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6th grade · Social Studies · Unit 13 of 15

Classical China & India

Qin, Han, Maurya and Gupta

What your child practices

The Qin and Han dynasties of China and the Maurya and Gupta empires of India: their rulers, governments, inventions and golden ages, compared with Greece and Rome.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 6.5a; 6.5b; 6.5c · the classical civilizations of China and India, how geography and government shaped them, and their golden ages compared with Greece and Rome

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. The Qin united China; the Terracotta Army guarded its first emperor's tomb.
  2. The Han invented paper and chose officials by tests of Confucian teachings. Han China and Rome both had big armies and roads.
  3. India's Maurya and Gupta empires; the Gupta had a golden age of peace, wealth and achievement.

Example: During which dynasty was paper invented in China? It came after the Qin. It was the dynasty that ruled about 400 years. Answer: the Han

Classical China & India in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 13 of 15 in 6th grade Social Studies, after The Eastern Hemisphere Today and before The Mediterranean World.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    The Mandate of Heaven was the belief that…

    • Rulers could never lose power
    • The people voted for the emperor
    • Only priests could rule
    • Heaven gave rulers the right to rule as long as they ruled well

  2. Question 2

    Aryabhata, a scholar of the Gupta era, studied…

    • Silk weaving
    • Ship building
    • Astronomy and mathematics
    • Roman law

  3. Question 3

    The Gupta Empire's golden age is known for…

    • Advances in math, science and art
    • Conquering Rome
    • Building pyramids in Egypt
    • Sailing to the Americas

  4. Question 4

    How were Han China and the Roman Empire alike?

    • Both were large empires with strong armies and roads
    • Both were small city-states
    • Both were ruled by elected presidents
    • Both were in the Americas

  5. Question 5

    The Han period is often called a golden age because of…

    • The fall of its capital
    • Constant civil war
    • No trade at all
    • Peace, trade and new inventions

  6. Question 6

    How did the political systems of Han China and the Roman Republic differ?

    • Rome had an emperor; Han China had a senate
    • Han China had an emperor; the Roman Republic had elected leaders and a senate
    • Both had kings chosen by voters
    • Neither had any government

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