Ancient China Key Terms

What is an oracle bone?

• A bone that would foresee the future.
• An animal bone or turtle shell used by the Shang kings of China to communicate with the gods.
• A good luck charm that kings used when going to war.
• A religious symbol that priests used when performing sacrifices.

What is the pattern of the rise and fall of dynasties?

• Political philosophies
• Mandate of Heaven
• Dynastic Cycle
• Time of the Warring States

What is the Mandate of Heaven?

• An ancient Chinese belief that a ruler had the gods' approval
• the Daoist path to eternal life
• the kingdom during the Zhou Dynasty
• a belief that heaven provided food for those that were hungry

What is a dynasty?

• a line of rulers from the same family

• kings and queens of ancient China

• emperors and empresses of ancient China

• when ancient China conquered territory

A philosophy of Laozi, which emphasized living in harmony with nature

• Jainism
• Daoism
• Confucianism
• Buddhism

The title of someone who rules an empire.

• King

• Emperor

• Pharaoh

• Confucian

A person who is skilled at working with his or her hands in some specialised way.

• peasant

• merchant

• artisan

• noble

A widespread Asian religion or philosophy, founded by Siddartha Gautama in north-eastern India in the 5th century BC.

• Confuciansim

• Buddhism

• Taoism

• Legalism

Overland trade routes that linked China to Europe

• Mandate of Heaven
• Silk Road
• Confucianism
• Scholar-Officials

A philosophy based on the ideas of Confucius that focuses on morality, family order, social harmony, and government is ______.

• Buddhism
• Confucianism
• Catholicism 
• Hinduism