Question 1

Analysis of wear or damage patterns on stone tools is useful in determining:

Accepted Answer

A)  the age of the artifacts 
B)  how the artifacts were used 
C)  how long tools could be used before they wore out 
D)  taphonomy

Question 2

Dendrochronology is also called:

Accepted Answer

A)  tree-ring dating 
B)  trace element analysis 
C)  paleomagnetic dating 
D)  obsidian hydration

Question 3

A determination of the ratio of two isotopes of strontium in human teeth is useful in determining:

Accepted Answer

A)  the age at death of the individual 
B)  the cause of death of the individual 
C)  where a person was born and spent their early years 
D)  where a person lived during the decade before they died

Question 4

If you were to see a couple of inconsiderate people simply abandoning the remains of their picnic lunch on the lawn in front of the campus building in which your archaeology course is being held, you might ask them to pick up their:

Accepted Answer

A)  primary refuse 
B)  secondary refuse 
C)  debitage 
D)  taphonomy

Question 5

The modern trash dump represents which kind of deposit:

Accepted Answer

A)  debitage 
B)  primary refuse 
C)  absolute refuse 
D)  secondary refuse

Question 6

The application of Lidar has been used in:

Accepted Answer

A)  mapping the Maya site of Tikal 
B)  dating the bones of some of the earliest hominins 
C)  tracing the source of lithic raw materials used by ancient human ancestors in making tools 
D)  determining the geographic origins of individual human populations

Question 7

Using the Messages from the Past section of this chapter, why do you think archaeologists are such party-pooping skeptics regarding really interesting speculations about ancient aliens?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Using the Messages from the Past section...

Question 8

CT scans and MRIs can be used in archaeology and paleoanthropology:

Accepted Answer

A)  to diagnose disease and injury in preserved ancient human bodies 
B)  to determine the age of archaeological specimens 
C)  in the investigation of ancient genes 
D)  none of the above

Question 9

A dating technique based on the thickness of a chemically altered layer on the surface of tools made of volcanic glass is:

Accepted Answer

A)  thermoluminescence 
B)  paleomagnetism 
C)  obsidian hydration 
D)  obsidian resonance

Question 10

Jarrod Burks and Robert Cook were able to identify and map a largely buried and hidden earthwork in Ohio through the use of:

Accepted Answer

A)  dendrochonology 
B)  a fluxate gradiometer 
C)  thermolunimscence 
D)  NAGPRA

Question 11

It is the year 2020. Technically, that's shorthand for:

Accepted Answer

A)  2020 AD 
B)  AD 2020 
C)  0 BP 
D)  all of the above

Question 12

Proton magnetometry, ground penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity, and microgravimetric survey are all varieties of:

Accepted Answer

A)  dating methods 
B)  trace element analysis 
C)  remote sensing 
D)  all of the above

Question 13

The ancient city of Pompeii was:

Accepted Answer

A)  destroyed in a great flood, likely the event that inspired the story of the worldwide Biblical flood 
B)  the location of fabled Troy 
C)  destroyed by a volcanic eruption in A.D. 79 
D)  the first Greek city-state

Question 14

What does it mean to say that archaeologists and paleoanthropologists rely on a "convergence of evidence?"

Accepted Answer

The answer of What does it mean to say that...

Question 15

How do archaeologists recover data from sites?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do archaeologists recover data from sites?...

Question 16

How does the analysis of ancient foraminifera shells inform us of worldwide temperature fluctuation and the extent of ancient glaciation?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How does the analysis of ancient foraminifera...

Question 17

How do archaeologists find sites? What techniques do they use to detect evidence of the past human occupation of an area?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do archaeologists find sites? What techniques...

Question 18

What did archaeological Phil Weigand determine about the raw turquoise used by artisans in ancient Mexico? How did he determine this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What did archaeological Phil Weigand determine about...

Question 19

The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius:

Accepted Answer

A)  is the likely inspiration for Plato's story of the lost continent of Atlantis 
B)  destroyed the Roman Empire and initiated the Dark Ages 
C)  initiated the Ice Age 
D)  destroyed the city of Pompeii but also served to preserve its buildings

Question 20

How has dendrochronology been used to calibrate radiocarbon dates? Why is this important in the application of radiocarbon dating in archaeology? What does the calibration curve show about radiocarbon dates?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How has dendrochronology been used to calibrate...

Exam 2: Probing the Past