Archaeology and Humanity’s Story:

A Brief Introduction to World Prehistory

Chapter 1 Test Bank—Acquiring and Interpreting Data in Archaeology

Multiple-Choice Questions (30)

1. ____________________ is the study of animal bones found at archaeological sites.

A) Geoarchaeology

B) Human osteology

C) Vertebrate anatomy

D) Zooarchaeology

2. ____________________ is a discipline that focuses on the study of pollen from archaeological sediments to reconstruct earlier environments.

A) Ethnoarchaeology

B) Paleoanthropology

C) Palynology

D) Remote sensing

3. ____________________ is the study of human cultural and biological evolution, especially early hominins, by archaeologists and biological anthropologists.

A) Archaeology

B) Ethnobotany

C) Paleoanthropology

D) Zooarchaeology

4. ____________________ is a specialty in which researchers study humanity’s past, including analyses of cultural materials such as flaked stone artifacts, animal bones, prehistoric art, and personal ornamentations.

A) Archaeology

B) Biological anthropology

C) Cultural anthropology

D) Linguistic anthropology

5. Which of the following is a limitation of written records?

A) They may be biased.

B) They are a relatively recent development in the human past.

C) They rarely record the activities of everyday people.

D) All of the above.

6. One of the basic truths in archaeology is that _________________ is everything.

A) context

B) excavation

C) pedestrian survey

D) technology

7. Archaeologists who work in the field of _______________ have projects that are based on recovering data about areas that will be impacted by new construction.

A) AD

B) BCE

C) CRM

D) NAGPRA

8. Archaeobotanists explore the past using remains of plant materials. Which of the materials below is not a plant remain?

A) Macrobotanical remains

B) Microfauna

C) Phytoliths

D) Pollen

9. Site taphonomy refers to:

A) classifying archaeological sites based on physical appearance.

B) the natural and cultural processes that affect archaeological sites.

C) a special type of precision instrument with a telescope that can be flipped.

D) the layers or levels at an archaeological site.

10. _________________ dating techniques provide a sequence of “older” and “younger” rather than calendar dates.

A) Absolute

B) Chronometric

C) Radiometric

D) Relative

11. This relative dating technique relies on recognizing styles of artifacts that have changed in abundance over time.

A) Archaeomagnetism

B) Dendrochronology

C) Potassium-argon dating

D) Seriation

12. This dating technique looks at soil layers—like a layer cake—with the oldest layers being at the bottom.

A) Archaeomagnetism

B) Stratigraphy

C) Optically stimulated luminescence dating

D) Thermoluminescence dating

13. Which absolute dating method is the most precise, usually to a specific calendar year?

A) ¹⁴C dating

B) Carbon dating

C) Dendrochronology

D) Paleomagnetism

14. If an event occurred in 2000 BC, it occurred approximately _______________ years ago.

A) 1000

B) 2000

C) 4000

D) 6000

15. This theoretical viewpoint focuses on the complex interactions between humans, other species, and their environment.

A) Ecological archaeology

B) Human behavioral ecology

C) Processual archaeology

D) Postprocessual archaeology

16. An approach to archaeology that is heavily reliant on hypothesis testing and the scientific method is _________________________.

A) Ecological archaeology

B) Niche construction theory

C) Processual archaeology

D) Postprocessual archaeology

17. A theoretical approach that focuses on different possible interpretations of evidence and a critique of pure scientific objectivity is ______________________________.

A) Processual archaeology

B) Postprocessual archaeology

C) Scientific method

D) Three Age System

18. ___________________ is an approach that focuses on the complex interplay of human agency and the environment.

A) Agency

B) Darwinian

C) Gender

D) Ecodynamics

19. _______________________ emphasizes the role of Native communities as active participants in archaeological interpretation.

A) Geoarchaeology

B) Human behavioral ecology

C) Indigenous archaeology

D) Paleoanthropology

20. The most common method of finding archaeological sites is:

A) processual archaeology.

B) pedestrian survey.

C) written records.

D) submarines.

21. How do archaeologists make use of LiDAR technology?

A) LiDAR can quickly excavate through rocky soils.

B) LiDAR can accurately date archaeological materials.

C) LiDAR can extract DNA samples from human bone.

D) LiDAR can “see through” dense vegetation.

22. When mapping a site, archaeologists establish a _____________________, or reference point on the ground with known spatial coordinates.

A) datum

B) total station

C) transit

D) UTM

23. Which of these materials could potentially be dated using ¹⁴C dating?

A) Charcoal

B) Stone tool fragment

C) Human bone

D) A and C

24. Which of these dating methods extends the farthest into the past?

A) Dendrochronology

B) ¹⁴C dating

C) Potassium-argon dating

D) Written records

25. A specialist who could look at ancient bones to tell whether a dog was domesticated or wild would be a _____________________________.

A) Paleocanidologist

B) Zooarchaeologist

C) Paleobotanist

D) Biological Anthropologist

26. Regardless of theoretical perspective, most modern archaeologists would agree that the discipline should be _______________________________.

A) processual

B) ethnocentric

C) multidisciplinary

D) postprocessual

27. Which of these steps should occur first in archaeological research?

A) Excavation

B) Interpretation

C) Publication of results

D) Research design

28. ______________________: a theoretical perspective that discusses the role of individual and group decisions in shaping change in cultures and societies.

A) Agency

B) Evolutionary archaeology

C) Landscape archaeology

D) Processual archaeology

29. A theoretical approach to archaeology rooted in the idea that gender is a social construct would most likely be described as:

A) Agency

B) Culture history approach

C) Postprocessual archaeology

D) Processual archaeology

30. _______________________ was a central theme of Chapter 1: Acquiring and Interpreting Data in Archaeology.

A) The Akkadian Empire

B) Cultural heritage

C) Ecodynamics

D) The Neanderthal genome

/Questions (10)

1. The three-age system is an example of absolute dating. (

2. Since recent advances in remote sensing, pedestrian surveys are generally not used to find archaeological sites. (

3. The site of Great Zimbabwe is indigenous in construction and was not built by outsiders. (

4. As novelist Leslie P. Hartley (1895–1972) noted, the past is much like an alien planet. (

5. For archaeological dating purposes, when we say “before present” we measure the time as years before 1950. (

6. Thermoluminescence is useful in dating ceramic materials found at archaeological sites. (

7. Landscape archaeology uses cues from the landscape to better understand symbolism and ritual in past cultures. (

8. Unlike modern cultures, prehistoric cultures had few if any activities that were gender-specific. (

9. Before the rise of computer technology, people were unable to develop personal networks. (

10. Sites where soft organic tissue is preserved tend to be very dry, very cold, or lack oxygen. (

1. Why is context so critically important in archaeological research?

2. How does archaeology benefit from being multidisciplinary?

3. Why is site taphonomy a necessary part of archaeological interpretation?

4. What is the value of paleoenvironmental research to modern societies?

5. What are the three dimensions of the Cartesian coordinate system?

6. What is the difference between relative and absolute dating methods?

7. What is the purpose of cultural resource management (CRM)?

8. What are some differences between human behavioral ecology (HBE) and niche construction theory (NCT)?

9. Briefly describe what geoarchaeologists study.

10. How do archaeologists fulfill their ethical responsibility regarding cultural heritage?

• working with conservators and other specialists to help preserve sites that are damaged or deteriorating;
• establishing protections (such as fencing and legislation) for sites;
• engaging in discussions with the public about the importance, significance, and protection of cultural heritage;
• working closely with native communities to ensure that their concerns are incorporated into surveys, excavations, and presentations of archaeological information from their regions..

1. Plenty of YouTube videos, and people without experience in archaeology, will tell you that carbon dating “doesn’t work.” Can you briefly explain why ¹⁴C dating does work, as well as its limitations as a dating method?

2. There are many possible answers to the question “Who owns the past?” What’s your answer? Why has this historically been such a complex question to answer?

3. Do you consider archaeology to be a science? Answer yes or no, and give at least two reasons for your answer. Take into consideration the disagreements between processualists and postprocessualists about the proper role of science in archaeology.

4. Identify two threats to the archaeological record and our cultural heritage. What do you think we can (or should) do to protect against these threats?

5. Many modern archaeological projects combine pedestrian survey with remote sensing techniques. What are some practical benefits of this combination? Do you think technological improvements will ever make survey obsolete?

6. Cultural anthropologists argue that gender is a social and cultural construction, and that the idea that there are exactly two universally agreed human genders goes against anthropological evidence. How might a gender archaeologist address this issue?

7. Site taphonomy includes all of the processes that lead to the preservation (or destruction) of archaeological sites. What are some present-day processes that may complicate site taphonomy for archaeologists in the future? Is this something we should worry about today? Why or why not?