Vocabulary
This term describes the belief in only one God, which is practiced in Judaism.
What is monotheism?
These two major rivers helped support farming and civilization in the subcontinent of India.
What is the Indus River and the Ganges River?
This was one of the major cities of the Indus Valley Civilization known for advanced planning.
What is Mohenjo-Daro?
This religion began in ancient India and includes beliefs such as karma and dharma.
What is Hinduism?
This social group was at the top of the caste system and included priests and scholars.
What are the Brahmins?
This word describes the Hindu belief that a person’s actions affect their future lives.
What is karma?
This seasonal weather pattern brings heavy rains that farmers depend on for crops in India.
What are monsoons?
This is the type of street layout used in Indus Valley cities that formed square blocks.
What is a grid system?
This religious leader founded Buddhism after reaching enlightenment.
Who is Siddhartha Gautama?
This group of people existed outside the caste system and were historically called “Untouchables.”
Who are the Dalits?
This term describes a sacred agreement between God and Abraham in Judaism.
What is a covenant?
These mountains helped isolate India and allowed its culture to develop somewhat independently.
What are the Himalayas?
This advanced feature of Indus Valley cities allowed waste and water to drain away from homes.
What are drainage and sewage systems?
This is the ultimate goal in Buddhism when a person reaches peace and escapes suffering.
What is nirvana?
This belief that actions affect future lives helped justify the caste system.
What is karma?
This Hindu concept refers to a person’s duty or role in life.
What is dharma?
This is one reason rivers were important for early civilizations besides farming.
What is transportation and trade?
This is one reason historians believe the Indus Valley Civilization had a strong trading economy.
What is evidence of trade goods and artifacts?
This Buddhist idea teaches that people should avoid both extreme luxury and extreme poverty.
What is the Middle Way?
This term describes the four main social classes in the caste hierarchy.
What are the varnas?
This term describes the system in India that divided people into social groups based on birth and job.
What is the caste system?
This term describes the large landmass of India that is partly separated from the rest of Asia by mountains.
What is a subcontinent?
These environmental changes are believed to have contributed to the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization.
What are climate change, flooding, or natural disasters?
These sacred Hindu texts contain many of the earliest religious teachings of Hinduism.
What are the Vedas?
This group introduced ideas such as Sanskrit and the early caste system to India.
Who are the Aryans?