Name_______________________________________________________________ Period __________
AP World History Ch. 2 Reading Guide #1 Pg. 34-45
1. What is the “Classical Period” time span in World History? Pg.34
2. Name the three major Classical Civilizations.
3. What was the nature of interactions of the Classical Civilization s with the rest of humanity?
4. What specific product found its way around the Classical World?
(Timeline Pg. 36-37)
5. When was the initial Zhou Kingdom?_____ 6. When was the rise of Greek City-States? _____
7. When did Zoroastrian Religion develop in Iran? _____ 8. When did the Buddha live? _____
9. When was Shi Huangdi proclaimed first emperor of China? _____
10. When was the last Han Emperor deposed? _____ 11. What were the years of the Gupta Empire? _____
12. What new technology allowed for large-scale military conquests during the Classical Era?
13. What innovations did Classical Civilizations NOT have to re-invent?
14. Which of the Classical Civilizations had the largest commercial reach?
15. Which civilization valued the elderly for wisdom and life experience?
16. Which civilization sometimes took a more harsh view of the elderly?
17. What was the political situation in Confucius’ time? Pg.40
18. What came to be the THREE leading philosophical systems in China?
19. What other societies have felt the influence of Confucius’ teaching over the centuries?
20. Who founded the first REAL centralized empire in China? What did he call his dynasty?
21. Briefly describe the ‘dynastic cycle’.
22. List the THREE dynasties associated with Classical China/
23. How did feudalism function under the Zhao?
24. What is the “Middle Kingdom”?
25. Briefly describe Shi Huangdi’s rise to power and his style of rule.
26. What were some of the innovations and improvements experienced in China under Shi Huangdi?
27. What dynasty rose up after the death of Shi Huangdi?
28. Who was the most famous ruler under this new dynasty?
29. For what accomplishments is his reign remembered?
30. What events led to the fall of this final Classical Chinese dynasty? Pg.45
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Name_______________________________________________________________ Period __________
AP World History Ch. 2 Reading Guide #2 P. 46-59
1. Why were the Qin-Han governmental systems so successful for so long? Pg.46
2. How were Shi Huangdi’s uniform law and taxation systems beneficial to the stability of China?
3. How did Han rulers further enhance the power of the imperial government?
4. How did the bureaucracy further stabilize the imperial government?
(Read Visualizing the Past: Capital Designs and Patterns of Political Power. Pg. 47)
5. Using the picture which social groups were the most powerful politically in each society?
6. Which society had the strictest political government.
7. Why do you think the Han government chose to actively promote Confucian philosophy? Pg.48
8. In what two industries was the imperial government directly involved?
9. How did the government use the annual physical labor required of meal peasants?
10. Briefly describe the major ideas of Confucian thought.
11. What were the Analects?
12. Briefly describe the ideas of Legalism.
(Read Document: Teachings of the Rival Chinese Schools. Pg. 50)
13. Describe the difference between the Confucian passages and the Daoist passages.
14. Briefly describe the ideas of Daoism
15. Why could Daoism (and later Buddhism) and Confucianism co-exist?
16. What were The 5 Five Classics?
15. Describe Classical Chinese art.
(Read Thinking Historically: Women in Patriarchal Societies. Pg. 52-53)
16. Why were upper-class women often considered more inferior to men than lower-class women?
17. What was the focus of science and scientific research in China?
18. Briefly describe the Chinese social class structure.
19. Why were merchants considered less respectable than peasants and bureaucrats?
20. What improvements to agriculture developed under the Han?
20. Even though Classical China was agrarian, what other industries developed in this era?
21. How did the Chinese view their kingdom in comparison with the rest of the world?
22. What important new religion came to China from India beginning during the Han decline?
23. What was the function of and activity along the “Silk Road”? Pg.57
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