Name:______________________________________
World Cultures 9
Chapter 8: The Heritage of South Asia – Study Guide
How did various religions and empires affect the development of India?
Section 1: Religious Traditions
Key Terms:
Hinduism Karma Siddhartha Gautama Mahayana Buddhism
Brahman
Atman
Dharma
Vedas
Four Noble Truths
Nirvana
Jainism
Moksha Caste system Eightfold Path
Theravada Buddhism Reincarnation
Key Concepts:
1. How did Hinduism develop?
Buddhism
2. What are the core beliefs of Hinduism?
3. What are the sacred texts of Hinduism? Buddhism?
4. What are the three main Hindu gods? What are their roles?
5. How does the caste system work? How is it linked to Hinduism?
6. How and why did Buddhism develop?

7. What are the core beliefs of Buddhism?
8. How did Buddhism spread?
9. What are the main differences between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism?
10. Why isn’t Buddhism an important religion in South Asia today? Where is it widely practiced today?
11. What are the main similarities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism?
12. What is the most widely practiced religion in India today? What is the second most popular religion?
Section 2: Powerful Empires
Key Terms:
Maurya Empire Asoka Delhi Sultanate
Chandragupta
Key Concepts:
Gupta Empire
1. In what order did Indian civilizations and empires develop?
Sultan
Mughal Empire
Akbar the Great

2. What impact did the Mauryan emperor Asoka have on Asia?
3. What was South Asia like after the fall of the Maurya Empire?
4. What were the main achievements of the Gupta Empire?
5. What Muslim civilizations controlled India? What impact did they have on India?
Section 3: Patterns of Life
Key Terms:
Joint family
Purdah
Dowry
Key Concepts:
Caste
Brahmin
Kshatriyas
Vaisyas
1. What is the caste system? How does it caste system affect life in India?
2. How did the caste system make castes interdependent?
Sudra
Untouchable

3. What role did the village play in traditional Indian life?
4. What was the structure of the traditional family in India?
5. What was traditional marriage like in India?
6. What is the traditional role of women in India?
Section 4: India under British Rule
Key Terms:
Monopoly
East India Company
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Sepoy Rebellion
Colony
Indian nationalism
INC
Key Concepts:
1. Why did the British (along with other Europeans) want to control India?
2. How and when did the British East India Company gain control over India?
3. Why did Indians resent growing British control?
Mohandas Gandhi
Muslim League

4. What were the causes and effects of the 1857 Sepoy Rebellion?
5. When did the British government directly rule India? How did it rule India?
6. How did British rule affect India?
7. What led to the development of Indian nationalism?
8. What nationalist groups developed in India? What were the goals? How did they get along?