Week 7: Slides (11) Pristine Myth

Question 1

What is the “Pristine Myth”?

A) The belief that the Americas were densely populated and developed before European contact

B) The idea that the New World was empty, wild, and undeveloped before Europeans arrived

C) The notion that the Americas were ecologically devastated before Europeans arrived

D) The concept that European lands were wilder than the Americas

Answer 1

b

Question 2

Which religious-cultural idea influenced European perceptions of the New World as “empty”?

A) Buddhism
B) Animism
C) Judeo-Christian
D) Hinduism

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which religious-cultural idea influenced European perceptions of the New World as “empty”?

A) Buddhism
B) Animism
C) Judeo-Christian
D) Hinduism

Answer 3

C

Question 4

True or False: The Pristine Myth correctly described the pre-contact Americas as an untouched wilderness.

Answer 4

Answer: False
Explanation: The Pristine Myth is inaccurate because indigenous populations had transformed and managed the landscape in significant ways before European contact.

Question 5

True or False: The Pristine Myth was used to justify European colonialism by portraying the Americas as “empty.”

Answer 5

Answer: True
Explanation: Europeans used the idea that the land was “empty” and “wild” to rationalize colonization, suggesting they were bringing civilization to uninhabited or underdeveloped areas.

Question 6

Fill-in-the-Blank

The Pristine Myth was influenced by the __________ idea of man’s dominance over nature and a “recovery narrative.”

Answer 6

Judeo-Christian

Question 7

Fill-in-the-Blank

The belief that the New World was thoroughly wild and undeveloped before European contact is known as the __________ __________.

Answer 7

Pristine Myth

Question 8

Why is the Pristine Myth considered incorrect in modern historical and anthropological studies?

Answer 8

The Pristine Myth is incorrect because it ignores the extensive land management, agriculture, and complex societies that existed among Indigenous populations in the Americas before European arrival.

Question 9

How did the Pristine Myth support European colonialism in the Americas?

Answer 9

The Pristine Myth depicted the Americas as empty and undeveloped, justifying European colonization as bringing civilization to an uninhabited wilderness.

Question 10

Match the concept to its description:

Answer 10

A - The idea that the Americas were empty and wild before European contact

B - The belief that Europeans were restoring and improving the land in the New World

C - Cultural belief in man’s dominance over nature, shaping perceptions of the New World