3rd Nine Weeks CFA #1 Study Guide Notes
6.26 Outline the social structure of the caste system and explain its effect on everyday life in
Indian society.
1.
2. In the Indian social class system: Brahmin were priests who performed religious ceremonies.
Kshatriya were warriors who ran the government and army. Vaishya were usually farmers,
craftspeople, and merchants. Sudra were manual workers and servants.
3. According to Hindu beliefs, one’s position in the caste system is determined by your deeds in
a previous life.
4. In the caste system an individual's social class dictates what work the person can do and who
the person can marry.
5. In India the caste system is used to provide social control and conformity according to one’s
birth.
6. Indian’s society under the caste system is fixed and hierarchical.
7. In the caste system an individual’s role is determined by wealth, social status, job, and level of
political power. It is very difficult to change roles.
8. The term caste system is MOST associated with India.
9. The untouchables did jobs no one else wanted like dealing with dead bodies and human
emissions like sweat, urine, and feces.
6.29 Identify the important aesthetic and intellectual traditions, including: (C, E, H)
Sanskrit literature, including the Bhagavad-Gita Gita, Ramayana, and the Mahabharata
medicine metallurgy mathematics, including Hindu-Arabic numerals and the zero
10. India is considered a land of cultural diversity because both Buddhism and Hinduism
originated there.
11. The Mahabharata is an epic which could be studied to learn about early Indian culture.
12. For centuries, the characters of the Ramayana have served as models for how Indians
should behave.
13. Today we use Hindu-Arabic numerals. (0123456789)
14. Ancient Indian text were written in Sanskrit.
15. There were many contributions to society in mathematics and literature during
the Golden Age of India.
16. Some of the medical advancements of the Gupta Empire were surgical
procedures and inoculations (similar to flu shots or chicken pox shots) .
17. The Gupta Empire in ancient India were known for their active trade and great
wealth.
18. Ancient Indian civilization- such as that of the Indus Valley- were notable for working with
copper and bronze.