The first Chinese civilization was built along the

• Xi River

• Yangtze River

• Huang He River

• Brahmaputra River

Answer explanation

The Shang dynasty is the oldest confirmed dynasty to begin around the Huang He.

Click on the two nicknames for the Huang He River

• Yellow River

• Red River

• River of Death

• River of Sorrows

Answer explanation

Named the Yellow River for the mineral-rich silt that gives it its color

Named the River of Sorrows for the devasting flooding it has caused

All of the following are correct explanations for this population density map of China EXCEPT

• The most fertile river valleys of China are found in the East.

• The western portion of China is made up of mountains, deserts, and high plateaus.

• Threats from Indian invaders kept most of the population in the East.

• China's eastern coastline boasts many deep-water harbors

The oldest form of Chinese writing was first discovered on

• the tomb of Qin Shihuang di

• The western half of the Great Wall of China

• Paper scrolls found in the capital city of Beijing

• Oracle bones

Answer explanation

Oracle bones were used by the priests to determine future events.

China's form of "divine right" was called

• The Mandate of Heaven

• Imperial Bureaucracy

• Civil Service

• Theocracy

Answer explanation

The Mandate (order) of Heaven (gods) meant that that ruler & his dynasty were just (morally good) and effective.

If things started going bad in the dynasty, it meant that they LOST the Mandate of Heaven and it justified its overthrow by a new group.

What world religion spread from India to China through the teachings of early missionaries?

• Hinduism

• Islam

• Confucianism

• Buddhism

Answer explanation

Buddhism arrived at the end of the Han dynasty when life was especially difficult for poor people. Buddhism's ideas of peace and equality was especially appealing to the poor and disenfranchised (powerless)

Qin Shi Huangdi unified the Chinese world in part by

• conquering Russia

• negotiating a peace with India

• creating a single monetary system and ordering the building of a system of roads

• building a complex series of long canals

Answer explanation

Emperor Qin was the first to unify the kingdoms of China. He did so by doing the following:

1. 1. Conquering all of the warring kingdoms

2. 2. Creating a standardized (all the same) coins, weights, and measures.

3. 3. Created one Chinese script for all to use.

The Zhou dynasty overthrew the Shang and claimed the right to rule based on

• military conquest
• mandate from heaven
• divine intervention
• popular support

Answer explanation

Confucius taught that government officials should earn their positions through education and talent—merit. Merit-based civil service became official during the Qin dynasty and later included written examinations. Testing made it possible for any male adult, regardless of social status or wealth, to become a high-ranking public official.

Based on the passage, who could take a civil service exam during China's Han Dynasty?

• All citizens

• Any landowner

• All men

• Any adult

Answer explanation

The Civil Service allowed men from any social class to compete for high-paying jobs in the government. It improved education in China and created a middle class that had not existed before.

This map indicates that

• trade along the Silk Road was dominated by Greek and Italian merchants

• the Silk Road was constructed by the countries it connected

• trade along the Silk Road involved covering long distances and mountainous terrain

• the Silk Road included ports on the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean

Answer explanation

The Silk Road stretched from Eastern China all the way to the Black Sea. Traders did not usually travel the entire distance. Many cities in Central Asia grew as trading cities. Chinese merchants/traders had to find ways to move through the deserts and mountains of western China.

You can learn more about the Silk Roads by clicking on the video (5 minutes)