Mayan languages - Quiz
Mayan languages
  • 1. Where are the Quichean–Mamean languages and dialects spoken?
A) Mexican lowlands
B) Honduran coastal regions
C) Guatemalan highlands
D) Nicaraguan plains
  • 2. How many sub-branches do the Quichean–Mamean languages have?
A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) Five
  • 3. How many subfamilies do the Quichean–Mamean languages have?
A) Three
B) Two
C) Four
D) Five
  • 4. Approximately how many people speak Qʼeqchiʼ?
A) 400,000
B) 90,000
C) 1,000,000
D) 800,000
  • 5. In which department of Guatemala is Qʼeqchiʼ NOT mentioned as being spoken?
A) Izabal
B) Southern Petén
C) Alta Verapaz
D) El Quiché
  • 6. How many Qʼeqchiʼ speakers are there in Belize?
A) 85,000
B) 12,000
C) 9,000
D) 3,000
  • 7. Why is Qʼeqchiʼ spoken in El Salvador?
A) Mayan expansion
B) Ancient trade routes
C) Recent migrations
D) Colonial displacement
  • 8. How many speakers of Qʼeqchiʼ are there in El Salvador?
A) 49,000
B) 12,000
C) 9,000
D) 3,000
  • 9. Where is the Uspantek language native to?
A) Sipacapa
B) Quetzaltenango
C) Chichicastenango
D) Uspantán municipio
  • 10. How many speakers does Uspantek have?
A) 15,000
B) 8,000
C) 3,000
D) 6,000
  • 11. Which Mayan language has the largest number of speakers?
A) Qʼeqchiʼ
B) Kʼicheʼ
C) Kaqchikel
D) Mam
  • 12. Approximately how many people speak Kʼicheʼ?
A) 1,000,000
B) 90,000
C) 400,000
D) 800,000
  • 13. What is the famous Maya mythological document written in Classical Kʼicheʼ called?
A) Chilam Balam
B) Popol Vuh
C) Rabinal Achi
D) Codex Maya
  • 14. What was the economic and ceremonial center of the Kʼicheʼ culture?
A) Chichicastenango
B) Qʼumarkaj
C) Quetzaltenango
D) Uspantán
  • 15. Where is Qʼumarkaj located near?
A) San Marcos
B) Guatemala City
C) Santa Cruz del Quiché
D) Lake Atitlán
  • 16. How many people speak Achi?
A) 15,000
B) 85,000
C) 90,000
D) 400,000
  • 17. In which municipios is Achi spoken?
A) Chichicastenango and Quetzaltenango
B) Aguacatán and Tectitán
C) Santa Cruz and Tactic
D) Cubulco and Rabinal
  • 18. Which department are Cubulco and Rabinal located in?
A) Huehuetenango
B) San Marcos
C) Baja Verapaz
D) El Quiché
  • 19. Who counts Achi as a form of Kʼicheʼ in their classification?
A) The Achi Maya
B) Campbell
C) Popol Vuh
D) Ethnologue
  • 20. Do the Achi Maya regard themselves as Kʼicheʼ?
A) Only during ceremonies
B) No
C) Yes
D) Only in urban areas
  • 21. Approximately how many people speak Kaqchikel?
A) 1,000,000
B) 400,000
C) 90,000
D) 800,000
  • 22. Where does the Kaqchikel-speaking area stretch to?
A) Izabal department
B) Cuchumatán mountains
C) Northern shore of Lake Atitlán
D) Southern Petén
  • 23. Approximately how many speakers does Tzʼutujil have?
A) 15,000
B) 49,000
C) 8,000
D) 90,000
  • 24. Where are Tzʼutujil speakers found?
A) Tectitán
B) Guatemala City
C) Vicinity of Lake Atitlán
D) Sipacapa
  • 25. How many people speak Sakapultek?
A) 8,000
B) 20,000
C) 15,000
D) 6,000
  • 26. How many people speak Sipakapense?
A) 6,000
B) 3,000
C) 8,000
D) 15,000
  • 27. In which municipality is Sipakapense spoken?
A) Tectitán
B) Sipacapa
C) Uspantán
D) Aguacatán
  • 28. Which department is Sipacapa located in?
A) Huehuetenango
B) San Marcos
C) Alta Verapaz
D) El Quiché
  • 29. What is the largest language in the Mamean sub-branch?
A) Ixil
B) Tektitek
C) Awakatek
D) Mam
  • 30. How many people speak Mam?
A) 400,000
B) 800,000
C) 70,000
D) 478,000
  • 31. In which departments is Mam spoken?
A) Izabal and Guatemala
B) San Marcos and Huehuetenango
C) El Quiché and Baja Verapaz
D) Alta Verapaz and Petén
  • 32. How many inhabitants speak Awakatek?
A) 20,000
B) 6,000
C) 70,000
D) 15,000
  • 33. In which municipality is Awakatek spoken?
A) Uspantán
B) Tectitán
C) Aguacatán
D) Sipacapa
  • 34. Which department is Aguacatán located in?
A) Alta Verapaz
B) Huehuetenango
C) El Quiché
D) San Marcos
  • 35. How many people speak Ixil?
A) 70,000
B) 85,000
C) 90,000
D) 49,000
  • 36. In which region is Ixil spoken?
A) Ixil Triangle
B) Cuchumatán mountains
C) Southern Petén
D) Lake Atitlán
  • 37. What is an alternative name for Tektitek?
A) Teko
B) Quiché
C) Awakatek
D) Kekchi
  • 38. How many people speak Tektitek in its primary municipality?
A) Over 70,000
B) Over 1,000
C) Over 20,000
D) Over 6,000
  • 39. In which municipality is Tektitek spoken?
A) Tectitán
B) Purulhá
C) Aguacatán
D) Sipacapa
  • 40. How many Tektitek refugees live in Mexico?
A) 12,000
B) 9,000
C) 3,000
D) 1,000
  • 41. According to the Ethnologue, what is happening to the number of Tektitek speakers?
A) It is declining
B) It is growing
C) It is becoming extinct
D) It is staying the same
  • 42. What do the Poqom languages and Core Quichean constitute together?
A) Uspantek node
B) Mamean sub-branch
C) Quichean–Mamean node
D) Poqom-Kʼichean sub-branch
  • 43. In which municipality of Baja Verapaz is Poqomchiʼ spoken?
A) Rabinal
B) Cubulco
C) Purulhá
D) Uspantán
  • 44. Which municipality in Alta Verapaz is listed along with Santa Cruz Verapaz, Tactic, Tamahú, and Tucurú for Poqomchiʼ?
A) Cobán
B) Purulhá
C) Rabinal
D) San Cristóbal Verapaz
  • 45. Approximately how many people speak Poqomam?
A) 8,000
B) 49,000
C) 15,000
D) 90,000
  • 46. How are Poqomam speakers distributed in Guatemala?
A) Several small pockets
B) A single continuous territory
C) Solely around Lake Atitlán
D) Only in Guatemala City
  • 47. How many languages are in the Mayan family?
A) Forty
B) Twenty
C) Fifty
D) Thirty
  • 48. Which of the following is listed as one of the major Mayan subgroups?
A) Mixtec
B) Yucatecan
C) Nahuatl
D) Zapotec
  • 49. Which subgroup is listed alongside Yucatecan, Chʼolan–Tzeltalan, Qʼanjobʼalan, Mamean, and Kʼichean?
A) Tarascan
B) Huastecan
C) Otomian
D) Totonacan
  • 50. In which country do most Mayan language speakers live?
A) Belize
B) Guatemala
C) Honduras
D) Mexico
  • 51. What percentage of the population in Guatemala speaks a Mayan language, according to estimates?
A) 70%–90%
B) 40%–60%
C) 10%–20%
D) 5%–15%
  • 52. Which scholars think Chʼolan and Qʼanjobalan–Chujean form a separate Western branch?
A) Some scholars
B) Only Belizean researchers
C) All linguists
D) No scholars
  • 53. An alternative proposed classification groups which branch as springing from the Chʼolan–Tzeltalan node?
A) Mamean branch
B) Yucatecan branch
C) Huastecan branch
D) Kʼichean branch
  • 54. What is the most widely spoken Chʼolan language today?
A) Chʼol
B) Chʼortiʼ
C) Chontal Maya
D) Chʼoltiʼ
  • 55. Which Chʼolan language is now endangered and spoken by 30,000 in Guatemala?
A) Chʼortiʼ
B) Chontal
C) Chʼoltiʼ
D) Chʼol
  • 56. Which language is a extinct sister language of Chʼortiʼ?
A) Chʼoltiʼ
B) Akatek
C) Chʼol
D) Tojolabʼal
  • 57. Which language branch is believed to be the most conservative in vocabulary and phonology?
A) Qʼanjobʼalan languages
B) Tzeltalan languages
C) Huastecan languages
D) Chʼolan languages
  • 58. The Chʼolan languages are closely related to the language of inscriptions from which era found in the Central Lowlands?
A) Modern era
B) Classic-era
C) Pre-classic era
D) Post-classic era
  • 59. Which Tzeltalan language has tens of thousands of monolingual speakers?
A) Tzeltal
B) Chʼol
C) Chuj
D) Tzotzil
  • 60. How many people speak Qʼanjobʼal in Guatemala's Huehuetenango department?
A) 30,000
B) 100,000
C) 77,700
D) 55,000
  • 61. What caused a number of Qʼanjobalan speakers to become refugees?
A) Volcanic eruptions
B) Genocidal policies during the Civil War
C) A major earthquake
D) An economic depression
  • 62. What is another name for Jakaltek?
A) Akatek
B) Tojolabʼal
C) Poptiʼ
D) Chuj
  • 63. In which Mexican municipality are Chuj speakers primarily found as refugees?
A) La Trinitaria, Chiapas
B) Huehuetenango
C) San Miguel Acatán
D) Tabasco
  • 64. Where is Tojolabʼal spoken?
A) In Belize
B) In eastern Chiapas
C) In El Salvador
D) In Tabasco
  • 65. In which US state is there a small Qʼanjobʼal population in Tuscarawas County?
A) Texas
B) California
C) Ohio
D) Florida
  • 66. Which US city is mentioned as having a small Qʼanjobʼal population?
A) New York
B) Chicago
C) Los Angeles
D) Houston
  • 67. Which language eclipsed all indigenous languages in Central America during the Spanish colonization?
A) Spanish
B) Latin
C) Portuguese
D) English
  • 68. During which century did Maya archaeology advance, leading to the spread of nationalist and ethnic-pride-based ideologies?
A) The 18th century
B) The 21st century
C) The 20th century
D) The 19th century
  • 69. As ideologies of ethnic pride spread, what did Mayan-speaking peoples begin to develop?
A) A completely unified single language
B) A shared ethnic identity as Maya
C) A desire to migrate exclusively to Europe
D) A new writing system based on Spanish
  • 70. From which postclassical city was the word 'Maya' likely derived?
A) Palenque
B) Mayapan
C) Tikal
D) Chichen Itza
  • 71. What does the broader current meaning of 'Maya' rely on?
A) Religious affiliation with colonial institutions
B) Citizenship in a single modern nation-state
C) Linguistic relationships, ethnic, or cultural traits
D) Exclusively political boundaries established by Spain
  • 72. What has been fundamental in defining the boundaries of Maya kinship?
A) Crops
B) Language
C) Currency
D) Architecture
  • 73. According to Fabri, why is the term Maya problematic?
A) It is an ancient Spanish word with no indigenous roots
B) It refers only to people living outside the Yucatán Peninsula
C) Maya peoples do not constitute a homogeneous identity
D) It is no longer used by any modern scholars
  • 74. How many distinct Mayan languages does the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG) find?
A) Five
B) Twenty-one
C) Ten
D) Fifty
  • 75. What kind of distinction did scholars make in the past between Amerindian 'dialects' and European 'languages'?
A) A classification based on writing systems
B) A distinction based purely on the number of speakers
C) A scientifically accurate and neutral linguistic distinction
D) A spurious distinction with racialist overtones
  • 76. In what year was the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG) founded?
A) 1500
B) 2025
C) 1986
D) 1996
  • 77. Who founded the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG)?
A) United States immigration judges
B) European archaeologists
C) Maya organisations
D) The Spanish colonial government
  • 78. Following which event did the ALMG gain growing recognition as a regulatory authority?
A) The Spanish colonization of Central America
B) The 1996 peace accords
C) The invention of the postclassical city of Mayapan
D) The founding of the San Francisco East Bay
  • 79. Which language branch was located in the north during the Classic period?
A) Proto-Yucatecan
B) Eastern Chʼolan
C) Proto-Chʼolan
D) Classic Chʼoltiʼan
  • 80. Where are Mayan languages spoken?
A) South America
B) Europe
C) North America
D) Mesoamerica
  • 81. What is the ancestor language of contemporary Mayan languages?
A) Olmec
B) Classic Maya
C) Proto-Mayan
D) Mixe-Zoque
  • 82. What method was used to partially reconstruct the proto-Mayan language?
A) The comparative method
B) The structural derivation method
C) The historical transcription method
D) The phonetic method
  • 83. What do all Mayan languages use instead of adpositions to indicate spatial relationships?
A) Suffixes
B) Prepositions
C) Relational nouns
D) Auxiliary verbs
  • 84. What grammatical feature is found in the treatment of verbs and their subjects and objects in Mayan languages?
A) Ergativity
B) Nominative-accusative alignment
C) Tonal inflection
D) Noun incorporation
  • 85. What is the name of the special word class typical of all Mayan languages?
A) Clitics
B) Demonstratives
C) Locatives
D) Positionals
  • 86. During which historical era were some Mayan languages written in Maya script?
A) Pre-Columbian era
B) Archaic period
C) Colonial era
D) Post-Conquest era
  • 87. Who published the earliest proposal identifying the Chiapas-Guatemalan highlands as the cradle of Mayan languages in 1912?
A) Karl Sapper
B) Terrence Kaufman
C) Lyle Campbell
D) John Justeson
  • 88. According to Campbell and Kaufman, when did the first division of the Mayan language family occur?
A) Around 2200 BC
B) Around 3000 BC
C) Around 1000 BC
D) Around 500 AD
  • 89. What civilization might have dominated the early Maya based on Mixe-Zoquean loanwords?
A) Zapotec
B) Aztec
C) Olmec
D) Toltec
  • 90. What type of script was used for rich post-Conquest literature in Mayan languages?
A) Latin script
B) Cyrillic script
C) Greek script
D) Maya script
  • 91. Who included Mayan in the highly controversial Amerind hypothesis?
A) Lyle Campbell
B) Joseph Greenberg
C) David Mora-Marin
D) Noam Chomsky
  • 92. According to Lyle Campbell's 1997 writing, what was considered the most promising proposal to link Mayan?
A) The Siouan hypothesis
B) The Macro-Mayan hypothesis
C) The Penutian hypothesis
D) The Hokan hypothesis
  • 93. Whose recent evidence in 2015 made the link between Mayan and Mixe-Zoquean languages more plausible?
A) Joseph Greenberg
B) An anonymous Mesoamerican scholar
C) Lyle Campbell
D) David Mora-Marin
  • 94. Where are most Mopan speakers primarily located?
A) Belize
B) Guatemala
C) Honduras
D) Mexico
  • 95. What is another name for Lacandón?
A) Itzaʼ
B) Wastek
C) Lakantum
D) Chicomuceltec
  • 96. What is noted as the most divergent of modern Mayan languages?
A) Mopan
B) Wastek
C) Itzaʼ
D) Yucatec Maya
  • 97. What language was related to Wastek and spoken in Chiapas?
A) Chicomuceltec
B) Uspantek
C) Jakaltek
D) Lakantum
  • 98. What was the predominant syllable structure of Proto-Mayan?
A) CCV
B) CVC
C) CVCC
D) VCV
  • 99. Where were consonant clusters only allowed in Proto-Mayan?
A) Across syllable boundaries
B) At the beginning of words only
C) At the ends of words only
D) Anywhere within a syllable
  • 100. What was the typical structure of most Proto-Mayan roots?
A) Disyllabic
B) Monosyllabic
C) Trisyllabic
D) Polysyllabic
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