcanic eruptions. D. Erosion. 12. Which of the following is NOT a radiometric dating technique? A. Radiocarbon dating. B. U-series dating. C. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. D. Potassium/Argon dating. 13. The geological epoch spanning the last ~12,000 years is known as: A. Pleistocene. B. Miocene. C. Neolithic. D. Holocene. 14. Which of the following techniques could be used to find archaeological sites? A. Aerial photography. B. Thermoluminescence C. X-ray diffraction. D. All of the above 15. Which of the following features might be used to distinguish between different strata at an archaeological site? A. Sediment colour. B. Sediment texture. C. Sediment grain size. D. All of the above.

Week 6: Archaeology of the Intangible 26 QUESTIONS 1. Sacred places, or places that connect humans and deities, consist only of manmade structures such as temples, pyramids and cathedrals. a. True. b. False. 2. What is analogy? a. A process of inference where phenomena/objects similar in one respect are assumed to be similar in other respects. b. A process of inference where phenomena/objects are classified into a series of similar types. c. A process of inference where phenomena/objects are classified and arranged in an assumed order of evolutionary development. d. A process of inference where phenomena/objects similar in more than one respect are assumed to be derived from a system of cultural evolution. 3. Complete the following sentence: “Ideology………. a. is a key feature of most early farming societies. b. is a set of doctrines, myths and beliefs used to control society. c. is a set of cultural practices that leads inevitably to human sacrifice. d. is not observable in the archaeological record. 4. Which of the following sources do archaeologists use to understand beliefs and practices relating to death and burial? a. Grave goods found with the body. b. The position and treatment of the body and body parts. c. The architecture and location of the burial and its associated structures. d. All of the above. 5. Approximately when did people start to produce art in Europe? a. 10,000 years ago when the Holocene Epoch started. b. 15,000 years ago when the Ice Age started. c. 30,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. d. 200,000 years ago when the first anatomically modern humans appeared. 6. The female archaeologist who made a substantial contribution to the field of stratigraphic analysis, and whose excavation at Jericho changed the way archaeologists understood the Neolithic in the Levant was: a. Dorothy Garrod. b. Gertrude Bell. c. Kathleen Kenyon. d. Mary Leakey

7. Aztec and Mayan cities contained ceremonial and ritual complexes of pyramids, ball courts and (stelae) statues arranged to reflect astronomical entities (stars, moon, sun position etc). How were these used ideologically by the rulers of these polities? a. As centres of sacrifice. b. As centres for trade and exchange of goods via systems of tribute. c. As astronomical observatories. d. As a place for public demonstrations of religious observance, proving that the leaders had the power to communicate with the gods, and thus deserved political authority. 8. Marija Gimbutas interpreted the presence of voluptuous female figurines in archaeological sites from 30,000 to 5,000 years ago as evidence of a widespread Mother Goddess religion liked to female political authority. The excavations at Catalhoyuk have since confirmed Gimbutas’ theory. a. True. b. False. 9. Archaeologists should keep an open mind concerning the nature of the sacred in past cultures. Knowledge of traditional Aboriginal beliefs show that what feature(s) could be held to have sacred value? a. Aquatic landscapes. b. Trees. c. Mountains. d. All of the above. 10.Archaeologists have no chance of producing a coherent, critically verifiable understanding of ancient belief and artistic practices because these cannot be unambiguously observed in the material record. a. True. b. False. 11.Cognitive archaeology is concerned with: a. The study of ancient artwork b. The study of ancient subsistence. c. The study of the past using ancient subsistence d. The study of past ways of thought 12.Wall paintings at Catalhoyuk were found painted and re-painted between many layers of plaster in buildings, suggesting that they were produced for use over short periods of time. Using Indian ethnoarchaeology, what did Nicole Boivin suggest about the painted plaster layers? a. That they were painted for the use of a hierarchical elite as part of their ideological social control. b. That they were painted for use during key stages in the life of individuals, such as initiations, births and other rites of passage. c. That they were painted as part of religious worship of the mother goddess. d. That they were painted for permanent display

a. Chronological position. b. Analogy. c. Context. d. Stratigraphical relationship. 21.Which of the following forms of art are commonly found in the Indigenous Australian archaeological record (ie linked to recent and ancient Aboriginal people)? a. Wall paintings b. Figurative sculpture. c. Petroglyphs. d. Answers a and c only. 22.Ethnography has shown us that rock art is generally painted as a simple form of representation that lacks any other meaning. a. True. b. False. 23.If art is defined as the organisation of objects and images to engender a response from the observer, which of the following archaeological examples is/are not classified as art? a. Subsistence systems. b. A simple flaked stone tool, such as an Oldowan chopper. c. A building used to store grain. d. All of the above. 24.In our class example, we saw how the results of modern psychological experiments were used as a basis to infer that the many abstract patterns found in cave paintings were representations of entoptic phenomena created by sensory deprivation and altered states of consciousness. This example demonstrated that observations of contemporary phenomena can provide reliable means of understanding past phenomena. In archaeology, this principle is known as: a. Analogy. b. Experimental archaeology. c. Ethnography. d. Uniformitarianism 25.Zooarchaeological research has confirmed that Upper Palaeolithic cave paintings were made as representations of the animals the ancient artists hunted and ate for food. a. True. b. False. 26. The use of ethnographic observations to interpret the meaning of Australian rock art would be an example of what? A. Ideology. B. Analogy. C. Context. D. Processualism

Human Evolution 1 Evolution is the phenomenon of change in which biological species change over time from one form to another. What is the mechanism of evolutionary change first identified by Charles Darwin? A. Creationism B. Natural selection C. Domestication D. Artificial selection 2. Humans are classified as Pongids, along with Gorillas and Chimpanzees a. True b. False 3. Which of the following are key sources of evidence for human evolution? E. Skeletal anatomy of fossil hominins F. Stone tools G. Dating of sediments H. All of the above 4. The geological epoch spanning ~2.5 million years ago to ~12,000 years ago is known as the: I. Holocene. J. Miocene. K. Pleistocene. L. Paleolithic. 5. The Taung Child, discovered by Toowong’s Raymond Dart, was the first recorded example of which genus of hominins? M. Australopithecus. N. Ardipitehcus. O. Sahelanthropus. P. Paranthropus. 6. The earliest stone tools roughly coincide with the appearance of which hominin species? Q. Australopithecus africanus. R. Homo erectus. S. Homo habilis. T. Homo sapiens. 7. Genetic evidence shows that chimpanzees are our closet living relative. This means that: U. human descended from chimpanzees. V. humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor. W. chimpanzees are less evolved than humans. X. the earliest hominins were knuckle-walkers. 8 Which was the first hominin species to leave Africa? Y. Homo heidelbergensis Z. Homo sapiens

14. Which of the following hominin species overlapped temporally with Homo sapiens? A. Australopithecus africanus. B. Australopithecus afarensis. C. Homo neanderthalensis. D. Homo habilis 15. How does the multiregional hypothesis of human evolution explain the appearance of a single sexually interfertile species of hominin – Homo sapiens – all around the world? A. Homo sapiens are all derived from a small population that evolved in Africa and migrated to the rest of the world from there a relatively short time ago B. Homo sapiens evolved from a variety of populations of different hominins, including Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis, with the differences in external appearance (race) we see today reflecting this ancestry C. Homo sapiens evolved from several different hominins which maintained constant sexual contact through the period and thus stayed interfertile D. Homo sapiens derived from populations of Homo neanderthalensis in Europe, as shown by the Upper Palaeolithic Revolution and then colonised the world from there. 16. What other hominins may Homo sapiens have come into contact with when conquering the world? A. Australopithecus afarensis B. Homo habilis C. Homo floresiensis D. B and C 17. Which dating technique would be best suited for dating a fossil site that yielded remains of Australopithecus afarensis? A. Thermoluminescence (TL). B. Potassium/Argon dating. C. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). D. Radiocarbon. 18. Archaeological evidence has clearly demonstrated that Homo sapiens emerged from Africa and went on to colonise the world, firstly into Asia, then Europe and Australia, then finally America. A. True B. False 19. Fossil evidence indicates that Homo erectus dispersed out of Africa: A. ~100,000 years ago. B. ~1,000,000 years ago. C. ~1,800,000 years ago. D. ~2,500,000 years ago. 20. Which features distinguish Homo sapiens from other species of Homo? A. A chin.

B. A prominent forehead. C. Reduced brow ridges. D. All of the above. 21. Genetic evidence shows that chimpanzees are our closet living relative. This means that: A. human descended from chimpanzees. B. humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor. C. chimpanzees are less evolved than humans. D. the earliest hominins were knuckle-walkers 22. Which hominin is now thought to be the direct ancestor of Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis according to your lecture? A. Homo habilis B. Homo ergaster C. Homo Heidelbergensis D. Homo floresiensis 23. The fossil skeleton known as Lucy, recovered from Ethiopia in 1974, belongs to which hominin genus? A. Australopithecus. B. Homo. C. Sahelanthropus. D. Paranthropus. 24. Bipedalism is thought to be an adaptive trait to what kind of environment? A. Woodland and forest (i.e. heavily tree-covered environments) B. Savannah environments (i.e. open environments with few trees) C. Aquatic environments (i.e. the sea) D. A and B 25. Fossil evidence indicates that the earliest Homo sapiens emerged: A. ~50,000 years ago. B. ~100,000 years ago. C. ~200,000 years ago. D. ~500,000 years ago. 26. Which features distinguish Homo erectus from earlier species of Homo? A. Larger brain size. B. More human-like limb proportions. C. Obligate bipedalism. D. All of the above

8. How does the economy of early farming villages (e.g., Catalhoyuk) and cities differ? a. Cities are supported by the agricultural labour of their own populations. b. Cities are supported by agriculture and other goods. c. Cities are supported by goods from a wide network of support settlements. d. Cities have large public spaces and monuments. 9. What change in social ranking do we see with the development of civilisations? a. No change. b. Ranking became conspicuous. c. Ranking became institutionalised. d. Ranking disappeared. 10. Historical documents are required to securely identify ancient civilisations and other complex societies because archaeological evidence alone is not sufficient to identify them. aa. True. bb. False. 11. What is a common archaeological signature of ranking in ancient civilisations? a. Differences in house size and elaboration. b. Presence of self-aggrandising statues of leaders. c. Differences in the richness of burials. d. All of the above. 12. What phenomenon did V. Gordon Childe suggest drove his “Urban Revolution”? a. The production and circulation of iron objects. b. The production and circulation of bronze objects. c. The production and circulation of pottery. d. The origins of agriculture. 13. What agricultural innovation has been used to explain the development of civilisation in Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley? a. An agricultural surplus. b. Development of spring crops. c. Development of the plough. d. Development of irrigation. 14. Which change in the three-age system accompanied the development of civilisation in southwest Asia? a. From Bronze Age to Iron Age. b. From Bronze Age to Stone Age.

c. From Stone Age to Bronze Age. d. From Iron Age to Bronze Age. 15. What is a key foundation for the development of civilisations around the world? a. The wheel. b. Agriculture. c. Metal production. d. Answers b and c 16. Economic specialisation, whereby individuals have specific economic roles (e.g., as farmers, artisans, builders), is taken as an indicator of. a. The development of agriculture b. The development of industrial societies c. The development of civilization d. The development of the historical era 17. Complex societies which rely on manual labour rather than power generated from fossil fuels are known as: a. New World civilisations. b. Proto-civilisations. c. Pre-industrial civilisations. d. Medieval civilisations. Historical Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management 1. Which of the following is NOT a primary goal of historical archaeology? a. To document the lifeways of past people. b. To provide information relevant to historic preservation and site interpretation. c. To study the process of modernization. d. To provide supplemental support to historical records and accounts. 2. Which of the following is NOT a primary goal of historical archaeology? a. To document the lifeways of past people. b. To provide information relevant to historic preservation and site interpretation. c. To study the process of modernization. d. To provide supplemental support to historical records and accounts. 3. According to your lecture, historical archaeologists generally consider that the “modern world” started in: a. 1492. b. 1692. c. 1850.

a. Australian UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) b. The Australian Archaeological Association (AAA) c. The Australian Institute for Consulting Archaeologists Incorporated (AICAI) d. Australian ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) 12. According to the Burra Charter, the social and spiritual value of cultural heritage objects and places has greater significance than their scientific value a. True b. False 13. Archaeologists work in a wide range of employment locations in Australia. According to the survey of working archaeologists mentioned in several lectures in which sector are most archaeologists employed? a. University Sector b. Private sector c. Government sector d. Museum Sector 14. In Australia, the Burra Charter demands that cultural heritage management decisions are determined solely by the statutory authority controlling a region, such as a state government. a. True b. False 15. Which of the following can be regarded as cultural heritage, under the definitions of heritage used by heritage professionals in 21st Century Australia? a. An Aboriginal shell midden. b. An Aboriginal creation story and its landscape. c. An ancient object currently being used in a way that is quite different from its precontact use. d. All of the above. 16. Examine the accuracy of following statement: Ethics are the rules by which a profession regulates the behaviour and practices of its practitioners. Australian Archaeology should be considered a true profession as it has a well-articulated statement of ethics. a. True

b. False 17. Evaluate the accuracy of the following statement: All Australian Aboriginal people oppose archaeological research on human skeletal remains. a. True b. False 18. In State and Federal government bodies, what primary role do archaeologists perform? a. Liaising with stakeholders to help manage cultural heritage places b. Educating politicians about the importance of cultural heritage c. Advising legislature on the drafting and revision of heritage laws D. Curating and managing collections of heritage objects 19. What obligations underpin all archaeological practice in any part of the world? a. Legal and ethical constraints b. Financial liabilities and opportunities c. Media opportunities and access d. All of the above 20. Cultural Heritage laws in many countries have been developed to deal with what key problem? a. Unemployment among archaeologists b. The inherent fragility and uniqueness of the past c. Theft and despoiling of archaeological objects and sites d. Development of housing 21. Following the Burra Charter, in Australia the heritage value of any given object is determined by: a. Its financial value for the owner. b. The people who own the objects, including the traditional owners c. Financial gain for the community. d. All of the above 22. Archaeologists should keep an open mind concerning the nature of the sacred in past cultures. Knowledge of traditional indigenous Australian beliefs show that what could be held to have sacred value? A. Landscapes B. Trees C. Mountains D. All of the above. 23. Archaeologists work in a wide range of employment settings in Australia. According to the survey of working archaeologists mentioned in several lectures, in which sector are most archaeologists employed? A. Government sector B. Private sector C. University sector D. Museum sector