Unit 4
In the Shang civilization, why was Anyang was an important city?
It was home to many skilled artisans, it was where the king lived, and many royal tombs are located there.
Why is the North China Plain sometimes called the "Land of the Yellow Earth"?
Limestone silt from the Gobi Desert covers the soil
What is one factor that may have made east-west travel easier than north-south travel within Inner China in ancient times?
Possible answer: The Huang He and the Chang Jiang ran west to east, allowing people and goods to travel by boat.
What three natural barriers, shown on the map, helped protect Inner China from invasion?
Possible answers: Himalayas; Tibet-Qinghai Plateau; Taklimakan Desert; Turfan Depression; Gobi Desert, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea (any three)
How did the natural vegetation of the Northeastern Plain affect the lives of ancient settlers there?
Prairie grass provided food for horses and sheep
In ancient times what limited settlement in the Chang Jiang Basins
Rainforest vegetation may have limited the space for farming
How did Zhou, a frontier state, most affect the Shang dynasty?
Rebels from Zhou overthrew the king.
Because rice requires warm, wet weather, where did the ancient Chinese grow rice?
The Chang Jiang Basins
How does the the Qin dynasty compare to the Han dynasty?
The Han dynasty lasted much longer
In which area of China, as shown on the map, did the Shang dynasty rule?
They found artifacts.
How did several groups of invaders from the Northeastern Plain traveled to inner China
along a narrow coastal plain
In which area of China, as shown on the map, did the Shang dynasty rule?
area 3
What protected Inner China from invasion from the northwest
barren deserts
Shang weapons were especially strong because skilled artisans made these objects from what material?
bronze
If two nobles from distant parts of China met during the Shang dynasty, what would be the easiest way for them to communicate?
by writing, because they wrote with the same characters
What led archaeologists to conclude that the Shang believed in life after death?
finding food and weapons buried with kings
In Inner China which natural events enriched the soil
floods
Why is the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau called the "Roof of the World"?
it is very high above sea level
Later in Chinese history, which of these geographical features made governing China as a unified state most difficult?
its large size
Of all the countries in the world, China has the
most people
How is the Gobi Desert different from the Taklimakan Desert?
pebbles cover much of the surface
What made the Taklimakan Desert one of the most dangerous deserts in the world?
sandstorms and shifting dunes
Shang warriors wore helmets like this one. What technology did the Shang use to make strong helmets?
shaping a mixture of copper and tin
For what purpose would a Shang leader most likely use an oracle bone made from a turtle shell?
to ask advice from his ancestors
What most helped Shang kings stay in power?
use of a powerful army
What do the Turfan Depression and the Chang Jiang Basins have in common?
They are both lower than many other parts of China
How did the Huang He most influence settlement near its banks?
By fertilizing the soil it attracted communities of farmers
The modern Chinese word for "merchant" is shang ren, which means "Shang man." What does this suggest about Shang culture?
The Shang traded a great deal.
What have scholars concluded from the large number of wild animal bones found at Shang sites?
The Shang were active hunters.
Why did fewer people settle in Outer China than in Inner China?
The climate was more extreme in Outer China
Why did ancient people on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau herd yaks rather than grow crops?
The region was too cold for crops
How may the Shang king and his nobles have weakened their economy?
They spent too much on their palaces.
What often happened to people the Shang captured in wars?
They worked on construction, as slaves.
The major rivers of ancient China flowed down from what region?
Tibet-Qinghai Plateau
