What was one way the Inca unified their empire?
Options:
They built a powerful army to defend the empire
They allowed conquers people to elect rules
They forced conquered people to use their language
They forced their religion on conquered people
The correct answer is: They forced conquered people to use their language.
One way the Inca unified their empire was by forcing their language on conquered people.
The correct answer is: They forced conquered people to use their language
To arrive at this answer, we can eliminate the other options by understanding their historical context and assessing their relevance to the Inca Empire.
1. They built a powerful army to defend the empire: While it is true that the Inca Empire had a strong military force, it alone did not unify the empire. Strong armies were common in many ancient empires, but it did not contribute directly to unification in this case.
2. They allowed conquered people to elect rulers: This option is not accurate for the Inca Empire. The Inca kingship system was hereditary, meaning rulers were not elected by the conquered people.
3. They forced conquered people to use their language: This option is correct and played a crucial role in unifying the Inca Empire. The Inca ruler, Pachacuti, implemented a policy known as "Quechuaization," where conquered people were required to adopt the Quechua language. This unified the empire linguistically, facilitating communication and administrative control.
4. They forced their religion on conquered people: While religion was an important aspect of the Inca Empire, it did not directly unify the empire. The Incas had an official religion, centered around the worship of Inti, the sun god, but they did not force this religion on conquered people.
Therefore, the correct answer is that the Inca Empire unified their empire by forcing conquered people to use their language.