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Worksheets

Ancient Chinese Dynasties

Total questions: 17

Worksheet time: 7mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Later in Chinese history, which of these geographical features made governing China as a unified state MOST difficult?

a)

its large size

b)

its long rivers

c)

its broad plains

d)

its different crops

2.

How did Zhou, a frontier state, MOST affect the Shang dynasty?

a)

rebels from Zhou overthrew the king

b)

warriors from Zhou led the royal army

c)

jade mines in Zhou made the king wealthy

d)

travelers through Zhou promoted foreign trade

3.

In the later years of the Zhou dynasty, what condition in China led to new philosophies?

a)

wealth

b)

disorder

c)

feudalism

d)

democracy

4.

According to belief in the Mandate of Heaven, earthquakes and floods might be signs that...

a)

the king did not govern well

b)

the end of the world was near

c)

the people did not obey they laws

d)

the natural world ignored humans

5.

Which of these would Confucius have valued MOST highly?

a)

riches

b)

respect

c)

freedom

d)

creativity

6.

Daoists taught that people could gain happiness by...

a)

reading the ancient texts

b)

serving in government jobs

c)

living in harmony with nature

d)

working hard to become wealthy

7.

Hanfeizi, whose teachings were the basis for Legalism, wrote that rulers should emphasize...

a)

honesty and trust

b)

scholarship and ideas

c)

trade and manufacturing

d)

rewards and punishments

8.

Which Chinese teaching MOST influenced Qin Shihuangdi's style of rule?

a)

Daoism

b)

Legalism

c)

Buddhism

d)

Confucianism

9.

What actions related to the areas listed below did the emperor take to help unify China?

  • Laws
  • Money
  • Weights and measures
  • Writing
a)

He set up schools where they were taught

b)

He took ideas about them from other countries

c)

He let officials adjust them to meet local needs

d)

He standardized practices that had differed in all parts of the country

10.

Where did archaeologists find a life-sized army made of terra-cotta, a kind of clay?

a)

in the Great Wall

b)

next to the royal palace

c)

along the southern border

d)

inside the emperor's tomb

11.

What was one difference between feudalism and the Emperor of Qin's system of government?

a)

Under feudalism, power was held locally; the Emperor of Qin held all the power

b)

Under feudalism, lords met with the king; the Emperor of Qin did not have meetings

c)

Under feudalism, leadership came from a few men; the Emperor of Qin had many leaders

d)

Under feudalism, peasants chose their lords; the Emperor of Qin chose their lords for them

12.

These scene from an ancient scroll shows something being done to scholars. Why did this happen?

a)

The soldiers did not know how to read

b)

The royal family had to pick a teacher

c)

The philosophers wanted to get back to nature

d)

The emperor hoped to stop criticism of the government

13.

Why did later Chinese historians have very different opinions of the Emperor of Qin?

a)

Little is known about him

b)

His tomb could not be found

c)

He acted both wisely and cruelly

d)

His advisers made most decisions

14.

How did the Han emperors gradually change they way China was ruled?

a)

They returned most power to local nobles

b)

They put more emphasis on family connections

c)

They moved from Legalism to Confucian ideals

d)

They punished people who tried to spread Daoist beliefs

15.

How did the Han emperors keep civil servants from doing special favors for their friends?

a)

made them file a weekly report

b)

forbid them to make any decisions

c)

executed their friends and relations

d)

placed them far away from their home districts

16.

Which of these discoveries did the Chinese make, more than a thousand years before people in Europe did?

a)

that blood circulates through the body

b)

that comets can be seen in the night sky

c)

that wheeled carts can be pulled by oxen

d)

that metal can be shaped into strong swords

17.

The Chinese invented the magnetic compass to show which way was south. What was their EARLIEST reason for wanting to know directions?

a)

to know the best time to plant their crops

b)

to foretell what would happen in the future

c)

to navigate ships safely out of sight of land

d)

to position buildings correctly for good fortune