Chapter 4: Early Societies in South Asia – Flashcards
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The chief god of the early Aryans was
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Indra.
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After the Aryans and Dravidians mixed and intermingled,
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Indra receded into the background.
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Archaeologists in India have discovered that between 8000 and 5000 B.C.E.,
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cultivators built a neolithic society west of the Indus River
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The earliest known urban society in India was the
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Harappan.
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Much of early Harappan history remains a mystery because
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the archaeological remains are under water.
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If the Greek historian Herodotus had known of the Harappan society, he might have used the phrase "the gift of the ________" to describe it.
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Indus
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Chickens were first domesticated in
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India.
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Mohenjo-daro was
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one of the two main cities of the Harappan society.
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Based on archaeological evidence from early Indian history, historians believe that
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Harappa and Mohenjo-daro served as economic and political centers.
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At its height, the population of Mohenjo-daro reached
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40,000.
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Evidence relating to trade indicates that Harappan India
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traded with the Mesopotamians
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Which statement about Harappan society is FALSE?
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Their writings have provided a wealth of information for historians.
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Harappan religion
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reflected a strong concern for fertility.
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Some scholars believe that, after the collapse of the Harappan society, Harappan deities
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survived and found a place in the Hindu pantheon.
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One of the biggest reasons for the decline of the Harappan society was likely
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ecological degradation
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The Indo-Europeans who entered India called themselves Aryans, which means
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"noble people."
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The Aryans were
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Indo-Europeans.
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The Aryans came into India
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in a centuries-long migration.
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Which of the following statements about the Aryans is NOT true?
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They brought the first written language to India
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The biggest military advantage of the Indo-Europeans was
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their horses.
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Most of our information about the early Aryans comes from the
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Vedas
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The Aryans referred to social classes by the term
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varnas.
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Which of the following social classes in the caste system is associated with warriors and aristocrats?
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kshatriyas
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The task of butchering animals or handling dead bodies usually fell to the
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untouchables.
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Which of the following answers reflects the early varna hierarchy from highest to lowest?
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brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras
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A jati is
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a subcaste.
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The first century B.C.E. work that dealt with moral behavior and social relationships was the
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Lawbook of Manu.
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When a Hindu widow voluntarily threw herself on her dead husband's funeral pyre it was known as
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sati
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Vedic society was
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strongly patriarchal.
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What Aryan god was associated with war and rain?
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Indra
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The Aryans believed that Varuna
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oversaw the behavior of mortals and preserved the cosmic order
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The most important aspect of the Aryan religion during the early Vedic times was
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the proper performance of ritual sacrifices.
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The hallucinogenic concoction drunk by Aryans during ritual sacrifices was known as
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soma.
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The "World of the Fathers"
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was the Aryan heaven
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The Upanishads were
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commentaries and reflections on the Vedas.
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In Hinduism the highest goal of the individual soul was to
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escape the cycle of birth and rebirth and enter into permanent union with Brahman.
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This passage from the Upanishads explains what Hindu concept? "Now as a man is like this or like that, according as he acts and according as he behaves, so will he be- a man of good acts will become good, a man of bad acts, bad."
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karma
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The two principal means to achieve the goal of moksha are
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asceticism and meditation.
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Dasas is the Aryan term for the Dravidians.
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True
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Severing all ties with the physical world and identifying oneself with the ultimate reality of the world spirit is moksha.
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True
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Indra was the Aryan god who preserved the cosmic order.
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False
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Aryans used the term varnas to refer to the major social classes.
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True
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Varuna was the chief god of the Aryans, associated with rain and war
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False
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The priests were called brahmins.
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True
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The Rig Veda is a collection of hymns that provides the best information about the Aryans.
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True
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Moksha is the transmigration of the soul
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False
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The Upanishads are reflections and commentaries on the Vedas.
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True
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The sum of good and evil in a life is known as karma.
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True
