Date: GRADE 6 SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKSHEET

BODHI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS

A. Read the following statements carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1. A narrow land bridge called an ___________ links North America and South America.
But the geographies and climates of the two continents are very ______________.
2. About 3,200 years ago, a group of people called the ____________ lived along the Gulf
Coast of what is now southern Mexico. Theirs was the first major culture to develop in
_____________________.
3. A __________________ is a way of life that strongly influences later cultures. Olmec art,
architecture, religion and trade helped shape later cultures such as the __________ and
especially the _____________.
4. The Maya consisted of groups of Mesoamerican people who spoke various forms of the
____________ language. Their culture shared many of the artistic and monumental
forms of the _____________.
5. This division of _____________ in Mayan society led to the development of a
_________________________.
6. There were four broad social classes in Mayan society:
______________________________________________________________________
7. Mayan nobles were educated and wealthy and likely worked as ______________,
________________, and _______________.
8. ________________ were owned by all other classes in Mayan society.
9. The numerous Mayan cities, such as Copan, Tikal and Palenque, displayed magnificent
_____________________. Each contained plazas, palaces, and pyramids topped by
______________.
10. Many cities also had large stone monuments called ____________. On these, the Maya
carved _________________ that represented important dates and great events.
11. Mayan mathematics was based on the number ____.
12. Possible causes for decline of the civilization include _____________ that resulted from
decades of ______________________________ among cities.
13. The _____________ were once nomadic hunters and gatherers. They lived in what is
now the northwest desert of Mexico.
14. The Aztecs built their capital at _______________________.
15. Aztec life was dominated by ____________________.
16. This religion was based on the worship of _________________. The Aztecs believed in
about 1,000 gods.
17. The Aztec writing system did not represent the sounds of the spoken language. Instead,
it used pictures and symbols called ____________, to represent words and ideas.
18. The empire was at its height in 1502 when the emperor _____________ came to power.
Date: GRADE 6 SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKSHEET

19. The Incas learned to live in the high and rugged terrain of the ________________ of
what is now Peru.
20. Under the rule of ____________, the Inca conquered all of Peru and more.
21. The Incan leader Pachacuti's name means "____________."
22. The geography of the Andes made life ___________ for the people of the empire.
23. On the criss - crossed roads, runners called __________ carried messages the length of
the empire.
24. The ___________ carried new diseases that were especially deadly to the Inca, hence,
became one of the reasons for civilization’s decline.
25. The Spanish controlled most of the ________ lands. Eventually, millions of Inca died of
_______________ diseases. The last Inca ruler was defeated in ________, and the
Incan empire ceased to exist.
Date: GRADE 6 SOCIAL SCIENCE WORKSHEET