Geography
What is the Huang He called in English?
The Yellow River
What is a dynasty?
a series of rulers from the same family
What does the "Tao" mean in English?
Tao = the path or the way of the universe
What was the first Chinese paper made of?
plant fibers like hemp and mulberry bark
What is the name of the mountain range between China and India?
The Himilayas
What was the mandate of heaven?
People in the Zhou Dynasty believed that there rulers were chosen by the god Tian, whose name translates to "heaven" (kings had to show virtue to keep up their part of the mandate/agreement)
How were oracle bones used?
Shang rulers asked questions of the gods and ancestors; diviners would write on the bones, touch hot metal sticks to the bones, and interpret the cracks as answers from the gods; they would ask questions about things like whether to go to war
Explain how 2+ of the following Han inventions worked: seismograph, sundial, acupuncture
seismographs measure the strength of earthquakes; sundials use the shadow cast by the sun to tell time (clocks!); acupuncture is a medical procedure to treat pain or provide anesthesia with the insertion of needles in specific parts of the body.
How is the physical geography in Western China different from in Eastern China?
More mountains, deserts, (semi-arid land in the Tibetan Plateau) (also far away from the sea and not as many bodies of water)
Name the four dynasties in order.
Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
What are the five relationships in life, according to Confucius?
ruler & subject, husband & wife, parent & child, siblings, friends
How did the civil service exams change the Chinese government?
People had to take a test before they got government jobs. This means they had to have knowledge and skills to be qualified; they couldn't just be hired because of their families. (It was still more common for wealthy people with better educations and connections to get government jobs.)
Why did early Chinese farmers settle in the Huang He valley? (Define "loess" as part of your answer)
The Yellow River had loess/silt that made the land more fertile. This means the land near the river was good for farming, so people developed agricultural communities and societies (Chinese farmers also developed terrace farming to farm in the mountains)
How did Emperor Shi Huang Di rule China? Give examples/details!
with legalism with very strict laws, harsh punishments, and fear of the ruler; he standardized measurements, writing, and money; he took power and land from nobles to have all the power and unite China; he also was the only emperor of the Qin Dynasty! he ALSO built the great wall of china AND terracotta soldiers for his tomb!
Choose Confucianism or Daoism: Who was the founder and what were 2+ main ideas? How do you think following this philosophy would affect people's lives?
Laozi, the Tao, Yin and Yang, any quotes and analysis; Confucius, hard work, respect, merit, etc.
What was the Silk Road, and how did it change life in Asia and beyond? (Include specific "commodities")
trading routes that connected Asia, Europe, and Africa; major commodies included silk, porcelain, glass, bottles, and rugs; ideas also spread like the religion of buddhism; changed society because people could travel more easy, get access to new things from around the world, and build wealth through trade