Test: Confrontation Of Cultures - UPSC MCQ

The term 'animism' is derived from the Latin word ‘anima’, meaning 'breath' or 'soul'. The belief of animism is probably one of man's oldest beliefs and may have originated during the Palaeolithic Age.

In 1532, Atahualpa secured the throne of the Inca Empire after a civil war. Shortly thereafter, the Spanish, under Francisco Pizarro, captured and executed the king. Eventually, the Spanish occupied and subjugated the Incas.

Aztec and Inca architectures, styles of dresses, basic cultures, religious practices, legends and mythologies and the stories were essentially the same between both groups of people.

In 1519, Cortes set sail from Cuba to Mexico, where he made friends with the Totonacs, a group who wanted to secede from Aztec rule.

Columbus was an Italian. His first appeal for  a sponsorship was turned down by the Portuguese Crown. He had better luck with the Spanish authorities who sanctioned a modest expedition that set sail from the port of Palos on 3 August 1492.

Mayans developed between the 11th and 14th centuries. Corn cultivation was central to their culture and many religious ceremonies were centred on the planting, growing and harvesting of corn.

The island of Cuba was discovered by Columbus on his initial westward voyage. In honour of the son of Ferdinand V and Isabella I of Spain, his benefactors, Columbus named it Juana, the first of several names he successively applied to the island. It eventually came to be known as Cuba, from its aboriginal name, Cubanascan. At the time of its discovery, Cuba was inhabited by the Ciboney, a friendly tribe related to the Arawak.

The magnetic compass, or the marine compass, was of great importance to sailors, because it always told them which way was North. On cloudy days, and during dark, stormy nights, when the sun and stars could not be seen, the sailors could now continue going on their way, far from land, and still know in which direction they were going.

Salvador da Bahia was the first capital of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763.

Spanish settlements in the Philippines were established when an expedition led by the Conquistador, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, arrived in Cebu from Mexico. After defeating the local Muslim ruler, Rajah Sulaiman III, Lopez established a capital at Manila, a suitable location that offered the excellent harbour of Manila Bay. Manila became the centre of Spanish government; including military, religious and commercial activities in the islands.