Traditions & Encounters A Global Perspective on the Past 5th Edition by Jerry Bentley – Test Bank

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Chapter 5

Early Society in East Asia

MULTIPLE-CHOICE

1. 2. 3. 4. The legendary founder of the Xia dynasty, who constructed dikes and dams and organized

flood control projects, was

a. Confucius.

b. Erlitou.

c. King Yu.

d. Prince Wu.

e. Prince Shun.

Answer: c

Page: 87

The legendary early Chinese sage-king who ordered the four seasons and who established

uniform weights, measures, and units of time was

a. Qin Shihuangdi.

b. Shun.

c. Confucius.

d. Yu.

e. Moksha.

Answer: b

Page: 87

Groups of Homo erectus made their appearance in east Asia as early as

a. one million years ago.

b. five hundred thousand years ago.

c. eight hundred thousand years ago.

d. fifty thousand years ago.

e. ten thousand years ago.

Answer: c

Page: 88

Which river takes its name from loess soil?

a. Yangzi

b. Xi Jiang

c. Chengdu

d. Meking

e. Huang He

Answer: e

Page: 885. 6. 7. 8. 9. The Huang He River was given the nickname

a. China’s Sorrow.

b. Mandate of Heaven.

c. China’s Father.

d. Yellow Terror.

e. Old Man.

Answer: a

Page: 89

Which of the following groupings of early societies and their rivers is correct?

a. Mesopotamia–Tigris and Euphrates; Egypt–Indus; Harappan–Nile; China–Huang He

b. Mesopotamia–Nile; Egypt–Tigris and Euphrates; Harappan–Indus; China–Huang He

c. Mesopotamia–Tigris and Euphrates; Egypt–Nile; Harappan–Huang He; China–Indus

d. Mesopotamia–Tigris and Euphrates; Egypt–Nile; Harappan–Indus; China–Huang He

e. Mesopotamia–Tigris and Euphrates; Egypt–Nile; Harappan–Indus; China–Yangzi

Answer: d

Page: 88-89

Which neolithic society flourished in China between 5000 and 3000 B.C.E.?

a. Xia

b. Yangshao

c. Shang

d. Zhou

e. Yu

Answer: b

Page: 89

The most important archaeological site from the neolithic Yangshao culture is

a. Banpo.

b. Huang He.

c. Xia.

d. Ao.

e. Shun.

Answer: a

Page: 89

Which of the following answers is correct chronologically?

a. Xia, Zhou, Shang, Qin

b. Shang, Yangshao, Xia, Zhou

c. Yangshao, Xia, Shang, Zhou

d. Yangshao, Shang, Xia, Zhou

e. Zhou, Shang, Yangshao, Xia

Answer: c

Page: 8910.The first attempt to organize public life in China on a large scale occurred during the

a. Shang dynasty.

b. Yangshao culture.

c. Xia dynasty.

d. Zhou dynasty.

e. Banpo period.

Answer: c

Page: 89

11.The capital of the Xia dynasty may have been

a. Ao.

b. Banpo.

c. Beijing.

d. Erlitou.

e. Mohenjo-daro.

Answer: d

Page: 89

12.The Shang rulers were strengthened by their control over the technological advantage of

a. iron.

b. bronze.

c. tin.

d. copper.

e. steel.

Answer: b

Page: 90

13.The Chinese copied their chariots from the

a. Egyptians.

b. Harappan Indians.

c. Japanese.

d. Koreans.

e. Indo-Europeans.

Answer: e

Page: 90

14.The Shang enjoyed a military advantage with armies as large as

a. two thousand troops.

b. eight thousand troops.

c. thirteen thousand troops.

d. forty-two thousand troops.

e. one-hundred thousand troops.

Answer: c

Page: 9015.Ao was an important early capital of the ________ dynasty.

a. Qin

b. Xia

c. Zhou

d. Shang

e. Harappan

Answer: d

Page: 91

16.The last capital of the Shang dynasty, which featured lavish tombs for the kings, was

a. Yin.

b. Beijing.

c. Erlitou.

d. Banpo.

e. Shun.

Answer: a

Page: 91

17.Which dynasty laid the foundation for principles of government and political legitimacy?

a. Xia

b. Zhou

c. Shang

d. Qin

e. Yangshao

Answer: b

Page: 93

18.The mandate of heaven

a. gave the Chinese emperors unlimited power.

b. created the notion of the Chinese emperors as gods.

c. positioned China as a theocracy ruled by priests.

d. allowed the ruler to serve as a link between the heavens and the earth.

e. originated with the Indo-Europeans before they reached China.

Answer: d

Page: 93

19.Because of the immense size of the Zhou state, its emperors were forced to

a. rely on a decentralized system of government.

b. rule through the use of incredible terror.

c. establish a rule based on the accepted divinity of the ruler.

d. bring in troops from their Indian allies.

e. practice a rudimentary form of democracy.

Answer: a

Page: 9320.One of the reasons for the eventual collapse of the Zhou dynasty was the inability of its

emperors to control the production of

a. bronze.

b. iron.

c. tin.

d. copper.

e. steel.

Answer: b

Page: 94

21.The “Period of the Warring States” refers to the

a. early war between China and India.

b. conquest of later Shang emperors by the rising Zhou military forces.

c. chaotic last centuries of the Zhou dynasty.

d. period of disunity before Xia unification.

e. political disunity during the Qin dynasty.

Answer: c

Page: 94

22.In ancient China, which group presided at the rites and ceremonies honoring ancestors’

spirits?

a. members of the official priesthood

b. women represented the nurturing earth goddess

c. the Buddhist hierarchy

d. the patriarchal heads of the families

e. Shinto priests

Answer: d

Page: 97

23.Which group retained much more influence on family structure in China than in other lands?

a. the extended family

b. the nuclear family

c. the matriarchal heads of the families

d. members of the cult of Isis

e. slaves

Answer: a

Page: 97

24.In regard to gaining or losing the mandate of heaven, the Chinese spoke of

a. tian, an impersonal heavenly power.

b. the influence of the great god Luoyang.

c. the influential decisions of the official priesthood.

d. the intervention of the Buddha.

e. military might.

Answer: a

Page: 9925.The Chinese began to make extensive use of writing during the ________ dynasty.

a. Xia

b. Zhou

c. Qin

d. Shang

e. Yangshao

Answer: d

Page: 99

26.In an effort to foretell the future, the Shang made use of

a. a careful examination of the movements of the planets.

b. sheeps’ entrails.

c. oracle bones.

d. prophetic visions brought about by consuming soma.

e. tea leaves.

Answer: c

Page: 99

27.Writing during the Shang period was made up of around

a. twenty-two letters.

b. fifty letters.

c. five hundred characters.

d. two thousand characters.

e. six thousand characters, including an alphabetic component.

Answer: d

Page: 100

28.The lines, “This young lady is going to her future home, And will order well her chamber

and house” come from

a. Confucius.

b. the Book of History.

c. the Book of Songs.

d. ancient texts discussing the unthinking obedience called for in the mandate of heaven.

e. the Lawbook of Manu.

Answer: c

Page: 100-101

29.Many of the early Chinese literary works were destroyed by

a. a major fire in the main Zhou library.

b. order of the first Qin emperor.

c. the incompetence of the later Zhou emperors.

d. Mongol raids during the Shang dynasty.

e. the wreck of a ship carrying the emperor’s personal library.

Answer: b

Page: 10130.Which of the following works was NOT one of the Zhou classics?

a. Book of Changes

b. Book of Songs

c. Book of the Emperors

d. Book of History

e. Book of Rites

Answer: c

Page: 100

31.Early China enjoyed lasting direct long-distance trade with

a. India.

b. Mesopotamia.

c. Egypt.

d. Persia.

e. none of these.

Answer: e

Page: 101

32.The early Chinese shipped textiles and metal goods to the ancestors of the Turks and

Mongols in the steppes and received what in return?

a. horses

b. grain

c. raw materials

d. military protection

e. silk

Answer: a

Page: 102

33.The nomadic tribes to the north and west of China traded with the Zhou

a. and eventually completely copied Chinese culture.

b. but did not imitate Chinese ways.

c. and were conquered by the Zhou emperors.

d. and brought profound cultural influences to the Chinese.

e. and eventually brought China under their control.

Answer: b

Page: 102

34.The powerful southern rival to the Zhou were the

a. Xia.

b. Yangzi.

c. Chu.

d. Huang He.

e. Yu.

Answer: cPage: 103

TRUE/FALSE

35.The legendary first dynasty in Chinese history was the Xia dynasty.

Answer: True

Page: 89

36.The “mandate of heaven” was the Chinese ideal that expressed the right to govern.

Answer: True

Page: 93

37.Banpo is a neolithic village from the Yangshao culture period.

Answer: True

Page: 89

38.The Chinese impersonal heavenly power was known as tian.

Answer: True

Page: 99

39.A Chang method for foretelling the future was the use of oracle bones.

Answer: False

Page: 99

40.The Huang He was the most important river in early Chinese history.

Answer: True

Page: 88-89

41.The Zhou dynasty (1766-1122 B.C.E.) monopolized the technology of iron metallurgy.

Answer: False

Page: 90, 93

42.The Book of Songs was a Zhou collection of verses.

Answer: True

Page: 100-101

43.Banpo was the capital during the last centuries of the Shang dynasty.

Answer: False

Page: 89, 91

ESSAY

44.A poem from the Book of Songs contains the lines, “Large rats! Large rats! Do not eat our

wheat.” Who are the rats in this poem? What was life like for the Chinese peasants during theZhou dynasty? How common was this type of protest from any peasants of the ancient

world?

45.The following lines are drawn from the Book of Songs: “Of all the men in the world there are

none equal to brothers.” How does this reflect the importance of the family in ancient China?

Was there a connection between the structure of the family and the structure of the state?

46.Early Chinese society has been described as being uniquely secular. Is this a fair assessment?

Why or why not? Explain your answer by comparing the importance of religion in China to

its importance in other early societies.

47.In what fundamental ways was the mandate of heaven different from other governmental

systems in the ancient world? What were the limitations of the mandate of heaven?

48.What can the Book of Songs tell us about life in ancient China? Compare the Book of Songs

to other literary works of the ancient world. How does life in China differ from life in other

societies?

49.What could the use of oracle bones tell us about the ancient Chinese Shang dynasty? Was

this practice nothing more than superstition? Did other ancient societies attempt to foretell

the future?

50.What does the mandate of heaven tell us about the philosophy, religion, and social structure

of the ancient Chinese?

51.How important was the development of writing to the ancient Chinese? Trace the evolution

of this practice.

52.Discuss the influence of ancient China. What ancient innovations continued to shape Chinese

thought over the centuries? How did the ancient Chinese influence their neighbors?

53.Examine the social structure of early China. Describe the lives of the peasants and slaves.

Did the concept of the mandate of heaven help or hurt the plight of the peasants?

54.Examine the Xia and Shang dynasties. What influence did these early dynasties have on later

Chinese history?

55.Discuss the role of women in early Chinese society. Why was China such a strongly

patriarchal society? How did the role of women change over the centuries?

56.Examine the role that changing technology played in the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

57.In what ways was the Zhou dynasty the foundation for Chinese thought and society?

58.Discuss the nature of the mandate of heaven. What were the foundations of this

governmental view? What was its long-term significance?59.Examine Chinese political history from the Yangshao society through the decline of the Zhou

dynasty. What were the major themes and turning points during this period?

60.Look at Map 5.1, the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, 2200-256 B.C.E. Trace the expansion

of Chinese political power. How did the major contributions of these three dynasties relate to

their geographical location?

61.Examine Map 5.2, China during the Period of the Warring States, 403-221 B.C.E. Why were

the Zhou rulers losing control over China? In what ways did this period of confusion set the

stage for true unification under the Qin dynasty?

62.Look at the picture of peasants preparing their field for cultivation on page 97. What was the

life of the Chinese peasant like? Did the mandate of heaven help the plight of the peasants?

63.Examine the picture of the Shang oracle bone on page 100. What was the idea behind the

oracle bones? Was there more to this practice than simple superstition? Compare it to other

methods for foretelling the future practiced in the ancient world.

64.Look at the representation of the evolution of Chinese characters on page 101. How did the

characters evolve from the early figures to the later ones? What role did writing play in the

advancement of Chinese society?

65.Examine the section from the Book of Songs regarding peasants (see Textbook: Sources from

the Past: Peasants’ Protest). In what ways does this poetry serve as social criticism? How

unusual would such criticism be in the ancient world?

66.Examine the section from the Book of Songs regarding family solidarity (see Textbook:

Sources from the Past: Family Solidarity in Ancient China). How does this poem reflect the

Chinese emphasis on family?

67.What do the legends of the three sage-kings tell us about the matters of greatest importance

to the people of the early east Asian societies?

68.How did the physical features of the land and waters in east Asia influence the development

of the culture?

69.Describe the different social orders that developed during the first three dynasties.

70.What is the relationship between patriarchy and ancestor worship in early China?

71.What do we know about writing and literature during the Zhou? Why is our knowledge so

limited?

72.Describe the relationship between the Chinese society under the dynasties and the people of

the steppe lands. How did these cultures differ? How did they influence each other?73.What was the relationship between the culture of the Yellow River and that of the Yangzi

Valley?