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Ancient India - Lessons 1 and 2 (Geography and Hinduism)

Total questions: 44

Worksheet time: 3hrs 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What two seasons does India have?

a)

Rainy season

b)

Summer

c)

Flooding season

d)

Monsoon season

e)

Dry season

2.

What is a subcontinent?

a)

A small landmass that is larger than a continent

b)

A large landmass that is smaller than a continent

c)

A continent within another continent

d)

A large landmass that is larger than a continent

3.

The subcontinent of India, which is commonly referred to as South Asia, includes which of these countries?

a)

Present-day Bangladesh

b)

Bhutan

c)

India

d)

Nepal

e)

Most of Pakistan

4.

India used to be part of where before it moved and smashed into Eurasia over hundreds of millions of years?

a)

Pangaea

b)

Eurasia

c)

A supercontinent

d)

South America

5.

What is the boundary at which India HIT EURASIA AND FORMED MOUNTAINS?

a)

Convergent

b)

Divergent

c)

Transform

6.

Which mountain ranges block off India to most of Asia (although there are passes)?

a)

Hindu Kush

b)

Mount Everests

c)

Himalayas

d)

Andes Mountains

e)

Sierra Nevada

7.

Where is Hindu Kush relative to India?

a)

Northwest

b)

Northeast

c)

North

d)

West

8.

Where are the Himalayas relative to India?

a)

North

b)

South

c)

East

d)

West

9.

Which of these are two rivers in India?

a)

Ganges River

b)

Nile River

c)

Yangtze River

d)

Indus River

e)

Yenisei River

10.

What is the river that ran parallel to the Indus river that dried up, most likely due to an earthquake?

a)

Indus River

b)

Saraswati River

c)

Ganges River

d)

Nile River

11.

Which of these bodies of water surrounded India, enabling easy trade with other places such as Egypt and Mesopotamia?

a)

Bay of Bengal

b)

Nile River

c)

Arabian Sea

d)

Indian Ocean

e)

Andaman Sea

12.

What is west of the Himalayas?

a)

Vast deserts

b)

Something

c)

Vast seas and oceans

d)

Ancient China

13.

The tall mountains north of India such as the Himalayas block cold, northern winds from reaching India. As a result, the climate is...

a)

Warmer

b)

Cooler

c)

The same

14.

What are monsoons?

a)

Seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

b)

Daily wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

c)

Seasonal wind patterns that cause many seasons

d)

Wind that blows in from different places and changes the weather

15.

What did the Indus River leave behind when it flooded, creating an ideal landscape for settlers?

a)

Ice cream

b)

Water

c)

Dirt

d)

Silt

16.

What monsoon winds blow in from the Indian Ocean in summer bringing heavy rains and floods?

a)

Wet monsoon winds

b)

Dry monsoon winds

c)

Rainy monsoon winds

d)

Flood monsoon winds

17.

What monsoon winds blow in from the mountains in winter creating warm, dry winters?

a)

Wet monsoon winds

b)

Dry monsoon winds

c)

Winter monsoon winds

d)

Cold monsoon winds

18.

Another name for the Indus Valley Civilization is...

a)

the Harappan civilization

b)

the Aryan civilization

c)

the Valley civilization

d)

the Indian civilization

19.

Which of these are among the two biggest cities in the Harappan Civilization?

a)

Harappa

b)

Taxila

c)

Agra

d)

Delhi

e)

Mohenjo Daro

20.

Both Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were...

a)

Well-planned

b)

Boring

c)

Small

d)

Poorly-planned

21.

Which of these words best describes the Harappan civilization?

a)

Behind

b)

Advanced

c)

Boring

d)

Lucky

22.

Why don't we know much about the Harappan civilization?

a)

The Harappans do not want us to know about them.

b)

The Harappan civilization, and all of its artifacts, got destroyed in a flood.

c)

Scholars have not been able to read their language.

d)

The Harappan civilization disappeared.

23.

Who were the Aryans?

a)

Invaders!!!

b)

People who migrated into India from around the Caspian Sea in central Asia

c)

People who migrated into India from around the Red Sea in central Asia

d)

The original people in India

24.

What were the Vedas?

a)

Religious writings that included poems, hymns, myths, and rituals; these texts helped us learn about the Aryans

b)

Government writings that included accounting, audits, records, and trade records; these texts helped us learn about merchants

c)

Entertainment writings that included poems, epics, and stories; these texts helped us learn about the Aryans

d)

Newspapers that included the latest events; these helped us learn about the Aryans

25.

Who is a raja?

a)

A leader who ruled a village and the land around it in the Harappan political system

b)

A leader who ruled during the Mauryan Empire as a district governor

c)

A leader who ruled only a village in the Aryan political system

d)

A leader who ruled a village and the land around it in the Aryan political system

26.

True or False: Rajas fought with each other sometimes, and other times they joined forces against another enemy

a)

True

b)

False

27.

Define Sanskrit.

a)

The most important language of ancient India

b)

The least important language of ancient India

c)

The most important language of the Indus River Valley

d)

The least important language of the Harappan civilization

28.

Which of these were among the Varnas (social divisions in Aryan society)?

a)

Brahmins

b)

Kshatriyas

c)

Vaisyas

d)

Sudras

e)

Vedas

29.

Why were Brahmins seen as the highest Varna?

a)

They performed rituals for the gods.

b)

They gave everyone money.

c)

They taught everyone important things.

d)

They were government leaders.

30.

What was the caste system?

a)

A system that divided Indian society into groups based on how good a person was

b)

A system that divided Indian society into groups based on a person's wealth, wealth, or occupation

c)

A system that divided Indian society based on how the gods judged them

d)

A system of castes

31.

True or False: Over time, individual castes gained or lost favor in society as caste members gained wealth or power. On rare occasions, people could change caste.

a)

True

b)

False

32.

True or False: Early in the Aryan period, women had most of the same rights as men. Over time, however, laws were passed to limit these rights.

a)

True

b)

False

33.

Who were the untouchables?

a)

People who did not belong to any caste

b)

People who could not be touched

c)

People who did not want to be touched

d)

People who did not belong to the government

34.

True or False: To keep their classes distinct, the Aryans developed sutras, or guides, which listed all the rules for the caste system.

a)

True

b)

False

35.

Which of these are the major beliefs of Hinduism?

a)

A universal spirit called Brahman created the universe and everything in it. Everything in the world is just a part of Brahman.

b)

Every person has a soul or atman that will eventually join with Brahman.

c)

People’s souls are reincarnated many times before they can join with Brahman.

d)

A person’s karma affects how he or she will be reincarnated.

e)

The Brahman is not part of the world.

36.

How was Hinduism developed?

a)

When the Vedas, Upanishads, and other Vedic texts blended with ideas from Persia and other kingdoms in central Asia

b)

When the Vedic texts blended with ideas from Persia and other kingdoms in central Asia

c)

When Harappan ideas blended with ideas from other cultures

d)

When the Vedas, Upanishads, and other Vedic texts were combined

37.

What are the three main gods of Hinduism?

a)

Brahma the Creator

b)

Siva the Destroyer

c)

Vishnu the Preserver

d)

Christ the Savior

e)

Krishna the Protector

38.

What is reincarnation?

a)

The process of rebirth

b)

The process of being sent to prison

c)

The process of renewal

d)

The process of rejoining

39.

What is karma?

a)

The effects that good or bad actions will have on a person's soul

b)

The effects actions will have on a society's people

c)

The effects actions will have on how the gods favor a person

d)

A person's fortune

40.

What is dharma?

a)

A set of spiritual duties one has to fulfill

b)

A way to keep people in their castes

c)

A set of normal duties one has to fulfill everyday

d)

A way to live a healthy life

41.

What is Jainism?

a)

A religion based on the teachings of a man named Mahavira that taught four basic principles

b)

A religion that taught three basic principles

c)

A religion based on the teachings of a man named Chandragupta that taught four basic principles

d)

A religion that taught five basic principles

42.

What is Sikhism?

a)

A religion that blends Hinduism with Islam and other religions

b)

A religion that blends Hinduism with the Egyptian religion

c)

A religion that blends Hinduism with Persian thought

d)

A religion that blends Brahmanism with Hinduism

43.

Which of these are two mountain passes?

a)

Bolan pass

b)

Khyber pass

c)

Mountain pass

d)

Aryan pass

e)

Indus pass

44.

After the Aryans migrated into India, ancient India spread into the...

a)

Ganges River Valley

b)

Indus River Valley

c)

Deccan Plateau

d)

Himalaya Mountains