The most commonly used and most important method of radiometric dating in
archaeology is radiocarbon dating
Most CRM archaeologists are employed by universities.
Archaeology is an apolitical enterprise.
Hunter-gatherers sometimes practice horticulture on a part-time basis.
To detect change over time, it is necessary to have information on the pattern being
studied from at least three time periods.
Scientific paradigms can shift.
Curation of artifacts and ecofacts includes conservation and storage of materials.
A knife with a wooden handle and metal blade is an example of a simple tool.
The United States government provides storage for all archaeological materials
uncovered at sites.
All of our knowledge about the Ancient Classical world comes from archaeology.
In some respects, the Mexican calendar was more accurate than our own.
It is a simple task to recognize social and political boundaries in the archaeological
record.
Palaeodemography is the study of the composition of ancient populations.
Mitigation includes measures designed to lessen adverse effects to sites.
The original function of an artifact is always clear to the archaeologist.
The association of proto-Indo-European with farming is disputed.
Archaeological fieldwork is never hazardous.
Before processing, radiocarbon samples are converted into carbon dioxide gas.
Stone tools may be either ground or flaked.
CAT scans can reveal the presence of abnormal pathologies on the internal organs of
mummies.
Archaeology is a destructive enterprise.
Contemporary western civilization is unique in its interest in the past.
Part of being a feminist archaeologist is taking into account multiple perspectives on the
past.
All organisms, including humans, affect their environment to some degree.
Diachronic change occurs at the same general time across geographic space, and can be
seen in the various environments, languages, economies, and cultures that exist in
different places at that time.
A surface collection is comprised of all the materials found lying on the unexcavated
surface of the site.
Postprocessual archaeology constitutes a unified school of thought.
Archaeological surveys help to contextualize individual sites within a landscape.
Extrapolating races into the past is unproblematic and easily done by measuring
specific skeletal traits.
Popular movies are the only source of information about archaeology for the interested
public.
Stone artifacts are especially good for establishing site chronologies.
Palynology deals with ecofacts.
Evolutionary ecologists believe that some cultural traits are adaptive, while others are
deleterious.
Which of the following indicators is the least likely to give you information about a
person’s age at death?
A) dental eruption
B) skull sutures
C) epiphyseal union
D) morphology of the pelvic bones
E) degree of cartilage conversion to bone
Which is the most dynamic force in altering the archaeological record?
A) human action
B) animals
C) plants
D) geologic processes
E) mud slides
Tell es-Safi has been settled continuously since about what time period?
A) 4,000 BC
B) 6,000 BC
C) 8,000 BC
D) 10,000 BC
E) 12,000 BC
When archaeologists assume that the earliest ethnographic or historically known group
in an area is the direct descendant of the latest archaeological group in the same area,
this is called __________.
A) synchratic culture
B) ethnographic analogy
C) historical archaeology
D) the direct historical approach
E) none of the above
The first step in analysis is__________.
A) computing
B) excavation
C) residue analysis
D) classification
E) dating
The presence of gold fillings in the teeth of the Civil War skeleton from Idaho indicate
__________.
A) the individual was old
B) the individual was wealthy
C) the individual was a teenager
D) the individual was a Union soldier
E) the individual ate poorly
In stratified societies __________.
A) there are no differences in access to resources
B) social roles are often inherited
C) labor is rarely divided by age or sex
D) there is little differentiation among individuals in terms of social status
E) populations are highly mobile
The New Archaeology is another name for __________.
A) processualism.
B) postprocessualism.
C) cultural materialism
D) postmodernism
E) exoarchaeology
Research on __________ has led to new theories about migrations into the New World.
A) skeletons
B) linguistics
C) ceramics
D) lithics
E) blood groupings
What is the first distinction made when classifying a site according to its geographic
context?
A) Whether or not it is a surface site
B) Whether the site is underwater or on land
C) Whether it is open or protected
D) Whether or not it is well-preserved
E) Whether it has shallow or deep deposits
The presence of pyramids in both the Old and New Worlds is an example of
__________.
A) hyper-diffusion
B) diffusion
C) independent invention
D) innovation
E) none of the above
Which of the following is an example of a feature?
A) pollen
B) an awl
C) fire-affected rock
D) rock art
E) a composite tool
A state that dominates other polities is __________.
A) a chiefdom
B) a super-state
C) an empire
D) a complex chiefdom
E) a kingdom
Which of the following is an example of diffusion?
A) pyramids were invented independently in Egypt and Mexico
B) adjacent civilizations in Europe are very different from one another
C) societies passed through stages from savages to barbarians and finally to
civilizations
D) agriculture was developed in the Middle East and later spread throughout Europe
E) genetic mutations result in cultural diversity
The Maya town of Ceren was buried by __________.
A) a tsunami
B) a flood
C) an avalanche
D) a volcanic eruption
E) an earthquake
A dating technique that was developed and used after WWII (mid-20th c.) was
__________.
A) stratigraphy
B) general artifact types
C) cross-dating estimates
D) radiocarbon dating
E) seriation.
Remote sensing techniques include aerial photography and _____________.
A) geophysical survey
B) pedestrian survey
C) shovel test pits
D) synthetic aperture radar
The Kennewick Man controversy __________.
A) was resolved by giving the remains to the Umatilla tribe
B) ended with the archaeologists carrying out their analysis of the skeleton
C) was resolved in a complicated “time-share” of the skeleton between the
archaeologists and the Umatilla
D) has yet to be resolved
E) will never be resolved
Cultural relativism holds that __________.
A) no cultures are better or worse than others
B) all cultures are related
C) no behavior is better or worse than others
D) some cultures are more primitive than others
E) all cultures are symbolic systems
The most common method of absolute dating is __________.
A) the law of superposition
B) relative dating
C) radiocarbon dating
D) titanium dating
E) chronometric dating
The two steps of an inventory are __________.
A) survey and data entry
B) recordation and mitigation
C) flotation and excavation
D) none of the above
Maritime archaeology is different from archaeology in __________.
A) its approach to the scientific method
B) that it specializes in underwater archaeological sites
C) its understanding of the nature of the past
D) that it is practiced only in Europe
E) it concentrates on the subject of warfare
Middle-range theory __________.
A) links the materials within the archaeological record to human behavior
B) definitively informs the archaeologist of past behaviors
C) eliminates the need for chronological control
D) identifies individual human behaviors
E) links populations from different world regions by focusing on trade networks
A commodity actually used by an organism is called __________.
A) a cost
B) a resource
C) an ecotone
D) a requirement
E) a niche
Modern humans began to domesticate plants and animals __________.
A) After the last Ice Age
B) Before the last Ice Age
C) 50,000 years ago
D) In Africa
E) About 20,000 years ago
Optimal foraging models assume__________.
A) That people will spend the least to get the most
B) That people will spend the most to get the least
C) That people are without domesticated animals
D) That people need no special knowledge of their environment
E) That people are inherently greedy
The theory of state formation that suggests control of irrigation led to increased
complexity is called __________.
A) the water hypothesis
B) the hydraulic theory
C) the flotation manifesto
D) the irrigation hypothesis
E) none of the above
Bifaces, blades, and cores are all__________.
A) features
B) ceramics
C) metals
D) lithics
E) perishables
Which of the following is an example of a feature?
A) animal bones
B) an archaeological site
C) a non-portable object used or constructed by people
D) a very ancient artifact
E) archaeological materials that can be dated
What is the purpose of ethnoarchaeology?
A) Increase understanding of taphonomic processes.
B) Study ecofacts and geofacts.
C) Reduce the threat that humans pose to the archaeological record.
D) Excavate sites with fully preserved architectural.
E) Increase acceptance of archaeological excavation by native peoples.
All of the following are examples of botanical remains except __________.
A) wood
B) chitin
C) charcoal
D) pollen
E) seeds
Percussion and pressure flaking are both ways to__________.
A) work bone
B) produce stone tools
C) smelt iron
D) recycle glass
E) decorate pottery