Academic Vocabulary: Academic Words - Olsen Amy E. 2012

Chapter 15. Anthropology

Societies and Customs

The Mayan culture continues to intrigue modern so­ciety. One of the great centers of Mayan culture was Chichen-Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula. Life at Chichen- Itza was hardly immutable. Roughly between 500 and 1400, a site of numerous temples, a huge ball court, and an astronomical observatory burgeoned in the tropical jungle. The Maya abandoned the site twice, and around 1200 the Toltecs from the north invaded the area, adding their religion and architecture to the Mayan concepts. Anthropologists and archeologists have been meticulous in studying the ruins at Chichen-Itza to discover the cus­toms of this ancient society.

The Castillo

What made life viable for the Maya at Chichen- Itza were the cenotes, or wells. The name chichen shows the importance of the wells to the society. Chi meant "mouths" in Mayan, and chen meant "wells." These wells provided a source of water for a community composed of a hierarchy of slaves, farmers, hunters, merchants, warriors, priests, and nobles. Each group had its special role to play to keep the community functioning. The cenotes also hold a clue to the religious rituals of the Maya: several bodies have been found in the wells. Human sacrifice, though generally considered heinous by today's standards, was a part of Mayan religious practices. Other artifacts found in the cenotes in­clude jewelry and dolls. The Maya had several gods, and the sacrifices of young women and objects may have been used to quell the wrath of a rain god or pay homage to the god of maize. Because the gods controlled the weather and therefore the food supply, it was essential for the people to keep the gods happy. Bloodletting, especially of the ears and tongue, was another way a person could earn favor with a god.

Religious beliefs were also manifested in the architecture and games of the Maya. An impres­sive and ominous area at Chichen-Itza is the Great Ball Court, the largest found at a Mayan site. The ballgame was played between two teams and seems to have involved keeping a rubber ball from touching the ground without using the hands. The game was over when the ball went through a scoring ring attached to the walls of the court. The winner of the game did not receive the prize people today would expect. The captain of the winning team would offer his head to the leader of the losing team for decapitation. It was part of the Mayan religious beliefs that dying quickly was a great honor, and they obviously felt that the winner of this contest deserved such an honor.

The Maya were a highly advanced society, demonstrated in their complex temple designs, accurate calendar, and elaborate art­work. The Maya continue to fascinate the world with their customs and achievements.

A chacmool figure introduced by the To/tees, possibly used in heart sacrifices

Predicting

For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, return to the reading on page 92, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predictions, check your answers against the Word List on page 97. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you'll want to study closely.

Set One

possible

extremely careful

set procedures for a ceremony

a system of persons ranked one above the other

unchangeable

□ 1. immutable (line 4)

□ 2. meticulous (line 10)

□ 3. viable (line 13)

□ 4. hierarchy (line 17)

□ 5. rituals (line 19)

Set Two

any objects made by humans

revealed

evil

to quiet

threatening

□ 6. heinous (line 20)

□ 7. artifacts (line 21)

□ 8. quell (line 23)

□ 9. manifested (line 27)

□ 10. ominous (line 28)

Self-Tests

1 Match each term with its synonym in Set One and its antonym in Set Two.

Synonyms

Set One

1.heinous

a. workable

2. quell  

b. object

3. meticulous 

c. calm

4. artifact__

d. vicious

5. viable_

e. thorough

Antonyms

Set Two

6. ritual

f. equality

7. immutable

g. hidden

8. hierarchy

h. variety

9.ominous   

i. changeable

10. manifest

j. safe

2 Complete the sentences using the vocabulary words. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

hierarchy

artifacts

immutable

heinous

meticulous

manifest

quell

viable

ritual

ominous

1. My mother's negative reaction was ...; she would never approve of my little sister taking a trip to Africa with a man she met a month ago.

2. The museum displayed ... from the Inca civilization including beautifully decorated pots.

3. Alicia was quick to ... the rumor that she was engaged to Brian; she assured people they were just friends.

4. The ... music signaled the enhance of the villain.

5. The people decided that the mountain was not a(n)... place to live after their crops failed two years in a row.

6. His love for Amanda was ... to everyone but Carlos.

7. It was a(n)... action by the vandals to break all the windows in the auditorium the day before the graduation ceremony.

8. I was ... in following the instructions for the cake, so I don't understand why it tasted horrible.

9. To get things done at my company, it is essential to understand the ... from the Chief Executive Officer on down.

10. The ... practices of different societies are interesting to study, especially marriage customs.

3 For each set, write the letter of the most logical analogy. See Completing Analogies on page 4 for instructions and practice.

Set One

1. holding the door open : polite : :

a. manifest : reveal

2. chapter : book : :      

b. changeable : immutable

3. spilt cereal : upsetting ::     

c. kidnapping a child : heinous

4. fresh : stale ::       

d. lighting candles : ritual

5. gentle : mild : :       

e. volcano eruption : ominous

Set Two

6. sundae : ice cream shop ::  

f. dotting every "i" : meticulous

7. feather : light : :

g. quell : irritate

8. confused : puzzled :: 

h. king : hierarchy

9. soft: hard ::   

i. artifact: dig site

10. frame : picture ::

j. possible: viable

Identify the two vocabulary words represented in the photos.

Collocations

For Sue the essence of an excellent meal is having good friends to share it with. (Chapter 14) The river's flooding has become a perennial problem that the city can no longer afford to ignore now that the population is growing and people are moving closer to the riverbanks. (Chapter 14) The concert will pay tribute to the pioneers of jazz by showcasing their songs in video clips of the original artists and live performances by some of today's hottest musicians. (Chapter 14) Manifest Destiny was the belief that it was inescapable for the United States to expand westward during the 1800s. (Chapter 15)

At work, it can be important to quell a rumor before too many people get a wrong idea. (Chapter 15)

Interactive Exercise

Finish the sentence starters. The first five include one of the vocabulary words in the starter. For the second five use each of the following vocabulary words once in your completed sentences: heinous, ominous, hierarchy, immutable, viable.

1. I would be interested in searching for artifacts in ... because ...

2. I am meticulous about ...

3. I found it difficult to quell my anger when ...

4. One of my favorite rituals is ...

5. The buildings left at Chichen-ltza manifest the Mayan ...

6. At my college there exists ...

7. I was shocked when ...

8. It proved to be ...

9. I was afraid ...

10. I feel that anthropology ...

Conversation Starters

An excellent way to review the vocabulary words and help to make them your own is to rise them when you are speaking. Gather three to five friends or classmates, and use one or more of the conversation starters below. Before you begin talking, have each person write down six of the vocabulary words he or she will use during the conversation. Share your lists with each other to check that you did not pick the same six words. Try to cover all of the words you want to study, whether you are reviewing one, two, or more chapters.

1. What are two events that you think have been significant in world history? Why are these events important? Who do you think has been one of the greatest rulers in world history?

2. What types of art do you like? What attracts you to these styles? Do you dislike a type of art?

3. What culture would you be interested in studying? What attracts you to this culture? Are you more interested in past cultures that no longer exist or isolated but surviving groups?

Words to Watch

Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. Write the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice could be the final touch to learning a word.