Texas History Test Texas Native American Peoples & History 1 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Native American group dominated the southern plains of Texas in the 18th and 19th centuries and were renowned as expert horsemen?
- Cherokee
- Comanche (Correct answer)
- Caddo
- Tonkawa
Correct answer: Comanche
The Comanche became the dominant power on the southern plains after acquiring horses, making them formidable warriors and bison hunters who controlled the vast region called ComancherĂa.
Question 2: The word 'Texas' derives from a word used by which Native American group meaning 'friends' or 'allies'?
- Comanche
- Apache
- Caddo (Correct answer)
- Karankawa
Correct answer: Caddo
The Caddo people's word 'tejas' or 'tayshas,' meaning friends or allies, was adopted by Spanish explorers as the name for the region, eventually becoming 'Texas.'
Question 3: The Karankawa people primarily inhabited which geographic region of Texas?
- Panhandle Plains
- Gulf Coast (Correct answer)
- Big Bend Region
- Red River Valley
Correct answer: Gulf Coast
The Karankawa were coastal people who lived along the Gulf Coast of Texas, relying on fishing, shellfish, and hunting for their survival.
Question 4: Which Apache group primarily occupied the Trans-Pecos region and Davis Mountains of West Texas?
- Lipan Apache
- Kiowa Apache
- Mescalero Apache (Correct answer)
- Chiricahua Apache
Correct answer: Mescalero Apache
The Mescalero Apache ranged through the Trans-Pecos and Davis Mountains, named for their practice of harvesting and preparing the mescal agave plant for food.
Question 5: What was the primary food source that sustained the Comanche people's nomadic way of life on the Texas plains?
- Corn and beans
- Buffalo (bison) (Correct answer)
- Fish and shellfish
- White-tailed deer
Correct answer: Buffalo (bison)
The Comanche economy centered on bison hunting; buffalo provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools that supported their nomadic lifestyle on the southern plains.
Question 6: The Wichita people, known for their grass-thatched beehive-shaped lodges, primarily lived in which part of Texas?
- South Texas brush country
- Red River Valley in North Texas (Correct answer)
- East Texas Piney Woods
- Trans-Pecos desert
Correct answer: Red River Valley in North Texas
The Wichita confederacy occupied the Red River Valley region in North Texas and were known for their permanent grass-lodge villages and agriculture supplemented by bison hunting.
Question 7: Ălvar NĂșñez Cabeza de Vaca, shipwrecked on the Texas coast in 1528, was first captured by which Native American group?
- Caddo
- Karankawa (Correct answer)
- Jumano
- Tonkawa
Correct answer: Karankawa
After Cabeza de Vaca's shipwreck on the Texas coast, the Karankawa captured him; he lived among various Texas tribes for years before reaching Mexico City in 1536.
Texas History Test Texas Native American Peoples & History 1
Which Native American group dominated the southern plains of Texas in the 18th and 19th centuries and were renowned as expert horsemen?