Because of its large size and its position in relation to large masses of land and water, India is called
a subcontinent.
Which of the following parts of India has the most fertile farmland?
the plains along the Ganges
How has the location of the Himalaya Mountains benefited India?
protection from enemies
Where were the earliest known settlements in India?
beside the rivers
Harappan civilization, which included ancient Mohenjodaro, developed in the
Indus River valley.
In which of these years was Mohenjodaro an active settlement?
2550 B.C.E., while the Great Pyramid was being built in Egypt
Part of Mohenjodaro was raised and surrounded by a wall. What does this suggest about the city?
It had enemies who might attack the residents.
Which feature of Mohenjodaro was quite different from other settlements of that time?
sewer system
Who were the Aryans?
a nomadic people who moved into India
The roots of Hinduism are found in the Vedas, which are
a collection of sacred texts.
Why were Untouchables excluded from other Indians?
They did work others considered lowly.
The festival of Diwali, which begins the Hindu New Year, celebrates
the victory of good over evil.
Hindus believe that acquiring good karma is needed to
achieve freedom from the cycle of rebirth.
The name "Buddha" meant one who was
awakened.
Who was Siddhartha Gautama?
the prince who became the Buddha
What did the Buddha discover under the Bodhi tree?
basic truths for living
Which of the following is one of the Four Noble Truths?
Suffering is caused by desires.
What was the main achievement of the Maurya family?
to unify India
Which of these would you not consider an achievement under Chandragupta Maurya's rule?
He used torture and spies to make people obey.
Which Buddhist value did these actions by Ashoka reflect when he gave up hunting and became a vegetarian?
respect for all living things
In what important way did Ashoka spread Buddhist teachings?
He had edicts carved into pillars and walls.
What happened on the Indian subcontinent in the time period between the Mauryan and Gupta empires?
It was filled with small kingdoms.
What change took place in Hinduism during the Gupta Empire?
Many of its legends were written down.
Which sentence correctly describes the level of technology in the Gupta Empire?
They had skill in working with iron.
Which achievement of the Gupta Empire most encouraged long-distance trade?
well-built roads
During the summer in India, the monsoon brings
heavy rain.
How are the Indus and Ganges rivers similar to the Nile River in Egypt?
They carry silt that enriches the soil.
Where were the earliest known settlements in India?
beside the rivers
Part of Mohenjodaro was raised and surrounded by a wall. What does this suggest about the city?
It had enemies who might attack the residents.
Which feature of Mohenjodaro was quite different from other settlements of that time?
sewer system
The roots of Hinduism are found in the Vedas, which are
a collection of sacred texts.
Why were Untouchables excluded from other Indians?
They did work others considered lowly.
Hindus believe that acquiring good karma is needed to
achieve freedom from the cycle of rebirth.
Who was Siddhartha Gautama?
the prince who became the Buddha
What was the main achievement of the Maurya family?
to unify India
Which Buddhist value did these actions by Ashoka reflect when he gave up hunting and became a vegetarian?
respect for all living things
How did modern scholars learn that Mohenjodaro had ever existed?
Archaeologists found its ruins.
The discovery of a scale, stone weights, and a marked rod suggests that the people of Mohenjodaro
had uniform ways to measure.
A war game played in ancient India is thought to be an early form of
chess.
Why did Mahatma Gandhi criticize the caste system's ideas of discrimination?
The caste system did not align with Hindu teachings.
Which animal became a symbol for the Hindu belief in reverence for life?
the cow
Which goal did Buddhism teach people to move toward?
reaching enlightenment
Why had the Buddha not learned about suffering as a child?
His father protected him.
What troubled the Buddha on his first few trips out into the world?
aging, sickness, and death
Why did the Buddha become thin from lack of food?
He fasted for spiritual reasons.
Why did the Buddha decide to follow a "middle way"?
Neither riches nor being an ascetic led to nirvana.
Why did the Buddha decide not to escape into enlightenment right away?
He wanted to teach people the path he had found.
Why was Chandragupta Maurya poor in his later years?
He decided to live as an ascetic.
Ashoka expanded the Mauryan Empire until he
gave up violence.
Ashoka often spoke of the people he ruled as his
children.
One of Ashoka's edicts announced that people would only be jailed for a good reason. Which of his goals did this promote most?
justice
How did the first Gupta ruler form alliances with other rulers?
by arranging marriages
How was the Gupta Empire different from the Mauryan Empire?
It gave local areas a lot of independence.
Which factors in the Gupta Empire most helped the growth of learning?
peace and stability
How did individuals in the Gupta Empire learn the skills listed below? - question patients - make cures from bark and roots - stitch up wounds
by studying medicine at a university
In an ancient Indian story, two river gods raced down the side of what snow-covered mountain range?
Himalayas
The Ganges River begins in which mountain range?
Himalayas
Why did many Hindu teachers criticize the caste system?
They believed it was not right for people to be treated unequally because of their social class.
Which of the following was an important Gupta contribution in mathematics?
developing the decimal system
Which achievement of the Gupta Empire connected India to China?
a system of roads
Which achievement of the Gupta Empire most encouraged long-distance trade?
well-built roads
What does the list below show about the civilization that included Mohenjodaro? - invaders - floods - earthquakes theories for why it disappeared
Books created on palm leaves are an example of an achievement in
literature.
Which of the following best describes a plateau?
land that is raised and flat
Which of these events immediately followed the fall of the Mauryan Empire?
India broke apart into separate kingdoms.