Chapter 10 - Early China: 1750 B.C. to A.D. 220

Which natural barrier to the north helped keep China isolated from other civilizations?

• Bay of Bengal

• the Gobi

• Plateau of Tibet

• Kunlun Shan

Which geographical features explain the fact that China’s cultural influence was greater in areas to its east?

• the Chang Jiang and the Huang He

• the Himalaya and the Bay of Bengal

• the Gobi and the Yellow Sea

• the Yellow River and the Korean Peninsula

How was using the Mandate of Heaven as a basis for political power dangerous to Zhou rulers?

• It replaced a system based on merit with a system based on heredity, which meant that the Zhou would not continue to rule.

• It required Zhou kings to perform religious ceremonies to please the gods, which did not guarantee they would keep the mandate.

• The people of China did not believe in the mandate, so it was a weak claim that led to civil war when farmers revolted.

• Zhou rulers easily could be blamed for events beyond their control, such as famine or flooding, and were replaced.

Based on the map, why might a trader traveling from Antioch to Changan prefer taking the Silk Road over other land routes?

• The Silk Road was less dangerous.

• Other land routes avoided the Himalaya.

• The Silk Road was a shorter route.

• The climate along the Silk Road was more mild.

Confucius

“If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.

If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.

If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nations.

When there is order in the nations, there will be peace in the world.”

Based on the excerpt, which statement summarizes Confucius’s worldview?

• Order and harmony can be achieved through discipline.

• The home is the most important part of Chinese life.

• World peace begins with the individual person.

• A strong leader does not have to fight with other nations.

Which fact illustrates China’s geographical isolation?

• Silk manufacture originated in China.

• Buddhism spread through China after the fall of the Han.

• The ancient Chinese referred to their land as the “Middle Kingdom.”

• Qin Shihuangdi built the Great Wall.

In what way was the Shang dynasty in China similar to Ancient Egypt?

• Both developed writing using pictures to represent objects.

• Both preserved dead bodies to prepare them for the afterlife.

• Both civilizations ended due to environmental problems.

• Both engaged in wars with other civilizations to expand territory.

Which important achievement of the dynasty being described is missing from the diagram?

• bronze urns

• first common currency

• new irrigation systems

• paper for written records

Why do the Chinese call the Huang He “China’s Sorrow”?

• because it is dirty and polluted

• because it is yellow in color

• because it is now dried up

• because its flooding has drowned many people

Which answer gives the best explanation of why the Chang Jiang was so important to the people of ancient China?

• It was a key waterway for trade and transportation.

• It is the third longest river in the world.

• It flows west to east across central China.

• It flows through canyons and plains to the East China Sea.