World Civilizations Study Guide for India Test
Emergence of Civilization in India: Harappa
•You should know the significance (definition and context) of the following vocabulary terms
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Harappa |
Ganges and Indus rivers |
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Mohenjo-Daro |
monsoons |
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clay seals |
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Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
Geography: A Land of Diversity
•How did the geography of the Indian subcontinent impact the emergence of civilization?
•How was the climate potentially different in the Indus River valley during the third and fourth millennia B.C.E. compared to today? Why might this be significant?
•Why do scholars believe the Harappan civilization is probably not dead?
Political and Social Structures (Don’t forget to look at the questions about the Harappan website!!)
•What are the main characteristics of the city center of Harappa?
•What kind of government structure most likely existed in the Indus River valley?
•On what was the Harappan economy based? How did Harappan civilization extend beyond the Indus River valley?
Harappan Culture
What was the role of art in Harappa? What examples of art remain? Why significant?
A Lost Civilization?
Why must the Indus River valley civilizations remain an enigma? (What’s an enigma?)
The Arrival of the Aryans
You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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Aryans |
Central Asia |
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Hindu-Kush |
Rigveda / Vedas |
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Raja |
kshatriya |
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Maharajas |
dharma |
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Alexander the Great |
Chandragupta Maurya / Mauryan Empire |
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Arthasastra |
bureaucracy |
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Varnas |
brahmins |
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Brahman |
vaisya |
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twice-born |
sudras |
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untouchables/pariahs |
jati |
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“caste” |
Law of Manu |
Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
What are the theories about how the Harappan civilization ended?
The Early Aryans
Who are the Aryans? Where did they come from? How did the Aryans adapt to the geography of their new place?
What political and social structures did the Aryans bring to India? How did this grow over time? Why do you suppose?
How did the Greeks impact India?
The Mauryan Empire
How did the Mauryan Empire emerge? What role did dharma take?
What political structure emerged in the Mauryan Empire?
Primary Source: The Arthasastra
To whom was the author of this document directing his advice? What does this source tell us about how a king should rule? What are the duties of a king?
Caste and Class: Social Structures in Ancient India
•What are the four classes? What are the roles and duties of each? (role of dharma?)
•The Jati How did the Jati form the basis for social organization in India?
•What is the difference between class (varna) and caste (jati)?
Primary Source: The Law of Manu
Why do you think the class system described here developed in India?
Daily Life and the Economy in Ancient India
You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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patriarchal |
matriarchal |
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guru |
polygamy |
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sati |
Mahabharata |
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monsoon |
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Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
The Family
Why was the family the most basic unit of society? (and not the individual?) What role did the family play?
How did gender influence family roles, rights, and responsibilities?
Marriage
What were the traditions surrounding marriage? What rights did men and women have in a marriage?
The Role of Women
What role did women have? In what ways did women exert influence over men in early Indian society?
The Economy Indian Farmers
•How did the Aryans spread farming culture to the rest of the Indian subcontinent?
•Why was life so harsh for Indian farmers? How did the weather impact this?
Trade and Manufacturing
How did India become such an advanced trading and manufacturing civilization? How did this impact the growth of the Indian state/empire?
The Religious World of Ancient India: HINDUISM
•Review the questions that were covered in the movie “Hinduism”.
•Review the reading in “The Spirit of Hinduism” pp. 1-15. The following are terms and questions from that reading and from class notes.
You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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Hinduism |
Vedas |
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Ramayana |
Rama |
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Sita |
Lackshmana |
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yoga |
reincarnation |
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Brahman / Great World Soul |
Brahmanism |
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karma |
Maya |
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ahimsa |
Vishnu |
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Shiva |
moksha |
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Hanuman |
Mahatma Gandhi |
Be prepared to write about and discuss the following guiding questions:
Big Overarching Questions:
How is Hinduism a blend of the Harappan and Aryan cultures? How has the concept of the Hindu god or gods changed over time?
•What is the objective of Hinduism?
•In what ways is Hinduism a way of life?
•Describe the concept of karma or the “cosmic law of cause and effect”.
•Why do Hindus refuse to eat beef?
•What is yoga, and how does it help one get to God?
•How is a Hindu boy initiated into his caste?
•What is reincarnation? How is this idea connected to the social structure of India? What role does moksha play in this concept?
•What role do dharma and karma play in reincarnation?
Hindu Gods and Goddesses
•Who are the primary Hindu gods and goddesses? What is their role?
•What roles do the other gods and goddesses play in Hinduism? Why so many?
India After the Mauryas
You should know the significance of the following vocabulary terms:
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“rule of the fishes” |
Vedas / Rig Veda |
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Sanskrit |
Prakrit |
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Mahabharata / Bhagavad Gita |
Ramayana (again!) |
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stone column/pillar |
stupa |
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rock chamber |
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Big Overarching Question: What legacy does ancient India leave us with today?
The Rule of the Fishes: India After the Mauryas
•Why did the Mauryan Empire fail? What are the theories that exist today?
The Exuberant World of Indian Culture
Literature
•What is significant about the development of the written languages of India?
•Why is its literature considered one of India’s greatest achievements? What did the Mahabharata and Ramayana contribute to this legacy?
•Ramayana: How does this story reflect some of the basic values of traditional Indian civilization? Why do you think it was necessary to have an unhappy ending to the story?
•What is significant about the stone column, stupa, and rock chamber? What do these pieces tell us about the role of religion and Asoka’s empire?
•Why do we know so little about Indian science? What do we know about it?