Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
India
Homework
Assignments
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Name_______________
1
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 1-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 106-108
Define the following terms:
subcontinent
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
monsoon
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
citadel
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
migrate
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
caste
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Map Master Skills- Use the map on page 107 to answer the following
questions;
1. What geographic features do you notice on the map? __________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
2. Which winds bring rain to India, winter of summer?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 2-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 106-108
Complete the following questions:
1.Which mountain range separates India from the rest of Asia?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. Why do the people of India depend on the monsoons?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. With a surplus of wheat and other grains, what happened to India’s
population?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. How did cities protect themselves from the floods?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 3-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 109-111
Complete the following questions:
1.What does the word “Vedas” mean?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. What is the caste system. People in India had to stay in the same caste
system as their parents. Do you agree with this rule? Explain your
answer.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. Look at the picture on page 110 in the textbook, Farming in the Indus
Valley, how did farmers help make civilization possible in the Indus
Valley?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. With a surplus of wheat and other grains, what happened to India’s
population?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 4-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 114-118
Define the following terms:
brahman
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
avatar
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
reincarnation
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
dharma
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
ahimsa
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
1. Looking at the picture on page 115 in the textbook, Bathing in the
Ganges, why do you think Hindus believe the Ganges to be
sacred?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
5
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 5-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 114-116
Complete the following questions:
1.Where did Hinduism come from?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. How did Hindu’s approach god? (What was their belief about god?)
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. How is Hinduism different from other religions?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. Who was Brahma?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. Who was Vishnu?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
6
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 6-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 117-118
Complete the following questions:
1.What were the Upanishads?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. Explain in your own words, what is reincarnation.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. How does the actions during a person’s life affect their fate, according
to reincarnation?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What was a Hindu’s duties?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. What is yoga?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
7
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 7-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 119-123
Define the following terms:
meditate
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
nirvana
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
missionary
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
1. Looking at the picture on page 120 in the textbook, The Eightfold
Path, which steps direct followers to lead a moral life?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
8
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 8-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 119-120
Complete the following questions:
1.What event did Siddhartha Gautama witness that changed his life
forever?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. What new religion did Siddhartha Gautama’s wandering lead to?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. What questions did Siddhartha Gautama sought (or try to find)
answers to?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What was the ancient Hindu practice of focusing inward in order to
find spiritual awareness called?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. What was the Eightfold Path?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
9
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 9-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 121-123
Complete the following Questions:
1.How did Buddha say people could reach nirvana?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. Buddhism did not have a caste system, what did Buddha teach people
instead?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. What are some of the shared beliefs between Buddhists and Hindu’s?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What other countries did Buddhism spread to?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
10
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 10-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 126-130
Define the following terms:
Maurya Empire
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
convert
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
tolerance
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
1. Looking at the picture on page 127 in the textbook, Fighting for
Empire, how did Chandragupta use his army to create an empire?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
11
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 11-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 126-127
Complete the following questions:
1.Who founded the Maurya Empire?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. What is absolute rule?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. What did Chandragupta use his wealth for?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What kind of ruler do you think Chandragupta was? Support your
answer with evidence from the textbook.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
12
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 12-India
Instructions: Read the World History Textbook; pages 128-130
Complete the following questions:
1.What was Chandragupta grandson’s name?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. What happened at the battle of Kalinga?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. Why did Asoka become a Buddhist? Explain your answer.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What kind of ruler do you think Asoka was? Support your answer
with evidence from the textbook. (Hint: How did Asoka use tolerance?)
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. Why did Asoka send missionaries to China?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
13
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 13-India
Read the following textbook article and answer the questions that follow.
India - Geography
By Ekaterina Zhdanova-Redman
India is a beautiful and interesting country in southern
Asia. Throughout history, many people have traveled
thousands of miles to visit India. Many people have also
written books about the people, plants, and animals of India.
One of the most famous of these writers was a man named
Rudyard Kipling. He wrote a story about a little Indian boy
named Mowgli.
1
You may have already heard Mowgli's story. The book is called "The Jungle
Book." Mowgli was raised by wolves and was taught the ways of life by different
jungle animals. Mowgli found friends in a bear named Baloo and a black panther
named Bagheera.
2
The animals in "The Jungle Book" are very common in India. Lions, tigers,
leopards, panthers, monkeys and elephants can be found in India's many jungles.
Elephants have been especially important to Indians.
3
Elephants are giant grey animals with long noses. Their huge size and great
strength makes them very useful for carrying things. For many years Indians have
used elephants to carry heavy loads and to travel.
4
India also produces some of the greatest tea and spices in the world. Many
years ago, explorers from all over the world traveled to India. Explorers like Vasco
da Gama wanted to bring some of India's tea, spices, and gold home with them to
sell. You probably know the story of Columbus and his trip to the Americas in
1492. But did you know that Columbus was really trying to sail to India?
5
Many people in India live in small towns. There are also many big cities in
India. India's capital city, New Delhi, is in the northern part of the country. Did you
know that more than one billion people live in India? That's more than all the
people of the United States and Europe combined!
6
14
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
To the north, India is surrounded by the Himalayan Mountains. These
mountains are some of the tallest in the world. To the southwest and southeast,
India is surrounded by water. Because of the mountains and the seas, the weather
in India can be very interesting. Changing winds--called monsoons--are common
in India. These monsoons sometimes bring lots of storms and rain with them. In
fact, one of the wettest cities in the world is in India!
7
Because of everything India has to offer, it is one of the most important and
most exciting countries in all of Asia.
8
India - Geography
Instructions-Answer the following Multiple-choice questions based on the
article, India-Geography.
1. Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle
Book.
False
True
3. Some of the greatest tea and spices
in the world come from India.
False
True
5. What is India's capital?
New Delhi
Calcutta
Peshawar
Bombay
7. The population of India is less than
one billion.
False
True
2. Monsoons are:
A group of people in India
A kind of fruit
Boats used to sail to India
Changing winds
4. Indians use what animals to help
carry things?
Lions
Elephants
Monkeys
Panthers
6. In The Jungle Book, Mowgli was
raised by:
Crocodiles
Strangers
His parents
Wolves
8. To the southwest and southeast,
India is surrounded by:
Mountains
Deserts
Jungles
Water
15
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 14-India
Read the following textbook article and answer the questions that follow.
India - Traditions
By Ekaterina Zhdanova-Redman
Many Indian traditions are beautiful, many are unusual, and some are
very strange. To many outsiders who have visited India over the years,
the traditions and ceremonies of Indians are the most colorful parts of
their trip.
1
India is a very religious country. Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and
Sikhism are the most common religions in India. All of them have many
traditions, ceremonies, and rituals that are important to Indian daily life.
Many, if not most of India's celebrations and ceremonies, are based on
one religion or another.
2
Most of India's population is Hindu. Hinduism is the main religion in India. It
is also the oldest religion in the world. For India's Hindus, the happiest and most
important festival of the year is Diwali--celebration of lights and fireworks. Diwali
is celebrated to remember a number of Hindu gods. It is celebrated for five days in
November. During this celebration candies and firecrackers are very common.
3
One festival, called Ganesh Chaturthi, is dedicated to the elephant-headed god
Ganesh. It is held in August and September and celebrated all across India. Indians
celebrate this holiday with firecrackers and religious worship. During the
celebrations Indians also try very hard not to look at the moon!
4
There are many Muslims living in India. In fact, India's Muslim population is
one of the largest Muslim populations in the world! Muslims in India celebrate the
10-day Muharram festival during April and May. They celebrate this festival with
parades. Dedicated Muslims also whip themselves out of respect for the Muslim
prophet Mohammed's grandson.
5
Varanasi is considered to be India's religious capital and is home to several
important traditions. It is situated along the Ganges River. This river is sacred to
many of India's Hindus. According to Hindu tradition, anyone who dies in
Varanasi goes straight to heaven, regardless of his or her religious beliefs.
6
16
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Varanasi is also home to many ghats--steps or paths that lead down to the
Ganges River. Some ghats are used for ceremonial bathing. Others are used for
cremation--the process of burning dead bodies. The most sacred "burning ghat" in
all of India is located in Varanasi.
7
Movies also play an important role in Indian culture. Indians love watching
movies and love making movies. Indian movies are very colorful, dramatic, and
have a lot of music and dancing. Centered in Bombay, Indian cinema is known and
respected throughout the world.
8
India is home to more than one billion people, many of whom live in the cities.
Because of the country's population, many parts of Indian cities are crowded. But
because of India's rich culture, Indians make their cities--and the rest of their
country--something very special and beautiful.
9
Instructions-Answer the following Multiple-choice questions based on the
article, India-Traditions.
1. The Muharram festival is celebrated
primarily by:
Christians
Hindus
Sikhs
Muslims
3. Ghats are:
Paths that lead down to a river used
for ceremonies
Buildings used for worship
Indian trains
A kind of elephant
2. The most somber Hindu holiday is Diwali.
False
True
4. Indian cinema is centered in:
New Dehi
Bombay
Varanassi
Calcutta
5. During Ganesh Chaturthi, Indians try not to 6. The Ganges River is unimportant to
do what?
Sleep
Eat for one week
Look at other people
Look at the moon
Hindus.
False
True
7. "Burning ghats" are used for what purpose? 8. India is a very religious country.
Washing
Cremations
Dancing
Cooking food
False
True
17
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Assignment 15-India
Read the following textbook article and answer the questions that follow.
India - History
By Ekaterina Zhdanova-Redman
India is home to one of the oldest civilizations on the
planet. Only in the last 50 years has India enjoyed true
freedom of its people. Invasions of India began with the first
Aryan invasion several thousands of years ago. Since then,
India and its people have fallen under the rule of invading
forces with great regularity.
1
The earliest Indian history is preserved in the ruins of a city called Mohenjo
Daro, which lies in present-day Pakistan. Thousands of years ago, citizens of
Mohenjo Daro had developed systems of counting, writing, weighing and
measuring. They practiced advanced ways of life that were unknown in Europe
even as late as the 19th century. The city featured ditches and canals that irrigated
local farms. The fate of the people at Mohenjo Daro is unknown.
2
Aryans began invading India about 4,000 years ago. They were the tribes of
people from north of India in central Asia. The word "Aryan" is a Sanskrit word
meaning "owners of land." They moved into India as other Aryans were moving
into Europe. The Aryans in both India and Europe became ancestors of some of
today's fair-skinned people in India and Europe.
3
The Aryans found plenty of dark-skinned natives in India. Some of the natives,
called Dravidians, moved southward ahead of the Aryans, settling in southern
India. Many of their descendants can be still be found there today. Although Aryan
influence extended all over India, they never actually conquered southern India and
the Dravidians who lived there.
4
During years of Aryan influence, the caste system developed in India. A caste
system is a division of society based on wealth, occupation, and/or lineage. The
caste system in India has lasted throughout most of its modern history.
5
About 326 BC, Alexander the Great invaded India, although the presence of his
armies there lasted a short time. After Alexander's departure, the Maurya Empire
was established. It grew to include all of India and parts of central Asia. The most
6
18
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
famous of Mauryan rulers was Emperor Asoka. During his rule, Asoka converted
to Buddhism and refused to wage war after his conversion.
After the rule of Asoka, a time of regular invasions from the likes of Arabs,
Greeks, and Scythians began. About 120 AD, the Scythians conquered northern
India. They established the Kushan Dynasty. The Gupta Dynasty followed, which
started India's "Golden Age." During this time, cities grew in India. Its schools and
businesses grew and its people prospered. From about 450 AD, regular invasions
of India began. The first Europeans arrived nearly 1,000 years later.
7
The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama came to India in 1498. Europeans
recognized great natural resources of India and potential for trade and profit there.
European countries raced to send explorers to India. Among the first European
groups to settle in India was the British East India Company.
8
The Company was ruled by the British government. It grew in power for
hundreds of years in India. Through battles with natives and ruthless economic
tactics, the Company grew to control most of India before native Indians knew
what was happening.
9
The Indian people rebelled against the Company in 1857. The revolution
failed, but it brought the struggle of Indians and the cruelty of the Company to the
attention of British rulers. The British government vowed to do away with the
Company. In 1858, Britain assumed control of the land held by the Company. It
became known as British India. Later, Britain came to influence most of the rest of
India as well. For the next hundred years, Indian resistance to British rule would
grow to a breaking point.
10
In 1919 an Indian lawyer named Mohandas K. Gandhi became leader of the
Indian National Congress. He led non-violent opposition to British rule and
supported Indians. Gandhi became one of the most respected leaders in Indian
history. Work of Gandhi and his countrymen helped India to become a free state in
1947. India adopted its own constitution in 1949. Gandhi didn't survive to live in a
free India. He was assassinated in 1948.
11
In the years to follow, India used the help of nations around the world to make
the life of Indians better. During the 1950s, billions of dollars were spent on
improvements in agriculture, industry, and health. Today, India's economy and
daily life continues to improve.
12
19
Name _________________________________________
Mr. Zindman’s Class
Date ____________________________
6th Grade Word History Homework
Instructions-Answer the following Multiple-choice questions based on the
article, India-History.
1. Mohenjo Daro is important to India.
Why?
It is an important sea port
It is the capital of India
It is home to Indian ancient
ruins
It is the economic center of
India
3. Mohandas Gandhi was leader of
what group?
Aryans
British traders
Scythians
The Indian National Congress
5. Emperor Asoka converted to
Buddhism and refused to do what?
Rule India
Eat
Sleep
Wage war
7. Mohandas Gandhi practiced violent
opposition to British rule.
False
True
2. The British East India Company was
fair in its dealings with native
Indians.
False
True
4. India adopted its own constitution in:
1949
1899
1919
1740
6. Upon arriving in India, Aryans found
what group of people already there?
Scythians
Portuguese
Dravidians
British
8. The caste system is:
India's national transportation
A way to divide people by
wealth and occupation
A trading system used by the
British
A Hindu religious teaching
20