Name:_________________________
Eastern Civilizations: Period:_________
Unit 2: Worksheet _________
Date:__________
Introduction to India
Directions: Students will be broken into groups and each group will be assigned a research
topic having to do with India. The topics are Geography, Government and Economy, People
and Culture, and History. You must work together to answer the group’s questions using the
Facts on File research.
Group 1: Geography
A. Facts and Figures: Geography:
1. What is India’s location? Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of
Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
2. What is India’s land area? Land: 2,973,193 sq km
3. Describe India’s terrain: Upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling
plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
4. List five natural resources: Coal, iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth
elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone,
arable land
5. List five natural hazards: Droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and
destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes
B. Weather and Climate:
6. Describe India’s wide range of climates: Subfreezing Himalayan winters to 50°C
(122°F) in the shade in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and from the highest annual
rainfall in the world (1,096 cm; 428 in) in Cherrapunji in Meghalaya to almost
permanent drought in the Thar Desert; 4 fairly distinct seasons are common
C. Geography: Geographical Features
7. List one mountain range and two famous peaks: The Himalayas; Mount Everest (8,847
m; 29,028 ft), in Nepal, and Mount Kanchenjunga (8,598 m; 28,208 ft).
8. List one river: The Ganges
Group 2: Government and Economy
D. Facts and Figures: Government
9. What is India’s government type? Federal republic
Unit 2: Worksheet _________
10. What is the capital of India? New Delhi
E. Government: Executive
11. What are the responsibilities of the President? The president is elected by members of
an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament
and legislative assemblies of the states, the supreme command of the union
defense forces, summons, addresses, and sends messages to Parliament and
dissolves the Lok Sabha, promulgates ordinances whenever either house of
Parliament is not in session, initiates financial and money bills, and gives assent
to bills in general, grants pardons, reprieves, respites, or remission of
punishment or suspends, remits, or commutes sentences in certain cases, can
proclaim an emergency in the country if satisfied that a grave emergency exists
whereby the security of India or any part of its territory is threatened, whether by
war, external aggression, or armed rebellion.
12. What are the responsibilities of the Vice-President? The vice president is elected by
members of an electoral college in a similar fashion to the president. The vice
president is chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, He or she acts as union president
when the latter is unable to discharge the functions of office because of absence,
illness, or any other cause, remains in power until the election of a new
president; during that period, he or she ceases to chair the Rajya Sabha.
13. What are the responsibilities of the Council of Ministers? The Council of Ministers,
headed by the prime minister, aids and advises the president in the exercise of
presidential functions. It is the duty of the prime minister to communicate to the
president all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration
of affairs of the union, and all proposals for legislation as well as information
relating to them. The president is bound by the advice of the Council of Ministers.
F: Government: Election Process
14. Who can vote? Every adult 18 years of age or older has the right to vote, apart
from those who have unsound mind or have been punished for election-related
offenses.
F. Facts and Figures: Economy
15. What is India’s GDP (Per Capita)? $4.962 trillion (2013 est.)
16. What is the labor force by occupation? Agriculture: 53%, Industry: 19%,
Services: 28% (2011 est.)
17. What is India’s currency? Indian rupee (INR)
Unit 2: Worksheet _________
Group 3: People and Culture
G. Facts and Figures: People
18. What is India’s population? 1,236,344,631 (July 2014 est.)
19. What languages are spoken? (List the top 3) Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%
20. What are the ethnic groups? Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid & other
3%
21: What religions are practiced in India? (List the top 3) Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%,
Christian 2.3%,
H: People and Culture: Entertainment and Recreation
22. List four things people in India in their spare time. Watching television and going to the
cinema, playing chess, which likely originated in India, as well as cricket, badminton, tennis,
table tennis, soccer, and golf.
I. People and Culture: Etiquette
23. Describe a proper Indian greeting: Among Hindus, the most common greeting
is namaste, which means "greetings to you." The word is said while joining the
hands together in front of the body with the fingers pointing upward. This
greeting does not require one person to touch another and allows people to greet
one another without knowing their respective castes. Among Muslims the
common greeting is salaam alaikum or just salaam), meaning "peace be with
you." Sikhs greet one another with Sat Sri Akal, meaning "God is Truth."
J: People and Culture: Personal Appearance
24. Describe traditional Indian male and female dress.
For men, this consists of the dhoti, which is a long swath of white cotton wrapped
around the waist and drawn between the legs. The style of turban often identifies
a person as belonging to a particular ethnic group or region. Also common are
the kurta, a long shirt worn over baggy pants, that is worn by both men and
women. A salwar kameez is a similar outfit of a loose tunic and pants worn by
both genders, although the women’s style can be quite decorative. For women,
traditional dress is the sari, a piece of cotton or silk that is wrapped around the
waist with one end thrown over the right shoulder. The choli is a bodice that
Unit 2: Worksheet _________
leaves the midriff exposed. The sari is still the preferred form of dress for most
Indian women, especially for formal occasions.
K: People and Culture: Holidays and Celebrations
25. Describe two holidays.
Independence Day: August 15th- At the stroke of midnight of August 14, 1947, the
first prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, declared India's
independence from Britain after having been under British rule for more than
150 years.
Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday: October 2nd- Commemorates the birth of Mahatma
Gandhi, the leader who inspired the Indians’ nonviolent quest to achieve
independence from British rule. Gandhi is considered the father of their nation,
and his belief in nonviolent resistance has inspired many people around the
world to fight against colonial rule and achieve independence.
Group 4: History
L. History: History Overview
26. When and where was the first civilization in India established?
Around 2500 BCE the first major Indian civilization, along the Indus River, was
established in what is today Pakistan.
27. When did the Gupta Empire rule? What were they known for?
The Gupta Empire came into power after the fall of the Mauryan Empire in the
fourth century CE. The Gupta period was a golden age of the arts in ancient India.
28.When did the Mughal Empire rule? What were they known for?
Mughals invaded Punjab, defeating the sultan of Delhi in 1525. The Mughal
Empire spawned an artistic renaissance that lasted until the Maratha Empire was
established in the 17th century.
29. When did the British first colonize India? What changes did they make?
The first British settlement was erected in Surat on the west coast in 1612. British
introduced modern education, public health, public works, railroads and roads,
banking and public finance, the judiciary, social welfare, and media. Although
reluctant to do so, they also laid the foundations of a parliamentary system of
government. Above all they welded hundreds of feudal princedoms into the
modern political entity known as India, giving the country an unprecedented
political unity.
Unit 2: Worksheet _________
30. When did Mohandas Gandhi become a leader in India? What did he fight for?
From 1919 to 1949 he was at the forefront of the movement for independence,
which included hartals(strikes), boycotts, civil disobedience, and passive
resistance. He was jailed many times; sometimes he provoked the British into
arresting him and then used his jail terms to dramatize his cause.
31. What happened in 1947?
In 1947 the British announced that they would divide British India into two states,
India and Pakistan—the former primarily Hindu, the latter primarily Muslim—
and grant independence to both.
32. When did India create a constitution? What type of government did they create?
In 1950 India adopted a constitution that declared the country a republic and a
federal union with a parliamentary system of government.
33. Why did India go to war with Pakistan in 1965?
Over the disputed regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
34. What issues does India face today in the 21st Century?
In the early 21st century, India, which has been a nuclear power since the 1970s,
continues to be in conflict with Pakistan over control of Jammu and Kashmir, a
situation that has prompted Pakistan to ramp up its own nuclear program in the
1990s. Poverty, however, remains entrenched for many, and the government is
aware that the key to continued economic prosperity is education, health care,
and resource management in rural areas.