Name: _________________________________________ Period: ____________ Date: ___________________
India
Learning Target: I can explain why the Indus Valley was a successful civilization (History Standard #1).
Directions: Read and annotate the text below. Then, answer the reading comprehension questions that follow.
For each question, find the answer in the text, highlight it, and place the question number next to it.
One of the ancient world’s great river valley civilizations originated along the Indus River, in modern
day India. The Northern Plains cover the middle of the country, where society first developed in India. This
area is covered by rich soil deposited by floods from the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers.
Flooding in the Northern Plains is caused by heavy rains. These rains are brought by seasonal winds,
called monsoons. Monsoon winds during the summer bring warm air from the Indian Ocean, along with most
of the annual rainfall. In the winter, northeast monsoons blow cool, dry air from Central Asia.
India’s first civilizations depended on the monsoons to bring water. Monsoon rains flooded rivers,
leaving behind fertile soil, which was able to produce abundant crops. However, monsoons could also destroy
crops and homes. If rains came too late or were not heavy enough, crops would not grow. If that happened,
famine, or an extreme lack of food, became a threat.
Settlements near the Indus River were planned and laid out carefully, suggesting that a strong central
authority was in power. Streets ran in a grid pattern and people shared wells and a drainage system. In the
largest cities, a walled elevated fortress protected government buildings. Homes, workshops, and shrines
were built outside the fortress’s walls. The Indus people also developed a system of writing and developed
the Hindu religion.
The economy, or wealth, of the Indus civilization focused on agriculture and trade. Most people
farmed and herded livestock. Others made pottery, metalwork, and jewelry. Trade took place with nearby
communities and distant peoples. The Indus Valley civilization thrived from about 2500 BC to 2000 BC.
Repeated flooding, the disappearance of a river that ran through the valley, invasion, and disease may have
been factors in the decline of the civilization.
Reading Comprehension Questions: Use the text to help you answer the following questions (underline the
key words in each question). Please use complete sentences and restate the question in your answer.
1. What three rivers are in the Northern Plains? __________________________________________________
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2. What are monsoons and how did they benefit the Indus valley civilization? __________________________
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3. Explain two ways monsoons could hurt the Indus civilization. ______________________________________
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4. Describe how settlements near the Indus River were laid out. _____________________________________
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5. Describe how settlements near the Indus River were protected. ___________________________________
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6. How did the Indus people become wealthy? ___________________________________________________
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7. What are four reasons the Indus Valley civilization may have failed? ________________________________
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8. Advanced/Challenge Question: Evaluate how having well-organized cities would help a civilization to
succeed. Give specific examples of how organized streets, wells, and a fortress would help the civilization
succeed.___________________________________________________________________________________
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