Indian Empires
$100: Which Indian empire is remembered for its Golden Age of advances in mathematics, medicine, literature, and art?
Gupta Empire
$100: Which Chinese dynasty was founded by Shi Huangdi, China's first emperor?
Qin dynasty
$100: Which religion was founded by Siddhartha Gautama?
Buddhism
$100: Which Chinese philosophy emphasizes filial piety and respect for parents and elders?
Confucianism
$100: What network of trade routes connected Han China with Central Asia and regions farther west?
Silk Road
$200: Which Indian empire was ruled by Ashoka, who helped promote the spread of Buddhism?
Maurya Empire
$200: What massive defensive structure did Shi Huangdi order earlier walls to be connected into?
Great Wall of China
$200: What Hindu belief refers to the consequences of a person's actions?
Karma
$200: Which Chinese philosophy emphasizes living in harmony with nature and following the Dao?
Daoism
$200: Which major river flowed near Pataliputra, an important city of ancient India?
Ganges River
$300: What two important mathematical innovations are associated with India's Gupta Golden Age?
The concept of zero and the decimal system
$300: How did Shi Huangdi reorganize China's government to reduce the power of regional nobles?
He divided China into administrative districts governed by centrally appointed officials.
$300: What is dharma in Hinduism?
An individual's religious, moral, and social duties
$300: Which philosophy supported strict laws and harsh punishments to maintain order?
Legalism
$300: What term describes the spread of beliefs, customs, and ideas between societies?
Cultural diffusion
$400: What seasonal weather pattern brought heavy rainfall and influenced agriculture in ancient India?
Monsoons
$400: What system of government employment developed under the Han dynasty and became associated with Confucian learning?
Civil service system
$400: What are the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path intended to help Buddhists overcome?
Suffering and the cycle of rebirth, ultimately leading toward nirvana
$400: What does the Daoist concept of wu wei encourage people to do?
Act without unnecessary force or interference, in harmony with the natural course of things.
$400: Name one way the Silk Road benefited the Han dynasty besides generating wealth.
It facilitated cultural exchange and the movement of ideas, technologies, and beliefs.
$500: Why did the Maurya and Gupta Empires have difficulty expanding into certain regions of the Indian subcontinent?
Geographic barriers, including mountains and difficult terrain, limited expansion.
$500: How could China's civil service system contribute to social mobility?
Educated men could potentially obtain government positions through merit and examinations rather than solely through hereditary status, although opportunities remained unequal.
$500: How did Buddhism challenge traditional beliefs about the caste system in India?
Buddhism taught that spiritual enlightenment was possible regardless of a person's caste.
$500: Why did Han rulers find Confucian teachings useful for governing China?
Confucianism encouraged respect for authority, social responsibilities, and orderly relationships that supported political stability.
$500: How did trade routes help Buddhism spread from India into China, Korea, and Japan?
Merchants, missionaries, and travelers carried Buddhist teachings along overland and maritime trade routes.