Lesson 23 – The Han Dynasty

What allowed the Han to expand their dynasty?

• their military methods and new weapons

• their great wealth which allowed them to buy land

• their skill in negotiating treaties

• their ability to build alliances with their neighbors

How did Han emperors rule their vast empire?

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

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

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

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

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

• give one month of unpaid labor to the government.

• build their own homes.

• grow enough food to stock the shared granaries

• all of the above

People in ancient times valued salt because it was used to . . .

• produce gunpowder for use in fireworks.

• create steel out of iron ore.

• process silkworm fibers into cloth.

• preserve meat and vegetables.

The Chinese believed that it was important to position their temples, graves, and homes using direction. This led them to invent the . . .

• lodestone.

• moxibustion.

• magnetic compass

• seismograph.

How did the Han manage to build up such a large 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.

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

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

Before the Han dynasty, government officials were hired based on . . .

• their appearance.

• their social status.

• their civil service exam results.

• their incomes.

The chain pump helped Han farmers . . .

• move much heavier loads than they could carry.

• plow the soil more effectively.

• move water from irrigation ditches to the fields.

• pump water from deep underground into their homes.

Which artistic material was invented during the Han dynasty?

• ink

• paint

• books

• paper

How did ancient Chinese healers believe that illnesses could be cured?

• by restoring the natural balance of the forces of yin and yang

• by driving out the demons that were making the patient ill

• by draining the bad blood from the patient’s body

• by prayer and divine intervention