AP World History: Modern
Practice Questions on Incas
Test Booklet
Name
“One of the things that struck me most in Peru was its great, splendid highways, and I wondered how many men it
must have required to build them and what tools and instruments were used to level the mountains and cut through
the rock to make them as broad and good as they are. It seems to me that if the king of Spain wanted to build a
highway from Quito to Cuzco, I do not think that he could do it even with all of his power unless he followed the
method that the Inca employed.
When an Inca king decided to build one of these highways, all he needed to do was give the command. Then, the
inspectors would go through the provinces, laying out the highway’s route and assigning Indians to help build the
road. In this way, the road was built in a short time from one boundary of the kingdom to the other. The Inca rulers
built many of these roads and were so full of pride that when one ruler died, his heir would build his road larger and
broader if he intended to set out on a conquest.”
Pedro Cieza de León, Spanish soldier and historian, Chronicles of Peru, 1553
1. Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports the author’s arguments about the quality
of the highways described in the passage?
A
They were built by men with tools.
B
They were very broad, and some extended across the entire kingdom.
C
There were many roads throughout the kingdom.
D
Their construction was supervised by government officials.
2. Which of the following pieces of evidence does the author most directly use to support his argument about
the king of Spain following the Inca method of highway construction?
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AP World History: Modern
Test Booklet
Practice Questions on Incas
A
The Inca rulers constructed roads to help complete conquests.
B
The Inca rulers only had to command their officials to construct a highway, and it was completed quickly.
C
The Inca rulers clearly marked their kingdom with boundaries.
D
The Inca rulers could acquire specialized tools to cut through mountains.
3. Which of the following pieces of evidence does the author use to support his argument about the pride of
Inca rulers in the second paragraph?
A
Inca rulers followed the method of dynastic succession for passing political authority from one ruler to
another.
B
Inca rulers performed religious ceremonies to bless the highways and those who traveled on them.
C
Inca rulers had officials assign men from the provinces to construct the highways.
D
Inca rulers typically tried to construct bigger and broader highways than their predecessors if they wanted to
undertake conquests.
4. Which of the following staple crops is most associated with the rise of Mesoamerican civilizations?
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school’s participation in the program is prohibited.
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AP World History: Modern
Test Booklet
Practice Questions on Incas
A
Manioc
B
Potatoes
C
Beans
D
Maize
E
Rice
5. In the period 900 to 1500 C.E., the Ottomans and the Aztecs were similar in that both peoples were
A
isolated from the major Eurasian trade routes
B
nomadic groups that migrated to already settled regions and conquered them
C
politically unified by the adoption of a monotheistic religion
D
able to dominate other societies with large horse-mounted armies
“Wila Uma, the Inca general, addressed the Spanish [conquistadors] with the following words: ‘What are you doing
to our ruler?* This is how you repay his good will? Did he not command all of his people to give you tribute? Did
he not give you a house filled with gold and silver? Did he not give you his servants to serve you? What more can
he give you now that you have imprisoned him? All the people of this land are so distressed by your actions,
because they have lost all they possess, and their distress leaves them no choice but to hang themselves or risk
everything by rebelling. Thus, I believe it would be best for you to release him from this prison to lessen the grief
of these people.’ . . .
*Manco Inca, a previous Inca ruler and father of Titu Cusi, whom the Spanish had imprisoned after conquering the
Inca capital of Cuzco in 1533
Titu Cusi, ruler of a regional Inca state established after the Spanish had conquered the Inca Empire,
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school’s participation in the program is prohibited.
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AP World History: Modern
Test Booklet
Practice Questions on Incas
letter to the Spanish king detailing the abuses of the Spanish during the conquest, 1570
6. The sentiments expressed by Wila Uma in the passage most clearly illustrate which of the following aspects
of the Inca state?
A
The persistence of cultural diversity within the empire
B
The influence of technological innovation in expanding the empire
C
The importance of the Inca ruler to the empire
D
The extensive territorial extent of the empire
Copyright © 2017. The College Board. These materials are part of a College Board program. Use or distribution of these materials online or in print beyond your school’s participation in the
program is prohibited.
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