World Cultures South Asia study guide

Why did people settle in the Indus River Valley, and how did they adapt to the land?

There was good soil and you could grow plants on it. There were rivers and mountains to protect them. They created canals to redirect water for their crops.

What were the Vedas, and how were they passed down?

They were religious songs and stories that got passed down by telling other people generation by generation. The Vedas were the base of Hinduism. The stories and songs made a book for the Hindu religion.

What are some of the beliefs of Hinduism? (Include reincarnation, karma, and the caste system in your answer).

If you are a good person and have good karma you have a good life and reincarnation is the next step and you move up to have a better life in your next life. When you die your soul gets moved up in the caste system so you are closer to becoming a king or a good person. The bottom of the list are animals and you can not even talk to them.

Who was the Buddha, and how did he achieve enlightenment?

He was a Hindu prince and his dad always protected him. Buddha did not know about bad things because of his dad for 20 years. Then he wonders why this happens so he goes under a tree and meditates for 49 days.

What are some of the beliefs of Buddhism? (Include Middle Way and 4 Noble Truths in your answer).

Buddhism teaches the Middle Way, which means not being too strict or too relaxed. The Four Noble Truths say that life has problems, wanting things causes these problems, you can stop the problems by not wanting so much, and there's a special eight-step path to follow. Buddhists also believe that nothing stays the same forever and that your actions matter.

How are Buddhism and Hinduism similar and different?

They both believe in Karma, enlightenment, and most believe in reincarnation. They also both started in South Asia. Buddhism does not believe in many gods and Hinduism does. Buddhism thinks anyone can reach enlightenment so a lot of people switched to Hinduism because you should have to reach enlightenment.

What is a colony? How was India a colony of England?

A colony is being run by another country and England expanded and took over India. England took over India claiming it was their land. England takes everything from India and says it is theirs and can sell it to other countries.

What is a partition? Why did those in India want to partition the country?

Partition is splitting up and the people that wanted to split up India were the people that did not like Muslims and Hindus in the same country.

How were Jinnah and Nehru’s arguments about partition different?

Jinnah wanted the countries to split up and Nehru did not want that. Nehru thought the Hindus and Muslims were getting along and the Muslims would not make it. Jinnah thought they got into to many arguments and would be better off split up.

Did you agree with one of the authors more? Why or why not?

I agreed with Nehru because the Muslims and Hindus live in the same areas so a lot of them had to walk a long way to their new homes.