Chapter 7 Ancient China Section 1

Question 1

a hard gemstone often used in jewelry

Answer 1

jade

Question 2

a prediction by a wise person, or a person who makes a prediction

Answer 2

oracle

Question 3

What geographical features limited travel in China?

Answer 3

The Gobi Desert and the Plateau of Tibet,

Question 4

What were some features of China’s earliest settlements?

Answer 4

Many of the houses in early settlements were partly underground and had straw-covered roofs. There were also animal pens, storage pits, and cemeteries. Artifacts including arrowheads, fishhooks, tools, pottery, and pieces of cloth were found. Tombs included containers of food, suggesting a belief in an afterlife.

Question 5

What is a major historical difference between the Xia and Shang dynasties?

Answer 5

Archeologists have not yet found evidence that the tales about the Xia are true. The Shang dynasty is the first dynasty for which we have clear evidence.

Question 6

Name China’s two major rivers.

Answer 6

Huang He or Yellow River

Chang Jiang or Yangzi River

Question 7

How did China’s geography affect its development?

Answer 7

Farming developed near the rivers. Southern China has more rain than northern China and can have more than 1 rice crop a year. Western China’s high mountains and wide deserts make travel difficult and isolate China’s population centers in the east.

Question 8

In which river valley did China’s civilization begin?

Answer 8

The Shang dynasty developed in the Huang He Valley.

Question 9

What made China’s river valleys ideal for farming?

Answer 9

The rivers’ floods deposited fertile silt, which made the land ideal for growing crops.