Review Ancient China

Where did China’s first civilization develop?

• along the Chang River
• on the North China Plain
• on the Plateau of Tibet
• in the Gobi Desert

What is loess?

• silt that settles on a hilltop
• a grass-covered plain
• a dry wind from the Gobi
• a fine, dustlike material

By the end of the Shang dynasty, the Chinese had developed a form of writing in which each character represented a

• sound.
• letter.
• syllable.
• word or idea.

How were oracle bones used?

• to predict the future
• to teach students how to write
• to record laws and official decrees
• to pass down dynastic history

The most valued metalwork produced by Shang artisans were made from what material?

• copper
• silver
• bronze
• steel

Zhou rulers claimed that they had won the Mandate of Heaven because they

• brought the Warring States period to an end.
• were victorious over the Shang dynasty.
• were chosen as rulers by Shang priests.
• served the interests of powerful warlords.

“Son of Heaven” was a name given to

• the most powerful warlord.
• the father of a family.
• the ruler of China.
• an influential Zhou thinker.

How did the Zhou king control his vast kingdom?

• He killed all the nobles.
• He destroyed all traces of Shang culture.
• He shared power with warlords.
• He placed family members in charge of regions.

The fall of the Zhou dynasty led to

• a period of warfare and chaos.
• the rise of the Shang dynasty.
• the start of the dynastic cycle.
• the growth of new cities.

What did Zhou artisans discover?

• how to mold bronze into farm tools
• how to decipher oracle bones
• how to make silk cloth
• how to make iron