Deck 6: Eurasian Connections and New Traditions in East Asia, 600 Bce-600 C.E

Question 1

Which of the following best describes the Silk Road?

A) An easterly sea route that connected Chinese goods with western markets
B) A westerly sea route that connected Chinese goods with eastern markets
C) A westerly land route that connected Chinese goods with western markets

Answer 1

A westerly land route that connected Chinese goods with western markets

Question 2

Which of the following generally describes the nature of the Han dynasty?

A) Expansionist
B) Isolationist
C) Anti-imperialist

Answer 2

Expansionist

Question 3

The Chinese worried about invasions on along their northern border by nomadic peoples from where?

A) The Mediterranean World
B) Central Asia
C) The Pacific Islands

Answer 3

Central Asia

Question 4

Which of the following accurately describes social mobility during the late Zhou period?

A) Social mobility increased as people flocked to cities and a robust merchant class emerged.
B) Social mobility increased as people flocked to rural areas to become wealthy from agriculture.
C) Social mobility decreased as people lost access to economic opportunities amid constant warfare.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a large-scale public works project implemented by the Qin?

A) The damming of the Yellow River
B) Construction of a massive cast-iron production plant
C) An early version of the Great Wall

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the leadership style of the Qin emperor Shi Huangdi?

A) Democratic and inclusive
B) Autocratic and brutal
C) Disengaged and ineffective

Question 7

Under Wu Di, Chinese military traveled as far west as what body of water?

A) The Atlantic Ocean
B) The Persian Gulf
C) The Nile River

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the role of historical literature in Chinese society?

A) It served only to bolster the power and prominence of the ruling party.
B) It served as a guide for government by discussing the success and failures of the past.
C) It served to promote an egalitarian society that greatly enhanced the position of women.

Question 9

Why did Qin officials keep the death of Shi Huangdi secret?

A) They feared a popular revolt against the Qin regime.
B) They believed the population would be emotionally devastated.
C) They worried that people would investigate the suspicious nature of his death.

Question 10

Which of the following best describes the period known as the Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties?

A) Disorder and political fragmentation
B) Cultural unity and economic growth
C) Stability and economic prosperity

Question 11

Which of the following statements regarding Chinese maritime history is most accurate?

A) Though renowned shipbuilders and engaged in local trade, the Chinese did not venture across the Pacific.
B) Though they did not build their own ships, the Chinese excelled at transoceanic travel.
C) The Chinese did not conduct trade via waterways, opting solely for land routes like the Silk Road.

Question 12

Qin rulers implemented practices based on which of the following philosophies?

A) Mohism
B) Daoism
C) Legalism

Question 13

Which of the following is the correct chronological order of the major dynasties between the years 1122 BCE and 618 CE?

A) Zhou, Qin, Han, and Sui
B) Zhou, Han, Sui, and Tang
C) Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang

Question 14

Which of the following inventions provided for wider distribution of Buddhist and Confucian texts?

A) The pen
B) Paper
C) The printing press

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the Han approach to governance, which persisted for about 2,000 years?

A) A combination of Legalism and Confucianism
B) Strict Legalism
C) A combination of Daoism and Mohism

Question 16

How did the Qin regard scholars and intellectual inquiry?

A) As a threat to their oppressive regime
B) As a necessary component of advancing Chinese civilization
C) As a tolerable nuisance

Question 17

Which of the following Indian religions did the Chinese first adopt during the later Han dynasty?

A) Jainism
B) Hinduism
C) Buddhism

Question 18

Which of these three universal religions took root strongest in China?

A) Mahayana Buddhism
B) Christianity
C) Hinduism

Question 19

The "Warring States Period" of the Zhou dynasty can best be described as what?

A) A time when the power of the Zhou king grew exponentially
B) A time marked by warfare combined with rapid social and economic change
C) A time when local lords banded together to share power

Question 20

What function does the abacus serve?

A) Performing calculations
B) Telling time
C) Tracking planetary movements

Question 21

Describe the political structure of late Zhou China.

Question 22

Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding the estimated population of China by 400 CE?

A) The population of China reached about 20 million people after the Sui Reunification.
B) The population of China reached approximately 50 million, likely double that or Europe.
C) The population of China reached parity with the population of the Roman Empire.

Question 23

Describe the key principles that Confucianism is based on.

Question 24

How is the concept of Tian relevant to Confucian thought?

Question 25

Which religion did Koreans adopt during the fourth century CE?

A) Christianity
B) Jainism
C) Mahayana Buddhism

Question 26

Which kingdom ruled much of northern Korea and southern Manchuria between 350 and 668 CE?

A) Silla
B) Koguryo
C) Yayoi

Question 27

Prince Shotoku incorporated ideas from which of the following Chinese philosophers when drafting Japan's first constitution?

A) Confucius
B) Lao Tzu
C) Mozi

Question 28

Which of the following schools of thought embraced principles similar to modern liberal thought?

A) Mohism
B) Legalism
C) Late Confucianism

Question 29

Which of the following is collected in the Analects?

A) An account of Confucius's sayings written by his followers
B) Essays written by Confucius shortly before he died
C) Translations of Buddhist and Christian teachings for Confucian scholars

Question 30

When did Prince Shotoku write the first Japanese constitution?

A) 604 CE
B) 350 CE
C) 105 CE

Question 31

Which of the following cultures supplanted the Jomon ca. 300 BCE?

A) Silla
B) Koguryo
C) Yayoi

Question 32

Which of the following kingdoms became the first state to rule a majority of the Japanese people?

A) Yayoi
B) Jomon
C) Yamato

Question 33

What happens to those who resist the Dao, according to Daoist thought?

Question 34

Which of the following best describes the political organization of the Yayoi culture?

A) Authoritarian centralized government
B) Clans ruled by a hereditary priest-chieftain
C) A democracy similar to those that eventually arose in western Europe

Question 35

Describe the how the Zhou Empire descended into the Warring States Period.

Question 36

Describe the Code of Manu.

Question 37

What role did Pimiko play in early Japanese society?

A) She served as the autocratic ruler of the centralized state.
B) She served as a powerful queen-priestess.
C) She served as the primary liaison between religious leaders of all faiths.

Question 38

What is the important of ritual on Confucian thought?

Question 39

What are the central principles of Daoism?

Question 40

Why did Korea experience more regular incursions by the Chinese than Japan?

A) Japan is separated from mainland Asia by water.
B) Japan is separated from China by the tallest mountain range in Asia.
C) Korea is bordered on all sides by China, while Japan only shares one border with China.

Question 41

What elements of Han rule did the Sui dynasty continue?

Question 42

What was the significant of the civil service exam during Han rule?

Question 43

How did the Qin Empire end and to what extent did the Qin create the conditions of their downfall?

Question 44

Describe how the Han came to power.

Question 45

How did the Qin adoption of legalism allow them to effectively end instability in their territory?

Question 46

What was the relationship between the rise of Buddhism and political instability in China?

Question 47

Why were the Qin regarded as hard rulers?

Question 48

How did the Qin manage to end the Warring States Period?

Question 49

Confucianism can best be described as what?

A) A religion designed to address supernatural concerns
B) A philosophy aimed at promoting social stability
C) A form of government intended to promote egalitarianism

Question 50

How did Sui and Tang efforts to reestablish imperial authority differ?

Question 51

Describe some eclectic religious practices that grew up in China during this period.

Question 52

How did Chinese elites respond to the rise of Buddhism in China?

Question 53

According to legalist thought, what is the role of the state?

Question 54

Which aspects of Qin governance did the Han continue and which did they end?

Question 55

Which of the following did Confucius place great importance on?

A) Education as the key to morality
B) Religion as the key to enlightenment
C) Wealth as the key to social mobility

Question 56

Describe Han policies toward the Silk Road.

Question 57

How did the Qin consolidate their empire after defeating the Zhou?

Question 58

How did different Buddhist doctrines spread into China?

Question 59

What is the relationship between Legalism and Confucianism?

Question 60

What was the relationship between religion and class in China?

Question 61

What adaptations did Koreans make to their practice of Buddhism during this period?

Question 62

Describe Korea's relationship with China during and after the Han dynasty's reign.

Question 63

Imagine you encounter a child crying and alone in the woods. How should a Daoist respond?

Question 64

How did the Yayoi govern?

Question 65

How representative of Qin rule was Shi Huangdi's reign?

Question 66

Imagine you encounter a child crying and alone in the woods. How should a legalist respond?

Question 67

Why are history and the passage of time important to Confucianism?

Question 68

Daoist principles strongly advocated for which of the following?

A) Using warfare as a means of conversion
B) Embracing the natural world
C) Creating governments to promote authoritarianism

Question 69

To what extend did the Han follow legalist principles and to what extent did they follow Confucian principles?

Question 70

How do the central ideas of Mohism respond to their context?

Question 71

How did Daoism respond to its historical context?

Question 72

How were the concepts of Tian, Yin, and Yang related?

Question 73

What aspects of legalist thought are present in Qin imperial policies?

Question 74

Describe Japan's relationship with China during and after the Han dynasty's reign.

Question 75

Imagine you encounter a child crying and alone in the woods. How should a Confucian respond and why?

Question 76

Describe the rise of Yamato.

Question 77

According to legalist thought, why should the state have control over the individual?

Question 78

Describe the composition of Japanese society.

Question 79

What role did nobles play in the Han's rise and fall?

Question 80

Which of the following best defines the concept of filial piety as espoused by Confucius?

A) Children should respect and care for their parents and the elderly in society.
B) Government should provide for any and all needs for each member of society.
C) Religious institutions should provide social services for the neediest members of society.