🌏 Geography & Environment
What are the two main rivers in Ancient India?
Indus River and Ganges River.
Who founded the Maurya Empire in India?
Chandragupta Maurya.
What is the main religion that began in Ancient India?
Hinduism.
What ancient trade route connected China to other parts of the world?
The Silk Road.
Which two civilizations are being compared in this unit?
Ancient India and Ancient China.
What are the two major rivers in Ancient China?
Huang He (Yellow) and Yangtze Rivers.
Which Chinese dynasty introduced the Mandate of Heaven?
Zhou Dynasty.
Who founded Buddhism?
Siddhartha Gautama
What writing system was used in India during early civilizations?
Indus script (still undeciphered).
Which civilization was more isolated by geography?
China.
How did India’s geography protect it from invasion?
Himalayas and deserts formed natural barriers.
Which ruler helped spread Buddhism throughout India?
Ashoka.
What idea was used by Chinese emperors to justify their right to rule?
Mandate of Heaven.
Name one invention from Ancient China.
Paper, compass, or Great Wall.
How did rulers justify power in India vs. China?
India – caste/religion; China – Mandate of Heaven.
How did China’s geography affect its development?
Isolation by mountains and deserts allowed a unique culture to grow.
Who was the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty?
Shi Huangdi.
What is the belief in Hinduism that your actions affect your next life?
Karma.
What was one achievement from the Gupta Golden Age?
Math (concept of zero), medicine, astronomy.
What religion spread beyond its place of origin?
Buddhism (from India).
Compare India’s and China’s rivers. What is one similarity and one difference?
Both provided fertile land and supported farming; Nile floods were predictable, China’s rivers could flood unpredictably.
What is one achievement of the Gupta Empire and one of the Han Dynasty?
Gupta – math, medicine; Han – Silk Road, civil service exams.
How is Confucianism different from Hinduism and Buddhism?
Confucianism focuses on social order and behavior, not gods or reincarnation.
How did the Silk Road help spread culture?
It allowed trade of goods, ideas, and beliefs between civilizations.
Which civilization do you think left a bigger impact on the world and why?
Opinion-based — must give reasoning (Silk Road, math, religion, inventions).