Geography & Early Civilizations
Which major river valley was the center of ancient Chinese civilization and supported farming?
The Yellow River (Huang He) Valley.
What title was commonly used for the rulers of unified China before the modern era?
Emperor
Which philosophy or belief system that started in China emphasizes respect for elders, education, and proper behavior?
Confucianism
What important material, first developed in ancient China, allowed for easier written records and books?
Paper
In many ancient East Asian societies, what type of family arrangement was common?
Extended families were common.
Name the large island nation east of the Asian mainland that developed its own culture and language.
Japan
Which type of government did many early Korean kingdoms use?
Small kingdoms ruled by a single king
Name a religion or belief system that came from India and influenced Korea and Japan.
Buddhism
Name a technological invention from ancient China that helped with navigation or warfare.
Compass or gunpowder
What was the role of scholars or educated officials in ancient China?
Scholars often became government officials after passing civil service exams; they advised rulers, ran government offices, and were respected.
Why did mountains and rivers help protect ancient Korea from frequent invasions?
They acted as natural barriers
Name one way that Japanese rulers used samurai to keep control during medieval times.
Samurai's enforced the ruler's rules and looked out for landowners. They may also have acted as the rulers military arm.
What is Shinto, and which country primarily practices it?
Shinto is the native religion of Japan focusing on kami (spirits) and rituals tied to nature and ancestors
How did the Silk Road impact China’s trade with other regions?
The Silk Road allowed goods (silk, spices) and ideas (religions, technologies) to move between China and Central/West Asia and beyond.
Describe one typical job or role a person might have in a medieval Japanese village.
Rice farmer, craftsman, or fisherman; villagers worked fields, tended animals, and participated in local markets.
How did Korea’s location between China and Japan affect the spread of ideas and culture?
Korea served as a bridge for trade, religion, and technology
What is a dynasty, and how did dynasties affect how China was ruled over long periods?
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family; dynasties in China created long periods of consistent rule and policies.
Explain how Confucian ideas affected family life and government in East Asia.
Confucianism stressed filial piety, respect for elders, and a moral duty to rulers; it encouraged educated officials and civil service systems.
Describe one technology or art that Korea is known for historically
Korea is known for celadon ceramics and metal movable type printing
How did social class affect people’s lives in Korea under its historical kingdoms? Give one example.
Social class determined land ownership and job opportunities; for example, aristocrats or yangban had more privileges while peasants worked the land.
Analyze how geography influenced trade in China compared to Japan.
China’s rivers and Silk Road supported overland trade, while Japan relied more on sea routes due to its island geography.
Evaluate which government system was more centralized;ancient China or feudal Japan and explain why.
China was more centralized because emperors controlled laws and officials, while Japan’s power was divided among daimyo and samurai.
Compare how Buddhism changed as it moved from India to China to Japan.
Buddhism in China blended with local beliefs, and in Japan it combined with Shinto practices; rituals and emphasis changed, such as the development of Zen meditation in Japan.
Explain how the spread of paper and printing technology changed education and government record keeping in East Asia.
Paper and printing made books more available, which increased literacy among officials and helped keep government records, making administration more efficient.
Choose one of these regions (China, Japan, or Korea) and explain how daily life for a child (school, chores, family expectations) might differ from life in another region.
In China, a child might study Confucian texts and prepare for exams; in Japan, a child in a samurai family might train in martial skills, while in Korea education for the yangban focused on Confucian learning.