Download Assessment: The Aztecs

Name __________________________________________________ Date ______________________________
Assessment: The Aztecs
Mastering the Content
Fill in the circle to the best answer.
1. What does the picture on the Mexican flag symbolize?
A. a struggle between the powers of the earth and sky
B. the joining of different peoples to make one nation
C. the strength of Aztec armies to conquer their neighbors
D. a legend about how Aztecs knew where to build their city
2. When the Aztecs fled south from Chapultepec in 1319, how did the Culhuas near their new home respond?
A. They paid the Aztecs to fight for them.
B. They made the Aztecs farm for them.
C. They killed the Aztec chief's daughter.
D. They gave the Aztecs most of their land.
3. A pilgrimage site for Aztecs, was the ruins of a city built by the
A. Mayas.
B. Toltecs.
C. Spanish.
D. Teotihuacáns.
4. Which description best fits the Valley of Mexico, where the Aztec Empire arose?
A. dry and barren
B. fertile and high
C. cold and mountainous
D. low and covered with rainforest
5. What was one benefit of settling on land surrounded by Lake Texcoco?
A. It had dense forests.
B. It had a deep harbor.
C. It was easy to defend.
D. It was made of volcanic rock.
6. By forming the Triple Alliance, the Aztec leader Itzcoatl was able to
A. get his men hired as mercenaries.
B. move to southern Mexico.
C. free his people from Tepanec rule.
D. start constructing a new city-state.
7. Why did the leader Itzcoatl destroy records of his people’s history?
A. so he could tell a different story of their past
B. so he could have more control over his people
C. to improve his people's productivity and wealth
D. to ensure that no one would challenge his authority
8. Why did the Aztecs of Tenochtitlán build chinampas?
A. to keep invaders away
B. to enlarge their land area
C. to get a fresh water supply
D. to catch fish for special meals
9. What did the Aztecs build in the center of Tenochtitlán?
A. a large plaza where they held special festivals
B. a royal palace where government officials lived
C. wooden causeways leading in four different directions
D. a marketplace where thousands of people came to trade
10. At the Great Temple, the Aztecs built a shrine to Tlaloc, the rain god. What does this suggest about the
Aztecs?
A. They believed that their leaders were gods.
B. They depended on rain for planting.
C. Their trade routes ran along rivers.
D. They needed resources from the rainforest.
11. Why did the Aztecs in Tenochtitlán need the technologies listed below?
•aqueduct
•dike
•causeways
•canals
A. because they lived on islands
B. because they traveled frequently
C. because they ruled a large empire
D. because they followed the seasons
12. The Aztec Empire was based on tribute. This means that the people who lived in the empire
A. worshipped Aztec gods.
B. had to speak the Aztec language.
C. rebelled against the Aztec leaders.
D. paid goods to the Aztec government.
13. Which of these facts best shows that war was at the center of Aztec life?
A. Some Aztec people grew wealthy.
B. Aztec culture spread over a wide area.
C. The Aztec Empire lasted many years.
D. All Aztec men were trained as soldiers.
14. This pattern of events happened with a number of city-states:
•The Aztecs invited them to be an ally.
•They had 60 days to respond.
•If they refused, the Aztecs declared war.
This process enabled the Aztecs to
A. make new alliances.
B. experience long periods of peace.
C. expand their empire.
D. explore different regions.
15. What weakness in the Aztec Empire did the Spanish take advantage of when they invaded Mexico?
A. Because the empire remained small, it was easily surrounded.
B. Because conquered peoples kept their own customs, the empire lacked unity.
C. Because citizens of the empire grew rich, they forgot how to fight.
D. Because all the empire worshipped one king, his death ended their religion.
Applying Social Studies Skills
Use the timeline and your knowledge of history to complete the sentences.
16. Add an X to the timeline at the best place to add “Pushed off lands by other groups.” You placed the X
between the dates ___________________ and ___________________.
17. The Aztecs had many military victories. The one in 1428 was especially important because
18. Add a star to the timeline at the best place to add “Height of Aztec Empire.”
You placed the star between the dates ___________________ and ___________________.
19. Suppose you added an entry to the timeline to describe what the Aztecs were doing before the first entry on
the timeline. Your entry might read:
Exploring the Essential Question: How did the Aztecs rise to power?
20. The construction of the city Tenochtitlán was an important step in the Aztecs’ rise to power. Suppose you are
a visitor to Tenochtitlán during its height. You send a postcard to a friend back home.
•On the front of the postcard (the upper rectangle), draw a scene or an image from Tenochtitlán.
•On the back of the postcard (the lower rectangle), describe for your friend three things you have discovered
about Tenochtitlán and how it represents the power of the Aztecs.