The Classic Mayan Collapse
Paragraph 1：The Classic Mayan civilization, located in the lowlands of present-day southern Mexico and Central America, began a precipitous decline around A.D. 900. The majority of the people abandoned their great urban centers, buildings were no longer kept up, and carved monuments — a hallmark of the civilization — were no longer created. Various theories about this collapse have been explored, such as invasion from foreigners, natural disaster, disease, failure of agricultural techniques, and internal revolt, although it is a combination of factors that probably constitutes the ultimate explanation.
1. According to paragraph 1, which of the following indicated the collapse of Mayan civilization around A.D. 900?
A. The Maya stopped carving stone monuments.
B. The Maya no longer explored foreign lands.
C. Most of the Maya moved to urban centers.
D. The Maya adopted foreign agricultural techniques.
Paragraph 2：When one looks at the remains of a city, it is difficult to determine why a building collapsed. Whether caused by natural disaster, natural decay, or structural weakness, the rubble and remains can look very similar. There is no historical record of earthquakes in the central Mayan lowland area at the end of the Classic period, although some evidence suggests that Mayan centers in the southern lowlands experienced earthquakes. Hurricanes can destroy significant quantities of crops and are therefore another possibility; however, the effects of both hurricanes and earthquakes are generally local and not so widespread as to cause the abandonment of the entire lowlands. An ill-timed natural disaster certainly could have compounded other problems brewing in Mayan civilization.
2. What point does the author want to make in paragraph 2 about earthquakes?
A. Earthquakes were the most likely cause for the collapse of Classic Mayan civilization.
B. It cannot be determined from examination of the remains of Mayan buildings whether or not they were destroyed by earthquakes.
C. The historical records of earthquakes in Mayan lowlands are not accurate.
D. Many different earthquakes contributed to the abandonment of the entire Mayan lowlands.
3. According to paragraph 2, why is it unlikely that a natural disaster was the only cause of the collapse of Mayan civilization?
A. There were no earthquakes or hurricanes at the end of the Classic period.
B. Buildings collapsed as a result of natural decay and structural weaknesses.
C. Natural disasters did not occur often enough to cause lasting damage to Mayan crops.
D. The effects of natural disasters tend to be limited to areas smaller than the area of the Mayan collapse.
Paragraph 3：The possibility of drought throughout the area has also been considered and to date stands as likely contributor to the collapse. Lake Chichancanab, located in the central Yucatan Peninsula, is the largest closed-basin lake in the Yucatan. Studies of lake-bottom sediment revealed that between A.D. 800 and A.D. 1000, the lake experienced its driest period in the past 8,000 years, with aridity peaking in A.D.922. These are useful findings indeed; however, Lake Chichancanab represents only one area in the Mayan region and evidence for drought in other regions needs to be examined.
4. According to paragraph 3, what evidence is there that a drought contributed to the collapse of Mayan civilization between A.D. 800 and A.D.1000?
A. The Maya constructed a large closed-basin lake in the Yucatan.
B. There are indications of drought throughout Mayan territory. .
C. Studies of sediment taken from Lake Chichancanab show that there were very dry periods.
D. Drought is thought to have affected several other civilizations.
Paragraph 4：Agricultural collapse is most likely to have been another important factor. Research done in 1985 shows an accumulation of silt in the lakes of the Peten region at the end of the tenth century. An increase in sediment signifies an erosion of soil brought on by deforestation. Slash-and-burn agriculture — a style of farming that requires clearing new plots of forest land every two years — was probably the Maya’s primary means of subsistence. It is a system of agriculture requiring large amounts of land and resulting in deforestation. It is possible that the Maya simply tapped their natural resources until none that were accessible were left.
5. According to paragraph 4, what may have caused the collapse of Mayan agriculture?
A. Mayan farming practices eventually made land unusable for agriculture.
B. Mayan farmers were unable to find crops suited to the soil of the available land.
C. Sediment from the lakes of the Peten region began to erode the soil on which Mayan agriculture depended.
D. The Maya developed other means of subsistence that made agriculture less important.
Paragraph 5：As populations in the lowlands grew, additional methods of farming were developed, but the number of people may have outweighed the capacity of the land, resulting in a food shortage. Population studies of the Mayan area continue, but current general consensus puts the numbers well into the millions. Some scientists say there was a conversion from diverse agricultural management to the exclusive cultivation of maize, which concluded with the end of the Classic period. The shift reflects the change in Mayan culture and in how the people were managing their land, although it does not explain why the change came about. Once the culture’s resources were stressed, people were more vulnerable to the hardships of natural disaster, poor health, and social chaos.
6. In paragraph 5, why does the author provide information about Mayan population figures?
A. To explain the effect of natural disaster on the Mayan population
B. To support the claim that resources may have been scarce
C. To indicate that overpopulation resulted in social chaos
D. Toillustrate the gradual decline in urban population
Paragraph 6：In addition, pottery, architecture, and sculpture in some Mayan centers changed significantly at the end of the Classic period, suggesting a takeover by an outside or surrounding group. Clear evidence of this kind of invasion has been found at Altar de Sacrificios and Seibal, although few other sites show such blatant signs. It is not understood exactly where the invaders came from, but most likely they were from the surrounding Mexican states. Also supporting this theory is the fact that the seafaring Putun Maya of Tabasco, Mexico, were in power in the Yucatan peninsula by the post-classic period. Lowland centers whose success depended on internal trade routes were no longer in the heart of the economic and political action; as the Putun gained power, the focus of trade seems to have moved toward the coasts. This could have pushed people to abandon their homeland, following the center of commerce.
7. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Successful trade depended more on gaining power along the coasts than on the existing internal routes of the lowlands.
B. As the Putun gained power, the coasts replaced the lowland centers as the heart of economic and political activity.
C. Trade between lowland centers and the coasts seems to have been a result of the economic and political action of the Putun.
D. The Putun probably gained power initially through the economic and political success of lowland trade centers.
8. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 6 about the Maya by the post-classic period?
A. They had stopped creating pottery, architecture, and sculpture.
B. They had replaced agriculture with seafaring as a means of survival.
C. They depended on the Putun-controlled centers of commerce.
D. They were moving to the coasts with a view to expanding their territory.
Paragraph 4：Agricultural collapse is most likely to have been another important factor. ■Research done in 1985 shows an accumulation of silt in the lakes of the Peten region at the end of the tenth century. ■An increase in sediment signifies an erosion of soil brought on by deforestation. ■Slash-and-burn agriculture — a style of farming that requires clearing new plots of forest land every two years — was probably the Maya’ s primary means of subsistence. ■It is a system of agriculture requiring large amounts of land and resulting in deforestation. lt is possible that the Maya simply tapped their natural resources until none that were accessible were left.
9. Look at the four squares ■ that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Some geological evidence suggests that the Maya were using up all their agricultural land.
Where would the sentence best fit?
10. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selected THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Researchers have offered a variety of theories to explain the decline of the Mayan civilization around A.D. 900.
Answer Choices:
A. Evidence taken from remains of city buildings has led to the theory that an earthquake or a hurricane caused the Mayan collapse.
B. Although evidence is incomplete, it is believed that natural disasters and drought played a role in the collapse of Mayan civilization.
C. Studies show that Lake Chichancanab, a huge closed-basin lake that once existed in the Yucatan, dried up during a drought around A.D. 922.
D. Research suggests that environmentally destructive agricultural practices and poor planning probably left the Maya without a sufficient, sustainable food supply.
E. By the end of the Classic period, internal economic power struggles and invasions from other groups seem to have decreased the power of previously influential lowland centers.
F. The shift from a diverse agriculture to maize suggests the influence of invaders on the cultural practices of the Maya.
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