The Han Dynasty

What allowed the Han to expand their dynasty?

• their great wealth which allowed them to buy land

• their military methods and new weapons

• their skill in negotiating treaties

• their ability to build alliances with their neighbors

How did the Han manage to build up such a large army?

• They hired soldiers from other countries and paid them very well.

• They forced all adult men and women to serve in the army.

• They bought slaves to fight their wars, in order to spare the lives of their own people.

• They required all men between the ages of 25 and 60 to serve in the army.

What was the advantage of fish-scale armor produced by Han ironworkers?

• It allowed soldiers to float if they fell into water.

• It produced a smell that overpowered their enemies.

• It was flexible enough to move with the body.

• It allowed warriors to withstand very cold water.

What did the Han do with kites?

• The Han used them to transport goods over long distances.

• The Han used them for a variety of military purposes.

• The Han used them to capture electricity during lightning storms.

• The Han used them for entertainment.

How did Han emperors rule their vast empire?

• They made all decisions personally to avoid having to share power.

• They used a large, complex bureaucracy to run the government.

• They shared control with local governments run by their male relatives.

• They divided the duties of government between themselves and their wives.

Before the Han dynasty, government officials were hired based on

• their civil service exam results.

• their appearance.

• their incomes.

• their social status.

How did the Han dynasty select its government officials?

• Candidates had to belong to one of the highest-ranking families.

• Candidates had to pay a large bribe to the hiring officials.

• Candidates had to pass a difficult civil service exam.

• Candidates had to be related to the emperor.

Every three years, civil servants

• could be promoted or demoted depending upon an evaluation of their work.

• were automatically promoted to the next level, regardless of job performance.

• received a paid month off to deepen their knowledge of classic Chinese writings.

• were moved into a new position, to prevent them from giving special favors to friends.

In addition to growing food for their families, Han farmers had to

• grow enough food to stock the shared granaries

• build their own homes.

• give one month of unpaid labor to the government.

• all of the above

The chain pump helped Han farmers

• pump water from deep underground into their homes.

• move water from irrigation ditches to the fields.

• plow the soil more effectively.

• move much heavier loads than they could carry.