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Study Island
Copyright © 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 12/09/2014
Generated By: Cheryl Shelton
Title: Grade 6 Blizzard Bag 2014-2015 Social Studies-Day 1
1. It is believed that the Sumerians originally used their writing system for what purpose?
A. to keep records of trade and tax collection
B. to write epic works of poetry and literature
C. to have a written constitution for their people
D. to communicate with the Egyptian kingdoms
2. Using the timeline above, put the following events in chronological order.
A.
The Japanese court is established, The Tang Dynasty is established in China, Gregory the
Great becomes Pope, Lady Murasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of the Genji
B.
Gregory the Great becomes Pope, The Tang Dynasty is established in China, The Japanese
court is established, Lady Murasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of the Genji
C.
The Tang Dynasty is established in China, The Japanese court is established, Lady Murasaki
Shikibu writes The Tale of the Genji, Gregory the Great becomes Pope
D.
Gregory the Great becomes Pope, The Japanese court is established, Lady Murasaki
Shikibu writes The Tale of the Genji, The Tang Dynasty is established in China,
3. Which of the following events happened last?
A. The Japanese court was established at Heian.
B. Alfred the Great became the King of England.
C. Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of the Genji.
D. The Tang Dynasty ended in China.
4.
Why did the ancient Egyptians use the mummification process on the dead?
A. They believed that embalming the body would cause it to decay.
B. They believed it would stop the evil spirits from entering the body.
C. They believed it helped a person enter the afterlife more smoothly.
D. They believed it was a more sanitary process than ground burial.
5. Ancient Egyptian architecture is characterized by
A. giant blocks of sandstone carved into large buildings.
B. mud bricks held together with a limestone mortar.
C. blocks of stone or mud brick made without mortar.
D. mostly wood construction made from timber.
6. Siddhartha Gautama was born about 2,500 years ago and was a spiritual leader in India. He
changed his name to Buddha, which means "The Awakened One." Which of these statements is
true regarding the Buddha?
A. The Buddha was born a prince into nobility in what is now Nepal.
B. The Buddha declared that he is a god and should be worshipped.
C. The Buddha thought people should learn enlightenment without help.
D. The Buddha is believed to be reborn once every 10,000 years.
7. The following illustrates the caste system in India.
Caste
Role
Brahmin
priests, scholars
Kshatriya
leaders, warriors
Vaishya
farmers, merchants
Shudra
servants, workers
The caste system is an institution that separates
A. India into independent kingdoms.
B. the government into branches.
C. calendar months into seasons.
D. people into classes of society.
8.
The Mesopotamians constructed monumental buildings that served as temples. What was the
name given these structures?
A. acropolis
B. mosque
C. ziggurat
D. pyramid
9. Ramses the Great ruled for 67 years in the 12th century BC. Egypt enjoyed great prosperity
during his reign. One of his greatest achievements was
A. that he was the first king in history to sign a peace treaty.
B. the introduction of coined money to replace the barter system.
C. the dam he built on the Nile to provide a steady water supply.
D. the construction of a naval fleet that sailed as far away as China.
10. Which of the following best describes cuneiform, the writing system used by the
Mesopotamians?
A. It is the first known use of an alphabet.
B. It used pictographs to express ideas.
C. It is the basis of most modern writing systems.
D. It was only used in religious texts.
11. Pharaohs were believed to control the flooding of the Nile River, which made the soil fertile
for a good harvest. What was a major reason that Egyptians believed pharaohs had this power?
A. The Nile's flooding usually caused damage, but it was calmer during harvest time.
B. The pharaohs had proven that they could cause the floods to happen at any time.
C. The pharaohs would not predict the Nile's flooding until after it had occurred.
D. The Nile's flooding was reliable and came at about the same time every year.
The Mandate of Heaven was first described by the Zhou Dynasty when they defeated the
Shang Dynasty and took control of China. The Zhou used the Mandate of Heaven to justify why
they had taken China from the Shang. They claimed that the Mandate gave them the authority
to lead China.
Early China experienced many different dynasties, each using the Mandate of Heaven to
explain its rise to power. The rise and fall of these dynasties came to be known as the dynastic
cycle, and the Chinese began to understand the dynastic cycle as an ordinary part of
government.
12. What best describes the Mandate of Heaven?
A. Those with the most powerful armies had the right to lead.
B. The gods would only allow good and just leaders to rule.
C. A government could rule only with the will of the people.
D. Religious leaders had the authority to select emperors.
13. What effect did the dynastic cycle have on the Chinese people?
A. It made the Chinese develop stable, long-lasting dynasties.
B. It helped the Chinese accept sudden political changes.
C. It led the Chinese to discover many new technologies.
D. It caused the Chinese to expect more personal freedoms.