According to scholars, the indigenous peoples of ancient Mesoamerica, specifically the Nahuas, developed a rich and complex philosophy comprising four interrelated and overlapping branches of knowledge: metaphysics, epistemology, theory of value, and aesthetics. At the core of their philosophy was teotl, which, rather than an immutable supernatural being like the Judaeo-Christian deity, was an ever-moving and ever-changing, self-producing sacred power that animated the universe and its contents. It was responsible for all things in nature—animals, rocks, rain, and so on—and permeated the details of everything. There was no distinction between teotl and the natural world; teotl was in every entity, and every entity was also teotl. Unlike Western philosophy, which fosters dichotomies such as the personal versus the impersonal, that of the Nahuas posited a sacred power that was united with everything; it was both intrinsic and transcendent.

The definition of teotl and its comparison to the Judaeo-Christian deity plays which of the following roles within the passage?

A. It compares a lesser-known idea to a more common one to further understanding.
B. It contrasts the sacred power of teotl with a more familiar object of veneration in order to illustrate that cultures often possess diverging narratives on the origins of the world and the organisms therein.
C. It provides an explanation of the origins of the cosmos according to some of the proponents of Western philosophy.
D. It bolsters the case for accepting an aboriginal explanation for the creation of the universe over a Western one.
E. It encourages further inquiry into a lesser known understanding of the world.


Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

In writing this passage, the author most likely intended to

A. explain the system of principles that guided the customs of an ancient group of people
B. elaborate on a theoretical belief that is incongruous with other beliefs on a similar topic
C. describe the fundamental ideology of a certain society




According to the passage, the ancient philosophy of the Nahua people is different from European-based philosophy in that

A. at the center of Nahua philosophy was a detached and unmoving deity, whereasChristianity is based on the notion of a dynamic, ever-flowing supernatural force
B. Nahua philosophy consisted of several interlocking concepts, whereas Western philosophy is composed only of dichotomies
C. Nahua philosophy was based on the notion that a vivifying and mutable force saturated all matter, whereas in Western religion there is little or no division between supernatural powers and the natural world
D. rather than promoting mutually exclusive but dependent binaries, Nahua philosophy fostered an integrated and holistic worldview
E. within Nahuas society there was not a strong sense of individualism, whereas in Western societies, worldviews based on dichotomies engender excessive concern for self