Key terms

Question 1

assimilate

Answer 1

To adopt the customs of the dominant culture in a society; to become fully integrated in a new society or country

Question 2

animism

Answer 2

The belief that all natural objects (people, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, the sun, weather systems) have a spirit

Question 3

ascetic

Answer 3

Someone who lives a severely restricted lifestyle and abstains from pleasure and indulgence (e.g. food, sexual relations, material comforts) in order to reach a higher spiritual state of being.

Question 4

bureaucracy

Answer 4

Government officials and administrators who are not the rulers or elected leaders but are employed to carry out the administrative tasks of governing (e.g. tax collection, record keeping, accounting, law enforcement).

Question 5

coerced labor

Answer 5

Work that is done through force or threats with little or no compensation, e.g. slavery, serfdom

Question 6

commodity

Answer 6

A raw material or good that has economic value, e.g. gold, oil, silk, sugar

Question 7

commerce

Answer 7

The buying and selling of goods on a large scale, e.g. trade between countries

Question 8

conscription

Answer 8

Mandatory enrollment for military service; a draft

Question 9

consolidate

Answer 9

To combine smaller things into a larger unit; to strengthen and unify

Question 10

diaspora

Answer 10

The movement or mass migration of a large group of people from their country or homeland to other parts of the world. Diasporic communities often assimilate some of aspects of the culture in their new country but still retain some common cultural traits and connections with their homeland.

e.g. the African diaspora caused by the Atlantic Slave Trade; the Jewish diaspora caused by waves of persecution in the Middle East and Europe; the Chinese diaspora due to the pull of economic opportunity in other countries

Question 11

diffusion

Answer 11

The spread of cultural or technological elements from one area or group of people to others.

This occurs due to increased contact between different groups of people often because of trade, war, or migration

Question 12

diplomacy

Answer 12

The practice of conducting negotiations between countries and governments; the use of peaceful methods to resolve disputes rather than warfare

Question 13

demographic

Answer 13

Population trends and characteristics — usually measured through statistics that indicate population increase, decrease, or change

Question 14

domestication

Answer 14

The process of adapting a wild plant into one that can be cultivated for food, or taming a wild animal to live with or do work for humans

Question 15

egalitarian

Answer 15

A belief or system that promotes social and economic equality

Question 16

fortification

Answer 16

Defensive walls or structures built to guard against attack

Question 17

hegemony

Answer 17

Exerting political control, dominance, or influence, especially by one country over many countries

Question 18

hierarchy

Answer 18

a system of ranking or classifying people according to economic, social, or other characteristics to determine their status in society

Question 19

imperial

Answer 19

Related to an empire

Question 20

ideology

Answer 20

a system of economic or political beliefs and principles

Question 21

inflation

Answer 21

A general increase in prices (and decline in the purchasing power of money)

Question 22

infrastructure

Answer 22

the system of public works (roads, bridges, sewage, power supply) needed for a functioning society

Question 23

indigenous

Answer 23

People or species that are native to a particular region; the original inhabitants before others arrived.

Question 24

matrilineal

Answer 24

Tracing family descent through the mother’s line

Question 25

patrilineal

Answer 25

Tracing family descent through the father’s line

Question 26

patriarchy

Answer 26

A system or society in which men hold greater power within the family and in political and economic life

Question 27

persecute

Answer 27

To treat someone badly or deny them rights, especially due to their ethnic or racial identity, religious or political beliefs, gender identity or sexual orientation

Question 28

pastoralism

Answer 28

Making a living by raising, herding, and consuming the byproducts (meat, dairy) of domesticated animals (goats, sheep, cows, or horses) rather than farming crops.

Pastoral societies are nomadic, as they move seasonally to find vegetation for their herds to graze.

Question 29

legitimize

Answer 29

to justify; to make something seem legally or morally right or reasonable

Question 30

mobilize

Answer 30

To prepare large groups of people to take action; to prepare soldiers for war

Question 31

monarchy

Answer 31

A political system in which ruling power is inherited through family descent (hereditary power)

Question 32

monastic

Answer 32

related to monasteries, monks, and nuns; a way of life in which people live apart from society, renounce material pleasures, and dedicate their lives to religious practices

Question 33

clerical

Answer 33

related to the clergy (ordained religious officials)

Question 34

monetary

Answer 34

Related to money and its circulation within an economy

Question 35

monumental architecture

Answer 35

Large-scale structures that are built both for practical purposes and to glorify, commemorate, or demonstrate the power of a ruler, religion, nation, or empire.

Question 36

secular

Answer 36

Not religious (but not necessarily anti-religious)

Question 37

sedentary

Answer 37

Staying or living in one place instead of moving to different places; opposite of nomadic

Question 38

shamanism

Answer 38

A belief system based on the idea that certain individuals can access the spiritual world and provide prophecies, healing, and communication with ancestors

Question 39

social welfare

Answer 39

Services or programs provided by the government to people in need with the goal of reducing social suffering or inequality

Question 40

standing army

Answer 40

A permanent fighting force made up of trained, full-time soldiers (as opposed to part-time volunteer forces or militias)

Question 41

staple

Answer 41

A type of good that is consumed on a regular basis and seen as a vital to everyday life

Question 42

syncretism

Answer 42

The blending of different religions or cultures into a new form that has characteristics of both

Question 43

subsistence

Answer 43

Producing the minimum food and shelter necessary to support life

Question 44

venerate

Answer 44

To honor or worship

Question 45

nomadic

Answer 45

A way of life in which people do not live in one place, but instead move around, often seasonally based on available food supply.

Question 46

GDP

Answer 46

Gross Domestic Product - a measurement of the size of a nation’s economy (the goods and services produced in one year)

Question 47

Pre-Columbian

Answer 47

History and civilizations of the Americas before the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th century.

Question 48

discourse

Answer 48

Written or spoken communication or debate

Question 49

enclave

Answer 49

An area or neighborhood in which there is a high concentration of people sharing the same ethnicity

Question 50

meritocracy

Answer 50

a system in which promotion to positions in government is based on individual ability or achievement, rather than, say, family connections or wealth