Geography
What major river system supported the Indus River Valley civilization and provided water for farming?
The Indus River (and its basin)
What is one evidence archaeologists use to show that Indus cities had planned streets and buildings?
Evidence: grid street patterns visible in excavated city plans (e.g., Mohenjo-daro, Harappa).
During what period did Hinduism begin to form in South Asia?
The Vedic period.
Name one of the Four Noble Truths in short form (a simple statement is fine)
Example: Life involves suffering (dukkha) and there is a cause for suffering (one of the Four Noble Truths).
What did Ashoka build?
stupas
Name two ways the Indus River basin helped city-states develop (think food and location)
Examples: Provided fertile soil for crops (silt from flooding); offered water for irrigation; created natural routes for communication and trade; location for fishing and resources
Name two water-management features found in Indus Valley cities.
Examples: sophisticated drainage/sewer systems, covered drains, public baths, wells.
Name one major Hindu text or collection of hymns that was important during the Vedic period
Vedas
What is the Eightfold Path meant to help a person do?
The Eightfold Path is meant to guide people in right actions, speech, and thought to end suffering.
What did Ashoka write and inscribe them throughout his empire?
Edicts
Explain why rivers like the Indus often made trade with distant regions possible
Rivers provided navigable waterways and helped produce surplus crops to trade; river routes connected inland settlements to coastal ports.
Explain how standard-sized bricks and grid street layouts helped the Indus cities function as city-states.
Standardized bricks allowed uniform construction; grid streets made movement, trade, and administration easier across the city.
Explain the belief in reincarnation in simple terms
Reincarnation: the belief that the soul is reborn into a new body after death until liberated.
Explain why Buddhism was appealing to lower social classes and women in India.
Buddhism emphasized equality in its teaching that anyone could seek enlightenment, offering hope and social mobility to those excluded by caste rituals
Explain one economic or trade development during the Maurya period that connected India to other regions.
Expansion of trade networks and new routes
Describe one natural danger of living in the Indus River basin and one benefit it provided for agriculture
Danger: flooding or unpredictable river shifts; Benefit: floodplain silt made soil fertile for farming
Describe how Indus urban planning shows the civilization valued hygiene and community organization.
The presence of public baths, covered drains, and orderly sewage systems indicates concern for cleanliness and public health, plus organized planning and local governance.
escribe how Hindu beliefs contributed to the development or justification of the caste system
Hindu beliefs about duty (dharma) and karma were used to justify social roles and hereditary occupation divisions, which developed into the caste system
Describe one way Buddhism spread from India to East Asia.
Buddhism spread along trade routes (including the Silk Road and sea routes) and through missionaries, monks, and merchants traveling to China, Korea, and Japan.
Describe one social or cultural change that took place under Ashoka because of his support for Buddhism.
Ashoka promoted nonviolence, religious toleration, moral edicts (Rock Edicts), and support for Buddhist institutions — influencing social values and patronage for religious communities.
How did seasonal monsoons interact with the Indus River to influence planting cycles and settlement placement?
Monsoons brought seasonal rains that increased river flow and helped crops grow; farmers timed planting and settlements were placed to avoid flood-prone areas.
Give two reasons Harappan (Indus) cities are considered technologically advanced compared with other contemporary river valley societies.
Reasons: advanced drainage and sewage, standardized weights and measures, urban planning with public buildings — all show higher civic organization and engineering skill.
Give two ways regional differences (many gods, local practices) shaped Hindu worship across South Asia.
Different regions worshipped local deities; many gods and rituals varied by area, so practices differed while sharing core ideas like dharma and karma.
Explain how the ideas of reincarnation and the goal of enlightenment (nirvana) differ between Buddhism and Hindu ideas of moksha in basic terms.
Both accept cycles of rebirth, but Buddhism focuses on escaping suffering through the Eightfold Path and achieving nirvana; Hinduism’s moksha is liberation often tied to fulfilling duties and following spiritual paths within a caste context.
Explain how Ashoka’s policies and the growth of trade routes affected interactions between the Maurya Empire and other contemporary civilizations.
Ashoka’s diplomatic contacts, mission work, and the safer, better-managed roads supported trade and cultural exchange with other civilizations; his policies encouraged peaceful interaction and helped Buddhism travel beyond India.