Centuries of persecution and cultural isolation have turned the maya into impoverished outcasts in their own land.
a) true
b)false

The correct answer is - B) False.

The Mayans were everything but persecuted and culturally isolated civilization, nor they were impoverished. This civilization thrived in Mesoamerica, and it was the greatest and most advanced civilization in the New World during its existence.

The cultural isolation can be easily debunked as the Mayan culture was based on the earlier Olmec culture, and also the civilizations that were contemporary of the Mayans adopted this from them, as well as the later civilizations in the region, like the Aztecs, that had lot of cultural influence from them.

The Maya had nice prosperous empire, with magnificent buildings, and development in multiple scientific fields. They were ruling over some other people, but they were not terrible rulers, so they were respected and the empire was unified.