View a FREE sample

1. What was the first observation that led Heyerdahl to develop the theory about the Pacific Islands?

On an expedition with his wife Heyerdahl discovered that the trade winds blew from east to west, suggesting that the settlers on the islands may have come from South America.

2. How do the Polynesians record the history of their people?

The Polynesians use a method of oral history to communicate their history. Much like the Incas, the Polynesians use a string and knot device to help mark the time in 25 year increments.

3. What piece of information strengthens Heyerdahl's theory?

Heyerdahl here's a story regarding the massacre of bearded white men who were responsible for building the pyramids in Peru. The way men were massacred by Cari, a Peruvian chief. The chief god of the white men, Kon Tiki, managed to escape.

4. What was the main similarity between the cultures that further convinced Heyerdahl?

Heyerdahl believed that the white man's chief god, Sun Tiki, who had been driven out of Peru was the same as the white chief god, Tiki, Son of the Sun, who supposedly founded the Polynesian race.

(read all 60 Short Essay Questions and Answers)

This section contains 2,694 words (approx. 9 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample