Native American Cultures — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Why did Plains tribes live in tepees instead of permanent houses?
A) They did not know how to build houses.
B) They moved often to follow buffalo herds.
C) The Plains region had no trees for building.
D) Tepees were used only in winter.
Plains peoples were nomadic because they needed to follow the buffalo herds that migrated across the Great Plains for food and resources.
2. Which Native American region had tribes that depended most on fishing?
A) Plains
B) Southwest
C) Northwest Coast
D) Arctic
The Northwest Coast region was known for its tall totem poles carved from cedar and its abundant salmon fishing.
3. How did geography affect the Inuit way of life?
A) Warm weather allowed year-round farming.
B) Thick forests provided wood for building.
C) The frozen land meant they hunted seals and caribou.
D) Rivers made fishing their only food source.
The harsh, frozen Arctic environment meant the Inuit could not farm, so they relied on hunting seals and caribou for food, clothing, and tools.
4. What were the Three Sisters crops grown by Eastern Woodlands tribes?
A) Wheat, rice, and barley
B) Corn, beans, and squash
C) Potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers
D) Cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane
Corn, beans, and squash were called the Three Sisters because they were planted together and each crop helped the others grow.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Southwest tribes used adobe bricks dried in the sun to build pueblos.
Adobe is a building material made from sun-dried clay and straw, used to construct pueblo homes in the hot, dry Southwest.
2. The Iroquois Confederacy united five separate nations in the Eastern Woodlands.
The Iroquois Confederacy originally included five nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.
3. Northwest Coast tribes held potlatches to share wealth and celebrate events.
Potlatches were ceremonial feasts where hosts gave away gifts to show their wealth and generosity.
4. Plains tribes stretched buffalo hides over wooden poles to make tepees.
Totem poles were tall carved cedar poles that told stories about a family's history, legends, and achievements.
5. The arrival of explorers from Europe greatly changed Native American life.
European explorers arrived in North America and brought changes that greatly affected Native American peoples and their cultures.