Lesson 1 - The Indus Valley Civilization

Question 1

Achievement

Answer 1

An accomplishment that requires effort or skill

Question 2

Subcontinent

Answer 2

A large landmass that juts out from the rest of the continant

Question 3

Granary

Answer 3

A special building used to store grain

Question 4

River system

Answer 4

One main river and all the other rivers or streams that drain into it

Question 5

Monsoon

Answer 5

Seasonal winds which cause rains

Question 6

Evidence

Answer 6

Information used to prove something

Question 7

What makes India a subcontinent?

Answer 7

India juts out from the rest of the of the continent and is isolated by water and mountains such as the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and for water the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal

Question 8

How did India protect its cities?

Answer 8

India built large thick walls around their city and built earthen mounds around their cities. These mounds stayed underwater during floods

Question 9

What items did the civilization trade?

Answer 9

The Indus Valley Civilization traded….
.Jewelry made from precious stones
.Teak - a wood from a tree that grows in India
.Woven cotton cloth

Question 10

This civilization prospered from trade.

True or False

Answer 10

True

Question 11

What animals did farmers raise?

Answer 11

Farmers raised….

.Cattle
.Sheep
.Goats
.Chickens

Question 12

What did Ancient India do when their monsoon rains didn’t come?

Answer 12

Farmers built irrigation channels and ditches. These brought river water to the wheat and barley fields

Question 13

What achievement shows that the Indus Valley Civilization had to have had advanced math skills?

Answer 13

Their cities were built with wide straight streets in a grid pattern. They also had an advanced system of weights and measurements using multiples of ten

Question 14

What new system did most Ancient Indian houses in cities have?

Answer 14

Most houses had a bathroom and toilet. Wastewater from houses flowed into brick-lined sewage channels. These were the world’s first citywide sewer systems.

Question 15

What item did traders use to identify their goods?

Answer 15

Traders used stone seals with writing to identify their goods. They stamped their seals on soft clay squares attached to their goods.

Question 16

Citadel

Answer 16

A fortified area.

Question 17

The civilizations religion

Answer 17

There is no evidence of temples and no clear sign of activity led by religious leaders. Although, some statues and small carvings have features that seem to show practices of of Hinduism. Some artifacts share characteristics of statues of Hindu gods. Some carvings look like people meditating or offering a formal greeting which are important practices of Hinduism.

Question 18

What are some ideas of what happened to the civilization?

Answer 18

Some possibilities are that mosquitos spread disease and weakened populations. People might have stripped out forests of trees leaving them without wood for building or fuel. A lack of forest cover could have caused severe floods that damaged cities. The cattle might have overgrazed the land leaving bare soil. Salt could have built up in the soil making it hard to grow crops. An earthquake could have also wiped out the population. Some historians think climate change could have hurt them. Years of drought could have dried up rivers and made it impossible to feed city dwellers. The most widespread theory is that many people finally moved away towards the Ganges where the rains were more regular.

Question 19

What type of land is most on India?

Answer 19

A plateau - the Deccan Plateau

Question 20

Were the river floods important to cities?

Answer 20

Yes, the floods left behind a rich soil. River water helped farmers harvest lots of crops. The crops fed the cities of the civilization.

Question 21

Describe monsoons in different seasons.

Answer 21

Dry monsoons in the winter blowed from the land to the sea. Little rain fell.
In the summer, wet monsoons from the ocean blowed into the land. They brought rain which provides water for crops.

Question 22

How was a granary used?

Answer 22

A granary was used to store grain but scholars believe farmers might have stored surplus crops in the granary.

Question 23

How did farmers use the water of the Indus River system to grow crops?

Answer 23

Farmers used their floods which left behind very rich soil which was great for growing crops. They also used the rivers for irrigation by making channels and ditches.

Question 24

What are some similarities between the Indus Valley civilization and other ancient river civilizations?

Answer 24

The Indus Valley civilization and some other civilizations both used the flooding to get rich soil and also used irrigation. Their farming ways were similar. The Indus Valley civilization traded with nearby civilizations and lots of other civilizations traded too.

Question 25

What were some innovations of the Indus Valley civilization?

Answer 25

The Indus Valley created the first citywide sewer system. They had bathrooms and toilets in most city houses. The wastewater from houses flowed into brick-lined sewage channels.

Question 26

Describe India geographically.

Answer 26

India is a large country or subcontinent which is desert in its North Western area. India also has a lot of crop land and a lot of Indias area is a plateau. The plateau is the Deccan Plateau. India is surrounded by the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. In Indias Northern area there is the Ganges Plain. There are a lot of rivers in India especially in its Northern area. Some rivers include the Indus River and the Ganges River.

Question 27

Describe the growing seasons in India.

Answer 27

Southern India grows all year long. Northern India grows almost all year long at 8 - 12 months a year.

Question 28

Why are monsoons important to India?

Answer 28

The rains help water the crops and the ground.

Question 29

What will happen if the monsoon rains don’t come and there is no other way to get water?

Answer 29

The crops will dry up and blow away and some people will starve.

Question 30

Whats the source of the Ganges River?

Answer 30

The Himalayas are because the snow tops melt into the rivers.