Midterm Examination
Short answers: give the students 12 choices and require them to answer 10 questions
including the required map. You may write and require students to answer one short
question based on work specific to your section. Time: 30 min. 60% of total grade.
Please make sure students write about each of the texts we have read this quarter at
least once over the course of the examination.
Required short question: Identify the following places and journeys on the outline map:
Cortes's journey to, and from, Tenochtitlan; the route of Cabeza de Vaca; Columbus's first
voyage.
Short Questions:
Describe the ritual and purposes of human sacrifice for the Aztecs.
What does the name Huitzilopotchli mean, and who is he?
Who is Quetzalcoatl, and what relation might he have to the success of the Spanish conquest?
Briefly explain the significance of the Aztec sun stone based on your knowledge of Aztec
culture.
Briefly explain the concept of ritual cannibalism in Aztec society.
Who was Quetzalcoatl?
Explain the relationship between Quetzalcoatl and Tazcatlipoca.
What is the relationship between the Toltecs and the Chichimecs and why is this significant to
Aztec history?
How did the Aztec understanding of the five suns inform their actions?
Describe two Aztec gods and discuss their significance to the Aztecs.
How did the Aztecs understand death?
What is the significance of sacrifice in the Aztec culture and how is it related to the birth of
Huitzilopochtli?
Briefly explain why America is called "America" and who is responsible for the naming.
Give three reasons why Columbus was revered in the United States as the "discover" of
America.
Professor Topik asserts that "Columbus did not DIRECT history or seize the "Spirit of the
Times." Give three arguments he makes to support this claim.
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Briefly explain why this continent is named "America" and how this relates to a significant
difference between Columbus and Vespucci.
Briefly describe the biblical connotations of the resuscitation of the dead man, the burning tree,
and mala cosa (Bad or Evil Thing) in Castaways.
Explain what Prof. Sefami means by "religious syncretism," and provide an example of it from
Castaways.
Describe three aspects of the confrontation between "we" and "they" from Prof. Sefami's
lectures on Castaways.
What is the purpose of the homoerotism in Cabeza de Vaca?
Name three ways the movie about Cabeza de Vaca differs from the text, Castaways, by Cabeza
de Vaca as explained by Professor Sefami in lecture.
List two changes that the film version of Castaways made to Cabeza de Vaca's text. How do
these changes in the film narrow the historical interpretations of Cabeza de Vaca's character?
How does Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca establish his ethos in his Relacion?
In what way does Cabeza de Vaca's experience in the Americas resemble Gonzalo Guerrero's
experience? How is it different?
Briefly analyze the causal explanation(s) suggested in the following: "The Mexicans and all their allies
are now determined to kill us all. Let us then, with all our Indian allies, defend ourselves. Indeed we
can do no less in our defense than kill them, take from them their kingdom, and make them our slaves,
for these Indian scoundrels are all idolatrous, and worship as gods, demons, who will not be powerful
enough to free them from our hands. Even though we are fewer in number than they, and we are in
their land, we place our trust in God, our Lord, who will help us and deliver them into our hands,
because only God is almighty."
According to Prof. Sefami, what is the importance of the battle of Otumba?
Briefly define "primary source," and name two primary sources we've studied in relation to Aztec
culture.
Briefly discuss two contrasting accounts of the founding of Tenochtitlan.
List four features common to mesoamericans.
Briefly describe the two prevailing conceptions of history according to Prof. Topik.
Briefly analyze the following passage in relation to the particular event it means to describe: "…Cortes
showed his good intentions and purposes toward God and the Indians. But just as some incident arose
to separate Adam and Eve, giving the serpent an opportunity to engage in long conversation with Eve,
which offended God and destroyed the agreement so, Eve, giving credence to the serpent with her
appetite for greater knowledge and power, made a slip whereby Adam and she, along with all the
Indians and Spaniards, fell into grave difficulties and into great evils and offences against God."
Identify what logical fallacy (or fallacies) may be involved in the following and why: "God Our Lord, and
His mercy, willed that as soon as we made the sign of the cross over them, all those for whom we
prayed told the others that they were well and healthy; and because of this they gave us good
treatment…"
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Briefly define the "principle of sufficient reason."
Why would Sahagun have been both a trader and a shaman? How are these to occupations
similar?
What is a true conversion?
What are the two primary ways in which the "purity of a people is defined. In other words, pure
in terms of what?
Briefly explain the "great men" approach to history.
Give six common features of the Meso-American indians.
According to Professor Sefami, what is the connection between the Aztecs' notion of cyclical
time and human sacrifice?
To talk about the Spanish Conquest, one must discuss the important role indians played. Briefly
discuss two ways that an individual or a group of Indians assisted Cortez's mission.
According to Professor Sefami, what are four reasons for the success of Cortez?
Identify two types of causal fallacies. Give an example of each.
Professor Sefami described the experience of Cabeza de Vaca as an inversion of Cortes's
conquest of Mexico. First define what he means by *inversion*and then identify at least six
examples of this inversion.
Define the concept of hybridity and give three examples of how it emerged in the encounters
between the Spaniards and the natives of the New World.What were the consequences of this
hybridity for the New World?
Choose between "which" or "that" for the following three sentences:
An appositive is a noun or noun phrase ______ can be either restrictive or nonrestrictive.
The more surprising justification is the second one ______ locates the transgressive act
squarely in the traditional precepts for "womanly conduct."
Many Internet sites feature multimedia displays ______ use image, sound, and text together.
Professor Sefami suggested that Malinche's formative years may have influenced her loyalties
during the Spanish conquest. Explain how.
Why were the Portuguese reluctant to fund Columbus' expedition? Be specific in your answer.
According to Professor Sefami, what three types of primary sources do we have available to
learn about MesoAmerica?
What are the different names Columbus was known as and what does this tell us?
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List 4 reasons Isabella agreed to Columbus' voyage in 1492. Briefly explain them.
Why is Vespucci's description of a "New World" a revolutionary concept?
Explain why Martin Cortes symbolizes the birth of a new nation and why Gonzalo Guerrero's
children do not.
Define the modern term "malinchista" and explain its etymology.
Using Professor Sefami's personal story as a guide, explain the notion of geographic and
cultural displacement.
What is the difference between a restrictive and non-restrictive clause? Provide an example of
each.
Describe two notions of history that Professor Topik disagrees with.
What are three ways of understanding La Malinche?
Explain the concept of cultural hybridity and give two concrete examples of it in Mexico.
How is Bernal Diaz's account of the conquest different from those written by de Gomara and
Sahagun?
Cite four reasons that might help explain why the Spanish were able to conquer Tenochtitlan.
Compare two different Spanish ideas about how the natives should be converted to Christianity.
How is the meaning of hybridity different in the events described by Bernal Diaz compared to
those related by Cabeza de Vaca?
How are Las Casas' and Cabeza de Vaca's views of the natives different?
What is the historical significance of Potosi?
Long Answers: give students two choices, require them to answer one. Time: 20 min.
40% of the grade.
Write an essay comparing and contrasting the success of the Spanish Conquest as portrayed in The
Conquest of New Spain with the lack of success, or inversion, as represented in Castaways. In your
answer, you should discuss at least three contributing factors in each case.
Write an essay comparing and contrasting Cabeza de Vaca with Aguilar, Guerrero, and La Malinche in
terms of "going native."
Suppose Koning wrote a causal analysis of Morison's "great man in history" approach to Columbus. In
simplified terms, according to Morison, Columbus, another St. Christopher, is the "Discoverer of
America." Write an essay critiquing Morison's causal explanations of the "discovery of America," and
provide some alternative explanations for it from Koning's point of view.
Suppose Freud read the following passage from The Conquest of New Spain. Write an essay
providing a "Freudian" interpretation of the conflict between the competing "rights" of two particular
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"civilizations": "Cortes then sent for the Caciques and … told them … that if they wished to be our
brothers they must throw their idols out of this temple, for they were very evil and led them astray. He
said that they were no gods but abominations which would bring their souls to hell. Then he spoke to
them about good and holy matters, telling them to set up an image of Our Lady … and a cross, which
would always aid them, bring them good harvests, and save their souls. ..
The papas and the Caciques answered that their ancestors had worshipped these gods because they
were good, and that they dared not do otherwise. They said that if we were to throw them out we
should see what harm would come to us, for we should perish at sea. Then Cortes ordered us to break
up the idols and roll them down the steps, which we did … and he set up a very fair altar, on which we
placed the image of Our Lady. He also ordered two of our carpenters … to make a cross…"
Discuss three differences in the narrative of the book, Castaways and that of the film, Cabeza
de Vaca. Why did the director make each change? Does the meaning differ? How?
This term we have focused on the expansion into the "New World" by the Europeans, mostly the
Spaniards. However, we also learned that the Aztecs had a history of migration and
expansionism as well. Compare and contrast the expansionism of these two groups focusing
on, in particular, notions of religion and war.
Professor Sefami discusses Malinche's role as a "go-between." Compare and contrast Malinche
and Cabeza de Vaca as two individuals who inhabited an intermediary space between two
cultures. You may discuss their identities in relation to race, gender, culture, religion, and/or
language abilities.
In the introduction to "The Founding of Tenochtitlan" the author writes, "This single folio
succinctly incorporates information on the city's earliest history - both fact and myth...." Discuss
the relationship between "fact" and "myth" in two of the historical texts covered this term.
Discuss the significance of conversion in the journal excerpts from Columbus, and the
narratives of Diaz and Cabeza de Vaca. In your response, explain why conversion was so
important to the Spaniards, and compare Cortes efforts to Christianize the Aztecs with the way
Indians immersed Cabeza de Vaca in shamanism.
Translation and interpretation were crucial issues in the documentation of the events of the
conquest as well as in the actual encounters between the Spaniards and the natives of the New
World. Discuss the ways in which language barriers affected the encounters described in the
writings of Columbus, Diaz, and Cabeza de Vaca. In your response, include discussion of the
potential distortions involved in these autobiographical accounts.
As discussed by Professor Sefami in lecture, both La Malinche and Cabeza de Vaca are in
different ways intermediaries between Spanish and Indian culture. Discuss these two figures in
their connection to both Spanish and Indian culture.
Compare the attitude of Cortes towards the Indians with that of Columbus. How is Cortes'
strategy of conquest different from Columbus's.
To what extent do Cabeza de Vaca and his fellow travellers integrate into Indian culture or
maintain their distance? Make your argument using examples from the text.
How does Bernal Diaz' account of Malinche differ from Cortez'? What factors might explain
these differences?
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One of the themes of this class has been cultural assimilation and the idea of "going native."
Drawing on lectures, films and readings, explain how this concept worked in the Spanish
Conquest of the Americas.
Write an essay in which you compare and contrast the experiences of Cabeza de Vaca and
Gonzalo Guerrero.
Compare and contrast the cultural and geographic displacement at work in the histories of La
Malinche and Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca.
Write and essay in which you discuss how the spiritual conquest of the Aztecs drew on themes
familiar to Aztec culture. Be sure to use both readings and lecture information in your analysis.
Compare and contrast the mythic representations and the historical circumstances surrounding
the Aztec founding of Tenochtitlan and Vespucci's discovery of the "New World."
Both Prof. Topik and Prof. Sefami insisted that it is imperative that we look at the world "as they
did," that is, from the perspective of the people we study (Spanish, Portuguese, Aztec, etc.).
Drawing on at least two of your readings, explain the importance of this statment. What are the
pitfalls we face if we do not take into consideration the perspective of our objects of study?
Refute or defent the claim that La Malinche can be seen as a metaphor for New World relations
and forms of identity. To support your argument, use specific references to two or more texts we
have read this quarter.
Discuss conflicting accounts of two historical events from your reading of primary and
secondary sources thus far. One event should be described differently in two primary sources
(like Diaz and Sahagun), and one should be described differently in two secondary sources (like
Koning and Morison). Based on these two events and four sources, how are primary and
secondary sources evaluated differently?
The sexuality of women in the Americas plays a significant role in many accounts of the New
World. Columbus, Vespucci, Diaz, and Cabeza de Vaca all write about the subject; although
some narrators claim to abstain entirely, and others seem to omit key information. Write an
essay with specific details from your reading that compares the presentation of sexual contact
with Indian females in three texts from Spring Quarter.
Discuss how formal elements in the film Cabeza de Vaca (like camera angle, editing, lighting,
sound, etc.) relate to the rhetorical elements of the original text of Castaways.