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Eastern River Valley Civilizations

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

In ancient history, what do the areas marked with X all have in common?

a)

They could not trade over great distances

b)

The civilizations disappeared

c)

They were all were protected from invasion by geographic features

d)

They all had civilization that were centered along major rivers

2.

What is a characteristic of the Indus Valley civilizations?

a)

Cities were always at war

b)

Cities were designed without thinking

c)

Cities were planned and had their own plumbing and sewage systems.

d)

Cities were destroyed by invaders in horse-drawn chariots.

3.

What was a major advantage of the Chinese system of writing?

a)

People from areas outside of China could be read it

b)

People from areas within China could read it, even if they spoke other Chinese dialects or languages

c)

The Chinese written language has not changed very much since 200 B.C.

d)

Readers needed to know only a small number of pictographs

4.

How did the Mandate of Heaven affect government in China?

a)

The Mandate of Heaven led to long periods of war among families.

b)

Religious leaders read oracle bones to select new rulers.

c)

It allowed new rulers to justify the overthrow of a declining dynasty.

d)

The ruler received a direct mandate from heaven that he should resign (quit)

5.

Which letter on this map represents the Harappan civilization?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

6.

In Hinduism, the highest goal of the individual soul was:

a)

to achieve moksha

b)

to enter into permanent union with Indra

c)

to have good karma and dharma

d)

to be reincarnated into the warrior caste

7.

The Aryans created a social class system based on skin color and a person’s

a)

birth

b)

Job

c)

education

d)

gender (male/female)

8.

From ancient times to the present, Indians have depended on the summer rains brought by seasonal winds called

a)

loess

b)

mystics

c)

monsoons

d)

Brahmins

9.

The Symbols in the image of Indus valley seals above represent

a)

A language that is not deciphered

b)

No one knows

c)

Artistic designs

d)

Hieroglyphics

10.

Indus Valley Cities were arranged around a central building. The ruins of one such building is pictured above. What was it?

a)

A ziggurat to the gods

b)

A swimming pool

c)

A government building

d)

A pyramid

11.

Hindus believe Brahman is

a)

A god encompassing and embodying the entire universe

b)

The creator of everything in the world

c)

The prophet who wrote the Vedas

d)

A member of the warrior caste

12.

Chinese culture valued which metal the most during this time period?

a)

Bronze

b)

Gold

c)

Jade

d)

Copper

13.

All ancient river valley civilizations were affected by flooding. What was different about the Indus valley civilization?

a)

They also had to contend with earthquakes and heavy monsoon rains

b)

The floods were regular and predictable

c)

They lived in the Hindu Kush mountains which are full of volcanoes that regularly erupted

d)

They had developed no ships that could navigate the rivers

14.

Why do historians believe the Indus valley civilization may have been very different from the others?

a)

They were opposed to war and believed in social equality.

b)

There are no elaborate temples and palaces in the cities and no giant statues of rulers or gods.

c)

Their technology was much more advanced than the other river valley civilizations

d)

They were pastoralists

15.

The image is of a Chinese

a)

Law code

b)

Alphabet script

c)

Oracle bone

d)

Yin and Yang

16.

What was the item in the image above used for in China?

a)

To plow fields

b)

To teach students how to write

c)

To execute the Emperor

d)

To discover the will of the gods

17.

Religious practice in ancient China included the practice of

a)

Pyramid construction

b)

Animal sacrifice

c)

Ancestor worship

d)

A written holy book

18.

Hinduism includes the belief that

a)

Souls a repeatedly reincarnated until they achieve Moksha

b)

There is no god to worship

c)

Animals are gods and may therefore not be eaten

d)

The afterlife is a terrible place

19.

In ancient China bronze vessels like the one above became status symbols because

a)

The government kept a tight monopoly on bronze and so few people had access to it

b)

Bronze is beautiful and therefore very expensive

c)

Bronze was relatively inexpensive so a lot of people could have it

d)

They never developed bronze technology and had to trade with the Mesopotamians for it

20.

The image illustrates the concept of

a)

Power

b)

Reincarnation

c)

Yin and yang

d)

Mandate of Heaven