The Indian subcontinent is divided into three major zones:  the northern plain, the Deecan, and the coastal plains.  The most recognizable feature on any map of India is the Deecan due to its triangular raised area of level land.  This is known as a _____.

Southeast Asia and India are known for having strong wind seasons.  During the fall and winter, the wind blows from the northeast, bringing a flow of hot, dry air.  During the spring, the wind blows from the southwest and picks up moisture from the Indian Ocean, often causing seasonal downpours.  This wind cycle is called a _____.

Many ancient civilizations such as those in the Indus Valley and Ganges River regions of India were very religious.  They honored many Gods and worshiped animals.  Indians especially show a special regard for cattle because they believe the cow is seen as a "caretaker" or maternal figure.  This deep respect for the cow is called _____.

Over time the Indus Valley region of India was destroyed and looted by Aryans who migrated from Europe and Asia seeking water and pasture for their homes and animals.  The Aryans built a new civilization along the Ganges River and created a society divided by occupation.  This system of _____, or social groups was determined at birth and could not be changed.  

As the Aryan culture continued to develop over the years many began to believe in the notion of a single spiritual power that resided in all things known as the _____, a gender-neutral, supreme-self entity.

The Aryans were also a spiritual society.  They worshiped gods and goddesses that embodied natural forces such as the sky, sun, storm, and fire.  _____ devoted their lives to seeking spiritual truth through meditation, yoga and bodily discipline.  They sought direct communication with divine forces.

Aryan tribes of India were led by chiefs called _____ who were often the most skilled war leader, elected by an assembly of warriors.

Fine, windblown yellow soil that often settled at the bottom of Chinese rivers and caused them to overflow and/or flood the nearby crops.

Early Chinese families were identified by _____ or groups who claimed common and often mystical ancestry.

In ancient China priests wrote questions addressed to the gods or the spirit of an ancestor on animals bones or turtle shells.  

Fine, elegant handwriting using a brush and ink.

The rise and fall of dynasties in early China were known as _____.  It was believed that as long as a dynasty provided good government, it enjoyed the Mandate of Heaven (one legitimate ruler at a time with the blessing of the gods).

Under the Zhou dynasty of early China they developed a system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other forms of support to the ruler.  This is known as _____.