Unit 5.1 Checkpoint: Ancient India

Select all that are true about monsoons in India.

• Monsoons brought rain during the summers
• Monsoon could cause flooding which would destroy crops/homes
• Monsoons brought dry winds during the winters
• Monsoons turned India into a subcontinent
• Monsoons rains/winds came from the rivers

The four social classes of ancient India are called varnas, which gradually divided into thousands of smaller groups known as the jati system, or caste system. What is true about the caste system?

• People remain in the same social group for life.
• All people have the opportunity to switch to a higher caste.
• People's jobs are determined for them.
• The caste / jati you are in usually determined who you could marry.

Select the advancements that the people of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro invented.

• Indoor plumbing
• Indus script writing
• Electricity
• Religion based off of the Sun god
• Metal tools

In other units we talked about cultural diffusion and the sharing of culture between people groups. The Aryans brought their sacred texts, the Vedas, with them to India. How did the Vedas influence Indian religion?

• They became the base for Hinduism
• They became the base for Buddhism
• They explained the process of mummification
• They showed Indians how to install indoor bathrooms

You will need to know the 4 social classes in the Varna on the test. Which is the highest social class?

• Sudras
• Kshatriya
• Brahman
• Vaishya

India is separated from the rest of Asia by what rugged mountain system that acts as a natural barrier to the north?

• The Zargos
• The Urals
• The Caucasus
• The Himalayas

How is the Indus Valley civilization similar to the early civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt?

• They all developed near an ocean.
• They all developed in river valleys.
• They were all surrounded by a mountain system.
• They all developed near a huge lake.

After the Aryans settled in villages, they developed a written language called

• Sanskrit.
• Hieroglyphics.
• Cuneiform.
• Indus Script.

At the lowest level of society were the Untouchables and they did jobs that the other levels of the caste system would not do.

• True
• False

We know about the Indus culture from studying the ruins of two major cities, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. Select what is true about the two cities below.

• At its peak, they both had over 35,000 residents.
• Each city had dozens of streets.
• They had strong centralized governments to organize building projects
• They had wells, garbage chutes and bathrooms
• All streets were left unpaved.