wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

NEW

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Ancient China Review

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 50mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

After Russia and Canada, China ranks third in the world in

a)

size

b)

wealth

c)

population

d)

oil production

2.

The two main regions of Inner China are the

a)

North China Plain and Chang Jiang Basins.

b)

Northwestern Deserts and Tibet-Qinhai Plateau.

c)

Northwestern Deserts and Northeastern Plain.

d)

Gobi Desert and Turfan Depression.

3.

What is a characteristic of the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau?

a)

The Himalayas lie to the south.

b)

The climate is cold and dry.

c)

The plateau covers a large area.

d)

all of the above

4.

The Chang Jiang is a long river which has hundreds of tributaries, which are

a)

streams or rivers that feed into a larger stream, river, or lake.

b)

streams caused by flooding lakes.

c)

streams that run only to the sea.

d)

streams that flow up mountains and hills.

5.

How many regions does China have?

a)

4

b)

7

c)

5

d)

10

6.

What acted as natural barriers around Inner China, keeping early settlers isolated?

a)

mountains

b)

deserts

c)

cold climate

d)

all of the above

7.

The Shang Dynasty ruled in an area in the

a)

Huang He Valley

b)

Chang Jiang River

c)

East China Sea

d)

Jade Oracle city

8.

What group made up the largest social class in Shang society?

a)

nobles

b)

artisans

c)

farmers

d)

servants

9.

Honoring of ancestors through rituals, such as offering food and wine to the spirits of the dead, is known as

a)

ancestor worship

b)

ancestor memorial

c)

Dia de los Muertes

d)

Chinese New Year

10.

The location where ruins were found from the Shang dynasty, China’s first civilization is

a)

Anyang

b)

Shanghai

c)

Beijing

d)

The Great Wall

11.

A large group of family members and friends is known as a(n)

a)

clan

b)

pack

c)

extended family

d)

support group

12.

A piece of bone or shell heated and cracked by holy men to seek advice from a king’s ancestors is called a(n)

a)

oracle bone

b)

magic bone

c)

ancestral bone

d)

crystal bone

13.

Which of the following is true of Shang writing?

a)

Its characters stood for words instead of sounds.

b)

It used only pictographs rather then logographs.

c)

It does not have any similarities to modern Chinese.

d)

all of the above

14.

Why did fewer people settle in Outer China than Inner China?

a)

The land was in larger estates

b)

The climate was more extreme

c)

The roads were more dangerous

d)

The invasion drove farmers away

15.

In Inner China, which natural events improved the soil?

a)

Floods

b)

Hurricanes

c)

Sandstorms

d)

Earthquakes

16.

What made the Talkimakan Desert one of the most dangerous deserts in the world?

a)

bandits and nomad tribes

b)

wild animals

c)

sandstorms and shifting dunes

d)

flash floods

17.

How is the Gobi Desert different from the Taklimakan Desert?

a)

The air grows hot in the daytime

b)

Winter is very similar to summer

c)

Very little rain falls during the year

d)

Pebbles cover much of the surface

18.

Why is the North China Plain sometimes called the "Land of the Yellow Earth"?

a)

Millet is an important grain on farms in the region

b)

Limestone silt from the Gobi Desert covers the soil

c)

Gold has been discovered in surrounding mountains

d)

One of the world's muddiest rivers runs through the region

19.

What protected Inner China from invasion from the northwest?

a)

wide rivers

b)

grassy plains

c)

barren deserts

d)

high mountains

20.

In which area of China did the Shang dynasty rule?

a)

area 1

b)

area 2

c)

area 3

d)

area 4

21.

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

22.

How did scholars learn that the Shang dynasty was real and not just a myth?

a)

They read old books

b)

They found artifacts

c)

They learned the language

d)

They asked Chinese elders

23.

In the Shang civilization, Anyang was the

a)

chief ruler

b)

capital city

c)

royal army

d)

state religion

24.

What led archaeologists to conclude that the Shang believed in life after death?

a)

finding food and weapons buried with kings

b)

figuring out the characters carved into bones

c)

seeing pots used for ceremonies in the temples

d)

studying the position in which bodies were laid out

25.

What most helped Shang kings stay in power?

a)

use of a powerful army

b)

belief in magical dragons

c)

kindness to ordinary people

d)

marriage into leading families

26.

What new form of writing was used during the Shang Dynasty?

a)

oral history

b)

logographs

c)

pictographs

d)

cuneiform

27.

One day, an ancient farmer prayed to his great-grandfather for wisdom about when to plant crops. This is an example of:

a)

ancestor worship

b)

human sacrifice

c)

economic trade

d)

stable food supply

28.

How did ancient China's border of natural barriers hurt the civilization as it grew?

a)

less trade over vast distances

b)

too many people cramped together

c)

the Great Wall killed many people

d)

crops couldn't grow in the mountains

29.

What is the name of the animal face design found on many pieces of Shang art?

a)

Taotie

b)

Daoist

c)

Confucius

d)

Buddhust

30.

The Shang Dynasty ruled from 1700 to 1122 BCE in an area in the

a)

Huang He Valley

b)

Chang Jiang

c)

East China Sea

d)

Jade Oracle city

31.

What did the Shang use from money?

a)

cowrie shells

b)

conch shells

c)

sea shells

d)

cow shells

32.

The Zhou Dynasty came after which dynasty?

a)

Qin

b)

Han

c)

Chin

d)

Shang

33.

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 is near

c)

the people did not obey the laws

d)

the natural world ignored humans

34.

What happened during the Warring States period?

a)

Dozens of clan leaders set up military states

b)

The Zhou army won control of the state by force

c)

6 or 7 large Chinese states fought for power

d)

China fought to protects the state from invaders from the north

35.

What later practice in China most shows the influence of Confucian thought?

a)

new inventions

b)

trade with Europe

c)

land given to peasants

d)

exams for civil servants

36.

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

37.

What was the Legalist view of human nature?

a)

People are basically selfish

b)

People are naturally curious

c)

People are motivated by love

d)

People want to do what is right

38.

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

39.

Three different Chinese philosophies emerged during the

a)

early Shang dynasty

b)

early Zhou dynasty

c)

late Shang dynasty

d)

late Zhou dynasty

40.

Which of these described a ruler who followed Legalism?

a)

A ruler who believed in few rules and laws

b)

A ruler who allowed people to write their own laws

c)

A ruler who severely punished people who broke laws

d)

A ruler who ruled as little as possible

41.

Which of the following phrases describes Daoism?

a)

"Give harsh punishments to those who disobey laws"

b)

"Lead by example"

c)

"Rule as little as possible"

d)

"Set clear laws"

42.

The Zhou claimed that they had the Mandate of Heaven, which they believed was

a)

the majority of votes in an election

b)

permission from the people to rule

c)

a divine right to rule China

d)

a set of laws written by the first Zhou king

43.

According to Confucianism, society worked well when

a)

those in authority were kind, honest, wise, and faithful

b)

people followed basic rules in their relationships with others

c)

people respected and obeyed those who were above them in status

d)

all of the above

44.

What is a civil servant?

a)

a person who works for a government

b)

a person who works for a noble family

c)

a person who collects the sayings of Confucius

d)

a scholar who teaches Confucianism to other people

45.

How did Confucianism affect the government of the Han dynasty?

a)

Han leaders hired civil servants based on family background

b)

Han leaders hired civil servants personally trained by Confucius

c)

Han leaders hired civil servants who were sons of nobles

d)

Han leaders hired civil servants based on ability

46.

Which of the following is an example of yin and yang?

a)

moisture and heat

b)

motion and activity

c)

hot and cold

d)

cold and wet

47.

Qin Shihuangdi, the first emperor of China, began life as

a)

an invader from Central Asia

b)

a prince of one Chinese state

c)

a member of the Zhou dynasty

d)

a farmer in the North China Plain

48.

What was the purpose of building the Great Wall?

a)

To keep invaders out

b)

to provide employment

c)

to reward followers with land

d)

to punish critics of the emperor

49.

To a large extent, the Great wall was built by

a)

forced labor

b)

foreign workers

c)

skilled stonemasons

d)

close friends of the emperor

50.

What happened after the Qin emperor's death?

a)

tight military control

b)

rebellions and civil war

c)

peaceful easing of policies

d)

worship of the emperor as a god